BMW Welt - 7 things to know before you go

It’s one of the world’s most famous brands with a reputation for luxury and engineering brilliance. And Munich’s BMW Welt is a fitting tribute to the vaunted ‘ultimate driving machine’.
The huge centre is one of Bavaria’s most-visited attractions, drawing in around THREE MILLION visitors per year - twice as many as Neuschwanstein Castle.
Here are seven fast facts about Munich’s famous temple of technology.
The stunniong double helix is a highlight of BMW Welt's design. Picture: WikiCommons/Pankratov-p

1. Its roof is one massive powerplant. BMW Welt’s roof is completely flat and designed to resemble a cloud. It’s covered in 16,000 solar panels - 800 kW worth, in fact, which produces enough juice to power around 560 apartments.

2. It’s part of something bigger. BMW Welt is just one part of the company’s massive Munich campus, which also comprises the BMW Museum - the squat, circular building - and the BMW Headquarters - the skyscraper designed to look like a car engine’s four cylinders.
If you’re keen on learning more about the cars and bikes, it’s well worth shelling out 10 Euros for a ticket to BMW Museum, which has seven themed exhibitions.

The building's interior is a sight to behold. Picture: www.diephotodesigner.de

3. You can pick up your new car there. If you’re someone for whom getting a new pair of wheels is akin to giving birth you can treat yourself to a luxury ‘collection experience’ after your perfect BMW has been made up to your tastes.
There’s a BMW expert standing next to you in the huge, glass-walled space, going through how much work and detail has gone into your new wheels.
Then, the car is lifted up from below on a round elevator platform into your loving arms.

There are workshops and things to do. Picture: Daniel Kraus

4. BWM Welt is free to visit. There are changing exhibits where you can see, touch and sit in some of BMW’s newest, strangest, and most classic designs - including Rolls Royce and Mini.
Some of these are in the main hall area and others to be found in the helix metal swirly thing. It’s totally free to wander around BMW Welt and a big part of the fun is exploring such an architectural marvel close up.

5. It’s a short subway ride away from the centre. BMW Welt is in Munich’s north-west, a short stroll away from the Petuelring S-Bahn station.
It’s just across the road from Munich’s Olympic Park, where you can explore the wonderfully futuristic arenas and stadiums of the 1972 games. The park is also home to a beer garden and Munich’s Sea Life museum.

BMW Welt is part of a larger campus including the BMW Museum and headquarters building.

6. There’s a shop. You may still have a way to go before you can afford BMW’s top-of-the-line i8 roadster (that starts at $163,300) but you can still take home a slice of ‘sheer driving pleasure’ at BMW Welt’s shop. It stocks postcards, books, models, vintage signs, teddy bears and more.

7. It’s open every day. BMW Welt is open 7.30am to midnight from Monday to Saturday and from 9am to midnight on Sunday. The exhibitions, however, are only accessible 9am-6pm Monday to Sunday. It only closes between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, and again between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Find more info on our guide page here, or on the BMW Welt website here.

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