Munich is one of the most popular destinations in Germany and offers numerous parks, beautiful lakes in the surrounding countryside, many excursion destinations and relaxing nature leisure activities. Whether in 4 or 24 hours, over a long weekend or a whole week, there is always something to discover in Munich. These are our tips for nature lovers!
- Places of Interest in Munich
- Museums
- English Garden
- The districts of Nymphenburg and Obermenzing
- Eating out in nature
- Excursions in and around Munich
Bike tours: Discover Munich’s attractions in the city centre on two wheels: for example, the Marienplatz (main square), Viktualienmarkt (food market), English Garden, Olympiapark (Olympic Park) or the Isar (river).
City walking tour: The Marienplatz (main square) with the famous Glockenspiel (carillon), Frauenkirche (cathedral), Hofbräuhaus (beer hall), Viktualienmarkt (food market), the Residence (city palace), Hofgarten (court garden) and much more can be easily reached by foot.
Pedicab tours: Book one of the pedicab tours through the old town, into the green or enjoy sightseeing in the fresh air with beer and pretzels on board.
Parks and gardens: Munich offers a great variety of parks and gardens with idyllic paths far from the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Museum Mensch und Natur: With over 200,000 guests a year, it is one of the most visited state museums in Bavaria and one of the best-attended natural history museums in Germany.
Deutsches Museum: In the exhibition “Mensch und Umwelt“ (Man and Environment) you can learn where our daily bread comes from – including the effects and side effects on our health and the environment.
Museum Mineralogia Munich: Explore the world of crystals and gemstones, or admire the meteorites from Mars and the moon.
Archäologische Staatsammlung: embark on a journey into the past and experience a comprehensive collection from around 250,000 years of human history.
English Garden: If you yearn for peace and relaxation, take a walk in one of the largest city parks in the world.
Munich’s surfing scene is at home on Eisbachwelle (river wave).
On top of a small hill is Monopteros, a Greek-style ornamental temple which offers a stunning view.
Another particularly romantic experience is a ride on a horse-drawn carriage through the park or a boat trip on the Kleinhesseloher See (lake).
Explore the English Garden by bike: Take a leisurely cycle trip along the Isar River to the Aumeister beer garden and back through the English Garden to Marienplatz (main square).
The perfect green: Our author finds out why the English Garden is so green.
Schloss Nymphenburg (Nymphenburg Palace): The palace complex with its magnificent park is one of the largest baroque estates in Germany. Around the main palace, there are other destinations worth seeing, for example the park castles Amalienburg, Pagodenburg and Badenburg, which can be visited during a walk through the park.
Tip: When the weather is nice, a ride in an original Venetian gondola on the palace canal is an unforgettable experience.
Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg (Munich Botanical Garden): Some of the greenhouses have a tropical climate and the flowering plants are worth a visit in any weather. One of the highlights is the butterfly exhibition.
Schloss Blutenburg (Blutenburg Palace): The medieval castle complex in the west of Munich, away from the old town is definitely worth seeing.
Fräulein Grüneis: This charming snack bar with organic nibbles and homemade cakes in the English Garden is perfect for a short break from sightseeing.
Beer garden at the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower): In the heart of the English Garden, around the historic “Chinesischer Turm” (Chinese Tower) pagoda, this beer garden offers beer garden classics with traditional folk music from the tower.
Seehaus (restaurant): This famous restaurant with its beer garden and spacious terraces offers a magnificent view and has an idyllic location on the Kleinhesseloher See (lake).
Café Gans am Wasser: Situated directly on the Mollsee (lake) in the Westpark (park), the café offers food and drinks from lunchtime to evening. The lunch menu is highly recommended: It includes a variety of burgers and bowls with or without meat. In the afternoon, you should definitely try the cakes and pies.
There are numerous large and small brewery restaurants in Munich, many of which also have a small beer garden where you can sit down and take a leisurely break.
Gasthof Hinterbrühl: If you walk along the Isar (river), you can rest at Gasthof Hinterbrühl directly on Hinterbrühler See (lake) on the Isar riverbanks.
Picnic spots: When the weather is nice, it’s a good idea to have an outdoor picnic.
Olympiapark (Olympic Park): The breath-taking Zeltdach tour (roof climb tour) is a unique experience.
SEA LIFE Munich: Explore the underwater world of the adventure aquarium in the Olympiapark (Olympic Park).
Bayerische Volkssternwarte (observatory): Reach for the stars and take an evening tour on Monday at Bayerische Volkssternwarte, one of Germany’s largest observatories.
In the Schleißheim palace grounds, not far from Munich, you can take an endless and solitary stroll, visit the various pavilions and palace buildings and then enjoy a wonderful break in the Oberschleißheim Palace Café or the Café zum Schloss. Incidentally, the park is still one of the most important baroque gardens in Europe.
Tierpark Hellabrunn (Hellabrunn zoo): In the world's first geo-zoo, you can discover over 500 animal species from all five continents. Or admire snow owls, penguins, polar bears and Patagonion sea lions at the polar world. Just a few metres further, in perfect contrast to the polar world, is the African savannah with zebras, antelopes, meerkats and lions.
The Westpark (park) offers recreation, nature and leisure sports and takes you on a journey to the Far East.
We show you the most beautiful trails in and around Munich on forest walks with a view of the southern lakes, a tour of the foothills of the Alps and a stroll through the city parks.
Isar trails: We show you the perfect cycling spots along the Isar (river).
Art museums in the Munich region: In the Alpine foothills near Munich there are numerous interesting museums devoted to the art of the Expressionists and the Blauer Reiter (group of artists). We present the top six.
Landsberg am Lech: The beautiful medieval town with its winding alleyways is only about 60 kilometres from Munich on the Romantic Road.
A trip to the mountains: Mountain peaks, the most breath-taking alpine panoramas and culinary delights are all within easy reach of Munich.
Königssee (lake): Emerald green water at the foot of the legendary Watzmann East Face - a trip to Königssee (lake) in the Berchtesgaden National Park is a unique nature experience.
Hiking in the Ammergau Alps: A three-day hike in fairy-tale land: barren cliffs, wild mountain forests and a storybook castle.
Ammersee (lake): It is not only one of the largest lakes in Bavaria, but also a popular destination for those seeking peace and tranquillity.
Starnberger See (lake): If you like swimming, cycling, walking or boating, Lake Starnberg is the place for you.
Tegernsee (lake): Nestled among dark green wooded hills is the natural beauty of the Tegernsee that dates back to the last Ice Age.
Chiemsee (lake): At Bavaria's largest lake, you can not only do water sports or bike tours, but also experience many cultural attractions.
Walchensee (lake): Besides swimming, you can also windsurf or hike up one of Munich's popular surrounding mountains.
Palace hiking guide: Our article "Königliche Wanderlust” (Royal Hiking Pleasure) offers various hikes to the palaces of Herrenchiemsee (Herrenchiemsee Palace), Linderhof, Schachenhaus and, of course, Neuschwanstein.
Walderlebniszentrum Grünwald (forest adventure centre): The S7 takes you from the city centre to the Höllriegelskreuth station in about 20 minutes. From there, take bus 271 in the direction of Ascholding and get off at the Grünwald Friedhof stop. Follow the signposted footpath (about ten minutes). From the city centre, this journey takes about 60 minutes in total. Experience the woods with all your senses on the forest adventure trail in Grünwalder Forst (forest).
Naturbad Maria Einsiedel (ecological outdoor swimming pool): The Isar canal flows over a length of almost 400 metres through the popular outdoor pool in the south of Munich.
Kloster Andechs (monastery): If you would like to go for a short hike in the Munich countryside, take the S 8 to the last stop at Herrsching (journey time from the city centre around 50 minutes) and hike from there to Kloster Andechs (monastery). Here, you can enjoy a Bavarian snack break in the Bräustüberl (traditional Bavarian restaurant) or in the beer garden. The hiking trail is suitable for prams and small children. The walk takes about 1.5 hours.
Zugspitze (mountain): Enjoy a breath-taking panoramic view of Germany's highest mountain, which is almost 90 kilometres from the Bavarian state capital and an excellent day trip destination.
If you want to explore the area in a group, book one of the many day tours or excursions through München Tourismus.
