Central Munich has three towers you can go up, all within a few minutes' walk of each other: Alter Peter, the south tower of the Frauenkirche and the New Town Hall tower. The view from the top is much the same; what changes is how you get there.
One is climbed entirely on foot, another combines stairs and a lift, and the third is lift only, with a booked time. This guide compares all three with the prices and opening hours each one publishes for 2026.
In short
- Alter Peter
- 306 steps, 5 euros
- Frauenkirche south tower
- Spiral staircase and lift, 7.50 euros
- City Hall tower
- Lift, from 7 euros, booked time slot
- No stairs
- Only the City Hall tower
- No booking
- Alter Peter: pay when you arrive
- The Alps
- Visible from all three on clear days
The three towers, one by one
How you get up each one, what it costs, when it opens and what you see.
Alter Peter: the classic, on foot
The tower of the Peterskirche, the oldest parish church in Munich, is the traditional viewpoint and you climb it entirely on foot: 306 steps, no lift, up to a platform 56 metres high. Up there was the room of the tower watchman, who until 1901 sounded the alarm whenever there was a fire in the city.
From the platform you have Marienplatz and the New Town Hall in front of you, and the towers of the Frauenkirche behind. With good visibility, especially on föhn days, you can see the Alps. The city's website advises a head for heights and enough fitness for all those stairs.
- How you get up: 306 steps, no lift.
- Price: 5 euros; reduced, 3 (students, over 65s and people with disabilities); ages 6 to 18, 2; under 6s free.
- Opening hours: April to October, daily 9 am to 7.30 pm. November to March, the same at weekends and on public holidays, and Monday to Friday 9 am to 6.30 pm. Last entry half an hour before closing.
Tip: You cannot book: you buy the ticket when you arrive and it is valid for that moment.
Hear it told by a guide born in MunichFrauenkirche south tower: the highest, behind glass
The cathedral has two towers, but only the south one can be visited; it reopened in March 2022 after ten years closed for works. According to the city's official website, it is the highest publicly accessible viewpoint in the old town. The ascent starts in the south chapel, to the right of the main portal: first a narrow spiral staircase of close to ninety steps, then a small lift for four people up to the tower room.
There is no balcony at the top: you look out through sixteen windows that do not open, with small steps to get close to the glass. In return, you see the north tower up close, which cannot be climbed, and on clear days the Alps. The staircase is so narrow that the cathedral itself advises people with claustrophobia not to go up.
- How you get up: Spiral staircase, then a lift.
- Price: 7.50 euros; reduced and ages 7 to 16, 5.50; up to age 6 free. Family (two adults and two children), 21 euros.
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Sundays and public holidays, 11.30 am to 5 pm. Last ascent at 4.30 pm.
Tip: Tickets are sold in the cathedral shop, inside the church, and online. Up to 60 people can be at the top at once, and the tower may close at short notice for services.
New Town Hall tower: by lift, at a set time
This is the easy option: a lift takes you up 85 metres in a few seconds, right on Marienplatz. From the platform you have Alter Peter directly opposite, the Frauenkirche on one side, the Old Town Hall on the other and the Theatinerkirche to the north. If the weather plays along, the chain of the Alps fills the horizon to the south.
It works with 20-minute slots that you book, with a maximum of 30 people at the top. You need to be on time on the fourth floor of the tower; the lift is in the passage leading to the town hall's main courtyard. Backpacks and large bags are not allowed, and as there are no lockers, you leave them with the porter.
- How you get up: By lift, no stairs.
- Price: From 7 euros.
- Opening hours: Daily, 10 am to 8 pm; the last ascent is around 7.40 pm.
Tip: Buy your ticket online or at the Marienplatz tourist office; you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before.
Which one to choose
If you want the classic climb and do not mind stairs, Alter Peter is the cheapest and the one with Marienplatz and the New Town Hall right in front of it. If you are after the highest point in the old town, go for the Frauenkirche south tower, knowing you look out through glass. If you do not want to, or cannot, climb stairs, the City Hall tower is the only one that is lift only.
All three are a few minutes apart on foot, so you can combine them. If you are only going up one, check the time: Alter Peter opens at 9 am, the City Hall tower closes latest, at 8 pm, and the Frauenkirche closes earliest, at 5 pm.
- Cheapest: Alter Peter, 5 euros.
- No stairs: The New Town Hall tower.
- Highest: The Frauenkirche south tower.
Before you go up
Look at the sky before you pay. All three promise the Alps, but you only see them on clear days; on föhn days, when the warm wind from the south clears the air, the view reaches further. In haze you will see the city, but not the mountains.
If you are travelling with someone with reduced mobility, bear in mind that none of the three is fully accessible: Alter Peter only has stairs, the Frauenkirche combines stairs and a lift, and the City Hall tower states that its accessibility is limited.
- Capacity: Frauenkirche, 60 people at a time; City Hall, 30.
- Visibility: The Alps, only on clear days.
- Accessibility: None of the three is fully accessible.
And down below, the story of what you saw from the top
From any of the three towers you see the whole old town: the squares, the rooftops, the churches. What the view does not tell you is what happened in each of those places, and that is what gets told at street level.
The app has an audio guide to the old town recorded by a local guide born in Munich: ten stops you walk at your own pace, with her voice in your ear. It is narrated in Spanish. You buy it once, download it to your phone and it works offline, with no group and no fixed time.
- At your own pace: Start when you like and stop wherever you want.
- By a local guide: Recorded by a guide born in Munich.
- One purchase: Download it and use it offline.
What you see from the top, told at street level
From the towers you see the squares and the rooftops. The story of each corner comes from a Munich-born guide in her audio guide to the old town, narrated in Spanish, which you buy once, download and use offline.
Frequently asked questions
Which Munich viewpoint has no stairs?+
The New Town Hall tower on Marienplatz: you go up by lift, in a booked 20-minute slot. At the Frauenkirche you climb a spiral staircase before the lift, and Alter Peter is 306 steps.
Which is the cheapest viewpoint?+
Alter Peter: 5 euros for a standard ticket. The Frauenkirche south tower costs 7.50 euros and the New Town Hall tower from 7.
Do you need to book?+
For the New Town Hall tower, yes, because it works in 20-minute slots; tickets are sold online or at the Marienplatz tourist office. Alter Peter cannot be booked: you pay when you arrive. The Frauenkirche sells tickets in its shop, inside the cathedral, and online.
Where can you see the Alps from?+
From all three, as long as the day is clear. On föhn days, when the warm wind blows from the south, visibility is especially good.
Can you go up with a wheelchair?+
None of the three is fully accessible. Alter Peter only has stairs, the Frauenkirche south tower combines a spiral staircase and a lift, and the New Town Hall tower states that its accessibility is limited.
Can you learn the story of the old town without joining a group?+
Yes. The app has an audio guide to the old town recorded by a guide born in Munich, narrated in Spanish: ten stops at your own pace, bought once, downloaded and used offline.