Skip to content
Outdoor Pitstop logoOutdoor Pitstop

Museum · Munich · Updated on 1 November 2026.

German Museum in Munich

German Museum is a museum in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. This place has an audio tour of about 2 minutes, in English or Dutch. 17 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 600 m you'll find a bench, a water point, a public toilet and a bike pump.

German Museum in Munich
i
Photo: Burkhard Mücke · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons
German Museum in Munich, photo 2
i
Photo: Emmanouil Kampitakis · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons
German Museum in Munich, photo 3
i
Photo: Hans Weingartz · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 deView the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Audio tour · German Museum

2:17

  • en
  • nl

You're standing at the Deutsches Museum, the largest museum of science and technology in the world. It sits on a small island in the river Isar. For centuries nothing was built here, because the island flooded so often. Rafters used it to float timber down the river, and later a barracks went up. Back then it was called Kohleninsel, coal island. In 1903 the city gave it to the new museum, and it's been Museum Island ever since.

Read and hear the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).

Opening hours and admission

Opening hours
Mo-Su 09:00-17:00; May 1 off; Nov 1 off; Dec 24,25,31 off; Jan 1 off
Admission
Paid
Wheelchair
Accessible
Visitors
1,690,588 a year (2025)

Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.

Photos

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.

German Museum in Munich
1 / 10
i
Photo: Burkhard Mücke · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

German Museum in Munich: the world's largest museum of technology

The German Museum in Munich is the largest museum of science and technology in the world. Here you can find plenty of information about how things work and how technology has developed. The museum was founded by engineer Oskar von Miller, who received help from well-known scientists. You will find the German Museum in Munich on the Museumsinsel, a small island in the Isar.

Collection and photos of the Deutsches Museum

The museum has around 125,000 objects from about 50 fields of knowledge. Here you can see items on space travel, shipping, mining, aircraft and musical instruments, and there is also information on the history of writing. The building houses a planetarium, a silver microscope made by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and a reconstructed prehistoric cave from Altamira. Trains and cars have been in a separate branch at Theresienhöhe in Munich since 2003. Because the museum has been renovated in stages since 2015, some sections are temporarily closed, so check in advance which parts are open.

The history of the Deutsches Museum

The museum was badly damaged during the bombing in 1944, when 80 percent of its buildings were destroyed. In April 1945, the director narrowly prevented retreating German troops from blowing up the last bridge to the island. The site was once occupied by a barracks, and the island often flooded in those days. An interesting fact is that artists such as Elton John, Jimi Hendrix and The Who once gave concerts here.

Tickets and accessibility at the Deutsches Museum

Admission to the museum is paid. You can buy Deutsches Museum tickets at the box office or online. The building is wheelchair accessible, and inside the Deutsches Museum there is also a toilet suitable for wheelchair users. You can walk through the different rooms at your own pace. The access routes to the island are easy to reach, and visitors can make use of the facilities in the building.

Drinking water, toilets and benches at the Deutsches Museum

Drinking water is available at the Deutsches Museum, 256 metres away at the Augia-Brunnen. There are 2 water points within 500 metres. Benches are plentiful around the German Museum in Munich, and the nearest one stands 106 metres away at Museumsinsel. In total, there are 116 benches within 500 metres. The nearest public toilet is 381 metres from the museum, at Auf der Insel, and it is the only one within a 500-metre radius. For a free bike pump, walk 603 metres to Mariahilfplatz.

Walking near the Deutsches Museum

Visitors can listen to an audio story about the German Museum in Munich on site, using the Outdoor Pitstop app. The story lasts 2 minutes. You can also make a walk past other attractions nearby. The New Town Hall in Munich is 1,036 metres away, and the Frauenkirche in Munich lies a little further on, at 1,205 metres. The Residenz in Munich is another attraction in the area, located 1,297 metres away. Audio stories are available for these places too.

Facilities near German Museum

The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No honesty box within 1 km.

Well-known points of interest nearby

50 well-known points of interest nearby, those with an audio tour first. 17 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km.

BMW Museum
MuseumAudio story · 2 min

BMW Museum · 5.5 km

i
Photo: Diego Delso · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons
BMW Welt
MuseumAudio story · 2 min

BMW Welt · 5.6 km

i
Photo: Richard Bartz · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5View the photo on Wikimedia Commons
Nymphenburg Palace
AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Nymphenburg Palace · 6.7 km

i
Photo: Burkhard Mücke · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons
New Town Hall
AttractionAudio story · 2 min

New Town Hall · 1 km

i
Photo: Burkhard Mücke · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons
Frauenkirche
AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Frauenkirche · 1.2 km

i
Photo: Diliff · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Hear the story of BMW Museum on the spot with the app

Also within walking distance

The 10 nearest points of interest with a story, within 2 km.

  1. 1Old Town HallAttraction · 900 m away
  2. 2St. PeterAttraction · 910 m away
  3. 3National Theatre MunichAttraction · 1.1 km away
  4. 4MaximilianeumAttraction · 1.1 km away
  5. 5Sankt Johann Nepomuk / Asam ChurchAttraction · 1.2 km away
  6. 6ResidenzAttraction · 1.3 km away
  7. 7St. Michael's ChurchAttraction · 1.4 km away
  8. 8FeldherrnhalleAttraction · 1.4 km away
  9. 9Theatinerkirche St. KajetanAttraction · 1.4 km away
  10. 10KarlstorAttraction · 1.6 km away
All 206 points of interest in Munich →

Explore further

Frequently asked questions

Where is the German Museum in Munich?

The museum is located on Museumsinsel, in the Isar.

What can you see at the German Museum?

There are around 125,000 objects from about 50 subject areas, including spaceflight, aircraft and a silver microscope belonging to Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.

Where can I find drinking water near the German Museum?

The nearest water tap is 256 metres away, at Augia-Brunnen.

Are there benches near the German Museum?

Yes, the nearest bench is 106 metres away, on Museumsinsel, and there are 116 benches within a 500-metre radius.

Is there a toilet at the German Museum?

There is a wheelchair-accessible toilet inside the museum. The nearest public toilet is 381 metres away, on Auf der Insel.

Nearby

More well-known points of interest nearby

The free app

All of Outdoor Pitstop, in your pocket

Find the nearest pitstop, navigate there, listen to audio tours, earn XP and make routes and lists together.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
How Outdoor Pitstop works →
The map of the app with pitstops nearby
A pitstop in the app, with a photo, a review and Navigate
Your profile in the app, with level and XP