Is Munich Expensive To Visit? How To Visit Munich On A Budget

Last Updated on 14th September 2023

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Are you planning a trip to Munich and wondering why is Munich so expensive to visit? In this ultimate guide about Munich prices, I’ve shared my detailed budget for spending 3 days in Munich so you can see how much everything costs!

Is Munich an expensive city?

Munich is renowned for being one of the most expensive cities in Germany to live in and visit. However, it is possible to visit Munich on a budget if you don’t want to spend a small fortune to visit this gorgeous Bavarian city.

In August 2022, Matt and I spent three nights in Munich and while it certainly wasn’t the cheapest European city we’ve visited, it wasn’t too astronomically expensive, especially compared to cities like Dubrovnik and Paris.

If you’re wondering whether Munich is expensive to visit, take a look at my post below all about how much we spent in Munich, including where to stay, the best things to do in Munich on a budget and how much money you can expect to spend on food and drink during your trip.

Total cost for two people for three nights in Munich: £455.39 (£227.70 each)/(£75.90 each per day)

How to get to Munich

Is Munich Expensive To Visit? How To Visit Munich On A Budget [2023]

Munich is a super accessible city from most major cities all over Europe. You can get return flights to Munich from the UK for as little as £39 per person, and of course, if you’re already in mainland Europe, you can easily drive to Munich from cities such as Berlin (6 hours), Prague (4 and a half hours) and Vienna (4 hours and 40 minutes).

Our trip to Munich in the summer of 2022, coincided with our 2-week Europe interrailing trip in which we also visited Brussels, Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. Therefore, we didn’t technically pay for an individual mode of transport to get to Munich as it was included in the price of our Interrail Global Pass.

We paid £314.73 for two people (£157.37 each) for a “4 days in 1 month travel pass” with Interrail. I haven’t included the cost of the Interrail pass as part of our Munich budget as it included transport to/within five different countries.

Where to stay in Munich on a budget

Accommodation for three nights for two people in Munich: £264.50

Accommodation in Munich isn’t super cheap, but you can find a decent hotel for less than £50 a night in the off-season (such as January and February, for example).

We stayed in two different hotels during our 3 days in Munich; two nights at Ibis München City Arnulfpark and one night at 25hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian as part of a collaboration.

We paid £176 for two nights at the Ibis hotel at the beginning of August 2022. Of course, £88 a night isn’t the cheapest, but it was actually one of the most affordable accommodation options in Munich when we booked just a week in advance. For the middle of summer, I also thought that the price was pretty reasonable and the hotel itself was really lovely.

Our stay at 25hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian was part of a collaboration with the 25hours Hotel brand and we were very kindly offered a media rate for our one-night stay. Even with the media rate discount, we still paid £88.50 for one night, which again, isn’t the most affordable, but the 25hours Hotel in Munich is such an incredible place to stay and definitely worth the money in my opinion!

Check out my review of the 25hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian here!

If you’re looking for an affordable place to stay in Munich, I’d highly recommend checking out Booking.com, but I also love Airbnb for longer stays as well.

Find a place to stay in Munich here!

Booking.com

Is Munich expensive to visit? – food and drink budget

Food and drink for two people for three days/nights: £180.74

Aside from the cost of accommodation in Munich, food and drink were the most expensive part of our budget; almost £200 for two people in three days.

This includes the cost of six (delicious!) meals (we had breakfast included for one day as part of our collaboration with 25hours), as well as several steins of beer, multiple glasses of wine and a few scoops of ice cream!

We ate so much wonderful food in Munich and even though it wasn’t the cheapest place to eat in Europe, most of our meals were around £40 for two main courses and a pint of beer and a glass of wine, which I really don’t think is too bad!

You can get a pint of beer for around €3.50 and a glass of wine for around the same price. Naturally, there are hidden gems to be discovered where you can find cheap beer and wine, but €3.50 is the average price you’ll pay for a pint or a glass of wine.

Best things to do in Munich on a budget

Despite seeing and doing so many things during our 3 days in Munich, we actually only paid for one activity during our trip and that was to go to the top of the New Town Hall (Rathausturm). We paid €6 each and that was the only thing we spent on activities for the whole time we were there!

As food and accommodation are pretty expensive in Munich, I love that there are so many free or cheap things to do in the city to help keep your budget down.

The Munich Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour is a great (and pretty cheap) way to experience as many of the best attractions in the city as possible and it’s an excellent way to get accustomed to a new city for the first time. A walking tour is also a great, inexpensive way to experience a new city as it shows you the highlights of the city led by a local expert tour guide.

Here are more of the best free/cheap things to do in Munich on a budget:

Wander through Marienplatz
Stroll through the English Garden
Visit Hofbräukeller Biergarten
Check out Viktualienmarkt
See the famous Hofbräuhaus München

Expensive activities in Munich

While there are plenty of free activities and attractions to take advantage of in Munich, there are also several expensive tours you can take part in if your budget allows.

Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle on a day trip from Munich is one of the most popular tours to take, but there are also several other tours and attractions you can enjoy within the city as well.

Munich can be expensive to visit, but it is possible to experience the city on a budget, too! Food and accommodation will likely make up most of your Munich budget, but there are so many free things to do in the city, that you don’t really need to spend a penny on activities!

I hope you’ve found this post about visiting Munich on a budget useful!

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