City Tours

Blue buses that give sightseeing tours in both German and English leave from the square in front of the Hauptbahnhof, at Hertie's, year-round. Tickets are sold on the bus; no advance booking is necessary. A 1-hour tour, costing 11€ to 23€ ($13-$28) for adults and 6€ to 12€ ($7.20-$14) for children under 14, leaves daily every hour from 10am to 4pm.

A 2 1/2-hour tour, including the Olympic Tower, costs 19€ ($23) for adults and 10€ ($12) for children. Departures are April to October at 10am and 2:30pm and November to March at 2:30pm.

A second 2 1/2-hour tour, costing 22€ ($26) for adults and 11€ ($13) for children, visits the famous Neue Pinakothek, the cathedral, and the performing clock at Marienplatz. It departs Tuesday to Sunday at 10am.

A third 2 1/2-hour tour, costing 20€ ($24) for adults and 10€ ($12) for children, visits Nymphenburg Palace and the Schatzkammer. It departs daily at 2pm.

These city tours are offered by Gray Line Sightseeing (tel. 0700/BUS-TOURS).

Day Trips Nearby

If you'd like to visit some of the Bavarian attractions outside Munich, you can sign up with the previously recommended Panorama Tours, an affiliate of Gray Line. Their office at Arnulfstrasse 8 (tel. 089/550-289-95), to the north of the Hauptbahnhof, is open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm Saturday. The firm offers about a half-dozen tours of the region around Munich, usually priced at 23€ ($28) per adult and 12€ ($14) per child.

If you want to visit King Ludwig's famous castles, there's a 10 1/2-hour tour to Neuschwanstein and Linderhof costing 42€ ($50). A 10 1/2-hour tour for 40€ ($48) takes you to Ludwig's castle at Herrenchiemsee. You can also book a tour to Salzburg in Austria that includes a boat ride on the Wolfgangsee and takes about 11 1/2 hours, costing 41€ ($49). A tour to the Alpine town of Berchtesgaden and to the site of Hitler's once luxurious retreat at Obersalzberg takes 10 1/2 hours and costs 41€ ($49).

On a darker note is a 4 1/2-hour excursion to Dachau, departing every Saturday at 1:30pm. The tour incorporates a visit to the notorious concentration camp and also a tour through the historic town of Dachau itself and the medieval Schloss Dachau. It is priced at 25€ ($30).

Bike and Walking Tours

Pedal pushers will want to try Mike Lasher's popular Mike's Bike Tour, Hochbrückenstrasse (tel. 089/255-43-987). His bike-rental services include maps and locks, child and infant seats, and helmets at no extra charge. English and bilingual tours of central Munich run from March to November from 11:30am to 4pm. Customers love Mike's charm. Participants meet under the tower of the old town hall, a gray building on the east end of Marienplatz. Mike, the consummate guide, will be here -- whistle in mouth -- letting everyone know who he is. The tour veers from the bike paths only long enough for a lunch stop at a beer garden. Fear not, fainthearted: The bikes are new and the rides are easy, with plenty of time for historical explanations, photo opportunities, and question-and-answer sessions. Bike rentals are 12€ to 18€ ($14-$22) for the day; cost of the tour is included in the fee.

Munich Walk Tours in English (tel. 0171/2740204) is a good way to get to know the city from experts. Munich is shared from various points of view, ranging from a straightforward City Walk, taking in the highlights, to a Beer and Brewery Tour. The City Walk from March to November leaves daily at 10:45am, lasting 2 1/4 hours and costing 9€ ($11). The Beer and Brewery tour departs on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 3:30pm from April to October, lasting 3 hours and costing 12€ ($14). Hitler's Munich-Third Reich Tour, a most interesting sojourn, is conducted Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday from March to November, lasting 2 1/2 hours and costing 11€ ($13). Children under 14 with an adult go free on these tours. Call to confirm starting times and places to meet or to ask about other tours.