Questions about admission/tickets:
Who gets free admission/discounts?
An overview list can be found here on our website under "admission".
Is it possible to buy tickets in advance or online?
Tickets for state museums can be purchased online via our ticket partner MünchenTicket. The system is currently still under development. You can find the link here. Of course, you can also buy tickets on-site, at the museum's ticket office.
Are there annual tickets?
Yes, you can purchase an annual ticket for both Grünwald Castle and our main building. You will also find the annual pass at the above-mentioned locations.
Are gift vouchers available?
We have gift vouchers on offer at Grünwald Castle. Unfortunately, these are not (yet) available elsewhere. Perhaps our annual pass would be an option instead?
Questions about the visit:
Where can I find the ASM? How do I get there?
You can find all the information about travelling here in the "Visit" section. We recommend travelling by public transport, as there are only limited public parking spaces available. There are both a tram and a bus stop in the immediate vicinity of the museum. The short walk from there to the museum is worthwhile.
What are the museum's opening hours?
We are open Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat from 10 am to 5 pm and Thu/Sun from 10 am to 7 pm. The museum is closed on Mondays and public holidays. See here.
What is there to see in the museum?
More than 15,000 archaeological objects from Bavaria are on display. Since the general refurbishment the rooms are no longer arranged in a purely chronological order. Thematic cornerstones of human life provide an insight into human development and cultural history. The comics by Munich artist Frank Schmolke guide visitors through the exhibition and encourage them to take a closer look. Visitors are also given an insight into archaeological working methods. Various educational programmes are available.
What is the current programme?
Changing special exhibitions on major "highlight themes" complement the permanent galleries. They take place in the underground special exhibition room, which was built especially for this purpose and is unique in Munich. Lectures, workshops and activity days also round out our programme. We rely on new and proven cooperation partners such as the Munich Adult Education Centre (MVHS) and the Museum Education Centre (MPZ). Take a look at our calendar. Our branch museums (with the exception of Grünwald Castle) operate autonomously in their programmes. You can find their programmes separately on their websites - unless we are involved in their conception.
Is there an audio or media guide that you can borrow?
You are welcome to borrow a media guide at the ticket desk or call it up on your own smartphone. This makes it easy to explore the special highlights of the museum. Please remember your headphones! The media guide is available in English except for the ‘delicacy tour’. For this, Luise Kinseher (Mama Bavaria for many years) has lent us her voice. It is therefore available in Bavarian dialect only.
Is photography permitted?
Photographs may be taken for private purposes without a tripod or flash. If you upload the pictures to social media, please tag us: @asm.muc. For the purpose of publication or other commercial photography and filming, please consult the press area and the museum in advance.
Can I lock up or leave my bag/backpack?
There are a limited number of lockers behind the shop area. Please lock bulky items and clothing there. Rucksacks and large bags may not be taken into the galleries. Unfortunately, we cannot store suitcases.
Is there a restaurant, café or shop?
There are! You will find the shop right next to the ticket office in the entrance area. There is also our museum café and bar Solâ, which offers snacks and drinks. In fine weather, the rooftop bar beckons - with a view of the English Garden. At the end of the media guide tour, you will be taken there automatically and you can round off your visit to the museum. The roof terrace is barrier-free.
Is the museum barrier-free?
Yes, we are barrier-free according to current standards and therefore also accessible for wheelchair users. Unfortunately, Grünwald Castle is only partially accessible. The branch museums in Bad Königshofen, Forchheim, Manching, Mindelheim, Weißenburg and the currently closed branch museum in Neuburg an der Donau are also barrier-free for wheelchair users.
Questions about guided tours:
Private individuals:
Guided tours for groups of 8 people or more (max. 20) can be booked on request by contacting us directly on 089 12599691-0 (mornings) or via buchung@archaeologie.bayern or the Museum Education Centre (MPZ). On Sundays, the Munich Adult Education Centre (MVHS) gives an overview tour of the museum. We offer regular curator's tours throughout the year as well, which you can also take advantage of as an individual guest. On request, we offer a programme for children with group tours and workshop programmes together with the MPZ. Children's birthday parties can also be celebrated in the museum and booked via the MPZ.
Kindergartens and schools:
We offer age-appropriate guided tours on various topics - including curriculum-related ones - especially for Kindergartens and schools via the MPZ. Teacher training courses are also available. Please contact the MPZ for more information.
Do I have to register for guided tours, workshops and special events?
You must register for guided tours (see above). You can find an overview here. For MVHS or MPZ programmes, please contact the relevant booking offices directly. You can find our contact details above. Please note that externally-organised group tours (study groups, art groups, travel groups, school classes, etc.) must be registered in advance with us.
Where and how can I register my school class or kindergarten group?
See above. The kindergarten and school programmes are managed directly by the Museum Education Centre (MPZ), including bookings.
I am coming with a larger group. Do I have to register them?
If you would like to visit the museum with a larger group, please discuss this with us in advance (buchung@archaeologie.bayern). Groups are limited to 20 people. If you are planning to come with a larger group, this may have to be split. External guided tours without prior arrangement are unfortunately not possible due to the limited space in the house and consideration for other visitors.
Are there guided tours outside of opening hours?
For security reasons, no guided tours are currently possible outside of opening hours, unless expressly offered in ournprogramme. However, our Rooftop Bar and the museum café are accessible independently of museum opening hours.
Where and how do I register children's/school groups? Do these groups get free admission?
Please contact the MPZ directly for the registration procedure and booking. Children under the age of 18 and schoolchildren are free. We are delighted when interest in archaeology and history is awakened.
Are there any digital offerings?
Various stations in the museum invite you to discover the museum in a variety of ways and with different senses. These include the media guide and an AR project. Media stations in the galleries are designed to appeal to younger visitors in particular. The MPZ also has a digital presence outside the museum. In addition, there is digital material addressed at schools. Are you already familiar with our archaeological tour through Munich with MUNICH ART TO GO? We are participating in the app of the Central Institute for Art History and send history enthusiasts on an archaeological search through Munich. An XR-Experience specifically on the topic of "the Celts" complements the current offer.
On Bavarikon, selected highlights from our collection can be found in two- and three-dimensional form under the keyword “Archäologische Staatssammlung” here. We are also happy to interact with you on our social media channels, but of course we look forward to your personal visit to our museum.
Questions about the ASM:
What does collection-centred museum mean and why research?
The ASM is not just a museum, but also a collection and academic research institution. This means that we are constantly receiving new artefacts from all over Bavaria; we do not have a closed collection. The artefacts are identified, researched, conserved, if necessary, and then safely stored or presented to the public. Publications and specialist conferences are therefore also part of our museum's remit. Our in-house conservation studios moreover take care of material analysis and technical history research projects, which are carried out in interdisciplinary co-operation with various scientific institutions. Current research also includes excavations and analyses of various archaeological sites from different periods in Bavaria.
Which departments are there at the ASM?
The Bavarian State Archaeological Collection, which was founded in 1885 and is based in Munich, has five departments: Prehistory, Roman period, the Medieval and Modern period, the Mediterranean and Numismatics. There are also the in-house conservation studios and, of course, the administration.
What branch museums are there and where?
There are currently eight branch museums affiliated with the ASM throughout Bavaria: In Bad Königshofen, Bad Windsheim, Forchheim, Grünwald, Manching, Mindelheim, Neuburg/Danube and Weissenburg
What happens to the artefacts which are not exhibited?
As a collection, the ASM is much larger than the artefacts on display. Objects not exhibited are stored securely in several depots in order to preserve them for future generations. In the course of changing special exhibitions in our own museum or the branch museums, or for exhibitions in other museums, these artefacts are brought out of storage and researched, displayed or loaned out. This is the only way the public can benefit from them.
Can I hire rooms for events?
There are currently no plans to hire out rooms. Please contact us if you are interested.
Can I do an internship, volunteer work or federal voluntary service at the ASM?
Absolutely! We are always happy to hear from interested parties. A curatorial traineeship (Voluntariat) can be completed at the state collections and museums in Munich - including ours. Vacancies are advertised on the website of the German Museums Association. There you will also find more detailed information on the requirements and the programme. If you are interested in an internship, please contact us directly. Every year we take on two federal volunteers in the restoration department. Information on this can be obtained from the Jugendbauhütte. We look forward to receiving your application!
Is there a newsletter? Where and how else can I find out more?
You can find the latest information on our website. A newsletter is currently in preparation. You will soon find the call for subscriptions on the website. We would be delighted if you would subscribe!
Does the ASM have a Friends' Association and how can I become a member?
The Friends' Association of the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection was established in 1973. Without its donations and contributions, many of the ASM's projects and activities would not have been possible. If you are interested in becoming a member, you can find the relevant information here. We are looking forward to welcoming new members!
How can I obtain press information?
Please send press enquiries to our press officer: presse@archaeologie.bayern. Current press releases and related materials can be found in the press section.
Where can I find high-resolution images of the museum and its artefacts?
Please use the above address for press reports. For academic papers, articles or other commercial publications, you can order images from us for a fee by contacting: info@archaeologie.bayern.
Is there a catalogue for the exhibition or other specialist publications?
Our publications are listed on this page. You can order them either directly from us or via the publisher. You can also find further literature relating to our museum in the museum shop. This is only accessible on site, but not digitally. There is an opening publication for the reopening of the museum in 2024 that you should not miss.
Can I have an archaeological object appraised at the ASM?
We receive numerous enquiries about archaeological finds and their value from all over Germany, which we are unfortunately unable to answer. For enquiries concerning Bavaria, please contact the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments. For enquiries from/about other federal states, please refer to the relevant regulations and associated contacts.