Best Bike Tours in Munich

Surrounded by parks, squares and rivers, Munich is an ideal city for cycling. In this article I tell you about the best options to discover it by bike.

Matías Rodríguez

Matías Rodríguez

10 min read

Best Bike Tours in Munich

Bikes in Munich | ©Tyler Kellen & Tara Alan

Munich is a big city, but its wide geography of natural landscapes, squares and meandering rivers makes cycling through it one of the best possible ideas. This type of tourism is highly developed in the city and there are offers for everyone.

If you are one of those who prefer to tour the city alone and at your own pace to see and do everything that Munich has to show you, you can rent a bike for the whole day and if you choose to join a group you can also do it. But the proposals do not stop there because the range is very varied: do you want to go on a night bike tour or have a German beer at the end of the tour?

1. Bicycle tour with guide through classic Munich

Odeonzplatz| ©Epolan9
Odeonzplatz| ©Epolan9

This is one of the most requested options for those who choose to get to know Munich by bike. It is a four-hour excursion at a leisurely pace in groups of up to 25 people through the most outstanding stops in the city such as Odeonzplatz, Residenz, the Hofbrauhaus brewery or the English Garden.

This type of tour usually includes a lunch stop at the Chinese Tower brewery, where a wide variety of Bavarian beer can be tasted.

Although food and drink is not usually included in the tour price, it is a good opportunity to get to know a pub that is part of one of Munich's best beer and food tours.

This attraction offers daily departures around 11:30 a.m. from a meeting point usually located at Marientplatz and is assisted by an expert local guide.

The bike rental also includes the necessary entrance fees to enter the parks and the necessary safety items such as helmets and reflective vests. The guide is English speaking.

Details of interest

  • Price... The tour with the bike rental, insurance elements and the assistance of the guide costs about 37 euros.
  • Duration... The tour lasts approximately four hours.
  • Meeting point... The meeting point is always in the city center, usually at Marienplatz.
  • Advantages of this tour... The tour of classic Munich ensures that you get to know the main sights of the city with the assistance of a guide.
  • Disadvantages of this tour... The language of the tour is only in English.

Book a bike tour in Munich

2. Bicycle tour through the green spaces of Munich

Bicycle Tour| ©Saffy H
Bicycle Tour| ©Saffy H

This option offers a tour focused on Munich' s green spaces, where parks and squares abound. In a group and with the assistance of an expert guide you can tour Kings Square, Ludwig Maximilian University, Odeonsplatz and the English Garden, among other places.

These tours, which usually last about 3 hours, will allow you to get into the parks that make Munich one of the ideal cities in the world to enjoy cycling and discover with the senses.

The end of the tour is usually Radius Tours in the city center, the place from where most of the tour buses depart .

The bike rental also includes safety items such as helmet and reflective vest and the assistance of the expert guide. It also includes stops at food stalls or breweries which are not included in the tour price.

Details of interest

  • Price... The tour with bike rental, safety equipment and guide assistance is about 30 euros.
  • Duration... The tour lasts approximately three hours.
  • Departure point... The most common meeting point is Radius Tours in Arnulfstrasse, but it can change. With the booking confirmation you will receive all the information you need.
  • Advantages of this tour... You will get to know Munich's parks, squares and symbolic promenades.
  • Disadvantages of this tour... You will only visit the city center at the beginning and at the end of the tour as it is a tour focused on green spaces.

Book a bike tour in Munich

3. Munich Super Saver: bike tour with food and Bavarian beer night

Beers at Hofbräuhaus| ©Roman König
Beers at Hofbräuhaus| ©Roman König

Munich is known for being an ideal city to get to know by bike and also for the quality of its beers. If there is a way to combine both attractions is with this type of excursions, in which you can learn the secrets of the city with the assistance of an expert local guide.

With these tours, which last approximately six hours, you can delve into the medieval streets of Munich and its history, its parks and promenades and also a fascinating tour of the English Garden, which is the largest urban green space in Europe and a must-see for the best excursions in the city.

Once the bike tour is over, the other part of the tour begins: an evening of dinner and beer.

From the main station you will start a tour of the best Bavarian food restaurants and beer bars, and you will be able to visit the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum, a place in the city that pays tribute to the beer culture and the preponderant role it plays in the history of Munich.

Towards the end, the tour will take you through Munich's open-air beer gardens, usually ending at the Hofbrauhaus, the three-story brewery that is part of the city's history and has been open for more than 400 years.

Interesting details

  • Price... The tour with bike rental, safety items, guide assistance and beer and food tastings plus entrance to the museum costs about €90.
  • Duration... The tour lasts about six hours.
  • Meeting point... The meeting point will be communicated in the booking confirmation email.
  • Advantages of this tour... It is the ideal tour to combine a bike tour with a gastronomic tour of the best breweries.
  • Disadvantages of this tour... It is a bit of a long tour and can be tiring. I recommend that you take this into account when planning your stay in the city.

Book a bike tour in Munich

4. Nighttime bike tour through alternative Munich

Munich by night| ©Markus Bahlmann
Munich by night| ©Markus Bahlmann

If you are looking for an alternative night in Munich, this tour can offer you the solution. This small group tour focuses on the hidden alleys off the beaten tourist track.

On this tour you'll see the sunset, learn about Munich's river beach culture, and end up drinking beer at a family-run brewery away from the city center.

The tour often includes sites as diverse as the city's Opera House, Michael Jackson' s makeshift shrine, and you'll learn why it was built in Munich.

You'll also most often visit the former royal palace and the eclectic Lehel neighborhood, which has a lot to say about the bohemian side of the imperial city.

On this three-and-a-half hour tour you will have the assistance of an expert local guide. Food and beverage consumption during stops are not included in the tour prices.

Details of interest

  • Price... The tour with bike rental, safety equipment and guide assistance is about 34 euros.
  • Duration... The tour lasts approximately three and a half hours.
  • Meeting point... The meeting point is usually at Karlsplatz, although this will be confirmed in the booking confirmation.
  • Advantages of this tour... This is the ideal tour to get to know an alternative circuit of Munich in small groups.
  • Disadvantages of this excursion... On this excursion you will not see the main tourist sites of the city, so I recommend that you complement it with a tour of Munich.

5. Short bike tour through the main sights of Munich

Marktplatz| ©G.Breitegger
Marktplatz| ©G.Breitegger

Many tourists come to Munich for only a few days and in those cases it is difficult to dedicate many hours to a bike tour. If your case is similar, this tour is ideal for you.

In a quick tour, which usually lasts no more than an hour and a half, you will get to know the city from the city center to the Isar River with the assistance of an expert guide.

Although it is a short tour, it still offers aclose-up experience of Munich's main attractions and historical sites. The tour is done in small groups, which streamlines the experience and makes the guide's intervention more fluid.

The tour usually starts at Marienplatz and ends at the same place at the agreed time. If you are thinking of doing this tour because your stay will be short, here is a guide to visit Munich in two days so you can make the most of your time in the city.

Details of interest

  • Price... The tour with bike rental and guide assistance starts at 32 euros.
  • Duration... The tour lasts about an hour and a half.
  • Meeting point... The meeting point is almost always at Marienplatz.
  • Advantages of this tour... This is the right tour if you have little time available in the city.
  • Disadvantages of this tour... Safety equipment such as helmets and reflective vests are not included in the price and are rented separately.

6. Bicycle tour through the Munich street art circuit

Getting to know Munich by bicycle| ©travellingschel
Getting to know Munich by bicycle| ©travellingschel

Munich is an imperial city but it also has a rich alternative circuit. Even in the most visited places there is some influence of street artists and this kind of tour seeks to rescue all those works in a tour that is away from the crowds of tourists.

The itinerary includes a meandering route that starts at the colorful path along the Isar River.

The visit to the English Garden will bring you the story of how Munich was the nurturing ground for the emergence of German graffiti artists in the 1980s and how the former working-class district Giesing became a cult location for street art.

You will also learn about the artists' influence on the Oktoberfest that is organized every year in Germany and whose tickets you can find information about in this article.

This alternative tour, which usually departs from Marienplatz, will give you an insight into a different profile of the elegant and stately Munich than other tours. The assistance of an expert local guide and small groups will enhance your experience.

Details of interest

  • Price... The tour with bike rental and guide assistance starts at 34 euros.
  • Duration... The tour lasts three and a half hours.
  • Meeting point... The meeting point is usually at Marienplatz.
  • Advantages of this tour... If you are interested in street art, this is the ideal tour to get to know one of the alternative sides of Munich.
  • Disadvantages of this tour... The tour does not include stops for lunch, which can make the tour a bit long.

Book a ticket for the Oktoberfest

7. Complete tour of the English Garden by electric bicycle

Getting to know the English Garden| ©Sergei Gussev
Getting to know the English Garden| ©Sergei Gussev

Munich is considered a modern city because it is designed so that everyone can get to work by bicycle and also because its environmental standards are among the highest in the world.

The English Garden is the largest urban park in Europe and only a part of it is visited on bicycle tours. This tour aims to unite Munich's profile as Germany's cycling capital and its environmental care with a complete tour of the park in a three-hour excursion.

The tour starts directly at the English Garden and usually includes a visit to the surfing wave at the Eisbach, a stop at the Hofgarten, the panoramic view of Monopteros in the southern part of the park and then a tour of beer gardens, bars and cafes.

The entire tour will be done in small groups and on electric bicycles. The tour price does not include food and drink tastings and the expert tour guide is available in English and German.

Details of interest

  • Price... The tour with electric bike rental and guide assistance costs about €40.
  • Duration... The tour lasts about three and a half hours.
  • Meeting point... The meeting point is the English Garden.
  • Advantages of this tour... You will have the chance to learn how Munich became the German bicycle capital.
  • Disadvantages of this tour... The tour only includes a visit to the English Garden and not to other characteristic green spaces of the city.

What will I see on this type of tour?

People on the Tour| ©María Godoy
People on the Tour| ©María Godoy

Each of the tours has a particular theme. Many of them offer different ways of getting to know Munich's main tourist circuit by bike, while others invite you to a tour of the city's alternative circuits.

Once you choose the option that best suits your interests, the tour will provide you with all the information you need to make your experience unforgettable. The fact that all the attractions include the assistance of an expert guide will allow you to get the most out of your visit to Munich.

Why is it advisable to take a bike tour in Munich?

Touring the English Garden| ©Bronwen Lee
Touring the English Garden| ©Bronwen Lee

Because Munich is not only Germany' s bicycle capital but also a city designed so that everyone can get to work without using another vehicle. This means that Munich has an extensive layout of cycle paths and modified medieval streets that will make your bike tour magical.

You can also experience the locals and enjoy the city's climate. If you visit Munich in winter, it can be an unusual but still interesting plan for those days when snow is not forecast.

What are the advantages of taking a guided tour vs. visiting Munich on my own?

Starting the Tour| ©Jason Ippolito
Starting the Tour| ©Jason Ippolito

Munich is a very large city, with a rich history and many secrets hidden among its medieval streets. You can certainly get to know the city on your own, but you run the risk of missing the best details. That is why each of these tours includes the assistance of an expert guide.

In addition, Munich is much more than its stately old town and its surroundings have a very interesting street art circuit, alternative bars and a lot of plans that are very difficult to access without the advice of the locals.