Munich: Day-rent rickshaw and explore Munich yourself

Munich is unusually well suited to a self-guided rickshaw day. In the Coolly®, you can pedal from the Olympic Park to Nymphenburg Palace, the Old Town, and the English Garden without splitting up a family or group. It is part bicycle, part pedicab, and part small sightseeing vehicle.

I like the freedom to choose your own speed, and I like the generous eight-hour rental window, from 10 AM to 6 PM. The main consideration is the driver’s job: the motor helps, but starting and steering a loaded three-wheeler takes some strength and practice.

Key points for your Munich day

• One Coolly® carries up to three adults and two children under eight, with one adult riding and two adults sitting as passengers.
• The route links four major Munich sights: Olympic Park, Nymphenburg Palace, the Old Town, and the English Garden.
• A 15-minute lesson matters, especially when starting, turning, and managing the weight of passengers.
• The electric assist covers about 30 to 55 kilometers, depending on pace, stops, and how much you pedal.
• The rental is private and unguided, so you can linger at a palace, stop for food, or skip anything that does not interest you.
• Pickup is near the Olympic Park, but you must collect and return the Coolly® yourself at the store.

What the Coolly® feels like on Munich streets

The Coolly® is a three-wheel electric bicycle with the look of a compact rickshaw. One adult controls the handlebars and pedals at the front, while up to two adults sit behind. Two children up to age eight can also ride, giving families a way to stay together rather than splitting between several standard bicycles.

The motor provides pedal assistance up to 20 km/h. That speed limit is useful in the city. You are not dealing with a fast road vehicle, and the slower pace gives you time to watch for turns, crossings, and other cyclists. The electric help also means you can cover a large part of Munich without treating the day like an athletic challenge.

Still, do not mistake this for effortless driving. The rider handles a wide, heavy vehicle with passengers behind. One useful point from the operating experience is that passenger weight is felt through the handlebars, especially when pulling away. I would take the practice seriously, even if you already ride a bicycle regularly.

The rental team gives you a 15-minute explanation and driving practice before you leave. Use that time to test starting, braking, turning, and judging the width of the Coolly®. A German visitor who rode with a senior passenger found the introduction especially important and noticed the arm effort during the day. That is practical advice, not a reason to avoid the experience.

Seat belts are fitted much as they would be in a car. You also receive a smartphone holder and a charger, so you can use your own phone for navigation without holding it while riding. A Munich city map in German and English includes suggested bicycle routes, which helps take the guesswork out of linking the sights.

Starting near Olympic Park

The store is on Schleißheimer Street at number 181, in a backyard reached by going down through barriers. Look for the green rikschaguide.com and Coolly® sign on the right. The pickup point is about a two-minute drive from Olympic Park and roughly ten minutes by car from the English Garden.

The location makes Olympic Park a sensible first stop. You can collect the vehicle, complete the lesson, and begin with one of Munich’s broadest open areas. The park is known for its sweeping grounds and major sports architecture, but this rental gives you the advantage of moving through the area at your own pace instead of following a fixed group.

You might spend a short time looking around, or use the park as the first leg of a longer circuit. The map provided at pickup is intended to help you connect Olympic Park with the other main stops. Since you are not following a guide, allow a little time to check your route before setting off.

The store can be reached by taxi, bicycle, or tram. The N27 stops at Ackermannstraße. There is no delivery service, so plan around the pickup point. One useful extra noted by a rider is free car parking at the store, but confirm the arrangement when booking because the basic rental information specifically guarantees pickup at the shop, not a separate parking package.

From Olympic Park to Nymphenburg Palace

Nymphenburg Palace gives the day a change of mood. Olympic Park feels open and modern, while the palace area brings you to one of Munich’s grand former royal residences. The route map includes it as one of the principal stops, making it a natural part of a full-day circuit.

The Coolly® is useful here because you can make the ride itself part of the visit. You are not tied to the pace of a walking group, and the eight-hour window lets you decide how long to spend at the palace before continuing. If your group includes children, this flexibility can be worth more than a tightly timed sightseeing program.

Keep in mind that the rental covers the vehicle and route information, not a palace tour or admission. You are responsible for deciding how much time to spend inside or around the site. The lack of a guide means you should not expect historical commentary during the ride.

That tradeoff will suit independent visitors who already know what they want to see. If you need detailed explanations at every monument, a guided tour would offer more context. If you prefer to stop when the group is ready, this arrangement gives you much more control.

Crossing Munich’s Old Town

Munich’s Old Town is the section where the route becomes most useful as a city sampler. You can ride toward the center, see the main urban sights, and pause for food or a walk without having to return to a tour bus timetable.

The Coolly® is limited to 20 km/h, but you still need to pay attention in the center. A three-wheel bicycle is wider than a normal bike, and the rider must make careful turns and allow space around pedestrians and other cyclists. The 15-minute practice helps, but good judgment matters more than speed.

I would treat the Old Town as a stop for parking and walking rather than trying to ride constantly from one landmark to the next. The activity promises access to downtown, not a guided monument-by-monument visit. Use the vehicle to get close, then explore on foot when the streets become crowded or a building deserves more time.

This is also where the phone holder becomes useful. You can follow your route without repeatedly stopping to pull out a phone. The included charger is a small but thoughtful feature for a long day, since navigation can use a lot of battery.

Cruising through the English Garden

The English Garden is one of the strongest reasons to choose this rental. Its paths give you a pleasant contrast to central Munich, and the suggested route includes it as a major part of the day.

You can set a relaxed pace here and make more frequent stops. The electric assist helps preserve energy for the rest of the circuit, while the open setting makes the Coolly® feel less awkward than it might in a tight city street. The route is still self-guided, so follow the supplied map and your phone rather than expecting signs or a guide to direct each turn.

A day that includes Olympic Park, the palace, the Old Town, and the English Garden can cover 30 to 55 kilometers, depending on your route and how often you stop. That range is an estimate of the vehicle’s daily capacity, not a required distance. You can make the day ambitious or keep it short and comfortable.

The English Garden is also a good place to slow down if your group includes older adults or children. One reported outing included a senior passenger and remained enjoyable, but the driver still needs to manage the vehicle carefully. Plan breaks for the rider, not only for the passengers.

How much sightseeing fits into eight hours

The rental period runs from 10 AM to 6 PM, giving you a full day but not unlimited time. Four major areas sound ambitious, and they are. You will have the best chance of seeing them all if you treat the route as a broad Munich overview rather than trying to inspect every attraction in detail.

A practical flow could look like this:

• Start with the operating lesson and a short practice ride.
• Visit Olympic Park while you are already near the store.
• Continue toward Nymphenburg Palace.
• Ride into the Old Town for a meal and a walk.
• Finish with the English Garden, or place it earlier if that better fits your route.

This is only a suggested order. The value of the Coolly® is that you can change it. You might spend longer at Nymphenburg, cut out one stop, or take a longer break without affecting anyone beyond your own group.

The 20 km/h limit also means distances take time. The motor makes the ride easier, but it does not turn Munich into a quick loop. Leave room for navigation mistakes, parking, food, and the return to the store by 6 PM.

What the $159 group price really buys

At $159 for up to three people, the price is for the Coolly® rather than a separate charge per rider. That makes the calculation most favorable for a full group of three adults, or for a family using the two child seats.

For three adults, the cost works out to about $53 each before any optional spending during the day. You also receive the motorized bike, battery, phone holder, phone charger, map, and instruction. Compared with booking several bikes or arranging a private vehicle, the price can be sensible if you value staying together and covering a lot of ground.

The value is weaker if only one person plans to ride for a short time. You are paying for an eight-hour private rental, so the experience makes more financial sense when you use a large share of the day and bring enough people to fill the available seats.

A €150 deposit is required and returned after the rental. Bring it with you. This is separate from the activity price and is one of the few costs you need to prepare before pickup.

Who will enjoy this most

I would recommend the Coolly® to families with young children, friends who want a shared novelty, and small private groups that dislike rigid sightseeing schedules. It is also a good fit if one person is comfortable driving while the others prefer to sit and look around.

The setup can work well for a group with a senior passenger, provided the rider is ready for the steering and starting effort. The seat belts and stable three-wheel format add reassurance, but the driver remains responsible for controlling a loaded vehicle.

I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone expecting a guided history tour. There is no tour guide, and the staff’s role is to teach you to operate the Coolly® and provide route help. You get freedom, not a stream of commentary.

It may also be a poor match for a group that wants a fast ride. The top speed is 20 km/h, and city cycling requires attention. The reward is a shared, unhurried way to connect several parts of Munich, not speed or luxury transport.

Pickup, preparation, and the return ride

The staff speak English and German. You receive the map and driving instruction at the store, and the team explains how to return the vehicle. Several details make the start easier: the phone holder, charging cable, suggested bicycle routes, and clear return instructions all reduce the small stresses that can eat into a self-guided day.

Wear clothing that allows easy movement and arrive ready to practice. The available information does not specify a dress code or special equipment, so the key preparation is the €150 deposit and a navigation-ready phone if you plan to use your own route.

Keep an eye on time as the day progresses. Returning by 6 PM matters, especially if you have taken the long route through all four areas. The ability to travel up to 55 kilometers does not mean you should use every kilometer. A shorter circuit with time to stop will usually feel better than rushing back at the end.

The activity has free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled time, and you can reserve while paying later. Those terms help if your Munich plans are still shifting, but they do not change the need to arrange your own transport to the store.

Should you book the Munich Coolly® rental?

Book it if you want to share the ride, see several sides of Munich in one day, and make your own decisions about stops. The strongest features are the private format, the large seating capacity, the English and German instruction, and the route map connecting Olympic Park, Nymphenburg Palace, the Old Town, and the English Garden.

Before booking, choose your driver carefully. The vehicle is easy to operate once explained, but it is not weightless, and starting with passengers requires some force and control. If that sounds manageable, $159 can be good value for a group of three using most of the eight-hour rental.

Skip it if you want a traditional guided tour, detailed commentary, or a quick transfer between sights. Choose it if the idea of making Munich your own day by day, turn by turn, sounds more appealing than following someone else’s schedule.

FAQ

How long is the Coolly® rental?

The rental lasts eight hours, from 10 AM to 6 PM.

How many people can ride the Coolly®?

The vehicle holds up to three adults, with one adult driving and two adults as passengers. It can also carry a maximum of two children up to age eight.

Is a tour guide included?

No. You drive the Coolly® yourself. The rental includes a 15-minute instruction and driving practice, plus a Munich map with suggested bicycle routes.

What sights does the suggested route include?

The supplied day route includes Olympic Park, Nymphenburg Palace, Munich’s Old Town, and the English Garden.

Where do I pick up the Coolly®?

Pickup is at the store in the backyard at Schleißheimer Street 181. Go down through the barriers and look for the green rikschaguide.com and Coolly® sign on the right.

Do I need to bring a deposit?

Yes. Bring a €150 deposit. It is paid back after the rental.