7 Best Sights in Munich, Germany

The Schatzkammer comprises many hundreds of masterworks, including a host of treasures from the Wittelsbach royal crown jewels. A highlight is the crown belonging to Bavaria's first king, Maximilian I Joseph, created in Paris in 1806–07. The Schatzkammer collection has a staggering centerpiece—a renowned 50-cm-high (20-inch-high) Renaissance statue of St. George studded with diamonds, pearls, and rubies.

Opened in 2007, the cutting-edge design of BMW Welt, with its sweeping, futuristic facade, is one structure helping to overcome the conservative image Munich has had in the realm of architecture since 1945. Even if you have just a passing interest in cars and engines, this showroom is a must—it has averaged 2 million visitors a year since its opening. In addition to tours of the building, there are readings, concerts, and exhibitions. Tours can only be booked via telephone or email.

This stunning example of a rococo theater, originally called the New Opera House but now called Cuvilliés-Theater or Altes Residenz-Theater, was originally built by court architect François Cuvilliés between 1751 and 1753 and it soon became the most famous in Germany. In 1781 it premiered Mozart's Idomeneo, commissioned by the Elector of Bavaria, Karl Theodor. The lavish rococo style went out of fashion with the emergence of the less ostentatious, more elegant period of 18th-century classicism. But in 1884 it became the first theater in Germany to be fitted out with electric lighting and in 1896 the first to have a revolving stage. As with so much of the Altstadt, it was destroyed during Allied bombing raids, although some of the original rococo decoration had been removed. A new theater, the Neues Residenz-Theater (now the Bavarian State Drama Theatre Company) was built (1948–51) in a different location. In 1956–58, using some of the original rococo furnishings, Cuvilliés's lavish theater was rebuilt at a corner of the Residenz's Apothekenhof (courtyard).

Connoisseurs of airplanes and flying machines will appreciate this magnificent offshoot of the Deutsches Museum, some 20 km (12 miles) north of the City Center in Oberschleissheim. These buildings, constructed in the early 20th century by the Königlich-Bayerische Fliegertruppen (Royal Bavarian Flying corps), tell the story of aviation history. It's an ideal complement to a visit to Schloss Schleissheim.

Nymphenburg contains so much of interest that a day hardly provides enough time. Don't leave without visiting the former royal stables, now the Marstallmuseum. It houses a fleet of vehicles, including an elaborately decorated sleigh in which King Ludwig II once glided through the Bavarian twilight, flaming torches lighting the way. Also exhibited in the Marstallmuseum's upper rooms are examples of the world-renowned Nymphenburg porcelain, the electoral porcelain factory founded by Max III Joseph in 1747. Nymphenburg porcelain has a flagship store at Odeonsplatz and is also available in numerous other shops around the city.

The Residenzmuseum comprises everything in the Residenz apart from the Schatzkammer (Treasury) and the Cuvilliés-Theater. Paintings, tapestries, furniture, and porcelain are housed in various rooms and halls. One highlight is the Grüne Galerie (Green Gallery), named after its green silk decoration, and its opulence and outstanding paintings are captivating. Also impressive is the Ahnengalerie (Ancestral Gallery) at the end of the tour, which demonstrates the Wittelsbach royal family lineage.