Munich by bike
A Munich bike tour is the quickest way to see the city’s grand squares, its biggest park and the river in one go. The ride on this page takes 3 hours, costs $50 per person with a fully-equipped rental bicycle, and 420 reviewers rate it 4.7. Below: the route, what the price covers, who it suits and how to fit it around a day out of the city.
Quick answer
The short answer. Book this Munich bike tour if you want the centre of the city in one relaxed half day: Königsplatz, Odeonsplatz, the Englischer Garten, a beer garden stop and the Isar, with a local guide, for $50. Riders must be at least 160 cm tall. If you would rather sit, the hop-on hop-off bus ticket costs $27.
How the ride works
What the three hours are made of, in plain words.
This bike tour of Munich is a loop. You meet at the local operator’s office at Dachauer Straße 4, collect a fully-equipped rental bicycle and set off with a local guide. Three hours later you are back at the same door. The listing calls it a relaxed, friendly half day, and the route keeps to places that suit a bicycle: open parks, elegant plazas, the Isar and the pedestrianised medieval streets of the Old Town.
It is the classic Munich bike tour shape: the grand squares first, then the big park, then the river and the old centre. The guides are Munich residents, and the listing says they know the best routes, the best stories and the best spots to stop for a quick drink. This is the one bike tour in Munich that this site lists, and it is built for people who want their bearings fast.
Aaron from the United States put it simply: «The tour was fantastic and helped us understand Munich. We saw so many great buildings and locations and learned a lot of history.» That is the point of a Munich bike tour on your first days in the city: after it, the map makes sense.
Stop by stop
The order of the ride, as the listing describes it.
Meet at the local operator’s office, get your bicycle and meet your guide. The ride finishes here too.
The first stop: a Neoclassical square often called Munich’s Acropolis, part of the legacy of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, a 19th-century monarch who wanted a grand city for kings.
A few minutes away, the second of his grand squares. The listing adds that the king also succeeded in making Munich a great city for cyclists.
From Odeonsplatz you ride through the royal gardens into the Englischer Garten, which the listing calls Europe’s largest city park.
The tour stops at this famous beer garden for refreshments. The listing does not say who pays, so plan on buying your own.
You cruise along the banks of the river, which leads back into the heart of the Old Town.
The pedestrianised medieval streets around Marienplatz, with churches, markets and cafes, then the short ride back to the start.
From the saddle
Three frames from Munich’s parks and squares.
Swimmers drifting down a narrow green stream, with tall trees closing over both banks.
A yellow baroque church with two clock towers and a dark green dome, under heavy white clouds.
A crowned rider on a bronze horse, with standing figures beside him, high on a carved stone plinth.
Every option, current fare
The bike ride next to the other two ways to see the city, and two day trips that start at the same address. All five are priced per person.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munich by bike | $50 | per person | 3 hours | Local guide in English, fully-equipped rental bicycle, stop at the Chinese Tower beer garden. Drinks are not mentioned as included. | Dachauer Str. 4; ends there | 4.7 · 420 |
| Hop-on hop-off bus | $27 | per person | 1-day or 2-day ticket | Double-decker bus, three routes of about an hour each, 13 stops, audio guide. | Luisenstr. 4; the ticket can be exchanged at any stop | 4.3 · 4,792 |
| Aquarium in Olympiapark | $22 | per person | Your chosen date | An entry ticket, not a tour: more than 3,000 sea creatures and an ocean tunnel. | Willi-Daume-Platz 1, Olympiapark | 4.1 · 586 |
| Herrenchiemsee by train and boat | $66 | per person | 9.5 hours | A guide on the train to Chiemsee and a 40-minute palace tour. The boat and the palace entry are paid separately. | Dachauer Str. 4 | 4.9 · 150 |
| Neuschwanstein, our top pick | $89 | per person | 10 hours | A guide on the train or bus and a walking tour of the castle grounds. Entry to the castle is paid separately. | Dachauer Str. 4; ends there | 4.7 · 4,387 |
The price
Cost per hour, and how the ride compares with the rest of the site.
At $50 per person for 3 hours, this Munich bike tour works out at $16.67 an hour, with the bicycle and the guide both in the price. The hop-on hop-off bus costs $27 for a 1-day or 2-day ticket, but you get an audio guide rather than a person riding next to you. As a Munich city bike tour, the ride covers the centre more closely than a bus route can: parks and pedestrian streets are where a bicycle goes and a double-decker does not.
Day trips on this site start from $66 per person, for the 9.5-hour Herrenchiemsee day by train and boat. The listings at $22 to $59 are the aquarium ticket, the hop-on hop-off bus, this bike ride and the three guided visits to the Dachau memorial site. Our top pick for a day out of the city is the Neuschwanstein full-day trip at $89.
What the price covers
Read this before you pack for the ride.
The listing promises a fully-equipped rental bicycle. Christina from Canada: «Bikes were in great condition».
Guides are Munich residents. The listing names English as the tour language.
The listing describes a fully-equipped rental bicycle and does not mention e-bikes or an electric option.
The listing does not say whether a helmet is provided. If it matters to you, ask before you book.
The beer garden stop is for refreshments. The listing does not say who pays for them.
No hotel pickup. You make your own way to Dachauer Straße 4, and the ride ends there.
Who it suits
Four honest tests, using what riders wrote after the Munich bike tour.
Christina from Canada again: «…it was a great way to get an overview of the city.»
Richard Paul from the United States: «I am 78 years old and hadn’t rode bikes in a while but guide adjusted bike for me and structured group and pace to keep together.»
The minimum height is 160 cm (5 ft 3 in); the listing gives no age limit. Hannu from Finland: «Our granddaughter liked the trip very much because the guide was very kind to her.»
Tim from the United States: «Hard to finish the last part of the trip. Not used to that much riding.» The bus is the seated alternative.
This is a guided ride on a set loop. The listing describes no self-guided option and no map to follow on your own.
Pairing it with a day out
The bike ride and the long trips out of the city, in a sensible order.
Most trips on this site are long: 9 to 10.5 hours for Neuschwanstein, Salzburg, Nuremberg, Rothenburg, Königssee and Herrenchiemsee. The bike ride takes 3 hours and will not fit inside one of those days, so the simplest plan is to give them separate days. Check the start times on both listings before you try to squeeze two into one.
The bike ride, the Neuschwanstein full-day trip, the Salzburg and Nuremberg trips by train and the Herrenchiemsee day all start at Dachauer Straße 4: find it once.
A good order is to ride first. A Munich bike tour early in your stay shows you Königsplatz, the Englischer Garten and the Old Town, and the long trips after it take you to castles, lakes and towns elsewhere in Germany, and over the border to Salzburg. If you came looking for a Bavaria bike tour through the countryside, note that this one stays inside Munich.
Before you book
Two minutes on the listing saves trouble on the day of your Munich bike tour.
The minimum height is 160 cm (5 ft 3 in). Check it for every rider in your group.
The listing asks you to check availability for starting times. Pick one that leaves room for the rest of your day.
The local operator’s office at Dachauer Straße 4, 80335 Munich. The ride ends there too.
The guide speaks English. If you need another language, this ride is not for you.
The listing offers free cancellation; check the deadline before you book. You can also reserve now and pay later.
Our verdict
Book it if you want to understand Munich in one half day. For $50 you get a bicycle, a local guide and a loop from Königsplatz through the Englischer Garten to the Old Town, and 420 reviewers rate the Munich bike tour 4.7. David from the United Kingdom: «Brilliant tour. Informative, friendly and a great exploration of the City.»
If you would rather not cycle, take the bus for $27. If you have a whole day, day trips on this site start from $66.
Book direct
The bike ride first, then the seated way round the city, our top pick and the Herrenchiemsee day. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.7 · 420 reviews
★ 4.3 · 4,792 reviews
★ 4.7 · 4,387 reviews
★ 4.9 · 150 reviews
Common questions
There is a height limit: riders must be at least 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) tall. The listing gives no age limit. One reviewer, Hannu from Finland, rode with his granddaughter.
We can only compare what this site lists, and it lists one bike ride. What we can say: 420 reviewers rate it 4.7 out of 5, and they praise the guides by name more than anything else.
No. The tour stops at the Chinese Tower beer garden for refreshments, and the listing does not say who pays. None of the trips on this site include lunch.
No. You meet at Dachauer Straße 4 and finish there. On this site, pickup is included only on the two van trips, to Neuschwanstein and to Königssee.
The listing gives no group size. Of all the trips on this site, only the Neuschwanstein trip by van states a limit, of 8 people.
Yes. The listing offers free cancellation; check the deadline on it before you book. You can also reserve now and pay later.
Go deeper
If you stay in town: the open-top bus, the bike ride and the aquarium.
Which one to pickChoosing by time, budget and interest: castles, cities, lakes or history.
Neuschwanstein comparedThree ways to see the king’s castle from Munich, side by side: coach, van, or with Linderhof.
HerrenchiemseeThe palace on the island in the lake, reached by boat.
SalzburgMozart’s city across the border by train, with a guide on the day.
From Munich: Neuschwanstein Castle Full-Day Trip
★ 4.7 · 4,387 reviews · 10 hours