It was a lovely spring day in Munich, but alas stricken with the flu we didn’t have much energy for exploring. Luckily for us we were staying in central Munich only about 10 minutes or so (at ambling pace!) from the famous Englischer Garten. We decided a couple of hours sitting in the sun would do us good so set off to discover more.
Our walk took us north of the Marienplatz and we skirted round the imperial “Residenz” of the Wittelsbach dynasty (of which more to come in later posts), past the Hofgarten (garden of the imperial palace) and into the southern part of the Englischer Garten.
You could be forgiven for thinking you were in the middle of the countryside rather than a large city. Between the Hofgarten and the start of the Englischer Garten we found yet another area of parkland, this time the Finanzgarten.
I’m not sure of the exact translation of the German on the sign, but clearly green recreational space is a priority for the Bavarians and Munich is no exception. Elector Carl Theodor ordered the construction of a new park near the Hofgarten back in 1789. The work was completed and the gardens opened to the public in 1792. Not surprisingly it has been a hugely popular recreational facility for the citizens of Munich ever since!
The Englischer Garten is divided into a southern part (2 kms long) and a northern part (3 kms long) separated by a busy road. The gardens are set alongside the River Isar, which meanders its way through the park.
There are endless pathways so it’s an ideal place for walking, jogging or cycling. It’s also a very popular spot for sunbathing (not always with clothes on – you have been warned!). We still thought it was on the chilly side though, lovely out in the full sun but there was still a crisp April wind.
Monopteros, a small Greek style temple is a feature of the Englischer Garten
The park is home to several restaurants and kiosks plus a couple of beer gardens. The larger of the 2 beer gardens, is situated next to the Chiniescher Turm (Chinese Tower). It is the second largest in Munich and you can find out further details here. If you want to eat at the restaurant, bookings are a good idea and if you can negotiate the online booking form in German follow the link here. Had we been feeling more ourselves we would have definitely visited the beer garden and restaurant, but we opted instead to buy gelati from a mobile stall and settled down to enjoy the delicious flavours (very soothing for sore throats too!) overlooking the river.
Gelati stall in the Englischer Garten Munich
Our vantage point was actually overlooking a man-made off shoot of the Isar, the Eisbach, which has become a very popular spot with surfers (a surfing wave has been created there). There were warning signs about the dangers of swimming and engaging in water sports but no one seemed to take any notice so we were not quite sure whether it was legal or not. However I suspect that as long as you’re an experienced surfer it is ok! There is even an annual river surfing competition on the Eisbach river wave. We had fun watching the surfing enthusiasts trying to balance on the waves and the swimmers whizzing past us down the river!
Our little stroll has covered only a fraction of this magnificent park! If you ever find yourself yourself in Munich, I’d highly recommend spending a few hours or even a brief sojourn in the beautiful Englischer Garten. It’s a lovely spot in which to relax and recharge your batteries, a wonderful facility for Munich residents and visitors alike. Tschuss till next time!
For more wonderful walks around the world head over to Restless Jo’s Monday Walk!
Copyright © 2015 Rosemary Thomas Le Chic En Rose. All rights reserved
Le Chic En Rose 
It looks beautiful, especially the river. If I ever make it to Munich I will definitely have to take a stroll through there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so convenient too Laura really in the heart of the city. Hope you make it there one day 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Munich is a city that I would really like to visit!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you would love Munich Andrew – there is so much history to the city and it has a relaxed feel for a state capital. Even though we were sick initially (nothing to do with Munich!) we had packed a lot in by the end of our trip. I am still sorting through all the photos!
LikeLike
Beautiful Rosemary, like you say unbelievable that you are in the centre of a big city with all this green and wide open space. I love the Englischer Garten and remember that beer garden by the Chinese Tower. Swimming down that stretch of river looks more than a bit scarey to me – good to watch others do it though!! Shame you weren’t feeling the best but a good excuse for some delicious ice-cream.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We loved the ice cream but would like to visit the beer garden next time! I was a bit worried about all the swimmers being swept along but they all seemed fine. A friend of mine spent 3 months living in Munich and found it an incredibly “liveable” city and you could see why in the Englischer Garten. You will have to go back and see all your old haunts there sometime! 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
My son is going to learn German next year at school – could be a good excuse for a trip – educational purposes!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent! Definitely an excuse for a trip there’s nothing like speaking with the locals to pick up a language! 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a beautiful place to wander and visit. It’s such a shame you were feeling under the weather, as it must have been hard to have pass by the beer garden! Such lovely photos, you get a real sense of the scale of Englischer Garten and it will be on my radar once I finally get to Munich
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😃 Yes the “Garten” covers a huge area this was just a little taste of it. We didn’t feel like drinks or much food hence the ice creams but hopefully we’ll go back and visit the beer garden some day! Hopefully you’ll visit Munich too one day it was a great place to stay and if we had to be sick anywhere the facilities were very good! We were much better by the last few days so were able to do a lot more 😃
LikeLike
What a lovely park. A great place for relax or do sport. All cities should have one of these 🙂
LikeLike
Yes isn’t it great Hanne? The only negative thing I’ve read is that it’s not a good idea to go there late at night but I wouldn’t want to do that anyway! Apart from that it’s lovely and such a wonderful park right on the city’s doorstep 🙂
LikeLike
It looks like a nice oasis hidden in the middle of the city 🙂
LikeLike
We were really impressed by all the green parkland in Munich Gin – you’d be able to go there in your lunch hour if you worked in the city. It was a beautiful spring day when we were there too helped to lift our spirits! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful to see from your last two blog posts that you managed to enjoy a great deal of beauty in spite of your flu. I am in a mad rush preparing for my own travel but wanted to say how much I enjoyed your slow travel in places that you might have bi-passed or rushed through had you been feeling better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Lisa for taking the time to post a comment when you are so busy getting ready for your trip! I saw on your recent post that you are setting sail on the high seas again and wish you all the very best for your trip! Am so glad you liked my slower paced travels – we usually rush around so it made quite a change. Although we didn’t feel too great it was pleasant sitting by the lake and in the gardens. Bon voyage for your trip! 🚤🚢😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely post! Wishing you & family a great weekend! 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much am glad you enjoyed the post! Wishing you and your family a lovely weekend too 😃
LikeLike
If you didn’t mention it, I would have guessed this place was a quaint little town tucked somewhere far away in the countryside. Looks so peaceful there, and I’m certain the sun and greenery did you good and made you feel better 🙂 Hope the surfers put on a bit of a spontaneous show for you!
Gelati soothing a bad throat? I suppose so, since it’s cold and cooling. Whenever I’m sick, I think it’s okay to eat chocolate or chocolate ice-cream as chocolate has healing properties 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes you really feel as though you could be in the country there Mabel! We enjoyed watching the surfers they made it look easy though I’m sure it wasn’t! I love chocolate too – dark chocolate in particular is supposed to be very good for you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That opening shot is fabulous, Rosemay! Hope you’re full of bounce again now 🙂 and thanks a lot for thinking of me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jo isn’t it idyllic?! Just what we needed at the time – yes we’ve bounced back and fighting fit again! It was rather an unpleasant flu and just unfortunate that it struck us down whilst travelling especially as we are normally so healthy. German pharmacies are wonderful though so it was as good a place as any to be sick in if that’s any consolation! Am hoping to join along for some more walks soon I have a few posts I want to do that would fit the bill. Am in the midst of a Munich and Bavarian series at present as you can see!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh the English Garden! I remember visiting it over a year ago..had a lovely time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad to bring back happy memories 🙂 It’s a lovely place in which to wander and relax in especially in sunny weather! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person