Munich, Germany Christmas Markets, A First Timer’s One Night Itinerary

Munich at Christmas time feels like the entire city transforms into a warm, glowing beer garden of holiday magic and we are absolutely here for it. With only one night to explore, we've picked three of Munich's best Christmas markets that bring together history, Bavarian food, and enough Glühwein to make you swear that winter isn't that cold after all. Let's get sipsy y'all! Before we get started, please be patient with us as we try to say German words. We'll do the best of our ability, so thank you in advance for being kind. We just checked into our shoebox of a hotel room, it is quite comical, and we are going to head to the first Christmas market tonight. This one was the one I read about and it just seemed to be the most unique, so let's do this. The medieval market at Wittelsbacher Platz might not be centuries old, but it was designed to feel like it is. It started in the late 20th century as a way to bring Munich's medieval heritage to life during the holidays. Instead of leaning into the more typical Christmas market traditions, this one recreates what a winter market might have looked like back in the Middle Ages, long before any of the Bavarian style chalets became the norm. The concept behind the market was simple, highlight the craftsmanship and traditions that predate mass-produced Christmas decor. So instead of modern ornaments, you'll find blacksmiths working iron, woodcarvers shaping toys, leather workers making goods by hand, and artisans selling things inspired by historical trades. The merchants in many of the food stalls lean into this theme to keep it feeling very immersive. And today, it's the perfect stop for anyone who wants something beyond the typical Christmas market experience. First, Glühwein. So this is not your typical red Glühwein that we typically go for. It is a white Glühwein. It is very, very good, still pretty dangerous. That was the first thing she said to me when she took a sip was, it is dangerous. And I love how it's in this kind of clay cup. It really sticks with the medieval theme. A 10-year deposit for the cup, and then you get it back if you return it, or it's a really fun souvenir. So we have gotten a spinach knudel, so a spinach dumpling here. It is doused in cheese sauce, piping hot cheese sauce. I'll take my first bite and try not to burn myself. Let me just eat that cheese sauce straight. Y'all, we crushed that. That was awesome. I told Chris, solid first choice, since he picked that one out. And so far, the vendors we've been to are cash only. We'd read that a lot of these places were cash only, and given the deposit system, it'd be really hard to do that with credit card. If you are going to come to this particular market in Munich, please make sure that you have lots of cash. We're going for MET or MEAD now, because we're in a medieval market, might as well. Can I get one MET, please? It's 16.50. Cup number two, drink number two. This is the MEAD. It's really hot, number one. Number two, it just tastes like apple juice, which is very dangerous. That and these mugs, they don't burn your hands. Like you're able to hold it without gloves on. It's actually a really nice hand warmer because it's getting cold. This is really great. I'm really glad we got to try this. I'm not getting much MEAD taste to it. It is good and it is dangerous because you don't taste the alcohol and it's nice and warm. Yeah, and you could, if you wanted to, for another two euros, I think, you could add a shot of Irish whiskey on top. We opted for just the bare bones MEAD because we've got a lot of other stops planned for tonight. Thoughts on the market? Theme, 10 out of 10. Nailed it. Glühwein was good. MEAD, I felt, was lacking. Totally agree. The drinks were underwhelming for me and I think for you too. Food was great, but I think we could find that probably anywhere here. So not really unique to just that market. But like Sam said, the theme, the vibes of that place, definitely not your traditional Christmas market vibes. And they weren't trying to do that at all and they hit a home run. Okay, we are heading to the largest market here in Munich, which is going to look like Christmas has just erupted and I'm very excited. So let's head that way and see what we get into there. The Christmas market at Marienplatz is considered one of the oldest in Germany with roots tracing all the way back to the 14th century. Back then, it started as the Nikolausmarkt, a St. Nicholas market where vendors sold winter essentials, handmade goods and little gifts ahead of the December feast day. By the 1600s, Munich had fully embraced the tradition and over the centuries, the market evolved into a major winter event. During the 1800s, it shifted locations a few times, but finally found its permanent home here at Marienplatz and changed names to Christmarkt. Today, the backdrop is one of the most photographed holiday scenes in Europe. And while the market has definitely grown into a major tourist attraction today, it still holds on to its roots as Munich's traditional Christmas gathering place. We have stopped to grab some Glühwein. This one was actually significantly cheaper than the other place. So the wine itself was only four euros, but the deposit, it was five. Again, everything has been cash only so far. There's so many options here and we went with a red Glühwein this time. So much better. So now that we're a few drinks in, it was time for another snack and we got the iconic Käsespätzle. I think that's how you say it. Looking at it in the window, if you guys could only see this in the window, it looks like mac and cheese. And I really hope this first bite lives up to the hype that's in my brain right now. Oh yeah, it does. So it is a little bit like a fancy mac and cheese. It's got the fried onions on top. Give that crunch. This is perfect. Whole thing was eight euros, which is great because we just got our deposit back from the Glühwein cups. So we got 10 euros back for that. Came over here and spent that right on the Käsespätzle. So I feel like in Sam's girl math, she's probably thinking this was like free because we got money back and then we use that money. That's at least what I'm saying in my head that she's saying is, is that accurate? She's smiling at me. It is. 10 out of 10. I am, I am very happy right now. Just leaving Marienplatz. We have about a six minute walk, seven minute walk to get to our final market tonight. Thoughts on this market? I'm gonna let Chris go first. So yeah, this one was much more Christmassy vibes, like typical German, like when you think of German Christmas market, it checked all those boxes. A lot of people. But I will say that the prices also were much cheaper than the first place we went. Glühwein was four or five euros compared to the eight or so we paid at the first place. But I feel like overall, kind of the festive Christmas spirit was a little bit more on point for just that traditional Christmas market feel. Absolutely agreed. Some of the craft stalls that we saw, some were handmade, a lot looked mass produced. In general, I thought it was a good market. The Käsespätzle was phenomenal. I would get that again. Maybe we'll go back. The Sendlinger Tor Christmas Market takes its name from one of Munich's three remaining medieval city gates. Sendlinger Tor dates back to the 14th century, originally built as a southern entrance to the walled city. It was part of Munich's fortification system, protecting merchants and trade routes coming up from Italy and the Alpine regions. Over the centuries, the gate was rebuilt, expanded and eventually restored to the version that you see today. The Christmas market itself is much newer. It first began in the late 20th century as a smaller, more community focused alternative to the massive Marienplatz market. Because the square around Sendlinger Tor isn't as large, the market developed a much cozier, definitely more local vibe. Its location is just outside the city boundary. Also, it gives it its character. Today, it's considered one of Munich's most underrated Christmas market. And for visitors, it offers a refreshing break from the chaos of the bigger market while still delivering plenty of good food, great drinks and cozy winter magic. Käsekraner, or Käsekraner. I don't know. It's got cheese inside of it. So we're happy. I mean, can you even come to Germany and not have some sort of bratwurst, right? I don't think it's allowed. I'm really excited, actually. It was piping hot off the grill. So, and there's cheese inside of it. So I'm expecting... Have you ever had a Juicy Lucy? Remember in Minneapolis, Minnesota? And it's like molten cheese inside. That's kind of what I'm expecting. So my first bite was almost like a half bite because it was so hot that I had to abandon ship mid-bite. But it did have a great snap to it. The innards of it are great. I haven't actually tasted it yet. Thankfully, it is cold outside. This has cooled off quite nicely now. So it's much more safe. This is a family show. 21 and up only, but family show. Delicious. I took a little bit of the burnt end and it's like perfect charred. But then you get, again, the snap of the brat itself and then the cheesy gooeyness inside. We've had some good stuff tonight. The spetzel was pretty good, but this is where I'm at. We are just leaving that market. I really like the vibes of that place. I don't know. It was underneath that old city gate, which was really neat. I think they only had probably 20 stalls. So it was super, super small. But I think that's why we liked it. Favorite mug, I think. Yeah, it was a nice mug. Yeah. And I feel like it felt more local because it is a little bit outside of the city. So it did feel like much more local than the tourist center that we had been in. We went to Marienplatz because I did all this research that there was this one drink. I found the vendor that had it in its name. Super excited. It was there, but it wasn't what we were looking for. Other two markets that we went to did not have it. So we had originally seen it at the medieval market. So we ended up doubling back. So the drink we came back for is the Feuerzangenbowle, which is Glühwein's dramatic cousin. Its literal translation is fire tongs punch or burnt punch. So what they do is they soak a sugar loaf in rum and set it on fire and let it caramelize into the wine. It's warm, boozy, and exactly the kind of energy we support. So we have let this drink unflame. What's the word? Burn out? Okay, so we have let the flame die. How sad. And the sugar loaf has been in this Glühwein. We said earlier that we didn't have the best Glühwein from here. So I'm gonna try this Glühwein. I already had a sip. Rum on the top. Perfect. Burns the whole way down. I think that that sugar loaf changes the Glühwein completely, plus a little bit of rum. Really, really good. I feel like we buried the lead on this video because this was probably the more unique drink that we've had. And I would argue that it's my favorite drink tonight. Of the three markets, we did the medieval market first. Then we went to Marienplatz. And then we went to the Sendlinger Tor. And those are the three in order. Then we doubled back to the medieval market, as you can see behind us. So we're gonna crown a favorite. We're gonna do it on the count of three. And it's gonna be after three, not on three. On three or after three? One, two, three. Sendlinger Tor. Really? Yeah, I'm sticking with it. It felt more local. Was a little bit outside of the city, so you didn't get all the touristy people coming through there, like us. I felt like the Glühwein that we had there was great. The Käsekraner was phenomenal. And again, just the setting underneath that gate, the old city gate, was really, really neat. For theme, uniqueness, all of that jazz, this is a 10 out of 10 for me. But as the first two drinks were meh, the food was good. This drink rocked. I agree with what Chris said. But this market, for me personally, it was just so unique and different from Christmas markets that we've been to that I just feel like it deserves my award. In a city full of Christmas spirit, Munich over delivers when it comes to Christmas markets. And with just one night, these three stops give you tradition, atmosphere, and a very festive excuse to get a little sipsy. From here, we're heading to Prague and Vienna to see what their Christmas markets look like. Thanks for watching, guys. Cheers!