Anyone who wanders through the Christmas markets and strolls past the stalls may have a cup of mulled wine in their hand, or perhaps a bratwurst. And hears a colorful babble of languages. English here and Spanish over there, the couple strolling past speaks Hebrew, the guided group speaks Korean. The Christmas market is not only well attended by Munich residents. Maybe it’s the first year after the pandemic that feels like real normality again, after the time when Corona wasn’t yet an issue. The number of cases may be higher than ever. But apparently people are no longer worried. And even if you stay away from the Christmas party for safety reasons, you might want to come along for a cup of mulled wine – the risk of infection is lower outside.
Last year the city seemed to be divided into two camps. The ones who almost left in defiance and drank one more mulled wine because it was possible again. On the other hand, those who were still cautious and stayed at home. It was also more difficult to travel from some countries. This is no longer an issue.
Angela Peters came with her family from Schleswig-Holstein. The tour to Munich is a tradition for them, but they had to forego it during the pandemic: “My husband is an absolutely die-hard Bayern fan,” she says. And so, sometimes as a couple, sometimes as a family, they combine the last home game of the year with a tour of the Munich Christmas markets. “Everyone is incredibly beautiful, with their Christmas lights.” Not better than home, but different. “There are perhaps more stalls with handicrafts here,” says her niece Rea Poppe. They were at Sendlinger Tor, in the English Garden. And do some shopping in between. They’re there for a long weekend, then they take the train back home.
Like Angela Peters and her family, more than 80 percent of tourists in Bavaria come from Germany, says Thomas Geppert, state chairman of the Bavarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga). And when it came to overnight stays, Bavaria would have been 2.2 percent better off this summer than in 2019, before the pandemic. The State Office for Statistics reports that over the course of the year from January to October, both guest arrivals at a good 33.8 million and overnight stays at around 87.8 million exceeded the results of the same period in 2022 – with an increase of 14.4 percent and an increase of 9.1 percent. There are no figures that are younger than those from October yet. But it can be assumed that the trend will continue in the run-up to Christmas.
Angela Peter and her niece Rea Poppe came to Munich from the far north of Germany.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
So what the feeling says is true: the tourists are back. “It’s just that work-related travel hasn’t recovered yet,” says Geppert. He doesn’t want to talk about relaxation because real sales are not at pre-Corona levels due to inflation and tax increases, but he does want to talk about a “certain recovery”. And especially in Munich, large events such as the IAA or the Oktoberfest have once again attracted people from all over the world.
Mikayla Wong is visiting from California with her sister Marina and her mother Kitty Tam – because Mama Kitty loves Christmas. “It was on her bucket list,” Wong says. A Christmas market tour, the perfect idea for your mother-daughter trip. For a week they commute from Munich to other large Christmas markets, such as Nuremberg or Salzburg. “We have a list of what we want to see in Munich,” says Tam. “There are many here around the main square alone, and we want to visit the one in the Olympic Park, for example.”
But you have just arrived and are drinking an apple-cinnamon cider on Marienplatz, “We love it here!” They planned the trip to Munich relatively spontaneously two months ago. “Last year we would have had to get tested when we returned,” says Tam. They will take the mulled wine cups from the various markets back to the USA as a souvenir.
The city is yet to announce the official figures, but the Department of Labor and Economic Affairs has let it be known that, as organizers, they also have the feeling that they have a noticeable number of guests visiting from abroad. However, comparisons are difficult this year because of the very short Advent season.
Aram Avetyan from Armenia enjoys a yeast dumpling.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
Aram Avetyan holds his plate of yeast dumplings in front of his cell phone camera so that he has the town hall in the picture on this sunny midday before he carries it back to the stand and takes the first bite. It tastes very good, he says. Avetyan is Armenian, but because of the war he started a new life in Barcelona six months ago. He lost both brothers.
He’s only visiting Munich for one day, it’s a friend’s birthday, and the pianist is happy about the great weather he’s had. “The people here are friendly and relaxed,” he says. Later he will go to a restaurant with his friend to celebrate his birthday. “Such a beautiful, big Christmas market,” he says, squinting into the sun and looking satisfied. Munich can be enchanting in just one day.