All Saints’ Day falls on a Sunday this year, 1 November. That means no extra day off, but a few rules still apply, and Munich’s autumn break starts right after. Here is what works over the weekend and what does not.
What is closed. The Deutsches Museum, including the Verkehrszentrum and Flugwerft Schleißheim, stays shut. Shops are closed as on any Sunday, so buy groceries on Saturday. The city cemeteries are open from 8 am to 7 pm; bicycles are not allowed inside.
What is open. According to muenchen.de, the Alte Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne, Museum Brandhorst and Sammlung Schack are open from 10 am to 6 pm. Because the holiday falls on a Sunday, regular admission costs €1; special exhibitions may cost more. The M-Bäder pools keep normal Sunday hours: the Michaelibad, with its slide and parent-and-child area, runs from 7.30 am to 11 pm, the Müller’sches Volksbad from 10 am to 6 pm. All M-Saunen run mixed sessions.
Free and quiet. The Alter Südfriedhof near Sendlinger Tor is a historic cemetery with no new burials, and entry is free. Children can look for squirrels; adults get a slice of city history.
Halloween and the “silent day”. In Bavaria All Saints’ Day is a “stille Tag”. Under the state holiday law (Art. 3), protection runs from 2 am to midnight; public entertainment is allowed only if it respects the solemn character of the day, while sporting events may go ahead. Public dance events are generally banned, according to muenchen.de, with exceptions possible. So if you go to a Halloween party on 31 October, expect the dancing to stop by 2 am at the latest. Daytime plans for children are unaffected. The Magic Bavaria experience museum next to the Olympia shopping centre runs a spooky graveyard room (ages 6 and up) from 24 October to 8 November and hands out free glitter tattoos and trick-or-treat sweets on 31 October and 1 November; both are included in regular admission.
After the holiday. The school-free days in Munich run from 2 to 6 November. If you need childcare on Monday, arrange it now. Museums return to normal hours, but 1 November is the cheapest museum day of the week.
Our view: for families 1 November is the cheapest museum day of the week. Organisers have not said whether the galleries will be crowded; to be safe, go in the morning.
Sources: muenchen.de: All Saints’ Day, Bayern.Recht: Feiertagsgesetz, in-muenchen.de: Magic Bavaria
