Munich Hirschgarten Running Route

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Length 4.4 km (2.7 miles), terrain: flat

Munich Running Routes:
Best Munich Running Routes: Overview
Englischer Garten
Old town, English Garden, Isar 
Nymphenburg Palace gardens  
Olympiapark  
Isar River south route  
Classical Munich  
Starnberger See lake-side route 
Westpark
Hirschgarten route
For more running routes see the route list.

Here's a short run through a part of Munich that most people never see: from Rotkreuzplatz to the Hirschgarten park.

In the Hirschgarten

Rotkreuzplatz is a lively square northwest of the town center, in the Neuhausen neighborhood. It's home to the German Red Cross, and a neighborhood full of restaurants and beergardens.

And luckily, it's close to other great spots like Nymphenburg Palace and the Hirschgarten, the goal of this run.

The Hirschgarten, formerly a royal hunting grounds, has been a public park for over 200 years. And there is still a section fenced off for deer. The park has everything you need in a good park: athletic fields, playgrounds, fountains and gardens, and -- this being Munich -- one really great beergarden.

Between Rotkreuzplatz and Hirschgarten is an old working-class neighborhood with art-deco-style apartment buildings, so even that is scenic.

So, if you want to explore this interesting part of Munich, get yourself to Rotkreutzplatz (easy to get to via the U1 underground or the number 12 tram line).

Market day at Rotkreuzplatz

The square is where Leonrodstraße and Nymphenburgerstraße cross. There is a small but cool beergarden right on the corner, the Jagdschlössl (it's worth trying!). Turn your back to the beergarden and head westwards through the square and then out along Wendl-Dietrich-Straße. There are numerous shops, bakeries, pubs and restaurants along the first few blocks.

Quiet side-streets along the way

Then it starts getting residential, with old-fashioned apartment blocks leading off from both sides of the street. The buildings have a homey feeling to them with their various art-deco details. I actually like to zig-zag down and back up some of these little side-streets as I make my way westwards, and it adds a bit more distance.

Art-deco-era apartments

The street ends at Steubenplatz, where you turn left to run one more block to the big intersection at Arnulfstraße and its tram line.

You'll see the Hirschgarten park across the street on the right. This is the 1-kilometer mark.

Cross Arnulfstraße and then turn right to run westwards into Hirschgarten.

Hirschgarten entrance: turn left here to loop the park

You'll immediately find yourself at a little formal garden full of fountains and benches. But turn left here to head south along the eastern edge of the park, following a paved footpath.

After a while, the trail will start curving to the right, heading westwards. You'll pass a skate-board park, soccer fields and playgrounds.

The water-slides

When you're almost at the west side of the park, at the 2-km mark, you'll see a playground with metal palm trees on the right, then some water slides. Turn right there and run north.

Just past the little playground, you'll come to the fence for the deer-preserve, and you'll see the animals grazing within.

Grazing deer: you didn't expect that in the city, I'll bet

Now follow the fence northwards and you'll soon be running right through the big biergarten, one of the best in town (make a point of coming back to this friendly spot!).

The biergarten on a subdued, rainy evening

At the restaurant building, turn right and start heading eastwards along the northern end of the park.

At the 3-km-mark, you'll come to the formal garden, with its fountains, and in a few steps you'll be back at Steubenplatz.

The gardens with fountains

Now just cross Arnulfstraße again and follow Wendl-Dietrich-Straße back to the start. Nice little run!