Munich Residenz — Attraction in Munich

Residenz is a must-see attraction in Munich and a place worth spending 1/2 a day to explore. Opening hours are 9am to 6pm daily with reduced hours during winter months.

A visit to Residenz includes multiple attractions that you can see. These include Residenz Museum (€7 per person), Treasury (€7 per person) and Cuvilliés Theatre (€3.50 per adult). Note that combo tickets are available if you want to visit more than one of the above. The Museum + Treasury ticket is (€11 per person) and the Museum + Treasury + Cuvilliés Theatre is (€13.5 per person). Audio guides are included in the price of the tickets. These are highly recommended if you want a more comprehensive learning experience during your visit.

We visited during June and spent around 3.5 total hours within the three major attractions mentioned above. Within the Residenz Museum, we very much enjoyed most of what we viewed. However the highlight for us was the Antiquarium, a 66-metre long hall richly decorated room, considered to be the most lavish Renaissance hall north of the Alps. It is reason enough to pay entry fee into Residence.

Within the museum, you can browse a handful of building wings, each with rooms decorated with furnishing and possessions of Wittelsbach family members who resided in the various sections of Residenz over the centuries. The residenz is not too dissimilar to what you experience at the likes of the Schönbrunn (Vienna) or Versailles (Paris) but without shoulder to shoulder crowds. This made for very enjoyable and relaxed viewing. The audio guide did a nice job explaining the historic context for each of the rooms. Note: Photography is allowed throughout so take pictures as you like.

We also enjoyed time spent in the treasury. There is en extensive collection of the royal crowns and jewellery as well as a remarkable holding of gold, crystal and ivory pieces and other treasures amassed over the centuries. The collection is filled with beautiful pieces and again the audio guide comes in handy if you want to learn more about any of the treasures on display.

After visiting the museum and treasury, we left for a lunch before returning around 2pm when the Cuvilliés Theatre opened its doors. This is a delightful addition to the Residenz experience and a place we were very glad to have seen. In short, the theatre is a reconstruction of the late 18th century Rococo style theatre house that was mostly destroyed during WWII. You will see a meticulous recreation of the original theatre, making use of delicately carved and gilded boxes and other splendid Rococo decor. It is a small but beautiful attraction. We also quite enjoyed the impressive Wittelbach fountain in the small courtyard just outside the Cuvilliés Theatre.

Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to Residenz, finding this to be an educational experience and very good collection of places to visit. It was a great way to spend 3-4 hours of sightseeing. Residenz was easily one of the most memorable sightseeing for us during our week in Munich. It is a place we look forward to visiting again...

Don't miss this museum when visiting Munich!

Read all for important tips 😉

There is the main Palace (residence) route which is 10 EUR for adults and takes 2-3 hours if you read/listen to the explanations.

You CANT get tickets online from the official website so pay attention if you get them from other websites.

Do however go online and read about the exhibitions so you'll know what to purchase once there.

Back to the palace: At some point towards the end of the route you can choose if you want to to exit or continue with the "longer" tour (for us it was too much).

Audio guides in main languages are included for free, as well as the bag storage room (if you are in a group or even two people consider putting them separately so it's easier to get something from just one of these bags).

In addition you can add a tour in the TREASURY where many beautiful and original artifacts are kept. This is an extra 10 EUR and takes about an hour.

You can buy both exhibitions for 15eur and it also includes the Audio guide.

Or, you can have an all-inclusive deal that also has the theatre (15 min to visit, we didn't get it as we've seen many similar classical theatres before).

MY RECOMMENDATION: The main tour is great but quite long (even if you decide to leave where the sign suggests). After a while you might "get the point", start skipping audio guide explanations, walk through rooms faster etc.

The good news: you can leave the palace, keep your bags in the storage room, go have lunch or a break outside even for an hour or two and then come back for the other parts (treasury and/or theatre).

Just remember to check when is the last entry (before 17.00 I think) so you'll have enough time.

Also, the treasury is in much darker and cooler rooms so it's a perfect escape from the summer...

It really is a marvel to behold! Audioguides are extremely practical and easy to use. Entry fee is well adjusted and definitely worth it! Concerning the ticket selection, having the main palace and the treasury and deciding if you can get to the theater in the end is the most logical approach, and the price is the same. This is practical because the palace and the treasury is very easily takes up a day even just with a superficial trip accompanied by audioguide. However, I would have expected the art to be in better state, or with more restorated items which are not in glass casings or not of porcelain or porcelain-like substances, which do not hold grime. Maybe because of the casings, items of porcelain or porcelain-like substances in palace and treasury items are in very good shape but in the palace, most of the paintings are impossible to discern due to the darkening caused by the ages. Some of the 3D art like in the Grotto, although it is a vision to have, is plain dirty and in pitiful state. All those colors might have been revealed and this place would have been one of the "world marvels". Also, illumination of the art pieces must have revisited by some experts in the field, since you are obliged to seek an angle that you can "see" the art avoiding the glare caused by poorly designed or positioned lights. Even with the negative sides I explained above hoping someone in charge might see them, Rezidenz is one of the main sites to visit if you come to Munich, if...