The Olympiaturm won't reopen before 2027 at the earliest. Here's what we found, and the viewpoint we added to the guide instead.
Search for the best view over Munich and the Olympiaturm still comes up near the top of most lists — a 291-metre television tower in Olympiapark with an observation deck that's been a fixture of Munich guides for decades. It's also been closed since June 2024, and the most recent official estimate we could find puts the reopening at some point in early 2027.
What's actually going on
The closure is structural: a full overhaul covering the tower's elevators, utilities and fire safety systems, reported at roughly €46 million. That's not a short maintenance window, and it isn't a rumour — it's a multi-year construction project on a tower most travel content still describes in the present tense, ticket prices and all, as if a visitor could simply turn up and go up.
We found this while doing the same hour-by-hour verification pass we run on every stop in every city. Our own first draft had it wrong too — open, with hours, like nothing had changed. Catching it meant checking a landmark that hadn't needed checking in years, precisely because 'it's always been open' is the assumption that lets a two-year closure slip through unnoticed.
Most travel content still describes it in the present tense, ticket prices and all, as if a visitor could simply turn up and go up.
What we did about it
Rather than leave a gap where Munich's best view used to be, we looked for the closest genuine substitute in the city centre. Alter Peter — the tower of St Peter's Church, immediately behind Marienplatz — is the one locals consistently rate above even the New Town Hall's own tower for the view: a straight sightline down to the Glockenspiel and the Frauenkirche's twin domes, and the Alps visible on a clear day. It's a real climb, over 300 narrow steps with no lift, which is exactly why it stays uncrowded even now that it's picking up the visitors the Olympiaturm can't take.
It isn't a replacement for the Olympiaturm's height or its 360-degree panorama — nothing at ground level in the city centre is. But it's an honest one: a view we could verify was actually open, rather than a placeholder pulled from an outdated list.
Quick questions
Is there any way to visit the Olympiaturm right now?
No — the tower has been fully closed to visitors since June 2024 for structural renovation work, with no partial access during construction. The most recent official estimate targets early 2027 for reopening, though large infrastructure projects often run past their first estimate.
What's the best alternative view in central Munich?
Alter Peter, the tower of St Peter's Church just behind Marienplatz, is the closest genuine substitute — open, central, and rated by many locals above the New Town Hall's own tower. The climb is real: 300-plus narrow steps with no lift.