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Enclosed by a wall, this 2-km- (1-mile-) wide park extends west from the palace 1.5 km (1 mile). Picturesque pavilions and follies are scattered throughout the park, which has been declared a nature reserve to protect the 300-year-old trees.

With 373 hectares (922 acres), the Englischer Garten is the largest urban park in Germany and the green lung of the city. It serves as a leisure paradise in summer, when thousands lounge in the sun on the expansive meadows, and cyclists, joggers, and roller-bladers zoom along the paths. The surface of the Kleinhesseloher See is dotted with boats, while surfers try their luck on the Eisbach near the Haus der Kunst. For a welcome refreshment, try a cool beer in one of the Beer Gardens at the Chinesischer Turm, the Seehaus, the Hirschau, and the Aumeister. An American, Benjamin Thompson, known as Count Rumford (1753–1814), conceived the idea of the park, which was designed by Ludwig von Sckell as a prime example of classical landscape park design. In 1837, the Monopteros, a mock Greek temple, was built on an artificial hill.

This is one of the most important botanical gardens in the world. Created in the park at Nymphenburg in 1914, some 14,000 plant species from around the globe are cultivated here. In the greenhouses, visitors can embark on journeys to tropical rainforests or arid deserts.

An expanse of 72 hectares (178 acres) has been landscaped with numerous artificial hills, paths, a lake, and ponds. Created for the International Garden Exhibition in 1983, the western section of the park features an impressive East Asian ensemble with Chinese and Japanese gardens, and Thai and Nepalese pagodas. Concerts, plays, and open-air film screenings are presented on the lakeside stage in summer.

In the 17th century, the Hofgarten was laid out on the north side of the Residenz in the style of Renaissance gardens. It is bounded on two sides by long arcades. Rows of mature linden, chestnut, and maple trees provide welcome shade for boule players in summer. Tango aficionados meet at the Temple of Diana – a polygonal pavilion with a shallow dome – for dances on mild summer evenings.

During the 19th century, the former botanical garden was located in this small park. Today, it serves as the perfect oasis to relax in after a shopping spree in the nearby pedestrian zone and city centre.

This park lies directly behind the statue of Bavaria and the Ruhmeshalle, and stretches westward on the Theresienhöhe. It was designed by order of Ludwig I and received its current name after the Bavaria statue was completed in 1850. It is an ideal place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the Oktoberfest.

Created on the occasion of Prince Regent Luitpold’s 90th birthday, the park was expanded in 1950 by a hill built out of rubble, the Luitpoldhügel, which commands a fine view of the city. On clear days, you can see all the way to the Alps.

Stretching between the Neues Schloss in Schleißheim and Schloss Lustheim, this is one of the few gardens from the Baroque era that has retained most of its original form. Enrico Zuccalli (1642–1724) created the basic layout with canals in 1684. Domenique Girard added parterres and a cascade from 1715 onward, creating the tremendous illusion of depth that characterizes the principal axis. The cascade, located in front of the Neues Schloss, was renovated in 1999.

The long stretch of the Isarauen serves as the city’s other green lung. South of the Wittelsbacher Bridge is the rose garden. In addition to many rose species, it features a large collection of exotic trees and shrubs, as well as a small teaching garden with poisonous plants.