Five free things to do in Munich

We list five fun free (or very cheap) things to do in the city of Munich, Germany.

Stroll around the English Garden

This beautiful, city centre park is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle and go for a stroll. There are big grassy expanses of parkland (sometimes popular with sunbathing nudists), a picturesque river and weir, formal flower gardens, trees that look stunning in autumn and a Chinese pagoda. At the bottom is a large beer garden that is the perfect spot to reward yourself with a stein of beer and a salty oversized pretzel.

Museum Brandhorst

Although not quite free, this museum of modern art costs only one euro to get in on a Sunday and offers access to more than 60 works by Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Gerhard Richter, Bruce Nauman, Damien Hirst and Joseph Beuys. It opened in May 2009 in a building designed by the architects Sauerbruch Hutton.
www.museum-brandhorst.de

Viktualienmarkt

If you're feeling peckish, stocking up for a picnic or just trying to work up an appetite, visit this food market to feast on Bavarian specialities. You will find Bavarian Schweinshax'n (pork knuckle) and Speck (smoked Black Forest ham) and local cheeses on the open-air stalls. Browsing continues next door in the historic Schrannenhalle, a wrought-iron market hall which once housed grain sellers but now contains a market, shops and restaurants.

Museum of Man and Nature

This natural history museum is another of Munich's museums that offers entrance for a mere euro on Sundays. It combines modern interactive and traditional exhibits with a "hands-on" section.
It sits adjacent to the Botanical Gardens and the grounds of the Nymphenburg Palace.
www.musmn.de/starteng.htm

St Peter's Church Tower

A climb up the 306 steps of St Peter's Church does not cost a cent and is well worth it for the views of the city from the top, if only to plot your course between beer halls. It has a splendid alter and also contains the strange gilt and jewel-covered skeleton of St Mundita, seated on a cushion. It is Munich's oldest church, dating from 1180.