Munich Runners Discover 4 Best Routes Through Iconic Parks

Munich pairs one of the world's largest urban parks with a scenic river greenbelt and an Olympic legacy site. Here are the best running routes in Munich for 2026.

The Englischer Garten

The Englischer Garten offers around 78 kilometres of trails across a park stretching some 6 kilometres north to south, with a popular southern loop from Odeonsplatz of about 6.5 kilometres and a full-park route reaching around 13 kilometres, on mostly paved and crushed-gravel paths with wooded interior dirt trails. It is one of the world's largest urban parks, larger than New York's Central Park, and home to the famous Eisbach standing wave where surfers ride year-round near the Haus der Kunst.

The Isar River Path

The Isar river path is a continuous riverside greenbelt through the city centre, running about 8.7 kilometres north from the Deutsches Museum area to Unterföhring and 5.8 kilometres south to the Tierpark zoo, on gravel and dirt riverside paths with some paved sections, flat, scenic and largely uninterrupted, with a classic Marienplatz-to-Flaucher loop of about 11 kilometres down one bank and back the other.

Olympiapark

Olympiapark offers a roughly 8.4 kilometre paved loop about 5 kilometres north of the centre in Schwabing, on paved paths plus the grassy Olympiaberg hill for climbs. Built for the 1972 Summer Olympics, the Olympiaberg offers panoramic city and Alps views, and it is the start and finish hub of the Munich Marathon.

Nymphenburg and Westpark

Schlosspark Nymphenburg, about 3 kilometres west of the centre, offers outer loops of 5 to 7 kilometres on gravel garden allées and canal-side paths, Munich's calmest and most formal park with baroque palace views. Westpark, about 6 kilometres west, offers a roughly 6 kilometre outer circuit on soft park paths, grass and lakeside trails, with lakes and an authentic Japanese garden, hosting a free 5 kilometre parkrun every Saturday.

Running the Munich Marathon Route

The Munich Marathon, held on 11 October 2026, starts and finishes in the Olympiapark, passing Marienplatz, Sendlinger Tor, the Siegestor, Odeonsplatz and the Englischer Garten, tying the city's marquee running venue back to its 1972 Olympic legacy.

Practical Guide to Running in Munich

The Englischer Garten and Isar river path are the most reliable, most scenic choices for a run at any time of day; Olympiapark is worth the trip for its hill climb and Alps views.

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