Which museums in Munich are free or offer discounts?
Free museums in Munich: Here you get free entry and discounts
Want to splurge on culture without breaking the bank? Little or no entry fees is needed at some of Munich’s museums and collections. These museums are waiting for you:
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In cooperation with the cultural department and the museums
This article about Munich's museums is sponsored by the Cultural Department of the City of Munich and was conceived in cooperation with the State Agency for Non-State Museums in Bavaria. The content has been coordinated between the participating museums and muenchen.de, the official city portal.
Free admission: Here’s where entry is always free of charge
In Munich, there are museums that make contemporary and abstract art accessible to everyone - and completely free of charge. Especially exciting: You can discover not only the works, but also many authentic and creative places.
- Archiv Geiger: Experience the works of the famous artist where they were created: In his former studio and pigment cellar!
- Galerie Bezirk Oberbayern: Show, understand and participate in art: Here, artists* with and without disabilities exhibit their works together.
- Sammlung Goetz: In the district of Oberföhring hides a collection of more than 5000 contemporary works from Luciano Fabro to Damien Hirst.
The City of Munich's art spaces also make contemporary sculptures, paintings, videos, installations and sound projects accessible to all for free - promoting local newcomers and talent from all styles:
- Rathausgalerie: Always wanted to take a peek inside Munich's City Hall? From March to November, the cultural department hosts great exhibitions here.
- MaximiliansForum: Discover art in an unusual place: The MaximiliansForum is located in an underpass on Maximilianstraße and can be viewed 24 hours a day.
- Kunstarkaden: Experimental new discoveries are shown directly on Marienplatz.
- Lothringer 13: Experience international contemporary art on an old factory site.
- Artothek & Bildersaal: Borrow artworks just like in the library!
Video: Free and cheap museums in Munich
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Some Munich natural history museums are also free of charge
Are you more of a scientist? In some of Munich's natural history museums, you can explore the fascinating world of science for free: From prehistoric dinosaurs to exciting hands-on experiments.
- Botanical Garden: Take a tour of plants and shrubs: During the winter season, admission to the open-air garden is free.
- Biotopia Lab: Until the opening of the new Biotopia Natural History Museum Bavaria, you can experience hands-on science in the Biotopia Lab in the Botanical Garden: Workshops, experimental kitchen, pop-up exhibitions, and more. (The visit of the Lab is free of charge and included in the entrance fee of the Botanical Garden).
- Paleontological Museum: Dinosaurs in the middle of the city! Let yourself be carried away into the fascinating world of prehistoric skeletons and fossils.
- Geological Museum: What does it look like underground? The Geological Museum introduces you to Bavaria's "stony history".
Free admission: In these cultural museums and libraries
Fancy a free trip back in time? These cultural history museums will take you on a journey - from the statues of the ancient Greeks and Romans to the first Munich residence of the Wittelsbach dynasty to the present day:
- Münchner Kaiserburg im Alten Hof: tour the first Munich castle of the Wittelsbach dynasty, a harbinger of the Residenz. (Currently closed due to maintenance)
- Museum for casts of classical sculptures: When you think of Poseidon you think of a restaurant and when you think of Hermes you think of parcels? High time to get to know the mythical world of the Greeks and Romans!
- Sudetendeutsches Museum: The museum presents the art and culture of the Bohemian lands and has opened in 2020 - admission is on the house.
- NS-Dokumentationszentrum: An impressive place of learning and remembrance on the history of National Socialism.
Some Munich libraries also regularly show free exhibitions:
- Bayerische Staatsbibliothek: The "Stabi" is considered a treasure house of written cultural heritage. It is not only an important address for students, but also worth a visit to an exhibition.
- Amerikahaus: This is mainly a venue for events, but the house also presents changing exhibitions on current topics from the USA, Canada and Latin America.
- Monacensia in the Hildebrandhaus: With its salon, Café MON and reading garden, the Monacensia is a relaxed place for personal encounters. In the permanent exhibition, you can immerse yourself in literary Munich at the time of Thomas Mann.
Sunday is bargain day: Museum admission only 1 euro
Many museums in Munich charge only 1 euro admission on Sundays. A great chance to try something new at a reasonable price:
- If you're a fan of art, don't miss the masterpieces at the Alte Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne or Museum Brandhorst.
- At the Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Five Continents, the Glyptothek and the State Collections of Classical Antiquities, you can immerse yourself in other cultures at a bargain price.
- You can explore Bavaria's history at low cost in the Bavarian National Museum or the State Coin Collection.
Note for special exhibitions
Please note that admission fees may still apply for special exhibitions. We recommend asking directly at the respective museum of choice.
Further special offer days in the Munich art museums
The exhibitions change regularly and the program covers a wide variety of epochs and art styles: so it's worth dropping in often on these houses' special promotion days:
- Admission to the "free & easy" evening opening at the Lenbachhaus is free every 1st Thursday of the month from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- At the Haus der Kunst, admission to the "Open House" is free on the last Friday of every month from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- The Kunsthalle München charges you only half the admission price every Tuesday.
- And at the "Friday Late" at Villa Stuck, you get in for free every first Friday of the month from 6 to 10 pm.
Children and teenagers: Free admission under 18 years
There is always something on offer for young art and culture fans in Munich's museums! In order not to overstretch the family budget, you can visit the following exhibition houses:
- Some of the city's most important art museums don't charge admission for under 18s: the Lenbachhaus, Alte Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne and Museum Brandhorst, as well as Villa Stuck, are all free for kids and teens.
- How about a little refresher for your local history at the Munich Stadtmuseum, the Bavarian National Museum, the State Coin Collection or the Jewish Museum Munich?
- You can also visit cultural history museums for free until your 18th birthday: Travel to the pyramids and pharaohs in the Egyptian Museum, immerse yourself in the past worlds of the Greeks and Romans in the Glyptothek and the State Collections of Classical Antiquities, visit the Museum Five Continents or get to grips with the history of National Socialism in the NS Documentation Center.
- For those who prefer exploring nature or being out in the fresh air, we can recommend the Museum Mensch und Natur and the Botanical Garden.
- And for all fairy tale princes and princesses: The palaces Nymphenburg, Schleißheim and the Munich Residenz with treasury invite you to walk in the footsteps of kings.
