Undoubtedly, Munich Olympic Tower is one of the iconic buildings of the Bavarian city. Even though the tower is located in the heart of Munich Olympic Park, it was in fact developed independently of the Olympic Games 1972: the 291 meter high tower is active since 1968 and then fulfilled its key role as TV tower.
Munich Olympic Tower – Location & Admission
The Olympic Tower is located right insight Munich’s Olympic Park, which also features the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Swimming Arena or the Olympiahalle. If you come by car, there is a small parking deck very close to the attraction. Grabbing a parking lot during peak times, esp. weekends, is however quite a bit of luck. The Olympiazentrum Underground station is a reasonable walk away – you might also opt for the Petuelring or Olympia Einkaufszentrum station.
Adult admission to the Munich Olympic Tower is 9 Euro. During my visit, the tower was open to public daily, from 11:00 to 19:00 hrs. On Saturdays and Sundays, the tower already opened one hour later.
Munich Olympic Tower – The Visit
There are three key areas for visitors: You typically exit at level A2, 185 meters above the ground. This level hosts the indoor platform and the Rockmuseum München (Munich Rock Museum, see below) as well as a cafe. The elevator ride is very efficient. At the windows, there are stickers as well as signs which name the key attractions you are able to see from the tower.
Typically, you use a staircase up to level A3, which is the open air platform at the height of 189 meters. There is less documentation there – therefor, you have a better view as there are no reflecting windows in front of you. The area may of course be quite windy and chilly. There is even a 192 meter platform, A4, which you may visit by additional stairs – the view is almost equivalent.
Views from Munich Olympic Tower
The pictures below show the view from Munich Olympic Tower. The first section features the pictures from the indoor viewing platform. You see the significant effect on the picture caused by the glass reflections. Still, for the human eye, the view is beautiful and does not differ too much from the outdoor view on A3 level. On good sight days, you will be able to see the Northern edge of the Alps.
Photography buffs will definitely go for the staircase to A3 or A4 level, where you have less optical disturbances.
Munich Olympic Tower – Rockmuseum
If you visit the Olympic Tower, your visit comes with a nice goodie: the Rockmuseum München (“Rock Museum Munich”) is located at parts of the inside of the A2 level platform. Despite it is rather small in size, it features some really impressive items like a 1960’s juke box and memorabilia from Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury or original on-stage boots used by Marc Cohn. The collection of the museum is much larger than the display – due to the very limited space, the rock museum only shows about two per cent of their items. There are even sometimes concerts on the platform, driven by the Rock Museum Munich. The visit is part of your admission.
Munich Olympic Tower – Service
At A1 level (below the platforms), there is a rotating restaurant at 182 meter height. The A2 level also features a snack bar. There is also a beer garden at the entrance level of the tower, which also features a souvenir store. The store was closed during my visit, likely due to the pandemic limitations.
Munich Olympic Tower – My View
If you have a good visibility (maybe even with Alpine foehn weather, which may increase the view to close to Italy), going up the Olympic Tower should definitely be on your list when visiting Munich. The view is just too good, the price is right and the rock museum is definitely a lovely upgrade. Only the bad traffic connection and potential queues may be a bit of bothering.
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