English Garden Munich: Monopteros, Chinese Tower, Eisbach and Park Rules

By Daniel Schulz, residir GmbH · Last updated: 13 October 2026

At 376 hectares, the English Garden in Munich is one of the largest city parks in the world, and admission is free. It stretches from the Haus der Kunst on the edge of the old town to the Isar floodplains in the north. Its best-known sights are the Eisbach, the Monopteros, the Chinese Tower and the Kleinhesseloher See lake with the Seehaus.

For us in Lehel, the park is something like our own back garden: the southern end is less than 20 minutes’ walk from Ländstraße. This guide shows you what to see in the English Garden, how to explore it on foot from Lehel and which rules apply to swimming, dogs, barbecues and cycling. Unless stated otherwise, facts come from the Bavarian Palace Administration (Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung), as of October 2026.

In this article:

• The English Garden Munich at a glance
• A walk from Lehel
• Sights in the English Garden
• Eisbach, swimming and nudism
• With a dog in the English Garden
• Barbecues, cycling and rules
• The English Garden in winter
• Getting there and parking
• Conclusion
• Frequently asked questions

Topic	Quick answer
Size	376 ha, 411 ha including Maximiliansanlagen, Hofgarten and Finanzgarten
Path network	78 km, of which about 12 km are bridleways
Created	from 1789 by decree of Elector Karl Theodor
Admission	free, open access
On foot from Lehel	southern end under 20 min, Eisbach 18 min, Chinese Tower around 30 min
U-Bahn	U3/U6 Universität or Giselastraße, northern part U6 Studentenstadt
Dogs	on a lead throughout the park
Barbecues and swimming	neither is allowed

English Garden Munich: size, history and layout

The Palace Administration gives the size of the English Garden (Englischer Garten) as 376 hectares; together with the Maximiliansanlagen, the Hofgarten and the Finanzgarten it is 411 hectares. Of this, around 170 hectares are woodland, 187 hectares meadows and 16 hectares water. For comparison, Central Park in New York is smaller at around 341 hectares. The English Garden Munich is one of the city’s great free attractions for international visitors.

The history of the English Garden since 1789

The park was laid out from 1789 following a decree by Elector Karl Theodor. It was intended to benefit “not merely one class, but the whole people”, an unusual idea for the time. The idea came from Sir Benjamin Thompson, an American by birth who later became Count Rumford of the Holy Roman Empire.

Under Rumford’s direction, paths, plantings and bridges were created, and in 1790 the Chinese Tower and the Rumfordhaus were added. The actual design in the style of an English landscape garden goes back to Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell, who was brought to Munich from Schwetzingen in 1789. His successor, Baron von Werneck, added the Hirschau, an area of around 100 hectares in the north, in 1800.

Southern and northern parts

The Isarring, a section of Munich’s Mittlerer Ring ring road, divides the park into two halves. Almost all the well-known sights are in the southern part: the Eisbach, the Japanese Tea House, the Monopteros, the Chinese Tower and the Kleinhesseloher See. On warm days it gets very busy here.

The northern part of the English Garden is quieter and, with its wide meadows and riverside woodland, feels almost rural. Here you will find the Hirschau and Aumeister beer gardens, as well as a wild bee nature trail run by the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung (German Wildlife Foundation) with eight stations over about three kilometres. The Palace Administration offers separate park maps for both parts as PDFs on its website, so you can also have a map of the English Garden with you offline.

A walk through the English Garden from Lehel

The nicest way in is from the south. From Ländstraße we usually walk north along the Isar, cross Prinzregentenstraße and pass the Haus der Kunst. After about 18 minutes you are at the Eisbach, where it flows under the bridge into the park. All times are guide values from Lehel.

1. Eisbach at the Haus der Kunst (18 min): view of the water from the bridge.
2. Japanese Tea House (a few minutes further): on a small island in the Schwabinger Bach stream.
3. Monopteros (about 10 min further): round temple on the hill with a view of the old town.
4. Chinese Tower (around 30 min from Lehel): beer garden, time for a break.
5. Kleinhesseloher See (10 to 15 min further): Seehaus and boat hire.

Allow two to three hours for this route including breaks. You can head back on foot through the park or take the U-Bahn from Münchner Freiheit or Giselastraße. If you set off early, you will have the meadows almost to yourself: before nine o’clock it is mainly joggers and dog walkers.

Fancy a coffee first? We introduce cafés and bakeries along the way through Lehel in our guide to breakfast in Munich. A picnic with a Brotzeit (Bavarian cold snack) on the grass is allowed in the park; open fires are not.

Guests in town on business often use the park for a run before their first appointment. From one of our serviced apartments in Munich, here in Lehel, you are on the riverside paths in a few minutes and can run all the way to the Monopteros without a single traffic light.

Sights in the English Garden: Monopteros, Chinese Tower and Seehaus

Monopteros

The Monopteros in Munich is a round temple on a hill in the southern part of the English Garden, built in 1837 to designs by Leo von Klenze. From the top you look across the Schönfeldwiese meadow to the towers of the Frauenkirche and the Theatinerkirche. At sunset the steps get crowded.

According to the Palace Administration, the path up to the Monopteros is not step-free, with a gradient of over six per cent. With a pushchair or wheelchair it is therefore better to stay at the foot of the hill; the view across the meadow is lovely from there too.

Chinese Tower

The Chinese Tower (Chinesischer Turm) in Munich was built in 1790 as a wooden pagoda in the English Garden. Today it stands in the middle of a beer garden with around 7,000 seats. Next to it are a historic children’s carousel and the Rumfordhaus. On summer weekends the benches are packed from midday, while on weekday evenings it is easier to find a seat. So if you are working during the day on a workation in Munich, it is best to come after work during the week.

If you are looking for a beer garden in the English Garden, besides the Chinese Tower you have three other large ones to choose from: the Seehaus, the Hirschau and the Aumeister. Seats, picnic rules and tips for all four are in our guide to Munich beer gardens, so we will keep it short here.

Japanese Tea House

The Japanese Tea House in Munich stands on a small island in the English Garden near the Haus der Kunst. It was built for the 1972 Olympic Games. According to the Palace Administration, tea ceremonies take place from 1 April to 31 October on the second weekend of every month, on Saturdays and Sundays at 2, 3, 4 and 5 pm. Outside these times you can only see the tea house from the outside.

Kleinhesseloher See and Seehaus

The Kleinhesseloher See was created from 1804 onwards and, at around eight hectares, is the largest body of water in the park. On its shore is the Seehaus with a restaurant and beer garden, for many people in Munich the most beautiful spot by the water. Next to it is the boat hire; whether rowing boats or pedalos are running in the English Garden depends on the season and the weather.

If you are heading to the Seehaus in the English Garden for lunch, book a table at weekends. The circular path around the lake takes only a quarter of an hour and is easy with a pushchair.

Hirschau and Aumeister in the northern part

North of the Isarring lies the Hirschau in Munich-Schwabing on Gyßlingstraße, just under an hour’s walk from Lehel or about 20 minutes by bike. At the very northern end is the Aumeister on Sondermeierstraße; the easiest way to get there is the U6 to Studentenstadt followed by a 15 to 20-minute walk. This is also a good starting point for the wild bee nature trail.

Carriage rides and the English Garden in pictures

A horse-drawn carriage ride through the English Garden is a comfortable way to see the more remote corners too. The Palace Administration refers to a private operator for this, where you will find prices and departure points. For photos, the view from the Monopteros in the evening and the Kleinhesseloher See in the morning light, when mist still hangs over the water, are well worth it.

Eisbach, swimming and nudism in the English Garden

The Eisbach in Munich is an artificial side channel of the Isar that flows into the English Garden at the Haus der Kunst. It is fast, cold and deeper than it looks. It is best known for the surfers at the park entrance.

Whether people are currently surfing the Eisbach wave at the entrance to the English Garden, and what has changed since the work on the stream bed, is covered in our guide to the Isar in Munich. For many visitors, the English Garden and surfing go hand in hand, and watching from the bridge costs nothing.

Bathing and swimming are prohibited

According to the Palace Administration, bathing in the park’s waters is life-threatening and therefore prohibited. This applies to the Eisbach as well as the Kleinhesseloher See and the smaller streams. The current pulls people under bridges and grates, and serious accidents happen time and again.

If you want to swim in the English Garden, you will therefore have to go elsewhere. There are designated bathing spots on the Isar further south, for example at the Flaucher, or in the municipal outdoor pools.

Nudism (FKK) in the English Garden

According to muenchen.de, nude sunbathing is allowed on the Schönfeldwiese behind the Haus der Kunst, but only within the oval of the former riding track. A second area lies further north in the Schwabinger Bucht.

The English Garden and FKK (Freikörperkultur, naturism) have a long tradition in Munich, but nude bathing in the sense of swimming remains prohibited there too. Outside these two areas, you should not lie naked on the grass in the English Garden.

With a dog in the English Garden: leads required throughout the park

The English Garden is popular with dog owners, but dogs are not allowed to run free there. According to the Palace Administration’s leaflet, dogs must be kept on a lead throughout the park, in the southern part as well as the northern part. You have to pick up after your dog yourself, so it is best to bring bags.

Do not let your dog into the water in the park, not even at seemingly calm spots along the Eisbach. The current is just as dangerous for animals as it is for people. A good morning walk with a dog leads from Lehel along the Isar to the Monopteros and back, around an hour.

If you are travelling to Munich with your four-legged friend, ask us about dog-friendly apartments in Munich. Whether your dog can come along depends on the apartment category.

Barbecues, cycling and other rules in the English Garden

Barbecues are not allowed

If you were hoping to have a barbecue in the English Garden, you will be disappointed. According to the Palace Administration, camping and open fires, including barbecues, are not allowed, and that includes disposable grills. A picnic with cold food is fine; just take your rubbish with you.

For barbecues, locals head to the Isar, where the city has designated barbecue zones along certain stretches. You can find out which stretches on muenchen.de or from the signs on site.

Cycling in the English Garden

You may cycle through the park, but not on designated footpaths or across the meadows. On shared paths, pedestrians have priority. On sunny weekends it is therefore often more relaxed to push your bike through the southern part.

There is no bike hire in the English Garden itself. You can hire bikes from rental shops in the city centre or through the MVG bike-sharing scheme. A bike ride through the whole park to the Aumeister and back to Lehel takes half a day with breaks.

If you are staying several months for a project, your own bike often works out cheaper. If you move into furnished apartments in Munich near the Isar, you can cycle through the park to Schwabing in 20 minutes.

Horse riding and consideration

• Bridleways: of the 78 kilometres of paths, about 12 kilometres are bridleways, so watch out for horses there.
• Carriages: horse-drawn carriages also use the main paths, so with children and dogs it is worth glancing behind you.
• Litter: whatever you bring, take it home again or put it in the bins.

The English Garden in winter

The English Garden has no opening hours and is open all year round. In winter it is much quieter, and some paths are cleared while others are not.

During Advent there is a Christmas market around the pagoda at the Chinese Tower in the English Garden, quieter than the big markets in the old town. Check dates and opening hours on the market’s website, as they change from year to year. The Seehaus also opens in winter when the weather is suitable.

Even in freezing weather, only walk on the Kleinhesseloher See if the ice has been officially declared safe. A stroll along the snowy shore is enough for lovely photos.

If you stay longer, you will experience the park in every season. For guests who need temporary housing in Munich, the route through the English Garden soon becomes their daily commute to the office in Schwabing.

Getting to the English Garden and parking

By U-Bahn, bus and tram

For the southern part, take the U3 or U6 to Universität or Giselastraße and walk a few minutes east into the park. According to the Palace Administration, the bus takes you to the Chinesischer Turm stop and the tram to Tivolistraße on the eastern edge. For the northern part with the Aumeister, the U6 station Studentenstadt is the most convenient.

From Lehel you do not need public transport: on foot you are at the southern end in less than 20 minutes. The Lehel U-Bahn station (U4/U5) is also close by, but for the park it is rarely quicker than walking.

Parking at the English Garden

Parking at the English Garden is difficult. There is no dedicated visitor car park; the Palace Administration names the underground car parks at Max-Joseph-Platz and Marstallplatz. From there you walk through the Hofgarten to the park in about ten minutes.

Residents’ parking zones apply in the neighbouring districts such as Lehel, and free spaces on the street are rare. If you are arriving by car, it is therefore better to leave it in the garage and come by U-Bahn or on foot.

Conclusion: the English Garden is worth a visit in every season

The English Garden is free, big enough for a whole day and less than 20 minutes’ walk from Lehel; if you are looking for an aparthotel in Munich rather than a hotel room, from autumn 2027 you will find a kitchen and a short walk to the park with us.

Frequently asked questions about the English Garden

How big is the English Garden in Munich?

According to the Bavarian Palace Administration, the English Garden covers 376 hectares, or 411 hectares including the Maximiliansanlagen, Hofgarten and Finanzgarten. That makes it larger than Central Park in New York. The park’s path network is 78 kilometres long.

Is there an admission fee for the English Garden?

No, there is no admission fee for the English Garden, and it is open to everyone. You only spend money in the beer gardens, at the boat hire or on a carriage ride.

Can you swim in the Eisbach?

No, according to the Palace Administration bathing in the waters of the English Garden is life-threatening and therefore prohibited. This also applies to the Eisbach, whose current pulls people under bridges and grates.

Where is nude sunbathing allowed in the English Garden?

According to muenchen.de, nude sunbathing is allowed on the Schönfeldwiese within the oval of the former riding track, behind the Haus der Kunst. The second area lies further north in the Schwabinger Bucht.

Can dogs run off the lead in the English Garden?

No, according to the Palace Administration dogs must be kept on a lead throughout the English Garden. Owners must clean up after their dogs themselves.

Can you have a barbecue in the English Garden?

No, camping and open fires, including barbecues, are not allowed in the English Garden. If you want to eat outdoors, bring a cold picnic or go to one of the beer gardens.

Where can you park at the English Garden?

The Palace Administration names the underground car parks at Max-Joseph-Platz and Marstallplatz, from where you walk through the Hofgarten into the park. On-street parking in the surrounding districts is scarce, so the U-Bahn is usually quicker.

Which U-Bahn goes to the English Garden?

For the southern part, take the U3 or U6 to Universität or Giselastraße, from where it is a few minutes to the western edge of the park. For the northern part with the Aumeister, get off at the U6 station Studentenstadt.