One of the top things we wanted to do in Germany was go to a proper biergarten. On a day trip to Munich from Regensburg we went to Chinesischer Turm, a biergarten in the English Garden in Munich. The English Garden is over 1,000 acres, making it bigger than Hyde Park in London and Central Park in NYC. We walked through the park to get to the biergarten and our local friend told us it was only 15 minutes away about four times. If you don’t fancy a very long walk, consider driving or taking a horse drawn carriage.
Chinesischer Turm is the second largest biergarten in Munich, and has over 7,000 seats! The center of the biergarten has a Chinese Tower (Chinesischer Turm) that was originally built in 1790 and then rebuilt to the same specs in 1952, after it was destroyed in WWII.
Despite it’s size and history, the highlight of this biergarten is the yearly Kocherlball, a festival that’s held yearly to celebrate the cooks and servants of the noble families of the 19th century. It’s the 3rd Sunday in July and thousands of people attend dressed in historical outfits and Bavarian costumes. Unfortunately, we were there at the end of October.
So, on to how to drink at a biergarten. While I’m sure there are biergartens that do things differently, in general, this guide will take the anxiety out of your first visit to a German biergarten.
Most importantly, the general concept will be posted by the entrances to where you buy food and drinks. There may be more than one way in, and you can go in whichever entrance is closest to you.
There are multiple areas where you can order food or drinks. Of course, beer is the most popular choice, but they have soft drinks and coffee/tea, too. Many also offer traditional Germany food. When you see something you want, go to the window and order it. You can go stand by stand, collecting what you want, before heading to the checkout.
Once you have your tray full (or your beer in your hand) head to the cashier and pay. After they tally everything up and you pay, you’ll get a refund coin. Don’t lose this coin while you’re imbibing on German lager. When you’re finished with your beer, you take your empty glass and the coin to the return window and get your deposit back.
Now that you can confidently go to a biergarten, put on your dirndl or lederhosen and prost your friends, new and old, with a German beer!
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