It’s hard to believe after all of our European travel, how little time we have spent in Germany. Especially given my German descent! This past summer we set out to rectify that situation by spending some time in Bavaria. We based ourselves in Munich and took a few day trips from there. Beer obsessed Germany with teens may seem tricky, but we had a fantastic time and only one collective beer was consumed in a total of 10 days! Here are our recommendations for the best activities in Munich with teens.
Pro tip: The drinking age for beer and wine in Germany is 16 (18 for spirits) so if your teenagers are of age, think about how you will want to address this beforehand.
Where to stay
We are big fans of places like AirBnB when we travel with teens. Everyone gets a little extra space to spread out and get some alone time. Our mornings can accommodate both early risers and late sleepers without either missing the hotel breakfast or staff banging on the door. For maximum convenience with kids in Munich, a stay near the Englischgarten (Munich’s version of Central Park) will be easiest. There are many good and safe things to do in that area for both kids and teens. In addition, it will allow your teens a bit of safe independence. As always, price and convenience must be weighed, as it is an area that is a little more expensive. Staying in a non-central part of the city isn’t bad because public transportation is remarkably clean, safe and convenient.
Here are my recommendations for activities that will please both picky parents and picky teens on a trip to Munich.
The Englischgarten
Especially in summer, this is a place that deserves a fair amount of time and offers plenty of options for both grown ups and kids. It’s like a free one-stop adventure park! Bigger than Central Park, the Englischgarten offers beer gardens, tea houses, lakes, paddleboats, lawn mowing sheep, river surfing, picnicking, sunbathing, and lazy river riding. Pack a bathing suit if the weather is warm as it is almost impossible to resist jumping in and floating down the river with the current. Scoring a waterproof bag for your belongings before you go allows you to avoid the walk back upriver in a wet suit.
An afternoon well spent would include a stop at Viktualienmarkt or nearby Eataly for some delicious picnic food. Then head over to the park for lunch and lots of fun people watching. Find a spot where you can put your feet in the river. After lunch, stroll the more than 48 miles of wooded paths, hit one of the 4 beer gardens, or enjoy afternoon tea at the Japanese Teahouse. Our favorite teen activity in the park is the Eisbachwelle – a manmade surfing spot on the Eisbach river. We spent several lazy afternoons in this park and my teens returned to watch the river surfing several times!
Pro tips
- Many Germans have no issue with nakedness. Warn your teens in advance that they may see naked sunbathers or swimmers in the park.
- The Eisbachwelle is not an activity for the beginner surfer, as the current is dangerous and several people die here every year. But if you or your teen are regular surfers, give it a whirl!
Museums
Science focused teens shouldn’t miss the Deutsche Museum in Munich. It’s enormous so plan your day before you go so you can focus on the topics of interest. Museum gift shops are my favorite and this one does not disappoint. The Residenzmuseum will likely be a snooze for the teens (it was for me too!). Those committed to the study of Bavaria’s Wittelsbach rulers might enjoy it. A trio of art museums called the Pinakothek museums could provide an afternoon of joy for art focused teens. Pick the one you want to see – the Alte Pinakothek covers the earliest works (14-18th century), the Neue Pinakothek includes 18th & 19th century works and the Pinakothek der Moderne is one of the largest modern art museums in the world.
Attractions
When wandering around the city don’t miss the following spots:
(mechanical clock) in Munich’s storybook Marienplatz is the largest in Germany. It tells the story of a joust between two regions – Bavaria (blue) and Lothingren (red). The bells toll at 11am, noon and 5pm (in summer). The show lasts 15 minutes and can get very crowded and sunny on a hot summer day. If you don’t want to stick around for the end, you can easily find it on many youtube videos.
Just outside of Marienplatz, St Peter’s Church has great views of the city and on a clear day, the Alps. Climbing the 300 steps to the top may produce a few grumbles but it is worth it for the Instagram shot. Bonus points for the first teen to find the creepy Jeweled Skeleton of Saint Mundita inside the church.
A short walk away is a tiny little Baroque church worth seeking out. Built by the Asam brothers, the Asamkirche is unlike any other church your teen has already seen. It is a vision in eye candy, packed to the gills with lavish frescoes, gold leaf and outright opulence. Note how the colors get brighter and brighter as you get closer to the heavens.
For teens interested in cars, the BMW Welt and the BMW Museum makes for a fun adventure. It can also be added to the below mentioned bike tour, since it is located near the Olympic Park.
Finally, don’t miss the Hoffbrauhaus, about a 5 minute walk from Marienplatz. The most famous beer hall in Germany, this is a great place to have a meal or a beer and pretzel with teens. It’s fun, noisy and raucous, filled with live music and lively people. If you want a slightly quieter experience, head upstairs for a table.
Activities
Regular blog readers already know I am a big fan of bike rentals for family activities in European cities. Munich might take the cake as the most bike friendly city in Europe. Maybe even more so than one of our other favorites – Copenhagen! Just about every street has a dedicated bike lane separated from car traffic making it super easy to get around. Do not miss an opportunity to see some of the further afield sights by renting bikes. there are many bike rental places throughout the city. Find the one closest to your hotel and explore.
Suggested bike route
My recommended path covers about 15 miles (23km) of biking with a full days worth of stops in between. See the map below for your guide. Starting at or around Marienplatz, head up to Olympiapark. The bike to the top of the hill is worth it to get a good sense of this park and most of the rest of the trip is flat so don’t worry about this early effort. Tool around for a bit here to explore the site of the 1972 Summer Olympics (nearby is the BMW Welt and BMW Museum mentioned earlier).
Next stop – a few miles away is Nymphenburg Palace – the summer home of the Wittelsbach family. The bike can be parked right at the entrance. At a minimum, I recommend exploring the palace grounds and gardens in back. The Schlosscafe has great cream puffs and cherry waffles. You may have time to explore the palace if your teens are interested.
The next stop is the worlds largest beer garden – Hirschgarten . We love it because there is a deer park right next door. Who doesn’t love feeding baby deer? After filling up on German beer garden food, get back on your bikes and head to a favorite of the locals – Westpark – where you will find a beautiful Japanese garden and a Thai temple.
At this point you can head straight back into town or a little further east and bike back along the Isar River for prettier views. If you still have some energy left, use the bikes to explore whatever part of the Englischgarten you haven’t yet seen. It’s so much easier on bike!
OlympiaPark Nymphenburg Palace Hirschgarten
Tours/ Excursions
Generally I try to mix in my own excursions with one or two tours so I can let someone else do the work for a bit. During our 10 day stint in Munich we did two excursions with Mikes Bike Tours and both were a hit with my teens.
Classic Bike Tour
The first was The Classic bike tour and my traditional “first day in the city tour.” It’s a great way to cover a lot of ground with teens so they can figure out where they want to return to during the rest of your trip. Generally I thought the tour was great and the guides were really engaging and informative. We saw many of the highlights in the city and even stopped for 45 min to experience our first beer garden with a local.
If you are doing this tour in any season except for summer, I highly recommend it. Summer was crowded and, in my opinion, the company allowed too many people on the tour (22-25 people). The large group combined with the already crowded city, made it difficult at times. In my opinion, it would be a much more pleasant experience if we were capped at 15-18 people. This would occur naturally during the off season.
Neuschwanstein Bike Tour
The second tour we did with Mikes Bike Tours was to the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein. We were picked up by bus and driven to the castle that inspired Disney to create Cinderella’s castle in Disneyworld – Neuschwanstein Castle. After a lovely lunch at the base of the castle, we were fitted for bikes and got to ride for an hour on the country roads in the surrounding area. Everywhere you turned were majestic views of the castle on the hill and beautiful countryside. It’s hard not to imagine what life was like for Ludwig II while he lived there.
We ended the day with a tour of the castle grounds and a bus ride back to the city. If you can spare a day during your visit to Munich, this full day excursion would be a hit for all ages. While the crowd for this tour was also big, it didn’t feel overwhelming because the group split up a bit once we arrived.
Dachau Concentration Camp
Much more somber but an equally worthwhile and educational excursion for teens is the Dachau Concentration Camp. It is only 25 minutes from the city, can be reached by public transport and is open from 9-5pm everyday. This visit can be done on your own relatively easily, or if you want your teen to hear more of the story from locals, do it with a tour company. Either way, it can be done in a half day.
We hope you find some great suggestions for activities for Munich with teens. Also try tackling these great cities with the help of our other teen guides! Copenhagen, Nashville, Portland (OR), New York City, Paris, the Pacific Coast Highway, Siena, San Sebastian.