Munich is a wonderful destination for a city trip and can be easily explored by foot and by bike. It lends itself perfectly for a short visit, but also for a longer stay. There is much to explore here and the food is excellent.
Further down you’ll find some info on organic and vegetarian restaurants, the weather in Helsinki and other useful travel information. Enjoy!
Eco-friendly hotels in Munich
Here are our tips for eco-friendly hotels in Munich, the capital of Germany’s federal state of Bavaria:
Biohotel Schlossgut Oberambach
Biohotel Schlossgut Oberambach lies in the midst of woods and meadows at the foot of the Alps 30 minutes away from Munich at Lake Starnberg, popular destination for walks and cycling. The hotel complies with numerous eco-friendly principles and can be called an organic hotel.
In the morning you can have organic cereals, for lunch you can stroll around in Munich and the evening you can spend at the opera, before heading back to the beautiful and idyllic Bavarian countryside. Food and beverages are 100% organic and locally sourced.
Derag Livinghotel am Viktualienmarkt
Directly in the centre of Munich at the Viktualienmarket another green hotel is located. The Derag Livinghotel Campo dei Fiori. It is producing its own energy through its own photovoltaic system. It also purchases seasonal and regional products and offers yummy vegetarian lunches.
Eco-friendly tours & urban adventures in Munich
Munich has a range of wonderful parks to enjoy a long walk or sit in the sunshine.
The English Garden
The English Garden, which stretches through the whole city next to the river Isar is the green heart of Munich. It is one of the biggest inner-city parks in the world. It features 78km of paths where you can cycle and jog, a creek on which you can surf, a lake on which you can row, riding paths for horseback-riding and in the winter you can even go sledding or ice skating on Lake Kleinhesseloher.
If you are not a surfer yourself you can head to the Eisbach (ice creek) where watching the surfers has become a very popular activity with tourists and locals. When the sun comes out the whole of Munich can be found in the English Garden, eating ice cream, sunbathing, slacklining, drumming, and much more.
Hofgarten
In the Hofgarten, which is at Odeonsplatz, where you have to walk through if you are going to the English Garden from Marienplatz there is a public dance every Sunday evening during summer time. Feel free to come along, and join in to waltz, salsa and other beautiful ballroom dances. Or just watch and smile. The Hofgarten was also one of the locations used in the last Hollywood movie of the three musketeers released in 2011.
Viktualienmarkt – Weisser Stadtvogel Tours
Different tours through the cities are offered by “Weisser Stadtvogel München”, which means “white citybird munich”, translated word by word. They mainly offer walking tours, but also bike and bus tours.
One tour that is a must, if you really want to get to know to Munich and the local cuisine is the Viktualienmarket tasting tour. On this tour you explore the Viktualienmarket, a wonderful local market that is an attraction in itself. You get to try local produce, including Bavarian bread, cheese and antipasti. After this you don’t need any food till dinnertime.
Or go on the tram tour, the historical walking tour, or the “Minga-let’s talk Bavarian” tour. Minga is Bavarian for Munich by the way. Website
Cycling tours
There is also a range of possibilities to get to know to Munich on a guided bike tour. The Weisse Stadtvogel is one of them.
Another one is pedalheroes who offer 30-minute city tours featuring the most important sights to excursions of several hours, from rides for individuals in a classical rickshaw taxi to dynamic fun rides for groups on a conference bike.
Healthy eateries and vegetarian restaurants in Munich
Munich is a great city for eating vegetarian, vegan or organic cuisine. Here a few suggestions:
Bistro Organic (Munich Airport)
Enjoyi organic food directly at the Munich Airport at Bistro Organic, where all food is 100% organic produce. Their vision is to offer a healthy and fresh alternative to all the fast food places normally to be found at an airport. They provide true power-packages against stress and jetlag. Both will be gone after a healthy smoothy or a fresh salad. Website
Prinz Myshkin City
One vegetarian restaurant which is quite popular in Munich is Prinz Myshkin City. This restaurant is located in the heart of the old town between Marienplatz and Sendlinger Tor. It is a very airy place with high ceilings, an open service area and an additional smaller more cosy and less spacious separate dining area. It offers various types of vegetarian food, from pasta to pizza to Asian dishes.
Their second location, Prinz Myshkin Garden opened early-2015 close to the castle Nymphenburg. This two storied restaurant with a rooftop terrace and garden offers a wide variety of foods, ranging from smaller snacks to full menus with dessert. With the lovely outdoor seating area available it is perfect to spend warm summer days. Website
Max Pett
Max Pett is a high-end restaurant, catering 100% to the taste buds of vegans. They don’t serve alcohol, but a broad range of non-alcoholic wines and even non-alcoholic champagne. The style of the place is modern with a big window front giving the place a very open and sunny atmosphere.
The place is named after the scientist, Prof.Dr. Max von Pettenkofer, who among others invented a specific “health technique” to make Munich one of the cleanest and most hygienic cities in the 19th century. His research mainly focussed on the areas of medicine and natural sciences. Drop in for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, you will surely find a dish that pleases your palate, like the vegan Schnitzel for example or a range of crunchy salads. Their vegan ice cream is also not to be ignored. Website
Café Ignaz
Café Ignaz is, compared to the other two places rather inexpensive, but not less worth to recommend. This vegetarian café and pastry place also has a daily self-service buffet. The food is solid international cuisine with a German twist we found. It is very small and reserving a space highly recommended. It is also very popular for its brunch deal on the weekends. They don’t have an own website but can be found easily when typed into google. Website
Jagdschloss
For everyone who wants to eat organic but not vegetarian or vegan, we recommend the Jagdschloss, a traditional Bavarian tavern, a beer garden and a hotel in one. It complies with the EU regulations 2092/91 because it just uses ecologically produced food. It is also listed as a historic building. It is not in the centre of Munich, but can be reached in 20 minutes from the Munich main train station. Website
Weather in Munich & other travel info
For all sorts of useful travel info and advice, check Munich on WikiTravel.
For the latest news on weather in Munich, visit weather24.com.
How to get around: public transport in Munich
The German public transport system is very reliable. You don’t need a car in Munich as there are buses, subways, trams, trains and taxis that take you to every corner of the city. You can buy weekly or monthly tickets to make your traveling in Munich cheaper.
Munich also runs a pilot project of eco-friendly taxis. A green sticker, labelled “Eco Taxi”, should make low-emission taxis, with hybrid or natural gas technology, identifiable at first glance. They can be called by phone. The possibility of one being directly available is small, but if there is enough demand numbers will increase. Call 19 419 or 450 450 to book one. Website
Riding a bike is like second nature to everyone living in Munich. Even surfboards to go surfing in the English garden are transported on a bike. The total length of paths is roughly 1200 km and there are bike renting stations spread all over the city, provided by the Deutsche Bahn.
The program is called Call a Bike. You register over the phone, get a code and pick up a bike either at the main train station or at other stations, major intersections, etc. in the city. Your credit card will get charged automatically. The maximum charge is €9 for 24 hours. Website
Need travel insurance?
Still need travel insurance for your upcoming trip to Munich? Here’s why World Nomads is our favorite travel insurance for city trips.
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