Visiting the Munich Christmas Markets – Podcast

In this podcast, I’m taking you to the Munich Christmas Markets getting into the festive spirit. Snow is on the ground, German carolers are singing and the smell of gingerbread is in the air.

You’ll hear about my visit to the Residenz Palace and the market we found in it’s courtyards. Read about the ethnic, alternative Tollwood Winter Festival and all the Bavarian food and drinking specialities we tried while we were there.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Link to audio file

This article may contain affiliate links that provide commission on purchases you make at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This podcast about the Munich Christmas Markets is Episode 4 in my series and you can check out all my other podcasts here.

This was a weekend trip that I took with my parents. Our visit was ideal to get us into the Christmas spirit, but all too short to really explore the city of Munich, so you might want to also read some of my other articles from other visits about all the best things to do in Munich and tasty food in Munich.

Getting to the Christmas Markets from Munich Airport

We made an easy journey using public transport from the airport into the centre of Munich. From the airport we descended the escalator straight into the station and in 30-40 minutes we arrived by S-Bahn into the centre of Munich.

The train took us to Marienplatz station and the first thing that hit me as we emerged to street level was the sweet smell of gingerbread from the Christmas Market. Although there are a number of Christmas markets in Munich, the main one is in Marienplatz, since it’s the largest square of Munich.

The Glockenspiel in Marienplatz

We’d arrived just before noon and the famous glockenspiel on the facade of the Neues Rathaus in Marienplatz was about to chime – you can see it chiming daily at 11am and noon. The painted figures go round and round as the bells chime, with music playing. It’s quite a tourist attraction and you can hear the charming music of the glockenspiel playing in the podcast.

The Neues Rathaus or ‘New Town Hall’ was built at the end of the 19th century, so it’s not really that new, but is so called because it’s newer than the Altes Rathaus or ‘Old Town Hall’ which was built in the 14th century.

Visiting the Residenz in Munich

Our first place to visit in Munich was the Residenz Palace and the Treasury in the heart of Munich, home of the Kings and Electors of Bavaria. It was built up over the centuries between 1385 to 1842 and spreads over a large complex of buildings.

We first visited the Treasury, using the audioguide provided, which is full of gorgeous craftsmanship with golden swords, jewellery, gemstone and tableware. These are the crown jewels of the Bavarian Royal family, with everything in the way of gold and silver that a ruling monarch might need to impress!

Much of the Residenz is built in the Renaissance style, although some rooms date back to the 1700s in the Rococo style, with ornate decorative plasterwork. It was all very splendid, but after a while I felt that one room was merging into another. Unless you are a true culture lover you may want to skim by some of the porcelain plates and family portraits!

Read more about our visit to the Residenz in Munich in this article

Kafee und Kuchen in Munich

To recover our energies after visiting the Residenz, we decided to try some of Munich’s famous Kafee und Kuchen at a conditorei (cake shop) nearby. At a cosy and pleasant cafe, we deliberated over the cakes from the huge selection at the counter.

As it was lunchtime I ordered some soup, but it wasn’t anything exceptional, so I’d recommend sticking to what these cakes shops do best, and that’s the coffee and cake.

After recovering some of our energy we took a look at the final part of the Residenz, the Cuvilliés theatre which is famous for its highly decorated Rococo interiors and requires a separate ticket.

The Christmas Market at The Residenz

Within one of the Residenz courtyards we also discovered a Christmas Market, where we lingered a while. We found this market particularly charming, since it was smaller and more contained, with the walls of the Residenz illuminated with coloured lights. You can listen to the horn music that we heard at the market on the podcast.

I realised that at least half of the stalls at the Christmas Market were selling things to eat, and it’s clearly a popular activity for friends and families to meet at the market for a bite to eat. There were crepes, traditional Bavarian sausages and the aroma of Glühwein in the air, so our mouths were watering.

Haxnbauer Restaurant

On a friend’s recommendation we had booked dinner at the Haxnbauer restaurant, which is well known for serving the Bavarian speciality of spit roast pork knuckle. The pork is marinaded with herbs and spices, roasted slowly until tender and accompanied by large and spongy dumplings, about the size of tennis balls with the texture of gnocchi.

The restaurant has a very convivial atmosphere and will be a great hit with meat lovers, although if you’re vegetarian it may not be for you!

Read more in my article about our dinner at Haxnbauer restaurant in Munich

Tollwood Winter festival

The next day we followed a local recommendation to visit the Tollwood Winter Festival  which is held at the Theresienwiese, an event space where the more famous Oktoberfest is also held. It’s all about the ethnic street food (nothing German!) and in the food tent we found stalls selling Indian, Chinese, Thai and North African dishes, with tables in the centre to sit and eat them.

The festival seemed a fun place for families with a more local buzz and a nice alternative to the traditional Christmas markets. We saw plenty of craft stalls that would be a good place to shop for Christmas presents.

Trying Feuerzandenbowle – spicy mulled wine

We decided to try some Glühwein at the Tollwood Christmas Festival, but this time it was a variation called Feuerzangenbowle. It’s a spiced mulled wine, but with the addition of kirsch or amaretto.

The drink is served hot in a special ceramic mug with a spout on which a lump of sugar is placed, then the whole thing is set alight like a Christmas pudding.

I wasn’t quite sure how to drink this but in the end I waited until the flame died down and tried not to burn my lips when tasting. The vapours coming off the drink were quite strong, but its was just the thing to keep you warm while walking through the snowy Christmas market.

Read my article with more about Drinking Feuerzangenbowle at the Munich Christmas Markets.

Returning to the Residenz Christmas Market

We returned to the Christmas market in the courtyard of the Residenz, with Christmas music, food and drink, gifts and a talking reindeer for the children. Listen to the podcast to hear the atmospheric Christmas music being played by the brass band in the centre of the market.

The atmosphere felt very festive with a sprinkling of snow that had fallen overnight. This seemed to be a very family friendly market, with tableaus of Father Christmas, a talking reindeer and other Christmas figures that moved and spoke to the children.

Climbing the tower of St Peter’s in Marienplatz

On the podcast you can hear me rather breathless after climbing the church tower of St Peter’s overlooking Marienplatz, to get a fabulous 360 degree view over the square.

Looking down I could see a mixture of terracotta and green copper roofs covered by a dusting of snow, as well as the Christmas Market in the square below.

The temperature biting cold with a bitter wind, so I didn’t stay too long at the top. If coming to the Munich Christmas Markets, be sure to pack your thermal underwear!

Where to stay in Munich

Find the best deals for hotels in Munich or check our recommendations below – we’ve personally stayed at both hotels!

Read Next

Check out some ideas for the 15 of the best day trips from Munich by train

More articles from Munich

3 days in Munich – our itinerary of the best cool things to do
Munich Outdoors – where to go cycling, swimming and surfing
Delicious food in Munich – where and what to eat

The introduction music on the podcast was Venus as a Girl by Andy McKee on MusicAlley.com and other music was recorded in Munich at the Christmas Markets

If you enjoyed this travel podcast please check out my other podcasts

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

Never miss an update! – Subscribe to receive our latest articles and newsletter