More and more businesses in Munich are focusing on measures such as regional value creation, short supply chains, travel by train, public transport, cycling or on foot, and organic food. Sustainable tourism offers opportunities to conserve resources, make use of regional offerings and reduce private motorised transport. In Munich, there are many companies implementing specific measures to promote greater environmental and social responsibility and resource-efficient experiences, so there is always something new to discover in this regard too.
Stay in one of the many hotels with documented energy and resource efficiency measures, and explore the Bavarian capital by bike, thereby avoiding private motorised transport. Be inspired by our tips and suggestions for a more resource-efficient stay in Munich!
- Environmentally friendly arrival
- Mobile in Munich
- Explore attractions
- Gastronomy
- Evening programme: Cinema and cabaret
- Shopping
- Organics in the English Garden
- Projects in Munich’s Werksviertel (area)
- Experience nature
- Excursions in and around Munich
At first glance, Munich already strikes you as a relaxed and green city, thanks to its parks and the many people cycling around. On closer inspection, however, the wide variety of different projects, events, shopping opportunities and initiatives reveals that the city is becoming more sustainable bit by bit – with a focus on regional and seasonal produce, measures to reduce energy and resource consumption, and options for travelling by train, as well as good public transport links.
Train: With the train connections of the Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) you can reach Munich's main railway station in a relaxed manner. From here, all S-Bahn lines as well as several bus/tram and underground lines continue to the various districts of Munich.
Bus: The ZOB Munich is one of the most modern bus stations in Germany with direct connections to a Europe-wide network of long-distance bus destinations. Numerous destinations in Germany and throughout Europe are served daily.
MVV Munich: The Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund GmbH (MVV) includes the Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG), which is responsible for the underground, trams and buses, and the Munich S-Bahn, which belongs to the Deutsche Bahn family and connects the city with the surrounding area.
Munich Card and City Pass: The two official guest cards help to explore the city with its diverse range of art, culture and leisure activities by public transport with a wide range of reductions, discounts as well as free admission.
Scooter sharing also offers a way to discover the city with scooters and pedal scooters in Munich. A driving licence is required for the conventional electric scooters, but the electric pedal scooters can be used from the age of 14.
Call a Bike in Munich is offered by Deutsche Bahn and after registering you can get all the other information on how and where to rent a bike in the app. For tourists, the Starter tariff is recommended, which runs entirely without a subscription or contract.
MyRadl is a regional bike-sharing scheme for Munich and the surrounding MVV region. It offers around 1,000 stations with a total of over 6,700 bicycles and e-bikes. Bicycles can be hired via three different apps. They can be returned to any of the numerous MyRadl stations in and around Munich.
City walks: You can walk the different districts of the city with their sights either from east to west or from north to south and of course shorten or combine the tours.
On foot: In four hours, you can easily explore the Old Town and the adjoining Glockenbachviertel (district). First, stroll across Marienplatz (main square) towards Viktualienmarkt (food market), where regional, seasonal and fresh produce, as well as souvenirs are sold.
Guided tour: “Munich is getting better”: This solidarity-ecological walk through the city leads to interesting spots like the social enterprise of the Kammerspiele Kantine, a special screw and bolt shop that exemplifies traditional Munich crafts and the weekly market at St. Anna Platz.
At the Klinglwirt many of the ingredients are organically grown and sourced locally. The menu also features vegetarian dishes – such as organic spinach dumplings and Schupfnudeln with organic sauerkraut – whilst the meat used in dishes such as beer goulash, schnitzel and the like comes from animals reared in accordance with their species’ needs in the local area.
Gourmet restaurant Beetle by Käfer (delicatessen shop): The creations are purely vegetarian/vegan and leave no wishes unfulfilled – climate-friendly cuisine, awarded a green star.
Giesinger Grünspitz: In the joint project with Green City e.V., and co-designed by the neighbourhood, an open space under chestnut trees has been offered as a public area for several years. Food and drink are available at the kiosk on site, or you can provide your own. A programme is also regularly put together, including film evenings, readings or small concerts.
Roecklplatz: This much acclaimed restaurant is a cooperation project between social work and the free economy: Young socially disadvantaged people are trained here, and at least one seat always goes to young refugees. The high-quality menu features delicious classics, but also vegan and vegetarian dishes.
Emmi's Kitchen: In its two branches, there is only vegan food, which you completely forget once you’ve tried the sumptuous pancakes. If you linger a little longer, you can also try a Beyond Meat burger for lunch - the operators were the first in Munich to specialise in this.
The Muffatwerk, with its beer garden on the banks of the Isar, is a certified organic establishment (DE-Öko-006) serving classic beer garden dishes with Mediterranean influences, as well as light vegetarian dishes.
Weinberg in Obergiesing: The fine wines poured for the wine tasting here come directly from sustainable family-run wineries. You will certainly take along a bottle as a souvenir!
Visit a café supplied by a Munich roastery or a restaurant with a focus on vegan regional dishes. You’ll find a great selection here.
Charming cinemas: Visit one of the charming independent cinemas. Munich locals regularly campaign for the preservation of these cultural institutions - such as the "Studio Isabella", which is over 100 years old.
Cabaret theatres: Many of them are long-standing in Munich’s cultural scene, family-run and with great attention to detail.
The Glockenbach and Gärtnerplatz districts: Just a few minutes’ walk from the Viktualienmarkt, boutiques of all sizes stocking fair-trade fashion labels are waiting to be discovered. About Given and akjumii offer fair-trade fashion and accessories. In Eva Simon`s shop-studio, high-quality fabrics are transformed into made-to-measure garments or workwear. At Saskia Diez you can buy locally made jewellery crafted from responsibly sourced materials (recycled precious metals), whilst the lovely nkm shop stocks vegan natural cosmetics – made in Munich from pure, regional ingredients. You’ll also find other organic labels, children’s toys and stationery at Auryn. If you’d like to delve deeper into the subject, you can book a guided tour with Green Fashion Tours – not only to locate the various shops, but also to chat with sustainable designers. If it’s a hot summer’s day, why not sample some vegan flavours at Eiscafé Eismeer!
We also recommend a stroll through Munich’s high-quality second-hand shops – after all, buying second-hand extends the lifespan of high-quality products.
Alternatively, you can stroll through the city's flea markets, many of which are held in the beautiful backyards of the Haidhausen or Westend districts. Information on when these take place can be found here.
If you are spending a whole day in Munich and the weather is good, you can plan a walk through the English Garden. The green space is one of the largest inner-city parks in the world and is very diverse, with surfers on the Eisbachwelle (river wave) in the south and the wild, sprawling Nordteil (northern part). Good places for a pause include the beer garden of the traditional Milchhäusl, where exclusively organic Bavarian dishes are served.
Take public transport or a bike to Ostbahnhof (Munich East) station and check out the emerging Werksviertel-Mitte (area). This is where creative people put their heads together to come up with exciting concepts for resource conservation, land use and reuse, such as the Almschule on the roof of WERK3, as well as interim and secondary uses.
Museum Mensch und Natur: With over 200,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most visited state museums in Bavaria and one of the best-attended history museums in Germany.
Schlosspark Nymphenburg (Nymphenburg Palace park): The park is not only known for its idyllic layout, but also for its rare animal and plant species: A total of 17 mammal and 175 bird species live here, including bats, grass snakes and buzzards. Our author took a look around.
Ökologisches Bildungszentrum (Ecological education centre): This multi-award-winning centre is all about environmental education and the question of how Munich can develop sustainably. There is a varied programme that is also aimed at children and young people, and when the weather is fine, there is plenty to discover on the adjacent outdoor grounds with a play area and wetland biotopes.
Relax on a walk through the rose garden or on an interesting wild herb hike, where you will learn how many edible plants grow wild in the middle of the city and along the Isar river.
From the end of May to the end of October, the BergBus runs every Saturday, Sunday and on public holidays in Munich: From Ostbahnhof, take line 396 towards Bayrischzell to Thiersee in Tyrol, and from Munich-Pasing, take line 996 to Pfronten in the Allgäu region to the district of Weilheim-Schongau. You can find the exact departure times and seat reservation options in the MVV app. The Deutschlandticket is valid on both bus lines!
Walderlebniszentrum Grünwald (Forest Experience Centre): The adventure centre with a wide range of self-discovery activities is open seven days a week all year round, i.e. the surrounding forest, the wild boar enclosure and the adventure trails can be visited at any time.
Deutsches Museum: Visit one of the largest science museums in the world, Deutsches Museum, especially the "Man and the Environment" exhibition (closed due to renovation).
Fünf-Seen-Land (five-lake country): How about walking in the footsteps of Sisi from Possenhofen to Tutzing? Or hop on the Bayerische Regiobahn railway (BRB) and travel a little further, for example to Lake Tegernsee. Here you can read about how the Tegernsee Valley is focusing, amongst other things, on regional transport services, nature conservation measures and regional value creation. A highlight is definitely the tour with e-mountain bikes along forest roads and side roads, with regional delicacies waiting for you at various farms.
