Munich City Guide

Page 25

Munich City Guide

Recreation (Nature, Lakes and Parks)

Public Parks

The

Englischer Garten

with its shaded paths that follow the river is a popular area with locals for

sunbathing, sports and hanging out in the beer gardens. Other attractions of the most traditional

Munich park are the artificial lake, the stream, the Japanese Tea House and the Chinese Tower.

Some beautiful attractions of the

West Park

were originally built for the National Garden Show in

1983.The park is well-equipped with a small lake, an excellent playground and a beer garden. In the

summer months magical outdoor performances take place on the lakeside. The facilities of the

Olympia Park

are open to the public and consist of swimming, skating, cycling and various other

sports programs and leisure activities.

Lakes near Munich

Unterschleißheimer See

probably has the sandiest beach of all the lakes near Munich. It is also

safe for swimming, as children can stay in their depth up to 50 meters from the shore. At its deepest

point the lake measures 14 meters.

Karlsfelder See

is located northwest of Munich. There are no sandy beaches but it is an excellent

place to take children. There are two children's play areas, plus tennis, table tennis, and even an

adventure playground. The water is clear and the beer garden serves great snacks.

Feringasee

is one of the most popular beaches in Munich. It has good facilities, including a beer

garden, a sandy play area for children, snack bars and a restaurant. There is also a separate nudist

area and the lake is a paradise for windsurfers. On a nice weekend it is advisable to get there early.

Neufahrner Mühlseen:

North of Munich is the "

Freizeit Dorado

" - three lakes called the

Neufahr-

ner Mühlseen

. Each lake serves a different purpose: one is for surfing, one is for bathing, and the

third is for nature lovers to enjoy. There is a series of attractive walks, and a chance to see rare

plants and animals and a special island for waterfowl and frogs.

Feldmochinger See:

This is one of the few beaches that caters for handicapped people. Facilities

include ramps and a machine to raise and lower swimmers into the water. There is no sand, but

there are over 70 hectares of grassy bank. It has also a popular separate nudist area.

Wörthsee:

Wörthsee

is 30 km southwest of Munich. It has three pebbly public beaches (at

Steinebach

Oberndorf

and

Walchstadt

) and three private beaches with excellent facilities. In

Strandbad Raabe

you can rent rowing boats, electric boats or pedalos.

Strandbad Fleischmann

and

Paradies-Winkel

have sailing and windsurfing schools. It is a great place for swimming (the lake is

one of Bavaria's warmest) and for walking. It takes two and a half hours to circle the lake. There is

an eleven kilometres walk around the nearby Wesslinger See, with many restaurants en route.