Chinesischer Turm e.V.Placing, not ranking
Munich's great beer gardens
Hardly any city is as closely tied to the beer garden as Munich. This overview places the big ones by seats, location and character, and says what each is good for.
Beer garden culture
The overview gives the seat counts that the businesses and the city usually quote. They are guide values: beer gardens count differently, and how many people actually find a seat depends on the weather, the seating and events.
Overview
| Beer garden | Seats, approx. | Location | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Königlicher Hirschgarten | 8,000 | Nymphenburg | The largest, with a fallow deer enclosure, popular with families |
| Chinese Tower | 7,000 | English Garden | The second largest, brass music from the tower, in the middle of the park |
| Augustiner-Keller | 5,000 | Arnulfstraße | Old cellar business, dense stand of trees, close to the main station |
| Seehaus | 2,500 | Kleinhesseloher See | On the water, boat hire next door |
| Aumeister | 2,500 | English Garden, northern part | At the quiet northern end of the park, a classic excursion |
| Zum Flaucher | 2,000 | Isar meadows | By the Isar, gravel banks, pointedly unhurried |
What sets them apart
The Hirschgarten: the largest
Around 8,000 seats in the west of the city, with a fenced fallow deer enclosure at the edge that reliably keeps children busy. Because it lies away from the tourist routes, it is surprisingly quiet on weekdays.
The Chinese Tower: the central one
Around 7,000 seats in the middle of the English Garden. What sets it apart is acoustic: the brass band plays from the first floor of the tower, above the heads of the guests. We know of a stage at that height in no other Munich beer garden.
The Augustiner-Keller: the historic one
The name gives it away: a beer cellar lay beneath this garden, and the trees are correspondingly old. If you want to see how a storage cellar became a beer garden, this is the place to sit.
Seehaus and Aumeister: the other two in the park
Both lie in the English Garden, but in different worlds. The Seehaus on the Kleinhesseloher See is the place by the water. The Aumeister lies in the northern part, where the park falls quiet, and is more destination than stopover.
The Flaucher: the river
In the Isar meadows, with the gravel banks at the door. The least staged of the big beer gardens.
What applies everywhere
All the places named regard themselves as traditional beer gardens in the sense of the Bavarian Beer Garden Ordinance. That means your own picnic is allowed in the self-service area, drinks are bought on site, the music ends at 10 pm at the latest and the business at 11 pm.
How many beer gardens Munich has in all cannot honestly be put into one number, because the line between beer garden, inn garden and outdoor seating area is blurred. Estimates vary widely accordingly. The city's reputation as the capital of the beer garden is secure all the same.
And the association?
The Chinesischer Turm e.V. runs none of these beer gardens. It is a heritage association and looks after the culture at the tower. This overview places, it does not recommend; there are no paid placements here.
How to pick the right one
The seat count tells you least about whether a beer garden suits the occasion. Four questions help more.
- With children?
- The Hirschgarten for the fallow deer enclosure, the Chinese Tower for the children's carousel with its carved wooden animals, back in place there since 1913.
- With guests from out of town?
- The Chinese Tower. The park, the pagoda and the music from above explain Munich in an hour.
- For a rest?
- The Aumeister in the northern part or the Flaucher on the Isar. Both lie off the paths people pass along by chance.
- Short on time?
- The Augustiner-Keller. A good ten minutes' walk from the main station, and still an old cellar business with mature trees.
What the seat counts are worth
Capacity figures come from the businesses themselves and are counted in different ways: sometimes only self-service, sometimes including served areas and indoor rooms. At the top the order is undisputed; the exact numbers are not. We therefore give them as orders of magnitude, not to the last seat.
The one thing that exists only here
All of Munich's great beer gardens have trees, beer and Brotzeit. At the Chinese Tower there is also a stage above the heads: on the first floor of the Chinese Tower the brass bands play, right above the garden. That is no verdict on the others, but a structural difference no business can retrofit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest beer garden in Munich?
The Königlicher Hirschgarten, with around 8,000 seats. The beer garden at the Chinese Tower comes second with about 7,000 seats.
How many beer gardens does Munich have?
There is no exact figure, because beer garden, inn garden and outdoor seating area are not sharply distinguished. Estimates vary widely accordingly.
In which beer garden does a brass band play?
At the Chinese Tower, from the first floor of the tower. According to the beer garden, the band plays in good weather on Wednesdays from 4 pm, Fridays from 3 pm, Saturdays from 2 pm and Sundays from noon.
May you bring your own food to all Munich beer gardens?
In traditional beer gardens in the sense of the Bavarian Beer Garden Ordinance, yes, in the self-service area. Drinks are bought on site.