Museums, nature, shopping, beer gardens and much more
9 great activities to do in Munich in any weather
Munich offers leisure activities all throughout the year that are hard to beat. Whether they are indoors or out in the fresh air – there is a lot to do.
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Explore Munich by bike
There is hardly a more relaxing way to explore the city. Cyclists in Munich will find a dense network of bike lanes, which can be conveniently used to reach many of the most important sights.
If you don’t own a bike, you can borrow one from various rental bike suppliers – like MVG Rad, for example – for a small fee.
Last but not least, Munich is also the perfect base for bicycle tours – to the foothills of the Alps, for instance.
Visit museums in Munich
With their passion for collecting, the Bavarian kings laid the foundation for Munich’s reputation as a city of art. To this day, buildings such as the Lenbachhaus or the Haus der Kunst (‘House of Art’) maintain this reputation. But that is only one perspective on Munich as a city of museums:
- Technology fans will find everything their hearts desire in the Deutsches Museum.
- Street art can be seen in the MUCA (Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art).
The choice of exhibitions and venues is huge. Here we present you some of Munich's great museums:
Experience nature all over the city
Not many cities can offer this: The banks of the Isar are accessible from almost anywhere in the city and give you the chance to have a fantastic break in the open air.
Parks like the well-known English Garden or the rambling Olympic Park also provide the people of Munich with plenty of opportunity to experience nature.
And in the Hellabrunn Zoo, which has numerous tributaries from the Isar flowing through it, you can get close to flora and fauna at the same time. No wonder the people of Munich are generally outdoorsy types.
Enjoy the view from St. Peter's Church and many more viewpoints
In the centre, there are the towers of St. Peter’s Church and the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall), which give you the best view of the city and its architectural history.
And there are even more observation points, including some roof terraces with cafés or a bar.
Shop to your heart's content
Munich’s shopping heart beats between Marienplatz and Stachus. But that isn’t the only place you can go shopping:
- Sendlinger Straße also has a lot of fans, with some of its remaining owner-run businesses, as well as Hohenzollernstraße in Schwabing.
- Shopping centres like the Fünf Höfe or the Hofstatt are located in the heart of the city.
- The Riem Arcaden, Pasing Arcaden and the Olympia shopping center and pep Neuperlach – all located on the outskirts of the city – also provide even more options.
Experience the beer garden culture
There is nowhere else where you can feel the Munich conviviality as strongly as in one of its many beer gardens. As soon as the first rays of sunshine start warming things up in spring, people are drawn to the shade of the chestnut trees, where they enjoy a little snack.
Visitors can bring their own pretzels, obatzda (a Bavarian cheese delicacy) and fresh salads; cool beers can be bought there.
If you want to be even more comfortable, you can always bring a cushion with you to sit on the beer bench with.
Swimming in one of Munich’s swimming pools
Whether you are a sporty swimmer with Olympic ambitions or a casual athlete: Munich’s range of indoor swimming pools has the right one for everyone. The 50-metre lanes at Dantebad are a test of your fitness, while things are a bit more relaxed at Südbad. With its art nouveau look, the Müller'sche Volksbad is probably the most beautiful pool in Munich – but in summer the action moves to the various outdoor pools with their diving towers and water slides.
Experience cultural highlights
The Bavarian State Opera, the Residenztheater and the Cuvilliés-Theater are just some of the institutions which enjoy an excellent reputation beyond the Munich metropolitan area.
For example, the Munich Philharmony or the Bavarian State Orchestra compete over regular performances abroad. Performances and festivals take place all throughout the year in Munich – with plenty of pop, rock and jazz, too, of course.
Explore places near Munich
Not far from Munich, the lakes Starnberger See, Ammersee and Tegernsee offer almost unlimited recreational activities.
Kloster Andechs, a monastery on the Heiliger Berg (‘sacred mountain’) can also be reached quickly; world-renowned Neuschwanstein Castle is easy to get to by car.
You can even travel to Chiemsee by train and visit its islands Herreninsel and Fraueninsel. And in winter, the fun of skiing attracts people to the Alps.
