Residenz concert: entrance and cold

Where the concert is

The booking page gives the address as Residenzstraße 1, in the old town. The Residenz is Germany's largest city palace, according to Wikipedia, and its buildings stand around ten courtyards, so the street number alone does not tell you which door to use. The concert is in the court chapel, the Hofkapelle. It is a separate room from the museum rooms and from the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche, the All Saints Court Church, which has its own concerts. Check your confirmation for the meeting point before you leave, and screenshot it in case your phone loses signal in the courtyards. The front on Residenzstraße is the palace's west façade, and it is long, so do not assume that the first portal you reach is the right one.

Finding the door

Several guests on the booking page describe the entrance as hard to find, and one calls the sign very small. The booking page does not give directions inside the complex, and nor does the organiser's page for the chapel. So do not rely on spotting a poster. Read the meeting point in your confirmation, arrive inside the 30-minute window and, if you are unsure, ask staff at one of the palace entrances. One of the ten courtyards is the Kapellenhof, the Chapel Courtyard, which takes its name from the chapel. It is a useful clue, but not a substitute for the confirmation, and it is a good reason to leave the hotel early.

Collecting your tickets

Tickets are collected at the box office at the court chapel about 30 minutes before the concert. They are reserved under your name, so give the name used for the booking and keep your confirmation to hand in case it is asked for. The museum has its own ticket centre, which is a separate place from the chapel box office, so do not queue there for the concert. The calendar shows a start time for each date. If your plans are tight, collect the tickets first and eat afterwards, since the concert will not wait for a late party. Arriving with a few spare minutes also lets you settle before the music.

Read next: Munich Residenz concert: booking

Getting there by public transport

The Residenz's own page lists the stops close by. The S-Bahn and the U-Bahn both serve Marienplatz, the U-Bahn and a bus serve Odeonsplatz, and the tram stops at Nationaltheater. Use the city's route planner for the line that suits your hotel, since the numbers change. The palace has no car park for visitors. It points to the chargeable underground car park at the Nationaltheater on Max-Joseph-Platz, and it suggests that cyclists consult the city's cycling information. Most central hotels are a short ride, or a walk, from one of these stops. Plan the way back as well, since the concert ends when the music ends.

The cold

Every source that describes the chapel mentions the temperature. The organiser says the old court chapel is cool in summer and can be cold in winter, and the booking page tells guests to dress warmly. One guest wrote that it was very cold and that heaters would help. Treat that as a plan. Wear layers, keep your coat with you, and in winter bring a scarf and gloves. A large stone room cools quickly, and an hour of sitting still feels longer when you are cold. The special Advent and Christmas evenings fall in the coldest weeks of the year, so dress for them as you would for an outdoor market.

What to wear

The booking page sets no dress code. In practice, people come in the clothes they would wear to a church: neat and warm. The booking page does not mention a cloakroom, so travel light. Switch your phone off before the music begins, and follow the usual courtesy of a concert: no talking during pieces, and applause only when a piece ends. In summer a light jacket is enough, because the organiser still calls the chapel cool. In winter, wear the warmest layers you own beneath a coat that you are happy to keep on, and choose shoes that are comfortable for the walk through the old town.

Seating and comfort

The booking page does not describe seating, and it does not say whether seats are numbered, so check the page for your date before you decide. Some guests say they would like cushions, which is a fair point on a wooden pew in a cold room. A folded scarf does the job. If you want a good view of the altar, arrive within the admission window, since that is when you can choose a place if choice is offered. The booking page for your date is the place to check. Sitting for an hour is easier if you stretch beforehand, and if you are tall, choose a seat on the end of a row for your legs.

Children and families

The booking page sets no age limit, and one guest wrote that her daughter listened more quietly than she had ever seen. The organiser calls its Christmas and New Year concerts programmes for the whole family, and the concert lasts about an hour. That suits children who can sit still in a cold stone room, but it will not suit a toddler. If you are travelling with young children, choose a family-oriented seasonal date, bring warm layers and sit near an aisle if you can. A short explanation beforehand helps: tell them it is a palace chapel, that the music is live and that nobody speaks until a piece ends.

Access

The ticket carries a wheelchair-accessible label. The Residenz's access page says the courtyards are largely level and reachable without steps, but it says nothing about the concert entrance, and it notes that the museum ticket office is reached by several steps. So your confirmation and the booking page are where to look. If step-free access matters, contact the booking page or the organiser before you travel, and enquire about the way from the street to the chapel, about seating for a wheelchair and about the nearest accessible toilet. The Residenz's page gives details for the Cuvilliés Theatre but not for the chapel. Do not assume that a route described for the museum applies to the concert.

Around the concert

The concert lasts about an hour, so it leaves time either side. The Residenz museum is a separate visit: the palace suggests allowing two to three hours, and says the last admission is one hour before closing, so it is better done by day than squeezed in before the music. The Court Garden north of the palace was laid out from 1613 and makes an easy walk beforehand. For dinner, book a table after the concert and leave a margin for the walk back, since the chapel ends when the music ends and cannot run late. Check the museum's current opening hours on the palace's own website before you plan the day.

Read next: Music rooms of the Munich Residenz

Who this isn't for

This guide is not for visitors who want the museum: the palace suggests allowing two to three hours for it, and it is a separate ticket with its own opening hours. Nor is it for travellers who plan to turn up at the last minute, since tickets are collected beforehand, or for anyone who cannot sit through an hour in a cold room. A heated hall or a museum visit by day will suit them better. Anyone who needs a guaranteed step-free route should confirm it with the organiser before paying, because the palace's public page does not cover the concert entrance. Families with very young children should read the section above before booking.