Known in German as the Spielzeugmuseum, the Munich Toy Museum is famed in the city and around the world.
Permanently housed in Munich’s Old Town Hall since 1983, the selection of toys sourced by Ivan Steiger and his family is the product of decades of work, resulting in one of the largest toy collections in Europe.
Covering a wide period of history and featuring everything from model trains to rocking horses, the Munich Toy Museum is a quaint way to step back in time and connect with your inner child. Perfect for families, but beloved by nostalgic locals and inquisitive tourists alike, the Munich Toy Museum is filled with things to see.
Read on to find out how you can experience the magic for yourself.
What is there to See at the Munich Toy Museum?
The Munich Toy Museum provides a glance into children’s playrooms for the last two hundred years. The museum collection features seven permanent exhibits containing everything from wooden toys, tin toys, and teddy bears, to some of the oldest surviving toy trains and steam engines from 1835.
The Munich Toy Museum showcases historic toys that can be found nowhere else in the world, like the only known surviving example of a 1920s Russian, art-deco carousel.
Another notable mention is the mechanical doll, or laufpuppe, from 1855. Visitors get the chance to see inside the toy technology of the past and learn how this doll robot walks and talks with no electricity.
A special exhibit by the German toy manufacturer Hausser-Elastolin focuses on more modern toys.
Finally, a favourite among visitors has to be the collection of 100+ Barbie dolls, including the first-ever release all the way from 1959.
Whilst the most important exhibits within this very interesting (and fun) Munich Museum have information that is written in both German and in English, some of the ore minor exhibits have only German information.
Who Can Visit the Munich Toy Museum?
The Munich Toy Museum, while a great day out for families, is regularly enjoyed by those without children too.
Adults can reminisce about old toys, and kids will fall in love with these vintage pieces as they learn how children just like them have played throughout history.
Anyone who is curious about the history of toys from Germany and the wider world will be able to spend an enjoyable afternoon perusing the huge range of pieces in the collection.
You’ll also have a chance to bring the magic home with you, with the sentimental shop filled with souvenirs, historic toy catalogues, nineteenth-century children’s books and postcards, and of course, a wide range of toys.
Where is the Munich Toy Museum?
The Toy Museum spans four floors of the Munich Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus München), which is situated right on the main city square of Marienplatz. You could easily make a day of it and visit the Old Town Hall and the many other Munich Monuments and sights surrounding Marienplatz.
Adding to the charm, the museum entrance is reached by climbing a traditional (and very windy and narrow) spiral staircase that is older than many of the toys and the interior which basically resembles a huge doll’s house.
How to Get to the Munich Toy Museum
Marienplatz, being the center of Munich, can easily be reached by public transportation. Marienplatz station is found on both the S-Bahn and U-Bahn train networks, with a two-minute walk from the station to the Munich Toy Museum.
S-Bahn – If you’re taking the S-Bahn, all lines except line 5 make a stop at Marienplatz.
U-Bahn – The U-Bahn lines U3 and U6 both make a stop at the Marienplatz station. View our Maps of Munich and Getting Around Munich blog entries for more information.
Tram – The closest tram station to Marienplatz and the Toy Museum, is the Marienplatz (Theatinerstraße) station located on lines 19 and 21
Bus – To take the bus to the Munich Toy Museum, opt for the numbers 154, 52, and 62, depending on the direction from which you are heading into Munich city center.
Toy Museum Munich Opening Hours
In the onging pandemic, the Munich Toy Museum has greatly reduced its opening hours. Until 8th April 2022, the Toy Museum is open only on weekends, from 10am – 5pm. After this date, the Munich Toy Museum will return to its usual opening hours, daily from 10am – 5.30pm.
How much is the Admission to the Munich Toy Museum?
Admission to the museum is 6€ for adults, 2€ for children up to the age of 17, and families or groups consisting of 2 adults and up to 3 children can take advantage of a group deal for 12€.
The Spielzeugmuseum: Not Just For Kids!
When searching for Things to Do In Munich with Kids online, you’ll likely come across this München Museum in various write-ups of travel related activities in the city.
Do keep in mind, however, that your experience of this Museum will depend entirely on how much you’re in touch with your own childhood. If you still love Teddy Bears, Barbies, Puppets and/or Toy Soldiers then you’ll love this place. If you preferred Video Games, Action Figures, and Boardgames, then you might be disappointed in the collection here.
We would say here that as Munich Museums go this one is probably suited to older kids, as the younger ones likely won’t care too much about the actual history of the toys on display and will just want to play with them.
Personally, we love the craftsmanship of the old toys on display here and they bring us many nostalgic memories every time we visit. We totally recommend spending an hour here in the Munich Toy Museum, and if this is something that sounds of interest to you, then you better check out their website for all the most up-to-date information.
Cheers and thanks for reading.
