12 Best Sights in Munich, Germany

With numerous Old Master paintings from the Netherlands, Italy, France, and Germany, the Alte Pinakothek holds one of the most significant art collections in the world. It was originally constructed by Leo von Klenze between 1826 and 1836 to exhibit the collection of 14th- to 18th-century works (started by Duke Wilhelm IV in the 16th century). The collection comprises more than 700 pieces, including masterpieces by Dürer, Titian, Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Rubens (the museum has one of the world's largest Rubens collections), and two celebrated Murillos. While the neighboring Neue Pinakothek is closed for renovations until 2029, a rotating selection from its fine collection of 19th-century art is on view in the lower gallery.

This colonnaded, classical-style building is one of Munich's most significant examples of Hitler-era architecture, and was officially opened as House of German Art by the Führer himself. During the Third Reich it only showed work deemed to reflect the Nazi aesthetic. One of its most successful postwar exhibitions was devoted to works banned by the Nazis. It now hosts cutting-edge exhibitions of art, photography, sculpture, and video installations, as well as theatrical and musical happenings. The adjacent P1 is one of the most famous clubs in the city.

This striking 130,000-square-foot glass-and-concrete complex by Stefan Braunfels is home to four outstanding museums under one cupola-topped roof: art, graphic art, architecture, and design, all from the 20th and 21st centuries. There's an outstanding collection of important modern and contemporary artwork, including an entire room devoted to the massive paintings of German postwar artist Georg Baselitz. The design museum is particularly popular, with permanent exhibitions in vehicle design, computer culture, and other design ideas.

Chagall, Magritte, and Rothko, as well as contemporary artists like Peter Lindbergh and Robert Mapplethorpe have been featured at this exhibition space in the middle of the shopping pedestrian zone. It is set within the upscale Fünf Höfe shopping mall, designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, who also designed London's Tate Modern. Exhibitions at the Kunsthalle rarely disappoint, making it one of Germany's most interesting art venues.

This exquisite late-19th-century Florentine-style villa is the former home and studio of Franz von Lenbach (1836–1904), one of the most famous artists in Germany in the 1880s. He painted Germany's Chancellor Bismarck around 80 times. A renovation and new extension designed by renowned British architecture firm Foster+Partners was unveiled in 2013. Lenbachhaus is home to a stunning assemblage of art from the early-20th-century Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) group: Kandinsky, Klee, Jawlensky, Macke, Marc, and Münter. Indeed, only New York's Guggenheim comes close to holding as many works from a group that was at the forefront in the development of abstract art. There are also vivid pieces from the New Objectivity movement, as well as a significant Joseph Beuys collection. Its growing contemporary art holdings include works by Olafur Eliasson, Dan Flavin, and Gerhard Richter.

This eye-catching multicolored building is filled with videos, paintings, sculptures, and installations by artists such as Damien Hirst, Gerhard Richter, and Joseph Beuys, and is a real treat for contemporary art fans. It's also home to Europe's largest collection of works by Andy Warhol and features an extensive number of pieces by abstract artist Cy Twombly. 

The Buchheim Museum, on the western shore of the lake, has one of the finest private collections of German expressionist art in the form of paintings, drawings, watercolors, and prints. Among the artists represented are Otto Dix, Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmitt-Rotluff, and other painters of the so-called Brücke movement (1905–13). The museum is housed in an impressive modern building on the lakeside. Some areas of the museum are reserved for African cultic items and Bavarian folk art. The nicest way to get to the museum from Starnberg is by boat.

An artists' colony formed here during the 19th century, and the tradition lives on. Picturesque houses line Hermann-Stockmann-Strasse and part of Münchner Strasse, and many of them are still the homes of successful artists. The Gemäldegalerie displays the works of many of the town's 19th-century artists.

This amazing collection of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan sculptures is among the finest exhibits in Munich. The small café that expands into the quiet courtyard is a favorite for visitors, which include budding artists practicing their drawing skills.

Did you know that Munich was a pioneer of the European graffiti scene? Since 2016, MUCA has contributed to the historical acknowledgment of the urban street art scene and is the first museum of urban art in Germany in the very heart of Munich’s city center. While the facade of the former World War II bunker is an artwork in itself, the three floors showcase changing exhibitions as well as permanent works of national and international street artists. The museum also offers Street Art Bike Tours to known and hidden graffiti art, which end at the MUCA Museum. If you want to add a fancy meal to your visit, the mural restaurants serves lunch and dinner on select days. 

Around 180 German 19th-century paintings from the Romantic era up to the periods of realism and symbolism make up the collections of the Sammlung Schack, originally the private collection of Count Adolf Friedrich von Schack.

The Staatliche Antikensammlung, which is housed in a "temple of art" built by Georg Friedrich Ziebland between 1838 and 1848, showcases works of art and everyday objects dating back to the 3rd century BC. Known as pieces of minor art, the collection of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities comprises objects made of ceramics, metal, and stone. The museum's other branch, the Glyptothek, is located across the Staatliche Antikensammlung and solely displays ancient sculpture; it has a lovely café in its courtyard.