In Munich the park and the beer garden are the same idea: vast green space where the city comes to slow down over a litre of beer and a pretzel. The English Garden alone is bigger than New York's Central Park, the Eisbach wave draws surfers in the middle of the city, and royal Nymphenburg, the rose-filled Westpark and the Olympic Park add hundreds more acres. Beer-garden custom here is gloriously relaxed — in the self-service areas you can spread out your own bread, cheese and radishes as long as you buy your drinks on site. These are the green spaces to aim for; save the ones you like and work them into your days.
Munich's Parks & Beer Gardens
1
Park
Englischer Garten
The headline act: meadows, the Monopteros, the Eisbach surf wave and the huge Chinese Tower beer garden, all in a park bigger than Central Park.
2
Market
Viktualienmarkt
The Old Town's food market wraps around a central beer garden that rotates the city's big breweries — the easiest place to graze and drink in the centre.
3
Park
Schlosspark Nymphenburg
The free landscaped park behind Nymphenburg Palace: canals, formal gardens, woodland paths and baroque pavilions for a genteel afternoon.
4
Park
Westpark
A garden-show park in the southwest with a rose garden, authentic Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Nepali gardens, beer gardens and a summer lakeside stage.
5
Viewpoint
Olympiaberg
The grassy hill in the Olympic Park, built from war rubble, with free panoramas over the city and the Alps — a favourite for picnics and sunsets.
FAQ
- Can you bring your own food to a Munich beer garden?
- Yes — in the traditional self-service areas of a Bavarian beer garden you are welcome to bring your own food, such as bread, cheese and radishes, as long as you buy your drinks there. The table-service areas, however, expect you to order food from the kitchen.
- What is a Mass?
- A Mass is the classic one-litre stein of beer, the standard pour at a Munich beer garden and at Oktoberfest. Expect to pay around 9 euros for one; a smaller half-litre Helles in a garden is usually 5-7 euros.
- Can you really surf in Munich?
- Yes. The Eisbach, a fast artificial channel at the southern tip of the English Garden, forms a standing wave that experienced surfers ride year-round, even in winter. It is one of the city's most photographed sights, though strictly for skilled surfers only.
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