Munich Christmas markets: which to visit and in what order
- Published
- 24 October 2026
- Reading
- 5 min read
- Where
- Munich, Germany
- Prices checked
- 26. Oct 2026.
Munich has around ten Christmas markets, each with its own theme, and in 2026 the season opens with an ice rink before the main Christkindlmarkt follows a week later. This page puts them in the order a single day can handle.
Munich has far more than Marienplatz, and anyone who plans December around one square misses most of what the city built. Medieval stalls, a crib market, circus tents and an ice rink all run in parallel, but the main one is the Münchner Christkindlmarkt, which runs 20 Nov – 24 Dec 2026. Start there if it is your first visit, then spend the remaining hours on whichever of the others suits your evening.
Christkindlmarkt at Marienplatz
The Christkindlmarkt spreads out in front of the Neues Rathaus with more than 130 stalls, and entry costs nothing. Marienplatz has hosted it since 1972, while according to one festival guide the tradition reaches back to the Nikolaidult, a fair held on the eve of 6 December in the fourteenth century. The balcony of the Rathaus is used for singing and brass music on many evenings, and the Himmelswerkstatt is a free workshop for children aged 6 to 12 that needs registration. Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–9pm, Sun 10am–8pm.
Loudest of all is the Krampuslauf, the day when the Altstadt fills with Krampus and Perchten figures in fur and horns. The parade goes through the old town: 13 Dec 2026, 3–5pm. Marienplatz is served by U3 and U6 and by every S-Bahn line, so you arrive underground and surface directly beside the stalls.
Adventsspektakel, Residenz and Kripperlmarkt
Wittelsbacherplatz at Brienner Straße 6 to 10 in Maxvorstadt belongs to the Münchner Adventsspektakel, also called the Mittelaltermarkt, the medieval Advent market, with a cultural programme on every Advent weekend. It runs 20 Nov – 23 Dec 2026. Entry is free, and the hours are daily 11am–9pm. The Kripperlmarkt on Rindermarkt, in front of Alter Peter, is the market for nativity figures and works as a pocket-sized holiday market beside the main one.
- Adventsspektakel: opens on the evening of the first day and is closed on Totensonntag, 22 November.
- Kripperlmarkt: the crib stalls on Rindermarkt, which run alongside the Christkindlmarkt.
- Residenz-Weihnachtsdorf: in 2025 this village filled the Kaiserhof of the Residenz on Residenzstraße 1 before Christmas, and the 2026 programme has not been announced.
- Sendlinger Tor: a Christkindlmarkt of its own at the edge of the old town.
Tollwood and Eiszauber
Tollwood Winterfestival on the Theresienwiese is more festival than market, with tents, a Markt der Ideen and a circus stage. The U4 and U5 stop at Theresienwiese. Entry to the grounds and the market is free, around nine in ten cultural events cost nothing, and only the Grand Chapiteau and the Silvesterparty need a ticket. The festival runs 24 Nov – 23 Dec 2026 and the hours are Mon–Fri from 2pm, weekends from 11am; closes 10:30pm (Mon, Sun) or 11:30pm (Tue–Sat). The Münchner Eiszauber on Karlsplatz at Stachus is a 750 square metre rink that is open daily from 10.30 am to 10 pm, running 13 Nov 2026 – 10 Jan 2027. Each ticket covers one of four sessions, and an adult ticket for ages 12 and over costs €8 for the 10.30 am slot and €14 for the 7.30 pm one.
What to drink and what it costs
In the 2025 season mulled wine, which Germans call Glühwein, cost €5–6 a mug, and Munich ranked among the dearest German cities for it. The 2026 prices were not published when this page was written, so treat the 2025 figure as a guide. One mug at Marienplatz is enough to warm up, and dinner fits better at Tollwood, which stays open later than the centre.
A food tour with a local guide: several tastings in one walk.
A day in order
Hours set the order, from the earliest opening to the latest closing, so the day moves from old-town daylight to tents on the edge of the city. Begin at Marienplatz when the Christkindlmarkt opens at 10 am, because the morning is the calmest part of the day.
- Marienplatz and the Kripperlmarkt: the stalls in front of the Rathaus and the crib stands on Rindermarkt, in the morning.
- Adventsspektakel: Wittelsbacherplatz for lunch, a short walk north of the old town.
- Residenz or Karlsplatz: the Residenz village if it runs in 2026, otherwise the rink at Stachus.
- Tollwood: dinner on the Theresienwiese, which stays open when the centre has closed.
- Your choice: Sendlinger Tor, or the Chinesischer Turm in the Englischer Garten, which ran in November and December in 2025.
Quieter hours and how to get there
Marienplatz is busiest in the early evening, on weekends and on the day of the Krampuslauf, so a weekday morning gives you the stalls with space around them, and Tollwood gives you the late hours when the centre is already dark. On 24 December the Christkindlmarkt closes at 2 pm. Reach the old town by U3, U6 or any S-Bahn, and use U4 or U5 for Tollwood. Fares: a short-trip ticket €2.10, a day ticket for zone M €10.10.
Tickets for the daylight half
The markets are the evening half of a Munich day, and the daylight half needs a plan of its own. The two trips out of town lose their light early in winter, so they belong on an early train, while the Residenz fits a morning in the centre before lunch at the stalls. Book the timed tickets ahead, because the castle in particular admits visitors only in fixed slots.
- Residenz sells the Residenzmuseum for €10, and visitors under 18 go in free. The Hofgarten beside it costs nothing
- Neuschwanstein is seen only on a guided tour of about half an hour at a fixed time. The adult ticket is €21, with €2.50 added per ticket for online booking, and the castle is open in the winter period 10:00–16:00, and closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January
- Zugspitze is the snow option within a day of Munich. From 27 November the online fare for the up-and-down trip is €70.50, while the ticket-office price stays €78
A ticket with a chosen time slot, booked ahead.
A ticket with a chosen time slot, booked ahead.
Where to sleep
Sleep near Marienplatz or the Hauptbahnhof if you want to walk to the main stalls after dark, and choose the U4 or U5 line if Tollwood is the plan. The markets keep you outside most of the night, so the room mainly needs to be a short ride from the last stop.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Germany, in brief
What now
If this sounds like your trip, start here.
Munich
→The Bavarian capital, behaving as if the rest of Germany were abroad
Munich in 2 days
→The market on Saturday, the galleries on Sunday, a Monday without the Pinakotheken: two days in Munich ordered by the calendar, not the map.
Day trips from Munich
→Five trips out of Munich all leave from the main station, and the length of the ride decides how much of the day is left when you arrive.
Where to stay in Munich
→Munich's quarters all lie in the inner fare zone, so you choose by what you want outside the door: museums, bars, a park or a train.
What to eat in Munich
→What gets ordered in Munich, what it costs in the best-known beer hall, and what you carry into a beer garden from the market.
The best time to visit Munich
→Munich's weather rarely spoils a plan; Oktoberfest and the big trade fairs spoil the price of a room.
Getting around Munich
→By S-Bahn from the airport to the main station, on foot through the centre, and by U-Bahn, tram and day ticket for the rest.
Germany
→A country with no single centre but a dozen, each convinced it is the main one
Strasbourg's Christmas market, and how old it really is
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Vienna Christmas markets: which one if you only have one evening
→Five markets, the 2026 dates, what a punch and a mug deposit cost, and an order for one evening on foot.
Salzburg Christmas markets: five markets, one day
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Innsbruck Christmas markets: seven of them, and which comes first
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Nuremberg Christmas markets: Christkindlesmarkt and three more
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Dresden Christmas markets: Striezelmarkt and nine more
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Cologne Christmas markets: six markets, one route
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Berlin Christmas markets: which one to pick and when to go
→The Berlin holiday market worth paying for is the WeihnachtsZauber on Gendarmenmarkt, the one with a gate and a weekday free window.
Prague Christmas markets: which to pick, dates and prices
→Two big Prague Christmas markets fill the central squares while a handful of smaller ones sit in the neighbourhoods.
Budapest Christmas markets: which first, what it costs, when to go
→Two Christmas markets lead Budapest's Advent, and the order you visit them in decides how much of the evening you enjoy.
Zagreb Christmas markets: an advent spread across the squares
→Zagreb spreads its Advent across squares, parks and whole neighbourhoods instead of one fenced-off spot.
Ljubljana Christmas markets: where the stalls are and how to walk them
→Ljubljana's Advent market runs as a string of stalls along the river, from Prešeren Square to Breg.
Bratislava Christmas markets: three squares and a hall
→Bratislava's Christmas markets fill three squares of the old town that sit side by side.
Kraków Christmas markets: the Main Square, Mały Rynek and szopki
→Kraków has two Christmas markets, one on the Main Square and a smaller one on Mały Rynek, plus a szopka contest that gives December its own date.
Timișoara Christmas markets: where, when and in what order
→This guide to the Timisoara Christmas market covers the three squares and the county fair beside them.
Graz Christmas markets: sixteen markets, one walking route
→Sixteen Christmas markets sit within walking distance in the old town of Graz, and one of them is the pick for a single evening.
Leipzig Christmas markets: from the Markt to Augustusplatz
→Which areas make up the Advent market in Leipzig, when they open, how the mug deposit works and how to walk them in one evening.
Brno Christmas markets: five squares and when each one runs
→Brno spreads its Advent market over five squares in the old centre.
Sibiu Christmas market: dates, food and one-evening plan
→One square, one Christmas market in Sibiu, Romania, and a short list of things that cost money.
Wrocław Christmas markets: the Rynek, Plac Solny and Kraina Koni
→Wrocław has two Christmas markets, and only one of them has official 2026 dates so far.
Gdańsk Christmas markets: Targ Węglowy and the six zones
→Gdańsk has one Christmas market, the Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy, spread over several zones around Targ Węglowy.
Paris Christmas markets: which to pick, dates and ice rinks
→Paris has three big Christmas markets, at Tuileries, La Défense and Notre-Dame, and each suits a different kind of evening.
Lyon Christmas market and Fête des Lumières: how to see both
→Lyon has one big Christmas market and a four-night festival of light that matters more.
Rome Christmas markets: Navona, nativity scenes and lights
→Rome has one craft market, a Vatican exhibition of nativity scenes and a lot of light.
Naples Christmas markets: the street of the crib and what else opens
→Naples answers the question of the Christmas market with one street of nativity workshops, San Gregorio Armeno, where red huts stand in front of the shops.
Verona Christmas markets: from Piazza dei Signori to the Arena
→Verona spreads its Christmas markets over four places, from the Arena square to the old Arsenal, and one evening is enough to walk the best of them.
Milan Christmas markets: Duomo, Oh Bej and one evening in order
→Milan has three events that pass for Christmas markets, and they differ in age, size and price of admission.
Madrid Christmas markets: Plaza Mayor and what else is worth it
→Madrid's main Christmas market sells decorations rather than mulled wine.
Barcelona Christmas markets: Santa Llúcia, the port, Sagrada Família
→Three Christmas fairs, a Catalan idea of what one should sell, and a route for one December evening.
London Christmas markets: Winter Wonderland and where else to go
→London has no single Christmas market, only a ticketed amusement park, a riverside walk and a few lit squares.
Christmas markets in Europe: which city suits which trip
→Thirty-one cities compared on dates, size and character, with a pick for one evening, for children, for after New Year and for anyone tired of mulled wine and wooden huts.
Linz Christmas markets: Hauptplatz and Volksgarten
→Two free Linz Christmas markets, one for crafts on Hauptplatz and one for families in the Volksgarten, with dates, hours and a sensible order for one visit.
Warsaw Christmas markets: Old Town and Plac Defilad
→Warsaw has two Christmas markets in two different places, one in the shadow of the Palace of Culture and one beside Castle Square in the Old Town.
York Christmas markets: St Nicholas Fair and what to pair it with
→York's main Christmas market is St Nicholas Fair, set along Parliament Street, and this page explains where it sits, when it runs and how to fit the Shambles and the Minster into the same evening.
Bath Christmas market: a short run, so pick your day
→Bath Christmas Market is short and compact, with chalets in the historic centre beside the Abbey.
Maastricht Christmas market: Magisch Maastricht on the Vrijthof
→Magisch Maastricht turns the Vrijthof into a winter park with a covered ice rink, a 45 m Ferris wheel and Austrian-style chalets.
Trieste Christmas markets: the mercatini around the Borsa and Ponterosso
→The Trieste Christmas markets are a handful of streets and two squares near the Borsa and Ponterosso, with an ice rink and the San Nicolò fair nearby.
Turin Christmas markets: a small village and a city of lights
→Turin has no single big Christmas market.
Bologna Christmas markets: five small fairs, the oldest under a portico
→Five small Bologna Christmas markets, the oldest under a portico roof, with dates for 2026/27, what to eat on the way and a simple order for one evening.
Debrecen Christmas market: Kossuth tér, ice rink and Advent
→Debrecen's Christmas market is a citywide Advent with its centre on Kossuth tér, where an ice rink and ten thousand lights share the square.
Hamburg Christmas markets: Rathausmarkt, Jungfernstieg, Santa Pauli
→Hamburg runs several Weihnachtsmärkte at once, from the historic Rathausmarkt to white tents on the Alster and an adults-only market on the Reeperbahn.
Munich, Nuremberg and Heidelberg from this story
See which of them suits you, then pin what you have already done.
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