Munich Residenz

For more than four centuries the Residenz was the seat of the Wittelsbach family, who ruled Bavaria as dukes, electors and finally kings until 1918. It grew from a small fortress built in 1385 into a vast complex arranged around ten courtyards on the edge of the old town. After the revolution of 1918 it became a public museum, and although bombing in the Second World War caused severe damage, most rooms had been rebuilt by the 1980s.

The Residenzmuseum route takes in around 130 rooms spanning Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles. The highlight for most visitors is the Antiquarium, built from 1568 to 1571 for Duke Albrecht V's collection of classical sculpture and described as the largest Renaissance hall north of the Alps. Later wings, including the Neoclassical extensions that Ludwig I commissioned from Leo von Klenze in the 1820s and 1830s, show how the taste of each generation was layered on top of the last.

The Treasury, or Schatzkammer, has its own entrance and ticket and fills ten halls with around a thousand years of Wittelsbach crowns, swords, reliquaries and jewellery. The Cuvilliés Theatre, an intimate Rococo auditorium whose carved decor was moved to its present home in the palace after the Second World War, is reached through a passage between the Brunnenhof and Apothekenhof courtyards and keeps shorter hours, mostly afternoons outside summer. A combined ticket covers the museum, treasury and theatre.

A free audio guide is included for the Residenzmuseum and the Treasury, and you can visit without a guide. The full museum route is long, so allow at least two to three hours, or pick the Antiquarium and the Treasury if you are short of time. Opening hours are seasonal, with longer days from late March to late October, and the palace closes on 1 January, Shrove Tuesday and 24, 25 and 31 December. The ticket desks accept both cash and cards, and tickets can also be bought online.

The Residenz suits history and art lovers, and families with older children will enjoy the Treasury. Afterwards, walk through to the Hofgarten, the formal court garden on the north side, or cross Max-Joseph-Platz to the National Theatre. The nearest stations are Odeonsplatz and Marienplatz, and tram 19 stops at Nationaltheater.