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10 things to do for free in Munich this summer

Munich may be Germany’s most expensive city, but these activities won’t cost you a penny.

Published: 18 July 2023 14:01 CEST
Updated: 22 July 2023 11:34 CEST
10 things to do for free in Munich this summer
Surfers ride the permanent wave at the Eisbach in the English Garden in Munich. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Peter Kneffel

Watch the surfers at Münchener Eisbach

Another surprising attraction in Munich’s English Garden are the surfers on the Eisbach Wave: a man-made standing wave in the Eisbach River.

The wave attracts surfers from around the world who come to ride it and it has become an iconic spot for river surfing within the surfing community. 

Though only those with a lot of surfing experience should attempt to ride the wave, watching and taking snaps of the spectacle from the bridge or the riverbank can be pretty exhilarating too.

See some theatre in the English Garden

There’s nothing better than relaxing in Munich’s English Garden; the city’s green lung that’s even bigger than New York’s Central Park.

But not only is it the perfect place for a picnic or beer in one of its many Biergärten, the park also hosts a free theatre performance in July.

This year, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest or Bunbury, will be played in the amphitheatre at the very northern end of the English Garden every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in July. 

Check out some free conceerts

For music lovers, the Theatron MusikSommer offers a free music programme at the Seebühne in Munich’s Olympic Park from July 27th to August 20th.

Fans watch a concert at the “Rockavaria” music festival on the Theatron stage in the Olympic Park in May 2015. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Sven Hoppe

Attendees can expect a diverse lineup of musicians from different genres, along with screenings of short films. Concerts begin at 7 pm daily: the perfect time for an evening picnic. You can find out who will be playing at the Theatron festival website. 

Rent a free cargo bike 

If you enjoy moving around the city on two wheels and find yourself needing some extra room for transporting boxes of beer, camping equipment, or even children, then you can rent a cargo bike – or Lastenrad – for free on the Freie Lastenradl portal.

READ ALSO: 9 essential apps for foreigners living in Munich

The website has a searchable map which shows you where there are available bikes in the city; you just have to register, book the bike for the time that you need to use it and off you go!

Get fit in the park

Exercising in the fresh air is always a good idea and over the summer, you can do it for free. The city’s Fit im Park programme offers yoga, fitness, Zumba and Qi Gong at various open spaces in the city, including the Ostpark, Luitpoldpark, Westpark, Riemer Park, and Rosengarten. You can find the complete programme here.

Go for a refreshing dip

There’s no shortage of natural swimming areas in and around Munich that you can visit for free. Some of the most popular include the Flaucher: a spot for swimming and sunbathing on the Isar River with sandy riverbanks and shallow waters, Feringasee, in the northeast of Munich, which has a large sunbathing lawn, clear water, and even a small island.

READ ALSO: Nine of the best day trips from Munich with the €49 ticket

Langwieder See, in the west of Munich, is another picturesque lake with multiple swimming areas, sandy beaches, and water sports activities.

An aerial view of Langwieder See. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

Take a walk in the forest

As well as having a number of scenic hiking routes, the Grünwalder Forst also offers a free guided tour every Sunday and on public holidays at 2 pm. For little ones, a visit to the forest adventure park is especially exciting, as they can catch a glimpse of deer, wild boars and many smaller critters up close.

Explore the Viktualienmarkt

This vibrant outdoor Viktualienmarkt offers a feast for the senses and for that, you don’t have to pay a penny. Wander through the stalls selling fresh produce, flowers, and local delicacies.

The market has a rich history dating back to the 19th century when it was established as a farmers’ market and, over time, it has expanded and evolved into a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.

The Viktualienmarkt not only provides a wide range of high-quality food products but also features beer gardens, cafes, and small shops selling unique items.

Watch the sunset 

Watching the sun go down on a warm evening is one of the most priceless summer experiences and, in Munich, there are several great spots to do so. 

People enjoy the beautiful weather on the Hackerbrücke and watch the sunset. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

The Hackerbrücke is one, which offers an expansive view over the railway lines from the crossbeams of the arch bridge.

A particularly romantic spot is the 38-metre-high Friedensengel, which gives a view over the city nearby the Isar River.

Free Museums

On Sundays, many of Munich’s major cultural institutions lure in visitors with an admission fee of only one euro. But if you don’t want to have to open your wallet at all, there are plenty of free options too.

Entry is always free of charge at the Museum of Casts of Classical Sculptures, the Geological Museum, the Fire Brigade Museum, the Imperial Castle in the Alte Hof, the Town Hall Gallery, the Sammlung Goetz, as well as the exhibition spaces of the Artothek and the Kunstarkaden. You can get the full overview of free offers in the realm of art and culture from the calendar of Kulturraum München.

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CULTURE

Seven unmissable events happening around Germany in May 2024

The weather is heating up and it feels like summer is just around the corner. Here are some events you can check out around Germany in May.

Published: 29 April 2024 16:46 CEST
Seven unmissable events happening around Germany in May 2024

There are interesting happenings to be found in Germany all year around, but for most of us living in the Bundesrepublik, there is something magical about the late spring season. 

With April’s last cold snap now firmly in the rearview, Germany seems to come alive again as the weather heats up and the trees fill out with fresh green foliage. With folk festivals on, beer gardens and restaurant patios opening up, and local parks filling up with picnickers and day-drinkers, it feels as if the whole country is emerging from hibernation. 

Here are a few events from around the country to keep you entertained this May.

Starting off with dancing into May and Germany’s Labour Day

To properly start off the month of May, many Germans start dancing in April.

Tanz in den Mai, or to ‘dance into May’, is a German tradition that is celebrated at folk festivals and dance parties around the country. Many of these events start on the evening on April 30th and last until the early hours of May 1st so that attendees can quite literally dance into the beginning of the month.

April 30th also happens to be Walpurgisnacht, which historically was a night for scaring away the witches, but in modern times is more often a night for dancing around open fires and related festivities.

May 1st, which falls on a Wednesday this year, is Labour Day in Germany – a national holiday. The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) will be hosting a rally in Hanover, and Berlin’s annual Revolutionary May Day demo will be taking place in Neukölln and Kreuzberg.

READ ALSO: ‘Tag der Arbeit’: What to do on May 1st in Germany

For those who would rather party than rally on the holiday, there will be abundant opportunities for daytime dancing and drinking to be found.

May 1st to 5th – Baumblütenfest Werder

The 145th Tree Blossom Festival in Werder, on the Havel River about an hour outside of Berlin, is a celebration of the blossoming fruit trees and includes a carnival for five days at the start of May.

The focus for most visitors is on trying a number of locally produced fruit wines, and taking in the views of blossoms by the riverside.

Tours of blossoming trees in Werder’s courtyards and gardens begin at the end of April, and then the city’s carnival opens on May 1st. From May 3rd the carnival is expanded into a folk fest including larger live music stages and a large market.

The festival’s grand finale takes place on May 4th with a parade through the city centre, from 11am, led by the Tree Blossom Queen, and a fireworks display planned for the evening.

fireworks over the Rhine

The “Rhine in Flames” fireworks spectacle takes place along the most beautiful stretches of the Rhine every year from May to September. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Andreas Arnold

May 4th – Rhine in Flames in Bonn

The Rhine River Valley is commonly listed among Germany’s most scenic locations. 

Rhine in Flames, or Rhein in Flammen, offers visitors a chance to see the World Heritage Site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley under the red glare of a magnificent fireworks display.

The entire Rhine in Flames event actually takes place over five nights, each at a different city on the Rhine River, with the dates spanning from early spring to autumn. But this year’s event will kick off on May 4th with a fireworks display that will be visible from the shores of the river between Bonn and the neighbouring town of Linz.

More information can be found at the event’s website.

May 9th – 12th – Hafengeburtstagsfest in Hamburg 

Hamburg’s Port Anniversary fest amounts to a colourful celebration by the water, complete with a beautiful firework display.

The best views of the Port of Hamburg and the Hafengeburtstagsfest are found along the Jan-Fedder-Promenade. Here stalls are set-up along the harbour mile, selling foods and local delicacies.

From the Landungsbrücken, you can watch the event’s top attractions including Friday evening’s ‘Elbe in Concert’ with a fireworks show and Saturday’s ‘magical light illumination’ presented by AIDA cruises.

There are also water parades, including the world’s only tugboat ballet, where guests can witness a pirouette performed at 3000 horsepower.

May 12th – 19th: International Dixieland Festival

Jazz fans might be surprised to learn that Dresden’s International Dixieland Festival is Europe’s oldest festival for old-timey jazz music.

This year’s lineup is full of both German and international (mostly European) bands and soloists, including: the Brass Band Rakovnik from the Czech Republic, the Louis Armstrong Celebration Band from the Netherlands, and Mama Shakers from France, among many others.

The Dixieland Fest website does note that the event overlaps with several other large events in Dresden, so affordable accommodation may become scarce. 

Festival attendees are advised to make bookings early, and to look at accommodation options around the city along major S-bahn lines. (Which is actually a good tip for travelling in Germany in the summer in general.)

Visitors hold up their beer mugs at one of Germany’s many beer festivals. Photo: Christof STACHE/AFP

May 16th – 27th: Erlangen’s ‘Der Berg’ Fest

If you’re already dreaming of Oktoberfest, May has a number of spring beer fests in villages across Germany, and especially in Bavaria.

One such fest is Erlangen’s Der Berg (The Mountain), so named because it takes place on the town’s tallest hill.

Erlangen is a small town in central Germany near Nuremberg. It happens to be the German village that is furthest from the sea, but that doesn’t stop Der Berg from having some fried fish sandwiches on offer.

READ ALSO: Five reasons foreigners should move to Nuremberg

Der Berg is certainly significantly smaller than Munich’s world renowned Oktoberfest, but it offers similar attractions – including carnival rides, jubilant sings and dancing, and of course local beers served up in a big litre Maßkrug.

May 29th-June 6th: Würzburger Weindorf

For all the aspiring sommeliers and oenophiles, Würzburg’s annual ‘Wine Village’ offers a pleasant way to end the fifth month in 2024 – or to drink your way into June.

It may be little known beyond Germany, but Würzburg is proud of its centuries-old winemaking tradition, which dates back to the Middle Ages. If that’s news to you, then the Würzburger Weindorf is among the best events for an introduction to Franconian viticulture.

Here you can try wine varietals that you may not have heard of before, such as the Müller-Thurgau or the sparkling Scheurebe, and you can pair your tastings with hearty Franconian faire, like Würzburg bratwurst or local dumplings.

This year the festival kicks off on Wednesday May 29th at 5pm, and then is open daily from 11am to 11:30pm.

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