The English Garden in Munich is one of the world’s largest city parks. It’s larger then Central Park in NYC, but smaller than Richmond Park in London. It’s where Münchners (Munich residents) go to play, or to relax, drink beer, or to surf, or to sunbathe naked...It all happens in the English Garden!
The most popular stuff:
The English Garden is divided into two parts, separated by the Isarring, a road that goes through the English Garden. The southern part is the most popular section of the park where you can find:
Surfing in Munich at the English Garden
Surfing at the English Garden in Munich - not for the faint of heart.
Near the Haus der Kunst Museum there is a standing wave measuring ~ 1 meter high. Surfers surf the wave for as long as their balance holds up. I’ve been quite a few times, and it never fails to captivate my attention for at least a few minutes. Those are brave souls in wetsuits and being judged by a crowd! See Surfing in Munich for more photos.
The Naked Area of the English Garden – Schönfeldweise (Schönfeld Meadow) lies between the Monoptereos (small Greek temple) and the Japanese Teehouse. It’s where you’ll find the naked sunbathing area, but don’t take pictures. Apparently (and not surprisingly) people get very angry. Not wanting to be chased down by a naked German, I wasn’t about to find out, so will leave this to your imagination.
Chinese Tower (Chinesicher Turm) – Munich’s second largest beer garden, often with a brass band playing in the evening. It’s is a popular place for locals and tourists alike. I’ve spent quite a few evenings here.
Kleinhesseloher See (Lake)
Enjoying a beer on the Kleinhesseloher See (Lake) in the English Garden.
A popular man-made lake where you can rent paddle boats. I’m a fan of the beer garden right on the lake which is popular with both locals and tourists.
Now What I Consider to Be the Good Stuff, the northern part of the English Garden:
Don’t get me wrong, I like the southern part of the English Garden as well, but the northern part is where I go for tranquility and to see what the locals are up to. Like the southern section, the northern section also has two beer gardens, the Hirschau, located at the southern end of the northern section which has a playground so parents can drink a beer while watching their children. At the far north end of the English Garden is Aumeister. Both are popular with locals.
Near the Hirschau and Tivoli-Kraftwerk is where games of ultimate Frisbee are played on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons, organized through ToyTown, a website for expats. I watched them play but am not convinced that my rusty skills are quite up to par.
It was fun coming across this group who was practicing their balancing skills on ropes strung to trees.
I also love the unexpected things you find in the English Garden, like the club that was practicing their balancing skills on ropes, which I watched for quite a while.
A deserted walking path in the north end of the English Garden = tranquility and relaxation.
But the real reason I love the northern part of the English Garden is for the tranquility, away from the crowds – peace in the middle of a city.
Know Before You Go to the English Garden:
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- The English Garden is ~6km long, so choose the section you want to visit, prepare to walk for several hours (with 4 beer beer gardens to provide sustenance), or bring a bike with you to see most of the park
- The total length of paths found in the English Garden comes in at around ~75km
- There are over 100 bridges in the English Garden (according to Wikipedia, I haven’t counted them myself)
- The English Garden is home to between 50-60 species of birds, making it a good place for bird watching when you get tired of people watching.
- You may also want to visit the Munich Residenz which is nearby
- Check out the above locations on Google Maps
This post was submitted as part of our German Stammtisch where a group of expat bloggers get together to write about a specific topic. This months theme was “parks” chosen by Travels of Adam. See more posts on parks here:
