Having had the singularly unfortunate luck to have last visited Munich smack in-between Oktoberfest and their advent markets, I was determined to experience at least one proper Christmas Market before leaving the city. It was kind of my white whale.
Now, being as this visit to Munich was part of a larger, more complicated trip, the dates didn’t quite work out in my favor, but I was able to squeeze a visit into the very first morning of the Christmas festival season before I was on a train to my next destination- and more Christmas markets, so don’t feel too bad about it!
Eiszauber at the Karlsplatz-Stachus
Nov 24, 2023 – Jan 14, 2024
Our first visit was to the Eiszauber at Karlsplatz-Stachus, which is a huge ice rink open to visitors of all ages. Although we didn’t have time to skate ourselves, the pricing was fairly reasonable, at around 11€ per adult, and 7€ to rent skates. While there are no market stalls in this area, skaters and their companions are welcome to warm up with warm drinks and a bite to eat in the nearby chalets.
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Christkindlmarkt München
Nov 27 – Dec 24, 2023
Just a few minutes walk from Karlsplatz, Marienplatz hosts Munich’s most popular market- Christkindlmarkt München. Scores of festively decorated wooden stalls are set in the shadow of the gothic Neues Rathaus and a 25 meter tall Christmas tree. This is a great place to buy holiday decorations- there were a myriad of beautiful, delicate things that would absolutely not survive our following weeks of travel and were left behind with regret. Instead, I had a healthy breakfast of hot chocolate and an apple fritter to get my day started right.
The Kripperlmarkt offshoot of this market is just across square next to St. Peter’s Church and is the perfect place to get authentic Nativity scenes and accessories. You can also climb to the top of St. Peter’s Church for a great bird’s eye view of the Christkindlmarkt and surrounding city.
If you time your visit right, you may be treated to a Glockenspiel performance in the tower of Neues Rathaus at 11am and noon daily! Historically, I’m not impressed by these huge clock performances (looking at you, Prague!), but Munich’s Glockenspiel mechanisms are worth checking out.
Viktualienmarkt
Nov 22, 2023 – Jan 5, 2024
The Viktualienmarkt is around all year long, but takes on a distinctively festive flair during the winter season. They serve hot drinks out of their own custom mugs to enjoy while wandering around the beautifully decorated market stalls.
Munich Feuerzangenbowle
Nov 27, 2023 – Jan 7, 2024
We stumbled upon this event at Isartor completely by accident, but our attention was immediately drawn to the enormous flaming cauldron in the middle of the gate. To our delight, gluhwein is indeed served from the cauldron, which was a super fun touch. There are a few market stalls surrounding the square, but the real draw is that incredible cauldron!
My Advice
For only a short few hours, I feel like we managed to squeeze quite a few Christmas markets into our day! We did, of course, miss a few events such as the Medieval Christmas Market and the Christkindlmarkt at Sendlinger Tor, but all in all, not a bad haul of activities!
Now while you’re welcome to follow our route exactly, we were moving fairly quickly so with only a few hours to visit, I’d recommend skipping the ice skating at Karlsplatz and heading straight over to Marienplatz’s Christkindlmarkt to do some holiday shopping. From here, make the five minute walk over to Isartor’s Feuerzangenbowle for a really unique holiday experience- or visit Viktualienmarkt for more shopping opportunities.
Shopping times can obviously vary between individuals , but I’d suggest dedicating the majority of your time looking through the goods at Marienplatz, before moving to your second, less crowded market for a more relaxing experience drinking and eating!
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