Whether it’s a Christmas market, a Christmas market or even a winter market: the hard-working elves who organize various stall magic across the city every year are becoming more and more creative when it comes to naming them, because the competition is fierce. Around two dozen end-of-year markets can be found in Munich again this year – so it’s important to differentiate yourself from one another by name.
Ultimately, most visitors want to get ready for Christmas. The large urban Christmas market starts on November 27th, just under a week before the first Advent. Because the pre-Christmas period feels like it’s passing faster from year to year, some organizers simply bring their booth magic forward to November.
For example, the “Winter Wunder Werk” in the Werksviertel at Ostbahnhof, the “Alpenwahn” at the Viktualienmarkt, the “Moosacher Hüttenzauber” at St.-Martins-Platz and the “Christmas Magic Forest” at Cosimabad in Bogenhausen have been open since last Thursday. Since Friday there has been the “Winterworld” in front of the Motorworld in Freimann and the “Christmas and Winter Market” at the airport. The other markets will gradually open from this week, and the city will list them on its website muenchen.de on. Good news for romantics: The market at the Chinese Tower is back this year.
Clearly, the people of Munich have been waiting longingly to see how a visit on the first Saturday in winter will reveal miracles. Surrounded by modern architecture, the magic booth is cool and contemporary in keeping with the surroundings. Here, food trucks sell pre-Christmas snacks. For six euros you can get a vegan liver loaf roll or a vegan currywurst for eight euros. Of course, meat eaters will also get their money’s worth with the classic bratwurst roll for five euros, while the pulled pork roll, which is available for six euros, is more modern.
A tip is the delicious Korean beef bowl for 11.50 euros, which really warms you up from the inside with hot sauce, so you don’t actually need mulled wine anymore. But good: you still have the six euros left, and for one fifty more you can have a hot gin.
The mood at the small market in the Werksviertel is quite lively on the first Saturday. Lots of mothers with children and teenagers do their laps on the densely filled ice surface. The curling rink is also well used – people obviously enjoy organizing events in the run-up to Christmas.
People also crowd at the Alpenwahn, which is strictly speaking more of a miniature Christmas market. The white or red mulled wine called Alpenglüher is served here for 6.50 euros, and for four euros you can get a sweet, hot shot called apple strudel, which actually tastes the same. Like the price of beer at the Oktoberfest, the price of mulled wine also rises sharply every year. If you like something a little more Munich-like: a bottle of bubbly at Alpenwahn costs 89 euros.
The Christmas market in front of Motorworld in Freimann,…
(Photo: Robert Haas)
…where Santa Claus comes along in an unusual “sleigh”.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The fun in front of the Motorworld in Freimann seems quite American. Here a “Flying Santa Claus” floats over the heads of visitors in a reindeer sleigh. In addition to a large ice rink, they have also set up a respectable Ferris wheel. And because Santa probably couldn’t decide on a single mode of transport, he sits in the passenger seat as a cardboard companion in a red 1950s Chevrolet – a popular photo motif.
The official Christmas market in front of the town hall alone attracted three million visitors last year after a two-year Corona break. The crowds at the other markets will most likely also be large. When the days are gray and short, little lights, a hot sweet drink and lots of kitsch are simply good for the mood.