BMW Welt and the BMW Museum

BMW Welt lit at night — Photograph by Martin Falbisoner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Two buildings that are usually confused: one is a free showroom, the other is a ticketed museum.

What it costs

BMW Welt is free. It is the delivery centre and showroom — the swirling glass building — and anyone can walk in, look at the cars and go up the ramps.

The BMW Museum, in the bowl-shaped building across the bridge, is ticketed, and that is where the history is. The factory tour is separate again and must be booked well ahead.

Inside BMW Welt after dark — Photograph by Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

When to go

Welt is open long hours and is busiest at weekends. The museum keeps normal museum hours and closes on Mondays. Factory tours run on working days only and go quickly.

Getting there

U-Bahn U3 to Olympiazentrum — the exit puts you between the two buildings and the Olympiapark.

The BMW Welt roof lit blue — Photograph by Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

If you only have an hour

Do BMW Welt only — it is the free one, and an hour is exactly right for it. Save the museum for a day when you have three. The U-Bahn station is between the two, and the Olympiapark is on the other side of it.

What people get wrong

People pay for BMW Welt without realising it is the free one. If you want cars to look at, Welt is enough; if you want the story of the company, including its wartime record, that is the museum.

A motorcycle in the BMW Museum — Photograph by Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Nearby

The OlympiaparkMilbertshofen Nymphenburg PalaceNeuhausen-Nymphenburg The Allianz ArenaFröttmaning, north of the city The English GardenSchwabing and Lehel

Ticketing arrangements and opening patterns as published for 2026 and checked on 4 September 2026. These change without much warning — confirm with the site itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.