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From beach volleyball and basketball or skiing and boat rides to climbing tours on the world-famous tent roof at the largest sport-, fun- and fitness complex in the city, the variety of activities at Olympiapark will keep the kids amused all day.

Completed for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games, this vast park and complex to the north has become Munich’s main sports and amusement park complex.

South of Lake Starnberg near Seeshaupt, travellers will find the delightful Osterseen, a group of some 20 small moor-land lakes that are among the warmest in Bavaria. This is a perfect spot to go for swimming and peaceful walks in a nature reserve.

Immediately adjacent to the museum island are two other small islands, Praterinsel and Kalkinsel. The Alpine Museum, run by the German Alpine Association, is located on Praterinsel. It documents the history of mountaineering and features special exhibitions throughout the year. A teaching garden displays the various types of rock found in the Alpine regions. Old factories on Praterinsel – in the former Riemerschmid distillery – have been converted into a cultural centre with artists’ studios. The ensemble is home to ongoing exhibitions and special events, such as the Comicfest. Tango fans gather in the courtyard on summer nights to enjoy this most sensual of dances.

This theatre is one of several monumental buildings on this stretch of Prinzregentenstraße in Bogenhausen. It was headed by August Everding, whose legacy to the city includes the Bayerische Theaterakademie, a training ground for young stage talents. Next door is Prinzregentenbad, a public bath. Across the street is Feinkost Käfer, a gourmet-food shop.

Munich’s oldest puppet theatre, founded in 1858, is housed in a small, gabled, and colonnaded temple. Performances are enthusiastically received by young and old alike.

This resort near the Austrian border lies in a snowbelt, and so offers some of the best skiing in the Bavarian Alps. Excellent ski runs are maintained near the Winklmoosalm (1,150m/3,800 ft), home of Olympian skier Rosi Mittermaier.

Munich’s largest historic complex, the Residenz, lies adjacent to the Hofgarten, with its lovely plantings and arcades. To the north, the garden is bounded by the Bavarian Chancellery (1989–93), which incorporates the ruins of an army museum. Remnants of a 16th-century wall and garden are visible behind glass on one side.

Perched high on the banks above the Inn River is the abbey of Sts Marinus und Anianus, a masterpiece of Bavarian Rococo. Between 1758 and 1763 Johann Michael Fischer rebuilt the church, incorporating the Romanesque east towers into his design. The soaring interior is impressive with its daring spatial design and fine decoration.

This site is currently under development and will be home to the new Jewish synagogue, museum, and community centre. The square is also home to the Stadtmuseum, which occupies six buildings, including the Marstall (royal stables) and the former Zeughaus (arsenal). Renamed Stadtmuseum (city museum) in 1954, the museum contains several permanent collections complemented by changing exhibitions. The film museum enjoys international renown (see Museums & Galleries, Munich – the Bavarian Hollywood), especially for reconstructions of silent films. IgnazGünther-Haus – a late Gothic building that was the home and studio of the famous Rococo sculptor – stands on the west side of the square.