Englischer Garten

Kontesssa
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
5
Reviews
6
Photos
Editor Pick

The Lawns and Streams – English Garden.

  • January 22, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia
The Lawns and Streams – English Garden.

While the various structures and the beer houses provide highlights, the lawns, the forests and the streams are the heart of the English Garden for me. Four narrow, swift-running waterways flow through the gardens and on hot days many kids and adults using the clear waters to cool off. The paths intersect with the streams, the streams with the fields and forests, and footbridges bring them all together to make a very special kind of beauty whatever the weather, through all seasons.

I loved the lawns, the majestic trees, the sparkling little waterfall, and the light that filtered through the willowy trees and hit the path in such a striking angle. There were places where the trees parted to give an enormous view of the park across wide, deep fields. Take a closer look at the footbridges, the lampposts and other furniture. Admire the stonework along the streams and at the bridges. This is a stroller’s and painter’s paradise, a poet’s dream.

For something different, visit the huge lake where you can rent a paddleboat for some easy cruising. The Kleinhesseloher See has a circumnavigating path, lots of overhanging trees, soft grassy banks for lazy lounging, and of course a beer garden. The Neues Seehaus has tables beneath shade trees for the beer and cafeteria crowd, or a restaurant for the languid loungers ready to take a load off their feet. Whichever suits you, the people-watching is entertaining, the boats on the water make you dreamy, and time seems to float away.

The Englischer Garten is an all-season park. When I visited in autumn, the leaves were changing colour but the sky was still blue and it was very pleasant to stroll the paths. The colors of autumn are best viewed, perhaps, by standing in one of the open fields to capture that panoramic view of the surrounding trees. I’m told that winter brings out cross-country skiers, skaters, snowmen builders, and the paths are plowed for year-round running and bicycling. In summer, it is the sunbathers.

Nudity is acceptable in Munich in nudist areas designated as FKK (literally, free body culture) along the Isar River and on the nudist meadow in the English Garden, along the stream on the far side of the bridge near the little waterfall. Germans are famous for their relaxed attitude to nudity, and on every sunny day, there will be crowds of sunbathers stretched out on the grass. The composition of sunbathers is amazingly varied: office women and high powered executives taking some sun during their lunch breaks share the lawn with lazing students and gossiping housewives, all as naked as they were born.

From journal The Gardens of Munich

Englischer Garten

  • June 26, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by karameister from Saint Paul, Minnesota
Englischer Garten

The English Garden can seem overwhelming when you enter it. It is Europe's largest park, and the Isar, a fairly large river, mends through it. But if you take a tour first and visit again later, it is much easier to get a grasp of the second time.

There is a lot of wildlife to be seen along the river. Parts of the river are designated for nude sunbathing, and Munich residents take full advantage of it on hot days! There are also ducks, swans, and a plethora of other birds.

There are two great things you must do in the English Garden. The first is have a beer or apple cider at the beer garden. It is located next to the Chinese Tower. They have food as well, but the beer and cider are some of the best you will have. Sit as close to the Tower as possible, and you might catch some traditional German music.

The second sight to catch is the wave area of the river. The Isar naturally has a huge wave pool, and in summer, there are many surfers that will frequent the pool. It's quite interesting.

From journal Munich: Bits of History Amid the Future

Englischer Gardens

  • June 5, 2002
  • Rated 3 of 5 by sarameon from Astoria, New York
"Ooh, nude beach, dude!" Yes, the English Garden is home to a nude sunbathing area, but don't go in search of hot young flesh; if you do, you'll find that many of the undressed are a few decades older than you had in mind. By the same token, though, it's refreshing to see so many non-supermodel types who are comfortable enough with their bodies to bare all. Of course, there are other things to do than strip down and sunbathe; a visit to the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) beer garden is a must, and there are plenty of tree-lined paths for walking. Bring a picnic lunch (just visit a supermarket and load up a basket with fresh produce) and enjoy it in the sun.

From journal A Month in Munich

Englische Garten

  • July 28, 2001
  • Rated 3 of 5 by larrissaBCE from St. Louis Park, Minnesota
The kids´ parks tend to get very busy after school hours . Don´t be surprised if other parents don´t take too much notice of what their post-baby kids are doing... the kids are free for the afternoon and (I´m not being mean here) it would take quite a lot of screaming to get the parents to notice that something may have gone awry.

There are numerous parks... so check the maps and maybe decide to go to a few a day so that you can find your favorite ones.

There are a few restaurants in the garten that serve everything that you would expect. On the bigger lake, feeding the ducks and swans is something nice to do if you don´t want to deal with other kids.

From journal Munich with Kids

Editor Pick

Englischer Gardens

  • September 2, 2000
  • Rated 1 of 5 by Kontesssa from Vancouver, British Columbia
One afternoon, my travel buds and I decided to go to the gardens. Rather, THEY decided to go and I got DRAGGED along. I don't like gardens overly much, and I'm afraid Munich's Englischer Gardens lived up to my paltry expectations. To be fair, we might have been in a bad section. We walked past a quiet but cool neighborhood (seems to be a university neighborhood) to the park. Big trees, shady lanes, and then it opens up to an expanse of green lawn. Weed-infested, lots of mosquitoes, but surprisingly, lots of people too. It didn't seem to be a deterrent. There was a small pond with swans. We sat around there for a little while, swatting with mosquitoes, and chatting with a couple of drunken soccer players, before moving on.

From journal Here's to Deutschland

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