Munich Travel Forum

I'll be visiting Munich. I read about biking around Munich. I really want to try. I'll be staying near the main train station and thinking of renting a bike for one day and paddle to English Garden, Olympic Park and Nymphenburg Palace. Is it doable in one day? Any suggestion as to what route (roads) to take?

And I want to visit the palace while at Nymphenburg. How can I secure the bike? Would the rental place provide the lock? Is it safe to leave the bike on the street?

Also, how long does it take to bike from Hauptbahnhof to Dachau (the concentration camp)? Any bike trail to go there?

Thanks,
Raymond

Hi Raymond,
if you google enter "Fahrradtouren München" then you might find some helpful tips for doing cycling. I won't do it right away in the city of M. I guess it's nicer to go outside by train and follow a nice tour.
I am not a Munich expert but these links seem to be helpful - not in English though but some of them have maps and the train connection...

Here you also find routs outside of Munich
www.muenchen.de/verticals/Mobilitaet/Fahrrad/Fahrradnetz/4_Radtouren/137357/index.html

Here is a tour planner for the city:
http://www.muenchen.de/verticals/Mobilitaet/Fahrrad/Fahrradnetz/1_Routing/136690/index.html

Here is an online map where you can enter addresses:
maps.muenchen.de/radlstadtplan_2009/radlstadtplan_2009.html?str=Marienpl.&num=8

Here you find an easy map for a tour along the river Isar (just for the locations)
http://www.stmugv.bayern.de/umwelt/naturschutz/aktiv/r_isar.htm

You also might contact these people. They are a bike community in Munich. I could imagine the might help.
www.adfc-muenchen.de

Have a great stay,
Chris.

Hi Raymond,
first, let me commend you on your plan of renting a bike. IMHO there's no better way to really experience a city (unless it pours).

Your route seems quite manageable to me within a day.

Keeping the sights you would like to see in mind, I would suggest the following route (try to look it up on google maps):
Starting from Hauptbahnhof main station, you will need to get to the southern end of english garden. Since there are no really nice trails there, I suggest going via Karlsplatz(Stachus), Marienplatz (city centre) turning north towards Odeonsplatz and through Hofgarten, even if that means pushing your bike for most of the way, as you can't ride through the pedestrian areas there.

Go north through the english garden. If you feel dehydrated already, stop over at Chinesischer Turm beer garden (quite nice!) and/or Seehaus beer garden on the north-eastern corner of the Kleinhesseloher See lake.
Make your way west through the Schwabing area roughly around Muenchner Freiheit (doesn't really matter which street you take, the area is quite pretty there..).

There's a road called Ackermannstrasse which forms the south eastern boundary of the Olympic area. Try to find a small street called Spiridon-Louis-Ring which heads off the north-western corner of Achermannstrasse going into the Olympic area. Follow that into the Olympic park. If you feel like it, go up the hill just south of the lake there, you have a nive view over the city lying to the south. Have a look around the Olympic area. Leave the Olympic area towards the south-west, along the Willi-Gebhard-Ufer, which will take you underneath the two major roads there.

Head South-West along Hohenlohestrasse towards Noerdliche Auffahrtsallee. Thirsty again? Take the Taxisstrasse towards your left and visit the Taxis Garten beer garden (IMHO one of the nicest in Munich). Follow Noerdliche Auffahrtsallee westwards, until you bump into Nymphenburg castle. Have a look around there.

Follow Hischgartenalle south east to the Hirschgarten park. Try to resist the pull of the Hirschgarten beer garden. Cross Hirschgarten towards the east.

Follow Arnulfstrasse eastwards, which will take you back to Hauptbahnhof main station. If you still didn't have enough, on Arnulfstrasse, just after Hackerbruecke S-Bahn station is the Augustiner beer garden..

Oh.. almost forgot: there's also a nice beer garden called Parkcafe in the middle of the old botanical garden, about 100m north-west of the main station to end the day :-)


On second thoughts: maybe this route isn't feasible to do within a day unless you skip most of the beer gardens, which would be a pity.. (And of course, I don't endorse drinking alcoholic beverages and riding your bike)



To your other questions: I suppose the bike rental places would rent locks as well. Bikes are fine, as long as you don't leave a very expensive bike at a station over night.

Munich central out to Dachau would take about an hour (it's 18km), plus another half hour to get from Dachau out to the concentration camp memorial site (depending on speed, of course). The street you'd have to follow (Dachauer Strasse) isn't really scenic, either. Alternatively, you can go one or both ways to Dachau station by S-Bahn train, taking your bike with you.

If you're in Dachau and have some time to spare, don't miss the old town and the castle with a rather nice view over Munich (and the Alps as backdrop, if it isn't too murky). On the way down from the castle is also a quite nice beer garden.. :-)


I hope that helps,
Glissi

From main station to English Garden it's about 2.5 km, to Olympic Park and Nymphenburg it's about 5 km each. A round-trip would be some 15 km; even in the worst case, considering that you will have no idea which way to take, you still won't need more than 2 hours. Locals might need no more than 45 minutes.
However, since all parks are fairly large I'm not sure if it's a good idea to stuff it all in single day - but that depends on what you'd actually like to see and do.

To Dachau it's about 20 km. There's direct connection using the S2 suburban train that takes some 25 minutes, so you could ride there with the bike and return with the train (or the other way 'round :).

Unlike in other cities, for traveling with Munich's unified fare system you need a MVV bike day ticket for € 2.50. Bikes are not allowed on trains during the rushhours on weekdays between 6am and 9am and 16am and 18am.

See http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/home/fahrgastinformation/tickets-preise/tickets/fahrradmitnahme/fahrradmitnahme/information/index.html for more info.

> How can I secure the bike? Would the rental place provide the lock?

Yes, they will. A bike tour is only half the fun if you cannot leave your bike for a while.

> Is it safe to leave the bike on the street?

Yes, just make sure you lock the bike frame or back wheel (not the front wheel) to a bikestand, lamp post, fence or similar. You don't want some idiot to be able to simply carry your locked bike away - not that it's likely this will happen, but better be safe than sorry. However, if you're a regular biker, you surely know the rules yourself.

For detailed info about biking in Munich, see http://www.muenchen.de/verticals/Traffic_Transport/Biking/227691/index.html (English). Tourist offices usually provide bike maps for a small fee, just ask.

The ADFC Chris mentioned is basically the biking counterpart to the ADAC, which in turn is the same as AAA and CAA in North America. They should definitly be able to help, too.

Thank you for all the replies here, so quick and full of useful information.
Really appreciate it.

Munich is pretty flat, right? I'm from Toronto, Canada. It's pretty flat here.
I do cycle to/from work once or twice a week in summer. It's about 10km one way. I should be able to handle the biking unless it is really hilly.

Are there any not so safe parts of Munich that I should avoid?

Thanks,
Raymond

Thanks very much. I like the highlight of all the beer gardens. :-)

> Munich is pretty flat, right?

Well, yes, especially considering that it's not far from the Alps, the highest mountain range in Central Europe :)

> Are there any not so safe parts of Munich that I should avoid?

None that would require an advance travel warning. You'll notice if you pass through a district that's not located on the sunny side of life, but then just drive on.

I'm back from my trip. I basically followed the route Glissi suggested, in reverse. I had a great day, thanks.

I rented a bicycle at the Hauptbahnhof, rode to the Nymphenburg palace. Saw the Hirschgarten beer garden, but it was early in the morning, not yet open.
After visiting the palace, the next stop is the Olympic park. Glad I had the bicycle, save a lot of walking. I went up the tower to have a bird eye's view of the city... Rode to BMW museum, then to English Garten.
Stopped at the Chinesischer Turm beer garden, saw that most people have 1 litre beer mug in hand. I can only managed a 0.5 litre (otherwise, I would rode into trees. Well, I had another beer in Olympic park during lunch earlier.)
From Isartor, I rode to the river, went along it and back to Sendlinger Tor before returning to Hauptbahnhof.

Munich is a heaven for cyclists. Drivers are very courteous towards cyclists, bicycle lanes everywhere. I had a very enjoyable day. I highly recommend seeing Munich on your bike.

I didn't bike to Dachau, but I would if I have an extra day.

I felt very safe. I parked the bike on the street many times to walk around. Thanks for all the replies in this thread that helped me prepare for the trip.

Raymond

Thanks for your experiences;-) Great that you had a good time;-) Chris.

Good to hear my suggestions weren't too way off and that you enjoyed your stay here.

Regards,
Glissi