Münster Germany is an old member of Hanseatic league, a prominent trading league of various Northern and Central European cities, which provided wealth and status to its members in the medieval period. As we can see in the current Münster Germany, it is a rich city in terms of religious power, culture, and architectures. Aside from it, Münster Germany is also popular because of the signing of peace treaty, which ensures that the Netherlands has its current national borders. Münster was built during the eight century and the city itself surrounded a monastery that was established by the order of Emperor Charlemagne. Even though Münster has been destroyed several times in history, including World War II, this city was still able to rebuild many of its buildings Into its original state, hence maintaining its old beauty. Nowadays, Münster is a popular tourist destination that offers a lot of attractions ranging from many beautiful monuments and churches, green parks, and a number of nice museums. In this blog I will discuss the one day itinerary in Münster Germany (see map below).

Münster Germany one day itinerary

Since Münster is a main German city, it has a main train station that connects many major German as well as European cities. If you go by car, I suggest to park in the Altstadt, where we always parked our car whenever we go to any German city. Be warned though that you need to be early in parking, otherwise, it can easily get busy and often the parking spaces are full. If you prefer a less busy parking garage, there are also available parking spaces such as the Münster P+R Hbf parking and the Parkhaus Engelenschanz. From these parking spaces, it takes around 10-15 minutes to reach the Altstadt. And from the Altstadt, many of the tourists’ attractions are quite accessible.

1. Münster Cathedral (St. Paulus Dom)

Münster Cathedral is the main attraction of Münster. It is the oldest cathedral of the city with some sites initially built in early ninth century. The other parts of the cathedral, such as the two Romanesque towers that form the entrance of the current cathedral, are from the 12th century. Based on the remains of the old church, the rest of the Münster Cathedral was built in Gothic style at the beginning of the thirteenth century. During World War II, a large part of the cathedral was destroyed. You can find inside the church a large sixteenth century astronomical clock and many intricately carved and designed statues and symbols. A market with many stalls is held every Wednesday and Saturday on the square of the cathedral.

2. Prinzipal Market of Münster Germany

The Prinzipal market is a beautiful square at the centre of the Hanseatic city of Münster. In fact, it belongs to the top five most beautiful squares in Germany. There are 48 historic houses built on Renaissance and Gothic facades can be found here. Similar to the Münster Cathedral and the rest of the city, the Principal Market was largely destroyed during the World War II. After the war, these houses were reconstructed in a simple version of its original state. The Principal market houses the historic town hall of Münster and provides the view of the Saint Lambert’s Church.

3. Saint Lambert’s Church

Saint Lambert’s Church is a Roman Catholic Church established in honour of St. Lambert, a bishop of Maastricht-Liege (Tongeren). This church was built on the site of a small wooden church that was established since 10th century. The foundation was then replaced by stones during the fourteenth century, making it the oldest parts of the current St. Lambert’s Church. The original tower of the church was replaced at the end of the nineteenth century by the current Neo-Gothic tower. This tower is a replica of the Freiburg Minster tower in Freiburg I’m Breisgau. The same tower can also be found in The Netherlands. There are three iron cages that hang in Saint Lambert’s church. These cages were used to hang the corpses of the Anabaptists Jan van Leiden, Berend Krechting and Berend Knipperdolling, all of which where publicly tortured and brutally executed after leading the Münster Rebellion in 1536.

4. Historic Town Hall of Münster Germany with the Friedenssaal

The Historic Town Hall of Münster is known for the Friedenssaal, where the important negotiations and treaty for the peace of Westphalia and Peace of Münster were held and were signed in 1648. This treaty concluded the Thirty Year’s War in Western Europe and the Eighty Year’s War between The Netherlands and Spain. The treaty of Osnabrück is also part of this peace arrangement. The town hall has Gothic buildings which was built in the second half of the fourteenth century. A large part of the building was destroyed, while the wooden furnishings of the Friedenssaal has been saved from destruction during the Second World War. The town hall is open for visitors and you can still find the original document with signatures of the Peace of Westphalia.

5. Art Museum Pablo Picasso in Münster Germany

The main entrance of the Art Museum Pablo Picasso Münster is a shopping center. You can find in this museum a large number of Picasso’s graphic works and arts, based on the collection of Huizinga couple. In addition to this, there are also many contemporary works of artists such as Max Ernst, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse and Georges Braque that are on display. Over the years, the collections have expanded through various donations.

6. Mocca d’Or restaurant Münster Germany

After a few hours of touring the main attraction of Münster, it’s time to go to a beautiful restaurant located in a secret spot of this city. The Mocca d’Or restaurant is located on one of the side streets just few minutes away from the Art Museum Pablo Picasso. This restaurant is facing traditional Münster houses (the lower floor consists of a shop while the upper floors are apartments). Mocca d’Or is an Italian restaurant so expect to order deliciously made pizzas and pastas on top of gelatos and other Italian foods.

7. Münster’s city castle/Schlossplatz/Botanical gardens

The city castle of Münster was built during the second half of the eighteenth century as residence of the prince-bishop of this city. The building is now use for administrative purposes in the University of Münster. The city castle has a garden that can be visited by the public freely. During summer, it is a nice place to hang-out or to relax under the sun. There is also a 200-year old botanical gardens that are also free to visit. The square in front of the castle also serves as venue for concerts and festivals during summer months.

8. Münstersche Aa

The Münstersche Aa is a river that passes through the old center of Münster starting from the municipality of Havixbeck, and continuing to Greven after the city Münster. The Aa river is forty three kilometres long in total. The water in river is labelled as bad quality partly attributed to pollution, and therefore algae are currently used to improve water quality.

9. Kuhviertel

The Kuhviertel is the traditional entertainment district of Münster. You can find here several student cafes and famous pubs in the city. The cafes have brightly coloured facades and traditional signs. During summer season, people come to eat and drink here, thus making the streets full of wooden benches and tables. This district is also popular because it is home to Pinkus Müller, the only remaining brewery out of the one hundred fifty private breweries in Münster.

10. Liebfrauen-Überwasserkirche/Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk

The Liebfrauen-Überwasserkirche or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk is located after the Münster cathedral. The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk is built on the banks of the river Aa during the end of the 14th century. The current Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk is built on top of the remains of the 11th and 13th century churches. The previous 11th century church was once a monastery and was destroyed in a major fire. The bombing during World War II almost destroyed the whole church. The restoration lasted until 1968.

Planning on a visit to other German cities, or simply curious what each city offers? Check my blogs on:

1. Hanover Germany one day itinerary

2. Osnabrück Germany one day itinerary

3. Mönchengladbach Germany one day itinerary

4. Dusseldorf Germany one day itinerary

5. Cologne Germany one day itinerary

6. German cities close to The Netherlands

7. Celle Germany one day itinerary