biking in Munich

" bikes can be rented at the train station" I think he is referring to the Hauptbahnhof. Marienplatz "station" is a commuter train station with minimal facilities. Mike's Bikes does rent bikes and is nearby, close to the Hofbräuhaus. As far as going to Nymphenburg, I don't know if you want to ride a bike on the streets to the palace, and neither the S- or U-Bahn goes exactly there. However, the #17 tram, which leaves from the north side of the Hbf lets you off in front of Nymphenburg in 12 min.

Biking in Munich is extremely fun and relatively easy ( for the most part it's flat, lots of bike-only lanes, etc. ). Don't be afraid to ride the streets there - the whole city ( in my experience ) is bike friendly. Cars are very much aware of bike lanes and bikes in general. If you've ever ridden in an American city ( or even a larger town in the US ) then you'll think you've gone to biker's heaven in Munich, as it's much safer and easier to ride in. I've ridden on lots of streets there and never had any problems. I did ride out to the Gardens, but I did it with a Mike's Bike's tour, and it was several years ago, so I can't recall the specifics. You can rent a bike from Mike's or also from the place in the Hauptbahnhoff (the major train station ). Don't miss out on biking in Munich - it's a blast!

Another endorsement for Mikes Bikes. Biking the English Gardens is lovely. Yes you will see nude sunbathing and no, they will not be attractive. Keep your eyes on the path ;)

Thanks to all for the information. I will definitely check out the tours on Mike's Bikes. All of you seem very familiar with Munich. Any favorite restaurants? Beer gardens? I know every tourist wants to visit Hofbrauhaus, but any other must do's? Thanks again.

For me, the Hofbräuhaus was a must see just because it's so famous, but I thought it was pretty nasty – tons of drunk tourists mixed with 1 or 2 alcoholic locals. Plus, the whole place smelled like a mix of stale beer and body odor. A much more enjoyable place is the outdoor Viktualienmarkt beer garden...very pleasant and laid back.

I second the recommendation for the market. There's lots of different types of food that you can get there, and the beer is always good ( the type of beer rotates daily ). You just get your food, beer and find a place at one of the community tables and sit down and enjoy your meal! I recall going to a nice Italian place fairly close to Mike's Bikes storefront, but I can't recall the name. Since I'm not a big fan of German food overall ( love the pretzels and bread, though.. and the beer and wine ), I usually ended up in some type of ethnic restaurant. Remember that you really can't get a good salad in Germany ( at least not the kind that you're used to in the states ).

If you're looking for a beer hall that's more about the food than a rowdy, drunken riot (not that there's anything wrong with that), try the Augustiner Großgastätte, which you'll find easily if you walk from Marienplatz towards the Hauptbahnhof. I also like the Paulaner im Tal, which is in the opposite direction. Loved the spätzle here!

If you are going to the Nymphenburg Palace, the Hirschgarten Bier Garten is walking distance away. It serves the delicious Augustiner Brau Bier and some pretty tasty food items. It is one, if not the largest beer gardens in the world. When are you going? I will be in Munich from June 10-12. If you are taking the Tram #17, or biking for that matter, you will also pass the Augustiner Keller, another huge beer garden with great beer and food. As for biking to Nymphenburg Palace from Marienplatz or the main train station, it's only a couple of miles.

Thank you for the beer garden suggestions. I'll be in Munich June 18-19.

My wife and I joined the Mike Bikes bike tour for an afternoon ride seeing up close various Munich sites. Led by young humorous tour guides one has to be a bit open minded and not so offend by jokes. You get acquainted with others quickly and bond with others out of necessity by dodging in and out of traffic. Ideal means to see Munich up close, on a bike, kidding around with others and opportunity to take pictures of the sites and your new found biker friends. Wish I were going.....

I am considering a bike tour, but haven't decided between the standard and superior. The advantage to the standard is they have a 4pm tour which allows the morning and early afternoon for other activities. Which tour did you do? I thought this would be a good way to meet others and your post confirms this.

We enjoyed Mike's Bike Tours in Munich. The only consideration you need to have is if you want to be on the "family friendly" version or the alternative. The basic difference is the Family Friendly uses less profanity and is somewhat more mature (speaking from a 40+ year old). To me biking through Munich is the fun part - jokes are great and even off-colored humor is fine. However, when we met "Mike" of Mike's Bike Tours he was SOOOOOOOO over-the-top attempting to cater to the college age crowd that he was actually quite annoying. It was amazing to see him speak to you normally then turn to the college crowd and start acting like a complete moron. I guess he thinks it sells more tickets - and maybe it does. Just be aware and make the appropriate choice for you and your family.

Do the family appropriate tours skip the nudist areas? What areas of the park should we avoid if we want to skip over the nudism? My wife and I want to tour the Garden when we are there during the middle of June, but we want to skip these areas.

Travis, I don't know the answer to your question about the tour, but my memories of the Englisher Garten are that if the sun is out you may as well stay away. I don't remember any specific areas, but people tend to sunbathe when they are near water and the sun is out. I never had a difficulty because unless you ride your bike between people you won't see much anyway, and surely you wouldn't do that, and people are in ones and twos not whole herds.

Our family friendly tour went through the middle of the English Garden and the nudist areas. We didn't see any nudists sunbathing but we saw plenty of nudes in all the museums. When in Europe you WILL see nudes so best be getting over that. You'll have to look to see the nude sunbathers...if you don't want to see then don't look. It's really not that big of a deal.