Ten courtyards can be found inside the large complex: The Grotto Courtyard (Grottenhof) with the Perseus Fountain was built between 1581-1586 under William V (1579–1597) by Friedrich Sustris as the leading architect, and takes its name from the grotto on the western façade of the Antiquarium.
The octagonal Brunnenhof (Fountain Courtyard) served as a place for tournaments before the large Wittelsbach Fountain was erected in the middle of the courtyard in 1610. The buildings around the Kaiserhof (Emperor's Courtyard) with the Residenz Tower as clock tower, were erected from 1612 to 1618, in the reign of Maximilian I. Both courtyards are decorated with optical illusions on the facade, the same as the facade of the Alte Residenz.