How To Spend a Few Hours Outside of Munich: Schloss Nymphenburg

Located just outside of the city center of Munich is the beautiful Schloss Nymphenburg and surrounding gardens. You can easily spend a few hours exploring.

Exterior of Schloss Nymphenburg, a white and green German building

Schloss Nymphenburg (Nymphenburg Palace) was built in 1664 and used as a summer residence for the rulers of Bavaria.

What’s Bavaria you ask? It’s the largest state in Germany, with Munich as the capital.

If you want to see how rich people lived in the 1600s, this is the place to go. 

There is a main building with living quarters, an extensive garden which is also open to the public, and smaller buildings throughout the gardens to explore.

Massive green garden
The Gardens at Schloss Nymphenburg

The smaller buildings include a church, a massive collection of ornate carriages used by the royal families to transport them around the grounds

It also has the first heated swimming pool in Europe and of course, a building dedicated just for entertaining guests.

Golden Carriage used for King and Queens inside of Schloss Nymphenburg
Golden Carriage used by the King and Queens to move around the property

Need to Know:

Nymphenburg Palace is located 20 minutes west of Munich. Take the S-Bahn metro line for six minutes to the Laim stop, and then walk an easy 20 minutes through town.

Or if you are feeling tired or it’s raining, there are buses and taxis outside of the metro station to take you straight to the palace.

We suggest allowing at least two hours to tour the buildings and spacious gardens.

The entry fee for the palace and gardens varies on the season and ranges from €6.50 – €11.50.

They are closed during the winter months, go HERE for the current admission prices.

Pond with swans
Perfect spot to bring a picnic for lunch

Pay for the audio tour, it is well worth it

You can skip through the numbered rooms if you want and only listen to what intrigues you.

Our favorite tidbit was that the Kings and Queens had their bedrooms. We wonder if this is how they stayed married for all those years…

Green Bed with Green wall paper inside of Schloss Nymphenburg
The Queens Chambers, separate from the Kings

Dining:

You can bring food to eat in the outdoor garden picnic style, or they have a restaurant on-site that you can make a reservation for.

I ate at a restaurant a block away from the palace called Schlosswirtschaft Schwaige that served sausages on a hot plate.

When they arrived they were still sizzling, kind of like fajitas, and tasted delicious!

German Sausages, Potato Salad and Tall Beer
Sizzling German Sausages and German Potato Salad

Visiting Schloss Nymphenburg is a fantastic way to kill a few hours in Munich.

I like this castle better than Versailles in Paris.

Schloss Nymphenburg has more character, and you can get a sense of how people lived back in the day, without breaking the bank or being on your feet for too long.

visiting Schloss Nymphenburg
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