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The best coves in Mallorca
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Culture
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Culture
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The great hallmark of the site is its roof, designed by architects Günther Behnisch and Frei Otto. Composed of methacrylate structures, tensioned as if they were giant sails, it covers both the Olympic Stadium and the pavilion, and at the time it was designed with the intention of conveying lightness and transparency, breaking with the monumentalism of totalitarian regimes.
Another of the most prominent elements is the Olympiaturm, the telecommunications tower that, despite not having been built for the Games, ended up being baptised with its name, becoming the most famous viewpoint in the city, with a 190-metre-high platform that offers spectacular views, reaching as far as the silhouette of the Bavarian Alps when it is clear.
Water also plays an important role with the Olympiasee, the artificial lake that occupies the centre of the park, and which is a place where Munich residents gather to walk, run, exercise, or simply lie down to sunbathe. Furthermore, during the summer months, you can rent small boats, just like in Madrid's Retiro Park.
And then there is the Olympiaberg hill, formed literally from the rubble of the war. Climbing to its summit rewards you with one of the best panoramic views of the entire site, with the stadium and the roofs at your feet, as well as the Olympia-Alm, the highest-altitude beer garden in all of Munich.
To save you time, here are my recommendations on how to get to the Olympiapark. Keep in mind that it is not right in the centre, so public transport is the best option.
Address:
The park is located in the Milbertshofen-Am Hart district, in the area known as Oberwiesenfeld, north of Munich's historic centre.
Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21, 80809 München, Germany.
How to get to the Olympiapark:
The most comfortable way to go is by underground, using the U3 line, which connects directly to the Olympiazentrum station (located in the heart of the site), with a journey of approximately 20-25 minutes from Marienplatz. You can also use tram line 20, which stops at Olympiapark West (ideal if you are coming from the Central Station).
If you prefer to walk from the centre, calculate a little over 1 hour of walking. If you have enough time or fancy renting a bicycle, you can take the opportunity to deviate and visit the English Garden, although keep in mind that they are not right next to each other (they are about 45 minutes apart on foot). In addition, right next to the arrival underground station is the BMW Welt complex and its museum, a perfect stop to combine.
Parking at the Olympiapark:
If you plan to go by car, the site has the Parkharfe car park, which you can access from the north via Georg-Brauchle-Ring street.
Olympiapark opening hours:
The Olympiapark is a public park, so access is completely free and it is open every day, 24 hours a day, so you won't have to worry about opening times. My advice is to visit it in the mid-afternoon so you can climb its hill, watch the sunset, and contemplate the illuminated stadium.
There are facilities on the site such as the SEA LIFE aquarium, the ice sports centre, or the Olympic swimming pool that do charge an entrance fee and have their own opening and closing times. Note that the Olympic Tower (Olympiaturm) is currently closed for renovation works.
Map of the Olympiapark:
The architecture of the roofs is what stands out most in the opinions of travellers about the Olympiapark, who agree that it is much more surprising in person than when you see it in photos, especially if you take into account that it is a construction from the seventies.
The walk around the lake and the climb to Olympiaberg also stand out as very positive experiences, especially for those looking for a quiet plan in the city.
In addition to knowing what to do in the Olympiapark, to avoid any surprises, follow these recommendations:
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If you are going to spend the day in this area, you will love to know that not too far away you have some of the most interesting points to visit in the whole city.
Just across the street is BMW Welt, with its striking futuristic architecture of glass and steel. Access is completely free and it functions as a spectacular interactive showroom where you can see the latest models and prototypes from BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce. Next door, in an iconic building shaped like a silver bowl, is the BMW Museum, which covers more than a century of motoring history; general admission to the museum costs around 10 € (closed on Mondays). If you are a motor enthusiast, it is a mandatory stop.
Towards the southeast, about an hour's walk (or about 15 minutes by bicycle), is the English Garden, another of Munich's great green lungs, famous for being larger than Central Park. Its best-known point is the Eisbachwelle, a permanent and artificial surf wave in the Eisbach stream where you will see professional surfers at any time of the year. Furthermore, the park is ideal for relaxing and having a drink in its iconic beer garden (Biergarten) next to the Chinese Tower.
About 25 minutes by public transport (you can take bus 144 from the park and connect with tram 16 or 17) is the Nymphenburg Palace. This impressive and imposing baroque building was the former summer residence of the Wittelsbach dynasty. It has a large central canal with swans and extensive gardens with a symmetrical design that are completely opposite to the sporting and modern landscape of the Olympiapark. Access to the gardens is free, but entering the palace costs around 10 €.
At the other end of the direct route of the U3 underground line (about 20 minutes away), in Marienplatz, which is the central square and the heart of Munich's old town, is the New Town Hall in neo-Gothic style. Its biggest attraction is the famous carillon (Glockenspiel), which comes to life with mechanical figures at 11am, 12pm, and 5pm. It is just a few steps from the famous food market Viktualienmarkt, making it an excellent option if you decide to end the day in the heart of the historic centre.
The Olympiapark is not just a beautiful place where you can take some of the best photos of your trip, it is physical proof that an Olympic Games can be much more than a simple sporting event.
Fifty years later, it continues to function as a park, as a sports area, and as a concert venue, something that few Olympic venues in the world can say about themselves.
If you have a free slot in your route through Munich, the Olympiapark will fit perfectly at almost any time of the trip, whether as a first stop as soon as you arrive or as a quiet closing before you leave the city.
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In 1972, Munich aimed to leave behind the image of the 1936 Berlin Games and show the world a different Germany, much more open and democratic. The Olympiapark is the result of those games, which, more than half a century later, has become one of the city's great green spaces.
Interestingly, much of what we associate today with the Munich Olympic Games was not even built with them in mind. For example, the Olympiapark tower was approved in 1964 as a simple telecommunications antenna, two years before the city even knew it would host the Olympic event.
The rest of the site was indeed built expressly for the event, on land that had previously belonged to the military air force and which, after the Second World War, was used to accumulate rubble from the bombed city.
That unique past explains the undulating landscape you encounter when walking through the Munich Olympic Park, where there are artificial hills, a central lake, and an architecture of translucent roofs that was a real revolution for the time and is one of its most characteristic features.
With its nearly 85 hectares, much more than just a sporting memory, the Olympiapark München is one of the city's great meeting points and one of the sites to visit in Munich, and in this guide, I will tell you what you will find and how to organise your visit.
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All-terrain writer specialising in tourism, fashion and trends. A curious soul, traveller, reader and sports enthusiast, keen to discover every corner of the world.
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