February 18-22: Travel and Leisure Fair in Munich 2026

Travel and Leisure Fair "Free"

A major leisure fair in Munich will showcase how the desire for travel has changed, starting February 18th – Crete will be the partner country in 2026

From February 18th to 22nd, 2026, at the Munich Trade Fair Center in Riem, Travel and Leisure Fair Motorcycle Exhibition and Auto days  (Español, Deutsch, English, Italiano, Français)

Munich. The major travel and leisure fair "Free" has been held for 55 years and will launch on February 18th, 2026, concurrently with IMOT (motorcycle show) and the Munich Auto Days at the Munich Trade Fair Center. Over 900 exhibitors from 50 countries will present the latest innovations from all areas of leisure, including camping, cycling, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), climbing, and diving. The fair will also address the desire for new forms of travel, helping with vacation planning. As surveys – a representative YouGov survey commissioned by the travel and leisure fair – show, the desire for "nature and tranquility when choosing a vacation" is a central theme this year. The beautiful island of Crete will be highlighted as the partner region of the travel fair this year. From February 18th to 22nd, 2026, the inspiration and orientation platform for relaxed, exciting, and individual leisure and vacation planning will attract many visitors to Munich-Riem. Homepage: free-muenchen.de

 

Lake Starnberg – View from Ammerland towards Seeshaupt and the Alps, Photo: February 11, 2026, A. Waess – Press Photo Archive

A closer look at the survey

• Wellness and relaxation trips have seen particularly strong growth. 22 percent of those who wouldn't have booked such a trip 10 years ago now appreciate them.
• Cruises (18 percent), camping and van life (17 percent), as well as solo trips and city breaks (15 percent each) are also now popular with many who would have ruled out such trips previously.
• For almost 40 percent of respondents, budget and price trends are the most important factors influencing their future travel and leisure activities.
• Around a quarter cite the desire for more nature and tranquility as a key driver.

"The results clearly show that travel behavior is becoming more individualized and is no longer a fixed ritual," say Stefan Rummel and Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Managing Directors of Messe München. "Depending on one's life circumstances, needs change. f.re.e offers precisely the guidance and comparison that people are looking for today. As the leading travel and leisure fair, it has been delivering genuine experiences and new ideas for 55 years."

 

Art and Culture Blog Cover: Lake Starnberg with its Alpine panorama – Bavaria offers everything from water sports to alpine climbing and cycling tours, Photo: A. Waess (February 11, 2026) – Press Photo Archive

Partner Region Crete

Half of those surveyed know that Crete is the largest island in Greece. However, its diverse landscapes and climates are often underestimated.

While around a third associate Crete with one of the oldest and healthiest cuisines in Europe, only 29 percent are aware of its different climate zones – from the high mountains to the Mediterranean coast.

The 2026 Leisure Fair will specifically highlight this multifaceted nature.

It will present Crete as a travel destination that combines active holidays, nature experiences, and culinary delights – making it an ideal fit for the fair's thematic areas.

Lake Starnberg with its Alpine panorama – Bavaria offers everything from water sports to alpine climbing and cycling tours. Photo: A. Waess (February 11, 2026) – Press Photo Archive

Travel and Leisure Fair "Free"

Location: Messe München, Messestadt East/West

Dates 2026: February 18–22 (Wed–Sun)

Getting there: U2 subway to "Messestadt Ost" or "Messestadt West".

Highlights 2026: The IMOT(motorcycle exhibition) and Munich Auto Days will take place concurrently.

Excursion tip: Munich and Starnberg

Excursion tip: every visitor to Munich should see Lake Starnberg

Anyone who visits Munich will quickly find a few quiet hours outside the city by the lake with a view of the mountains

 

Starnberger See: Anyone who lives here is on holiday

Munich and Starnberg Lake - a train of thought. Incredible. Where otherwise only a quiet rustling sound can be heard, the waves are rushing on the beach in Ambach. A pleasant wind caresses your skin and a shady spot under a tree protects you from direct sunlight. From time to time the seagulls squawk in lively conversation. - By the way, Ammerland has the most beautiful campsite right on the lake!

Lake Starnberg, photo: Helga Waess (archive)

From here you swim directly towards the mountains

So I sit here and leave the metropolis behind me. The sun glitters on the moving lake. Just enough to understand what the storyteller meant when he wrote:

    It sparkles on the water as if a dwarf had sunk his silver treasure into the lake and it was shining from below.

Sailing boats pass opposite, not far from the bank, past the Buchheim Museum. A surfer does his laps in front of the backdrop of the Alps, which are still covered in snow here and there. Every now and then he lifts himself off the water with his board and floats a few meters.

Children play on the shore. Brave people go into the water at any time of the year.

A cool breath pleasantly caresses my face. You can almost smell the clean air. It's hard to believe that your vacation begins just a few kilometers from Munich.

After a morning at the PC, your eyes will recover quickly. For me it is one of the most beautiful places I know. The wide view of the Alpine chain, in front of it the glittering blue of Lake Starnberg with the Seeshaupter backdrop, the eternal rushing of the water and your head is clear. The morning saved on hard drive and far away.

A small motorboat comes alongside from the direction of Starnberg. The fisherman casts his net in the middle of the lake. It takes a while, but then he accelerates again towards Starnberg. The small boat cuts through the water. The surfer quickly hangs into his slipstream and seems to fly over the water for a few minutes.

A man with a really large dog, a mix between a St. Bernard and a Leonberger, approaches and heads towards the water. The animal greedily slurps the cool water. I put my writing material aside, close my eyes and listen.

Yes, anyone who lives here is on vacation!

Lake Starnberg, photo: Helga Waess (archive)

Munich - excursion tip: swimming in the Isar at Brauneck

Excursion tip: take the Bavarian Regiobahn (BRB) towards Bayerischzell to the upper reaches of the Isar

Swimming in the ISAR in Munich or in Lengries! It couldn't be more refreshing!

Insider tip: from Munich to the Isar in the Bavarian Oberland

 
Munich. It's summer in the city. What do you do in Munich, which the locals affectionately call MINGA? The people of Munich like to be on the Isar! He hikes or cycles along the Isar bank path or is happy when the Isar meadows are shown in the TV crime drama “Hubert ohne Staller” or previously “Hubert und Staller”. But: Where does the Isar water come from that refreshes people here in Munich when the outside temperature is over 30 degrees? The Isar rises with a water temperature of five degrees in the beautiful Karwendel Mountains - and here from three sources. Then it flows further and rushes to cozy Munich via the beautiful town of Mittenwald via Lengries and Bad Tölz to Wolfratshausen. Here it flows past Munich's Hellabrunn Zoo, which is always worth a visit because it is one of the most renowned zoos in Europe, thanks to its scientists. It flows through the city past the German Museum, passes numerous beaches before bubbling briskly into the English Garden. You should at least see the ice wave here - it's amazing how many hours of fun water sports enthusiasts spend on this wave. Our beautiful river flows from Munich towards Plattling, where the Isarwasser flows into the Danube after 295 kilometers. - By the way, the Danube is sometimes called the white sausage equator because white sausage breakfasts are common on the south side of the wide river all the way to the Alps. (There is an article in this blog about this: Weisswurst is a cultural asset in Bavaria!!!  Weißwurst ist in Bayern  ein Kulturgut!!!  ITALIANO, ENGLISH)  We are going to Lengries, where swimming in the Isar is particularly refreshing!

The clear water of the Isar is inviting when the outside temperature is 30 degrees in Lengries (near Bad Tölz) to swim - not just the ducks, photo: Helga Waess

 

 So packed your swimsuit and headed to Munich Central Station

 
... and off we go with the Bavarian Regiobahn (BRB) towards Bayerischzell, with a stopover in Lengries. If you have your bike with you, you can cycle to Wegscheid. The BRB trains are divided into three target trains. The section at the front in the direction of travel goes to Bayrischzell - by the way, the train goes via Schliersee train station, where some Schliersee trains end! We stay in the middle part and end up in Lenggries. Anyone who got in at the back can get out in Tegernsee! Also a tip and a must for visitors to Munich or Bavaria. The Tegernsee brewery is known nationwide! The Herzoglich Bayerisches Brauhaus Tegernsee also invites you to linger.

 We go swimming in the Isar and build a water mill

Why don't you even build a water mill? That's what the designer of this functioning rattlesnake mill in the upper reaches of the Isar behind Bad Tölz thought.
 
The cool Isar water immediately refreshes your feet. Here on the bank in Wegscheid under the Brauneck there are still a few lonely places that encourage children and adults to create creative buildings.
 

And the hang gliders that take off from Brauneck fly circles in the sky

 
By the way, you can quickly reach lofty heights from Wegscheid with the Brauneck cable car. The mountain view, the air and also the hut with the Bavarian snack platter (the snack platter includes not only coleslaw, sausage salad, Obazda but also hearty white sausages and fresh bread) are highly recommended.

water mill, photo: Helga WAess

 

We are building our watermill at the foot of the mountain!

water mill, photo: Helga WAess

You wouldn't believe how quickly your imagination can lead to such a construction using just a few materials and in the right place.

our water mill, photo: Helga WAess

 

What it took wasn't much. A bit of flotsam, a wire and a little skill. Well, some children may need a source of ideas and a great helper.

our water mill, photo: Helga WAess

our water mill, photo: Helga WAess

Standing in the cool water of the Isar is definitely a way to cool off. The air in the Oberland near Bad Tölz provides the oxygen shower. You can swim from time to time. Then a fish jumps or a few ducks pass by. There are restaurants and beer gardens nearby and the health resort of Bad Tölz delights with its location.


And if you have a boat, you can overcome the rapids here with a little practice.

Boats keep passing by. Isar near Bad Tölz, photo: Helga Waess

Isar river with small, cool bathing opportunities, photo: Helga Waess

Isar in the Oberland, photo: Helga Waess

A few years ago the first stone towers were built on the Isar. Its construction is simple and a must for every visitor to the Isar.

Small tower seen from below, very large, photo: Helga Waess

A high cross made of willow branches and wooden flotsam and jetsam is particularly eye-catching here on the upper reaches of the Isar in Wegscheid

Cross made of willow trunks, photo: Helga Waess