A Magical Bavarian Christmas

Last year, a long-held dream of ours was realised when we spent Christmas in Europe. As we planned this trip, we were well aware that Germany is renowned for its Weihnachtsmärkte and Christkindlmärkte. Hence, our starting point for this long trip turned out to be Munich and we didn't restrict ourselves just to the city itself. We ventured out to the fairytale small towns and villages that truly come to life during Christmas. In this blog, we've highlighted our favourite Christmas markets (and not so favourite ones) in and around Munich. There are many hidden gems in Bavaria and they're especially beautiful during the festive season. Words cannot truly express how magical our experience was, and given another chance, we'd do it all over again.

• Augsburg Christmas Market

Just about a half-an-hour train ride away from Munich, lies our favourite town. This town is known as one of the oldest towns in Germany, established by Romans over 2000 years ago. To be fair and completely honest, the biggest reason Augsburg looked so magical was the fresh snow fall and snow-capped roofs of its buildings. Another big reason to fall in love with the Augsburger Christkindlmarkt is it's wonderful decor and food options. Even though we visited this Christmas market on the last day (Christmas eve day) and missed the famous Engelsspiel (angel performance) on the Rathaus facade, we still loved everything!

Pro tip: The random food stalls all around the Rathaus have really affordable and delicious food options, like Flammkuchen and Raclette.

• The Romantic Christmas Market at Thurn und Taxis Palace, Regensburg

Even though it didn't snow, it was freezing cold during our day trip to Regensburg. The historic district of Regensburg is recognised as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. There were multiple Christmas markets in this beautiful town and we were able to walk and cover almost all of them. But the one we were most excited about was the Romantischer Weihnachtsmarkt at the Thurn and Taxis palace. The backdrop of the medieval castle and the cute shops set up at the market made it truly magical. We were not used to being out in the cold for that long but nothing mattered more than cozying up next to the fire with glühwein and enjoying the view. We even spotted two very cute llamas in the market. As if all this weren’t enough, there was a warmth among the people in the market, a kindness in their smiles and exchanges, that felt gentler, more genuine, than in any other we'd been to.

Pro tip: A ticket is required to enter this market and it opens late in the afternoon. We advise pre-booking your tickets from their website to avoid long queues.

• Rindermarkt, Munich

This quiet little Christmas market, located very close to the Marienplatz, has very cosy vibes and best known for the very cute boot-shaped glühwein mugs and the delicious Flammlachs (smoked salmon sandwich). This market is also known for its manger scenes and good savoury food options.

Pro tip:

1. Upon reaching the Christmas market, make a b-line to the famous Flammlachs counter since there will be a long queue but trust us, it's worth the wait!

2. Don't forget to warm yourself up with glühwein and save one of the unique boot mugs as a souvenir.

• The Medieval Market, Wittlesbacherplatz, Munich

Feuerzangenbowle goblet

Mittelaltermarkt, as its name suggests, is a true representation of the Middle ages with wooden stalls and vendors dressed in attires appropriate for the era. It's also very famous for serving Feuerzangenbowle in goblets like the middle ages. Feuerzangenbowle is a cherished German winter tradition, where a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set aflame, its golden fire slowly melting the sweetness into a pot of fragrant mulled wine. While it tastes pretty strongly, it does a wonderful job of keeping you warm on a wintery day. We were fortunate to witness some delightful acts by jugglers, minstrels, and knightly performances. This market is also known for fresh tarte flambée prepared on the spot and meats roasted over open beechwood fires, recalling how food was historically cooked and sold in open-air markets. We tried the bread and sausages from one of the counters and have no regrets!

Pro tip: Don't forget to pose with the dashing Knights at the market gate!

• Chinese Tower, Olympia Park, Munich

Weinachtsmarkt am Chinesischer Turm is held at the base of the Chinese tower in the famous English garden. Built between 1789 and 1790 by Baptist Lechner to a design by Joseph Frey, the Chinese Tower reflects the era’s fascination with Chinoiserie, Europe’s romantic interpretation of East Asian architecture. Its form was inspired by the pagoda in London’s Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, itself modeled on pagodas from Beijing. Most recently, it was rebuilt in 1952 after its destruction during the Second World War, preserving its historic charm.

Locals love this market because of the curling competitions and activities for kids. But tourists like us love it for the hand-made local souvenirs and enjoying eggnog and glühwein in the peace and calm of a snowy park. This place was very romantic and separated from the city crowds, and we were also greeted by lovely elderly couples.

• Deggendorf

Under the Tree moment

For us, the small town of Deggendorf acted as a gateway to our destination following Munich, which was Prague. It includes both the lowlands on either side of the Danube river as well as the foothills which rise towards the mountains on the Czech border. Luckily, we had our friend host us for a night and we enjoyed a marvellous sunset before strolling all around town and the Christmas market. The next morning, we were mesmerised by the snowy sceneries that we passed while travelling to Bayerisch Eisenstein and further into Czechia. We were two of the very few passengers at the Bayerisch Eisenstein station, which sits cosily between Germany and Czechia.

• Residenz Christmas market, Munich

Weihnachtsdorf im Kaiserhof der Residenz is a cozy relatively small market set up in the courtyard of the Residenz palace with an alpine setting. Since this was the first christmas market we visited in Munich, we were enamoured by the local artisan products and authentic Bavarian Christmas tree decorations. We were not very impressed with the food options to be completely honest and weren't fans of the glühwein either.

Pro tip: To explore this area most efficiently, start with the Residenz museum, as it tends to become crowded later in the day, and then wander through the market at your own pace.

• Marienplatz, Munich

The Münchner Christkindlmarkt is located in Marienplatz, Munich's main square and the liveliest (aka crowded) place in December. This is also the largest market in all of the city with over 150 wooden stalls, set against the glowing Gothic Rathaus with a towering Christmas tree. It's the perfect place to go souvenir shopping and we recommend spending more time here if you have limited time to explore other markets. We are not really good at dealing with crowds so we didn't spend too much time there and we were also quite disappointed with the quality of food. If crowds don't scare you, do check out this market in the evening since the Rathaus illuminates along with the giant tree, making the place look beautiful.

• Tollwood Winter Festival, Munich

Held on the same grounds as Oktoberfest, Wintertollwood festival can be described as its smaller brother. It’s like a Christmas themed Oktoberfest and is often called Munich’s “alternative Christmas market,” blending international performances, street theatre, and a vibrant mix of organic food and fair-trade crafts from around the world. With all this fame and free entrance to almost everything, come hoards of crowds! Even though the food options here were truly phenomenal, we couldn't spend too long here without feeling suffocated and lost.

This festival continues upto New Year's eve and is known to host wonderful performances to celebrate the new year. So, if that's your travel vibe, don't forget to put this on your bucket list.

Disclaimer:

There are more Christmas markets to be enjoyed around Munich and the rest of Bavaria but we have highlighted the famous ones which were on our travel checklists for a long time. Hopefully, we'll get to travel around Bavaria again around the holidays, giving us a peek into more magical places.

Are you planning a trip to Germany during Christmas? Let us know in the comments if this blog was helpful in planning your trip. Thanks for reading!