Best Things to do in Munich in Christmas

Despite the winter and the low temperatures, this German city still maintains a festive spirit during the Christmas season. With its flea markets and ice rinks, with its food stalls and Christmas trees, during the holidays there are numerous activities to join all the usual things to see and do in Munich.

The city's atmosphere changes radically and the whole city dresses up to welcome Christmas. The street markets take over the streets of Munich, the streetcars turn public transportation into magic and the snow makes the city center look like a branch of the North Pole.

There are many Christmas markets in Munich, but Christkindlmarkt stands out as the largest in the city and one of the most important in Europe. It is installed every year since the fourteenth century and is estimated to be visited by more than three million visitors in each edition. Christkindlmarkt stands out for its food stalls, the permanent Bavarian music shows and the huge Christmas tree that is installed in front of the town hall.

As the oldest in Germany and the largest, this market is a reference on Christmas Eve and also a meeting place for locals, who come to eat typical food and drink glühwein, a spiced mulled wine consumed in Europe during the Christian Advent. During Christmas Eve, most tours of the city end at Christkindlmarkt, so taking a guided tour of Munich and then visiting the flea market is an excellent option.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to the flea market is free.
• Opening hours... From the last week of November, the stalls are open from 10.00 to 21.00 hours from Monday to Saturday and from 10.00 to 20.00 hours on Sundays. On December 24 the opening hours are from 10.00 to 14.000 hours.
• Location... The flea market is located on Marienplatz in the center of Munich.
• How to get there... By subway lines U3 and U6 and by train S1 and S8 to the Marienplatz stop.

A visit to the Viktualienmarkt food market, one of the most famous places in Munich, is a must. It is an open-air fair with more than a hundred stalls offering fruit, poultry, spices, vegetables, flowers, cheeses and other traditional products.

Unlike most of the city's markets, Viktualienmarkt is open all year round, but changes its profile during the festive season: at Christmas the market is decorated with Christmas trees and festive colors. In addition, although Viktualienmarkt is a gastronomic market, stalls with Christmas gifts are set up, Christmas carols are played and the gastronomy turns to typical Christmas food.

It also has a beer garden that is usually included in the best gastronomic tours of Munich and a sector of Italian food.

Interesting facts

• Price... Access is free of charge.
• Opening hours... The flea market is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
• Location... Located at Viktualienmarkt 3, behind St. Peter's Church.
• How to get there... By subway lines U1, U2, U3, U6, U7 and U8, getting off at Sendlinger Tor station.

The Nativity Market or Kripeermarkt is one of the largest markets specializing in nativity scenes and focuses specifically on decorations for the Christmas tree and nativity scene. Here you will find more than ten shops offering handicrafts, Christmas decorations and dioramas of all sizes. This flea market has been a local tradition since 1757 and every year opens its doors overnight during the Christmas period.

Kripeermarkt is a small place with the purest essence of Christmas markets. Because of its size, you can visit it in a short time and it is easy to access, because it is located in a central point of the traditional circuit of Munich, where the tourist buses pass and also the bicycle tours that go through the city.

Interesting facts

• Price... Admission is free.
• Opening hours... The flea market is open daily from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
• Location... Rindermarkt 1, next to St. Peter's Church.
• How to get there... By subway lines U3 and U6 from Marienplatz station or by train lines S1, S2, S3, S4, S6, S7, S8, S27, SP1 and SP2.

This is one of the most interesting activities to do in Munich during the winter, as it is only available between November and January and on Christmas Eve the atmosphere is illuminated with trees and Christmas motifs, while the restaurant offers a special menu with crepes and mulled wine.

MünchnerEiszauber is one of the most fun attractions that Munich offers during Christmas and also an ideal plan to do with children. Its location in the central area of the city ensures easy access and it is also a regular stop on Munich's tour buses.

Interesting details

• Price... Entrance to the rink is around six euros. Skates can also be rented for another six euros.
• Opening hours... The rink is usually open daily from 10:30 am to 10 pm.
• Location... The rink is located on Karlsplatz, a street leading to the historic city center.
• How to get there... By subway lines U4 and U5 to the Karlsplatz stop and by train S1, S2, S4 and S8.

The Munich Residenz was the royal palace of the kings of Bavaria and is now one of the most representative decorative museums in Europe, noted for its leafy courtyards. In one of them, during Christmas, a flea market that recreates the alpine village of Weihnachtsdorfs is installed, making it an ideal place to enjoy music and staging.

Weihnachtsdorfs is a family space, so you can not miss among the activities to do with children, and also has food and drink stalls and selling Christmas gifts. In addition, being located in the inner courtyard of the Residenz Palace, the walls keep you sheltered from the cold.

Interesting details

• Price... Admission to the flea market is free.
• Opening hours... The stalls are open daily from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm.
• Location... The flea market is located at Residenz, Residenzstrasse 1, Munich.
• How to get there... By subway lines U3, U4, U5 and U6 to the Odeonsplatz stop and by train S3, S4, S6 and S8.

Every year in December, the Tollwood Winter Festival is held on the Theresienwiese. During the event, the site is filled with tents with cultural, political, climatic and environmental themes, which also protect visitors from the cold. In addition, there are also more than fifty food stalls, children's attractions, musical shows and a wide range of activities, most of which are free of charge.

On New Year's Eve the field opens to host one of the best parties in town and close the winter edition of the alternative festival. In fact, the Tollwood New Year's Eve party is one of the most visited attractions during Christmas in Munich and is when the festival receives most of the five hundred thousand visitors who come each year. If you spend a Christmas night in the city, you definitely can't miss this event.

Interesting facts

• Price... Admission to the grounds during the New Year's Eve party is free.
• Hours... The park is open 24 hours a day.
• Location... The park is located at Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21, Munich.
• How to get there... By subway lines U2 and U3 from Olympiazentrum station or by bus line 173.

During the Advent period, the ChristkindlTram, a 1957 vehicle with wooden seats, travels through the historic center of Munich, where mulled wine and gingerbread are served on board. The streetcar follows the same circular route as when it was in operation and on Sundays the route includes magic shows and surprises for children.

The ChristkindlTram's route includes Sendlinger Tor, Isartor, Maxmonument, the National Theater, Theatinerstrasse, Lenbachplatz and Stachus, so it's also a great opportunity to visit Munich's most important sites on a historic streetcar, all bathed in the Christmas spirit and colorful lights.

Interesting facts

• Price... Each streetcar ride costs about two euros and tickets can be purchased on the official website or at the ticket office at Sendlinger Tor, which is where the streetcar ride starts and ends.
• Schedule... The streetcar runs several times a day between 15.30 and 19.30 hours.
• Location... It departs from Sendlinger Tor metro station.
• How to get there... On Metro lines U1, U2, U3, U6, U7 and U8 getting off at Sendlinger Tor station.

Pyramids are a Christmas tradition in Germany, and in Munich you can find them at every turn, so you can see them comfortably if you hire a guided tour of Munich or if you book a seat on the tourist bus. They are built of wood and the top is crowned by the blades of a mill. They can be of different sizes and represent traditional characters from German folklore.

Christmas pyramids are an age-old tradition and wherever you find them they usually point to food and drink stands, so if you are looking for a place to eat or drink just locate one of these particular tributes.

The Krampus of Munich is a character from the 16th century who personifies the Christmas monster. Unlike Santa Claus, he does not reward children who behaved well but captures naughty children and drags them to hell, but adults are not safe either, because according to some interpretations of German folklore he could also take away the parents of misbehaving children.

The parade also includes a race that has become very popular in recent years and in which the only condition to participate is to be disguised as Krampus, who is usually represented with horns and tattered clothes. And you, do you dare to participate in a marathon dressed as Krampus?

Interesting details

• Price... There is no registration fee for the parade and the race.
• Date... There is no fixed date for the Krampus Run, but it is usually during the first weeks of December.
• Location... The central convocation is at Marienplatz in the center of Munich.
• How to get there... By subway lines U3 and U6 and by train S1 and S8 to the Marienplatz stop or hire the tourist bus, which makes one of its stops at Marienplatz.

During the Christmas period, Wittelsbacherplatz is home to one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Munich. The stallholders are dressed as citizens of the Middle Ages and the decorations are in the same style. The highlights of Wittelsbacherplatz, in addition to its setting, are the dishes and drinks on offer and the handicrafts that can be purchased at the stalls.

The aim of this flea market is to rescue the main spirit of these sites, which during medieval times began to be built as a tradition so that no one would wait for Christmas in solitude and feel accompanied.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission is free.
• Hours... The market is open from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm every day.
• Location... Located on Wittelsbacherplatz in the Old Town of Munich.
• How to get there... By subway lines U3, U4, U5 and U6 to the Odeonsplatz stop and by train S3, S4, S6 and S8.

In Munich temperatures are low in winter and it snows constantly. December and January are the coldest months of the year, with a maximum temperature of five degrees. The minimum can reach minus four degrees.

Temperatures improve in February and March, with highs of ten degrees and lows of one degree. Snowfalls are still frequent during the last months of winter.

As the temperature drops significantly during December and most of Munich's plans are outdoors, it is important that you don't forget winter clothing when packing your luggage.

Here's a list of the items I recommend you include so you can feel comfortable during your visit to Munich:

• Winter coats
• Waterproof and comfortable boots
• Thermal socks
• Waterproof and tactile gloves
• Woolen hats
• Wool scarves
• Wool sweaters
• Fleece pants
• Thermal fleece

In autumn and winter the number of visitors to the city decreases significantly, but this can pick up during the Christmas season, so don't be surprised if during your visit you have to queue and suffer from crowds of visitors.