In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The English Garden is free, open all year and 5.5 km long. Surfing on the Eisbach wave was allowed again on 8 May 2026, with a leash compulsory and no surfing from 22:00. The wave formed naturally and can be absent, so the stream is a place to watch, not a promise. The Chinese Tower beer garden has 7,000 seats. The Monopteros is a hill in the park, and the path up has a slope of more than 6%. From Marienplatz it is a walk, and the Eisbach wave is beside the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum. Or book a tour: the Munich bike tour with a beer-garden stopad is from €39 (GetYourGuide) and rides through the park.
The Eisbach wave
The wave stands in the Eisbach, a stream running through the south of the park. It formed naturally, and the city decides whether surfing is allowed on it.
A surfer on the Eisbach wave, with others waiting their turn on the platform. Photo: Strubbl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Open again from 8 May 2026. A new city order allows surfing after the wave re-formed over a longer period. It had been closed after a surfer died on the wave at night in April 2025, and it vanished after the stream was cleaned out in October 2025.
- Rules: a self-releasing leash is compulsory, and nobody may surf from 22:00. The signs, safety notices and rules posted at the wave apply. Fixing unauthorised installations to the listed bridge or the banks is forbidden, and the city says doing so can close the wave again.
- The stream is cleaned out every autumn, and the wave can be dry or absent afterwards. Whether it is surfable on a given day is not a promise.
- Where to stand: at the southern end of the park, beside the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum on Prinzregentenstraße, which calls itself the treasure house by the Eisbach wave. Tram 16 stops at Nationalmuseum/Haus der Kunst.
The park in numbers
The park was decreed in 1789 by Elector Karl Theodor, who ordered it to benefit “not only one class but the whole people”. The idea came from the American-born Sir Benjamin Thompson, later Count Rumford. Its operator, the Bavarian Palace Administration, gives these figures.
The Monopteros on its hill in the English Garden. Photo: Flocci Nivis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
| What | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | 5.5 km, from the Hofgarten at the Residenz to the north of the city |
| Area | 376 hectares, or 411 with the Hofgarten, Finanzgarten and Maximiliansanlagen |
| Paths | 78 km, of which about 12 km are bridleways |
| Streams | About 15 km |
| Bridges | More than 100 |
| Visitors | More than 5 million a year |
| Entry | Free, open all year |
The operator says it is larger than Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London.
Tours worth paying for
Three guided bike tours ride through the park, each with a beer-garden stop. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
Three-hour bike tour
From €39 · 3.5 hours · 4.6 stars from 1,988 reviews
Munich 3-Hour Guided Bike Tourad is run by Munich Walk Tours. It goes through the Old Town, the Hofgarten and the English Garden, and stops at a beer garden. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Bike tour with a beer-garden break
From €40 · 4 hours · 4.9 stars from 631 reviews
Munich: Bike Tour with Beer Garden Breakad is run by Fat Tire Tours in English. It passes the river surfers and Odeonsplatz, with a lunch stop in a beer garden. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A third, Mike’s Bike Tours at 11:30 dailyad, is from €39 for 3.5 hours and takes in the Old Town, the English Garden and the Chinese Tower. Munich walking tours compares the bike tours with the walks.
What to see
- The Eisbach wave, at the south end of the park. See above.
- The Monopteros. A hill in the park. The path up is not barrier-free, with a slope of more than 6%.
- The Chinese Tower. A tower built in 1790, with a beer garden of 7,000 seats. The Rumford house dates from the same year. Munich’s beer gardens says how to order.
- The Kleinhesseloher See. A lake of about 8 hectares, made from 1804. The Seehaus restaurant is beside it.
- The north. Hirschau, a further 100 hectares added in 1800, and the Aumeister restaurant and beer garden. A wild-bee trail of about 3 km, with eight information points and QR codes, starts from the Studentenstadt U-Bahn station or the Aumeister beer garden.
- The Japanese tea house. The Urasenke tea school holds a demonstration on the second weekend of each month from April to October, with entry at 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. It costs €10, with no reservations. The English Garden walk has the detail.
- The Hofgarten. The Renaissance court garden beside the Residenz, laid out from 1613, is free and is the way into the park from Odeonsplatz.
The Chinese Tower and its beer garden. Photo: Ursula Jaeger, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to skip: a visit to the Eisbach after dark. Nobody may surf from 22:00. The order that works: walk from the Hofgarten through the south of the park to the wave, then north to the Chinese Tower for lunch.
Practical information
- Where: English Garden, 80538 Munich, open all year. It starts at the Hofgarten at Odeonsplatz and runs north.
- Getting there: Marienplatz has the S-Bahn and U-Bahn, and the walk to the park is short. A bus goes to Chinesischer Turm and a tram to Tivolistraße. For the Eisbach, tram 16 stops at Nationalmuseum/Haus der Kunst, and the U4 and U5 at Lehel. Parking is in the underground garages at Max-Joseph-Platz and Marstallplatz.
- Eating: the four restaurants are the Aumeister, the Chinesischer Turm, the Hirschau and the Seehaus, and there are four kiosks.
- Horse riding needs an annual permit from the park’s administration; there are no day passes.
- The one thing that ruins a visit: expecting a surfable wave. It is a stream, and the wave comes and goes.
Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel and the Residenz are on the walk in from the city, and the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum is beside the Eisbach. Munich’s beer gardens covers the Chinese Tower and the others, and free things to do in Munich lists the park with the rest. What to book in Munich has the closed days for every sight, and 3 days in Munich places a walk here. For a bed nearby, see where to stay in Munich, and Munich public transport has the fares. The Chinese Tower has a Christmas market in Advent, in Munich Christmas markets 2026, and the Monopteros is one of the places people watch the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. The English Garden walk is the numbered route from Odeonsplatz to Münchner Freiheit, with the opening times and closed days of every stop.
Common questions
Is the English Garden free?
Yes. The English Garden is free and open all year. It is 5.5 km long and covers 376 hectares, or 411 hectares with the Hofgarten, the Finanzgarten and the Maximiliansanlagen, and it links the Isar meadows to the Old Town.
Can you still surf the Eisbach wave?
Surfing was allowed again from 8 May 2026, after the wave re-formed naturally. A self-releasing leash is compulsory and nobody may surf from 22:00. The wave was closed after a surfer died there at night in April 2025. The stream is cleaned out each autumn, and the wave vanished after the October 2025 clean-out, so it can be dry or absent.
Where is the Eisbach wave?
At the southern end of the English Garden, by the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum on Prinzregentenstraße. The museum calls itself the treasure house by the Eisbach wave. Obey the signs posted at the wave.
How big is the Chinese Tower beer garden?
It has 7,000 seats, which the park's operator calls one of the largest beer gardens in Bavaria. The English Garden has four restaurants, Aumeister, Chinesischer Turm, Hirschau and Seehaus, and four kiosks.
How do I get to the English Garden?
Take the S-Bahn or U-Bahn to Marienplatz and walk, or take a bus to Chinesischer Turm or a tram to Tivolistraße. For the Eisbach wave, tram 16 stops at Nationalmuseum/Haus der Kunst and the U4 and U5 at Lehel.
Is the English Garden accessible?
The ground is mostly level, with paved paths and plenty of seating. The path to the Monopteros is not barrier-free, with a slope of more than 6%. Accessible toilets are at the Seehaus, Hirschau, Chinesischer Turm and Aumeister and at the Tivoli pavilion.
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