Surfing the Eisbach Wave in Munich English Garden

Munich lies hundreds of kilometres from the nearest sea, yet it has one of the best known surf spots in Europe. At the southern entrance to the Englischer Garten, the Eisbach, a fast artificial arm of the Isar, rushes under a road bridge and rises into a standing wave roughly a metre high. Surfers ride it in place while the water flows past beneath them.

River surfing on a standing wave is different from riding ocean swells. The wave never moves and never breaks in the usual sense, so surfers drop in from the bank, ride until they fall or step off, and then rejoin the queue on the opposite side. On a busy day the etiquette is strict and self-policed, with riders taking turns in an orderly rotation from both banks.

The Eisbach wave has been surfed since the 1970s and was for a long time tolerated rather than formally permitted; today it is an accepted and celebrated part of the city identity, and the surfers riding it are one of the sights every visitor ends up photographing. The wave runs day and night, all year round, and in winter it is not unusual to see surfers in thick wetsuits amid falling snow.

It is important to be clear that this is not a spot for beginners. The channel is narrow, the current is strong, the water is cold, and the concrete bed lies close beneath the surface, so only experienced surfers should attempt it and the city posts warnings to that effect. Casual swimmers should stay out entirely.

For everyone else, the pleasure is in watching. There is a viewing spot on the bridge and the banks where crowds gather to see the riders work the wave, and it costs nothing. A few minutes at the Eisbach is one of the most distinctive free experiences in Munich, and it sits right at the start of a walk into the great park beyond.