Allianz Arena Tour and FC Bayern Museum

The Allianz Arena, home of FC Bayern Munich, sits on the northern edge of the city beside the A9 motorway, and its inflatable shell is easy to spot from a distance. Designed by the Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron and opened in 2005, the stadium is clad in about 2,760 ETFE foil panels that can each be lit in white, red or blue; on match nights it glows red for Bayern. It holds around 75,000 spectators for domestic games and hosts Germany's national team for selected matches.

The stadium tour is the best way to see it without a match ticket. Tours run daily in German and English and take you behind the scenes of the stadium as well as into the stands. Several formats are offered, from a guided arena tour combined with the museum, lasting about two and a half hours, to an Arena View option where you explore with a free audio guide before visiting the museum.

The FC Bayern Museum occupies about 3,000 square metres on level 3 of the arena and tells the club's story since its founding. Displays include original shirts, championship trophies and replicas of all the club's major cups, the suit Jupp Heynckes wore when Bayern won the Champions League in 2013, and a Hall of Fame, with video material throughout. An audio guide is available in 11 languages, and the museum alone takes about an hour and a half.

The tour suits football fans of all ages, and families with children who follow the game will get the most from it. Book tickets in advance through the official ticket shop linked from the arena's website, especially at weekends and in school holidays. The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission at 17:15, but hours change on Bayern home matchdays and for other events, and tours may not run, so check the date before you travel. The museum is closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and over New Year.

Take the U6 to Fröttmaning and allow about 15 minutes for the walk to the stadium across the esplanade. By car, the arena is reached from the A9 and A99, but on non-match days only part of the parking is open. Combine the visit with a half day in Schwabing or the Englischer Garten on the way back into town.