Camping in München

Camping in Munich combines on a small scale what Bavaria has to offer on a large scale. The cultural and culinary potpourri of the Bavarian capital ranges from residences, churches, towers, beer gardens and markets to crystal-clear lakes and a magnificent mountain panorama. The campsites in Munich and the surrounding area are as diverse as the metropolis itself.

Camping in Munich: All important information at a glance

Anyone planning a city trip to Munich can also savour the nature-friendly side of camping. The campsites in and around the Bavarian capital are not only ideal for those interested in culture, but also offer opportunities for an active holiday, especially cycling or walking, thanks to their beautiful location in forests or parks.

Camping enthusiasts will find suitable sites all over Munich. While the centre of the bustling metropolis attracts visitors during the day with sights such as Marienplatz and Frauenkirche, shopping streets and a wide range of cultural activities, you can enjoy the tranquil and natural surroundings of the campsites near Munich in the evening. In addition to the sites in the city centre, there are also some beautiful sites in the surrounding area, for example at Pilsensee, Wörthsee or Ammersee.

Thanks to excellent public transport connections, campers can easily cover longer distances without a motorhome or car. A short trip to Lake Starnberg or Lake Lerchenau can therefore be made spontaneously during a camping holiday in Munich. If the campsite is located just outside the lively city, guests are not far from the many surrounding lakes anyway.

In addition to pitches for caravans, motorhomes and tents, most campsites also offer rental accommodation such as holiday flats, mobile homes or bungalows. The luxurious form of camping, known as glamping, is also very popular in Munich. Guests can spend the night in cosy sleeping barrels, safari tents or other unusual accommodation with every comfort.

As a rule, the campsites near Munich cater for guests of all ages. Many offer playgrounds, sandpits, swimming pools or minigolf courses, so that there is plenty of variety during your stay. Camping with a dog is usually also possible in Munich without any problems, but campers should find out about the rules on the site (compulsory use of a lead, etc.) before travelling.

Camping in Munich during the Oktoberfest

It is not possible to park your caravan or motorhome right next to the Theresienwiese during the Oktoberfest. Nevertheless, there is also the option of travelling to the Oktoberfest in your own motorhome if you don't want to stay in a hotel.

A popular option is the Oktoberfest Camping car park on the grounds of the Munich Trade Fair Centre in Riem, which is only open during the festival. This site offers parking for around 1500 motorhomes and is fully equipped with sanitary facilities, showers and a restaurant.

Not far away is the Wies'n Camp near the Olympic equestrian centre. Here campers can stay overnight in tents, motorhomes or caravans. Luxurious Wies'n lodges, alpine huts and comfortable family tents are also available for hire.

Top sights in Munich

Munich's sights fulfil the needs of culture enthusiasts in a variety of ways. Museum lovers often start their art tour at the Pinakothek der Moderne, which presents art from the 20th and 21st centuries in four different museums covering 12,000 square metres. The tour continues along Barer Straße to the Alte and Neue Pinakothek with works from the 14th to 18th centuries. Art lovers can also see paintings and drawings in galleries such as the Lenbachhaus or the Villa Stuck.

From the famous Haus der Kunst, it is only a few steps to the English Garden, Munich's green lung, where guests can stop off in one of the many traditional beer gardens. An international crowd can be found at the Chinese Tower, while younger people are often drawn to the Seehaus. The small body of water at this beer garden is also suitable for a leisurely boat trip.

Visitors heading north from here towards the motorway will soon see Munich's architectural highlight for sports fans: the Allianz Arena. Its outer white façade glows alternately in green, red and blue at night. If holidaymakers make their way from the English Garden to the city centre, they end up at the bustling Marienplatz - with the town hall and Viktualienmarkt nearby, it is the heart of Munich. From here you can also see the Frauenkirche, whose two towers with green domes make the city skyline unmistakable.

Activities and excursions

A camping holiday in Munich will definitely not be boring: The Bavarian capital offers an impressive range of leisure activities and a variety of opportunities to get active, so there is something for every camper.

Cycling tours

If you like sporty activities, you can get on your bike in Munich. Either you already have one in your campervan luggage or you can simply hire one locally at numerous public transport hubs. There are cycle paths all over the city. The English Garden, larger than New York's Central Park, can be cycled from the centre of the old town to the northern end at the Eiskanal under tall chestnut trees and across green meadows along the Isar.

From golf to go-karts

Golf is also one of Munich's favourite active pursuits. Fans of this sport can improve their skills on many large courses, for example at the impressive centre in Riem. The go-kart arena in the Neufinsing family park is another experience for adrenaline junkies. Wearing a helmet and an electric go-kart, you can race around the winding tracks in the north-east of Munich.

The Olympic Park offers many possibilities

Munich's Olympiaberg is green on the park grounds of the same name. From the even higher Olympic Tower with its revolving restaurant, visitors can enjoy marvellous views over the city. As a centre for leisure and events in the north of Munich, the Olympic Park also offers numerous experiences. The football stadium, swimming pool and ice rink are just some of the indoor sports facilities in the park, which also offers guided climbing tours.

Events

District festivals are regularly held in Munich's many neighbourhoods throughout the city in the summer, attracting locals and holidaymakers outside with themed stands, music and games as well as street food stands, especially at weekends. Here is an overview of the events not to be missed.

April - May

• Theresienwiese folk festival: Around 100 showmen and fairground rides can be found on the Bavaria square. There are also several beer tents, a giant flea market, a vintage car rally and a fireworks display. This takes place from the end of April to the beginning of May

May

• Maidult: The merry month of May is all about nostalgia at this Munich event. This somewhat different flea market leaves nothing to be desired, from junk to high-quality antiques, while children have fun on the rides and enjoy sweet candy floss. Dates: last weekend in April to first weekend in May.

June - July

• Tollwood Festival: Munich's attractive cultural festival on the Olympic grounds is a summer highlight with artists, artist booths, dance workshops and culinary specialities from all over the world.

July

• Midsummer Night's Dream: Live concerts under the stars and a massive 35-minute firework display in the first week of July await not only camping fans in Munich.
• Christopher Street Day: On the second weekend, the political parade takes place around Marienplatz as a huge street festival with a show programme and live acts.

September - October

• Oktoberfest: The world's most famous folk festival attracts thousands to the Bavarian metropolis from mid-September to early October with its beer tents and rides. The easiest way to get there is via the Hackerbrücke railway station.

October

• Munich Marathon: In the second week of October, the marathon runs through the whole city past the Siegestor and the Pinakothek art galleries.

Gastronomy

Culinary summer in the city in Munich means time in the beer garden. Whether it's the Fraunhofer Wirtshaus, Waldwirtschaft or Augustiner-Keller at the main railway station under shady chestnut trees - the menus of the numerous pubs and inns make promising reading with hearty pork knuckles and roast pork. Dumplings of all kinds with coleslaw or red cabbage are served with the main course.

If you would like a snack to go with your draught beer or freshly tapped wheat beer, you will not be disappointed with the Obatzter, a savoury cheese variation. It is not only served in the beer garden with a pretzel, which incidentally goes perfectly with the spicy radish (beer radish) and is a delicious snack not only for vegetarians. The savoury Steckerlfisch (whitefish, trout or mackerel), which is prepared over the barbecue fire on a stick, also smells wonderful. Incidentally, guests in Munich are also allowed to take home-made food into the beer garden. It is therefore not uncommon to see families decorating the rustic beer tables with home-made tablecloths. There is also no shortage of delicious desserts on the menus in Munich's restaurants: filled yeast dumplings with vanilla sauce or Austrian Kaiserschmarrn are a must in many restaurants.

Visitors will also find the perfect dessert for camping in Munich in the many bakeries: Freshly baked Zwetschgendatschi (plum cake) fills the whole caravan with its wonderful aroma and is the favourite of many children with its sweet and sour taste.

Best time for a camping holiday in Munich

The best time to enjoy a camping holiday in Munich by the lake or near the city is from June to August. This is also when the waters are a welcome refreshment at a pleasant 20°C. While temperatures can often drop below freezing in winter, they average 23°C in summer. But highs of up to 30°C are not uncommon in this cosmopolitan city with a heart.

Generally speaking, it is usually a few degrees warmer in Munich in summer than in the north of Germany. The weather in Munich also benefits from the Föhn wind. At any time of year, the warm mountain wind blows from the mountains over the city, which then offers marvellous distant views of the Zugspitze.

Camping in Munich is of course also possible in winter and offers many possibilities, such as skiing, ice skating or a visit to the numerous saunas. The coldest months are January and February with average temperatures of 2° Celsius.