Guide to Munich Christmas markets

A great thing to do in the major German cities during December is to go and enjoy the many Christmas markets which are inevitable spread across the city. As the most important city in Bavaria Munich has its fair share of Christmas markets spread across the city.

Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz

The biggest of the markets are located on Marienplatz right in the center of the city. The market is so big it doesn’t fit the square and has kind of overflown into the many side streets leading down to the square. If you only go to one Christmas market in the city this is probably your best bet to get to experience a large and traditional German Christmas market.

The Medieval Christmas market

This market is like a little time travel making it an interesting place to go and visit for you Christmas market explorations. They have arranged a little market like a kind of time travel where they take you back a few centuries. There is a lot of entertainment going on at the market – on the stage there was music one evening and during the day time there was fencing and other performances going on.

Kaiserhof Christmas market

The market is located inside a courtyard of the Recidenz which used to be the place the royal family of Bavaria lived and ruled over this area of southern Germany before the creation of the modern united country of Germany. It is a good option to visit the market if you are already visiting the museum and need a break between the different part of the museum or need a snack after your visit. You can also combine this market easily with either the Christkindlmarkt or the Medieval Christmas market since they are only a short walk away from this market.

Chinese Turm Christmas market

In the biggest park in Munich is a big Chinese tower and during December there is a Christmas market going on around the tower. The park is so big that it feels like you are going to a forest and not just a small city park – so the mood of the Christmas market is different with a bit more nature setting compared to the usual city scape where the other markets take place.

Schwabing Christmas market

A little north of the center there is a fairly big Christmas market. Up here in the suburb the market got a bit more of a local vibe compared to the markets in the center where the people come from the outskirts of the city to experience the Christmas mood.

Christmas market at Viktualienmarkt

Viktualienmarkt is a little food market in the center of Munich – there is a small Christmas market here during December. When I looked at the different Christmas markets in Munich this was mentioned as one of the markets to go and visit. I found it was too small to be really interesting as a Christmas market. But it is located right next to Marienplatz and the food market is fairly interesting. So you might go and visit this market in connection to your visit to Marienplatz and the big Christmas market on this square.

Pink Christmas market

The Pink market is supposedly target towards the LGBT crowd but it is open to all to go and explore it. The market is pretty small but it does live up to the name. It is an extremely pink experience. If you want a big market this probably isn’t what you are looking for but the pink lighting do give a special glow so you might drop by for a quick visit to the pink world.

Tollwood winter market

One of the most visited areas of Munich is the Theresienweise which houses the October fest in Munich with the huge crowds of local and international visitors. During the winter month they put the area to good use in a winter market. It isn’t a classic Christmas market but a winter market. It do have some of the same features as the Christmas markets but it focus more on an amazing light setting making it an amazing thing to see after dark. Fortunately you don’t have to wait long for darkness during December in Munich.

Airport Christmas market

If you fly in or out of the city a natural place to drop by a Christmas market is at the airport. You could go to the airport a little early so you can go out and have a bite to eat at the fairly large Christmas market which is going on between terminal 1 and 2. The setting might not be the most charming but they have done a fairly good job creating the Christmas spirit at the airport.