# A Christmas markets weekend in Munich > Advent in Munich for two: Glühwein under the New Town Hall spires, the Glockenspiel, Nymphenburg in winter light, a fire-lit medieval market and beer halls. Canonical: https://wonderkit.app/itineraries/munich-germany/christmas-markets-weekend HTML: https://wonderkit.app/itineraries/munich-germany/christmas-markets-weekend - City: Munich, Germany - Trip: Christmas markets · 3 days · 6 stops - Audience: couples - Season: Markets open through Advent - Last reviewed: 2026-08-11 - Plan this trip: https://wonderkit.app/start?city=Munich%2C+Germany&source=premade_trip&vibe=romantic&wk_src=itin-munich-germany-christmas-markets-weekend&itinerary=munich-germany%2Fchristmas-markets-weekend&wk_cta=markdown ![A Christmas markets weekend in Munich](https://wonderkit.app/og-heroes/munich-germany/christmas-markets-weekend.8eee8690.jpg) Munich's Advent is cold squares and loud, warm rooms: Glühwein under the spires of the New Town Hall, then a long wooden table in a beer hall while the winter does its worst outside. The old town is small enough to walk, and its central market has been part of the city's winter for generations. Keep the evenings loose for a beer hall or a long dinner. Expect grey, cold, sometimes snowy days, and markets that get busier and prettier as the light fades. Wear boots with grip, and don't skip the beer halls because it's winter; they are arguably better in the cold. ## Day 1 — Marienplatz and the old town ### Anchor: Marienplatz Christkindlmarkt Start in the city's central square, home to one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets: a towering tree, stalls of ornaments, gingerbread and mulled wine, and the neo-Gothic spires of the New Town Hall overhead. Catch the Rathaus-Glockenspiel once, its figures re-enacting historical scenes at set times daily; check the schedule when you arrive. Then walk to the twin towers of the Frauenkirche and on to Viktualienmarkt, where smaller, more local Christmas stalls sit among the regular food vendors. ### Backup: Residenz Munich *the Residenz instead* If the weather closes in, step inside the Residenz, the Bavarian monarchs' former palace in the city center. Its lavish staterooms and the Antiquarium, one of the largest Renaissance halls north of the Alps, fill a warm hour or two, with Marienplatz minutes away when you're ready for the cold again. ### Eat & rest Tonight belongs to a Bavarian beer hall: dark wood, communal tables, roast pork or sausages with sauerkraut, and steins of local beer. Touristy, yes, and also exactly how Munich spends a winter night. *Marienplatz, the Frauenkirche and Viktualienmarkt are all within five minutes of each other, so today stays entirely on foot.* Day reference: 1 ## Day 2 — Nymphenburg and an afternoon of art ### Anchor: Nymphenburg Palace Ride the tram about 20 minutes out to Nymphenburg, the Bavarian electors' summer residence, where a long Baroque façade faces a formal canal that is sometimes frozen in winter. The staterooms are grand without overwhelming you, and the bare, quiet park is worth a walk if the weather allows. Back in town, give the late afternoon to the Alte Pinakothek and its Dürer, Rubens and Rembrandt. Choose a handful of galleries, not the whole building. ### Backup: Asamkirche The Asam brothers built this small Baroque church as their private chapel and covered nearly every surface in gilt and fresco, so densely it feels almost theatrical. Fifteen or twenty minutes inside stays with you far longer. ### Eat & rest Head toward the Isar for dinner in a smaller neighborhood restaurant a few streets back from Marienplatz. Make it a slower, wine-forward meal rather than another beer hall. *The Alte Pinakothek and the Asamkirche sit on opposite sides of the old town; pick a route that loops back toward Marienplatz for the evening.* Day reference: 2 ## Day 3 — The Residenz Christmas village and a last mulled wine ### Anchor: Christmas Village at the Residenz *The Christmas village in the Residenz courtyard, then the medieval market at Wittelsbacherplatz* Inside the Residenz, just off Odeonsplatz, the Kaiserhof courtyard holds a smaller Christmas village: wooden chalets, a children's carousel and palace walls closing out the city. Have your last, less crowded Glühwein here. Around the corner at Wittelsbacherplatz, a medieval-themed market trades the usual sausage stalls for mead and food cooked over open fire, sold by traders in historical dress. If the weather holds, finish on the southern edge of the English Garden, bare and still in winter. ### Backup: Theatinerkirche Too cold or wet for markets and the park? The Theatinerkirche on Odeonsplatz, Italian Baroque with a bright yellow façade and ornate white stucco inside, gives you a quiet fifteen minutes before you carry on. ### Eat & rest One last Schweinebraten, or a warm pretzel with obatzda, in a Bavarian restaurant before you head home. *The whole morning clusters around the Odeonsplatz U-Bahn stop. Short on time? Skip the park and take a last pass through the stalls.* Day reference: 3 ## What to eat and drink at the markets Hold a hot mug in one hand and something from a cart in the other: - Glühwein: Bavarian mulled wine in a souvenir mug. Keep it, or return it for a small deposit. - Gebrannte Mandeln: sugar-glazed roasted almonds, sold warm from carts. - Bratwurst: grilled sausage in a roll with mustard, the reliable market lunch. - Lebkuchenherzen: decorated gingerbread hearts, more souvenir than snack, and on every stall. ## Staying warm - Beer halls are heated, loud and one of the best ways to spend a cold evening; plan one in, not as a backup. - Trams and the U-Bahn make the trip out to Nymphenburg easy without a long cold walk. - Marienplatz fills on weekend evenings, so arrive a little before dusk for a good view of the tree. Settle together which night is the beer hall and which is the quiet dinner, and let the markets fill the gaps. ## Plan this trip with your group [Start from this plan in WonderKit](https://wonderkit.app/start?city=Munich%2C+Germany&source=premade_trip&vibe=romantic&wk_src=itin-munich-germany-christmas-markets-weekend&itinerary=munich-germany%2Fchristmas-markets-weekend&wk_cta=markdown): invite your group with one link, everyone votes on what stays, and the plan is rebuilt around your dates in about a minute. Free to start; a person completes it in the web app. ## Keep exploring - [Vienna Christmas Markets: A 3-Day Weekend](https://wonderkit.app/itineraries/vienna-austria/christmas-markets-weekend) - [Strasbourg Christmas Markets: A 3-Day Weekend](https://wonderkit.app/itineraries/strasbourg-france/christmas-markets-weekend) - [3-Day Paris Itinerary for Couples](https://wonderkit.app/itineraries/paris-france/3-day-weekend-for-couples) - [Prague Christmas Markets: A 3-Day Weekend](https://wonderkit.app/itineraries/prague-czech-republic/christmas-markets-weekend) - [All Munich itineraries](https://wonderkit.app/itineraries/munich-germany) Every place on this page is verified — [how we check](https://wonderkit.app/itineraries/how-we-verify) --- Content from WonderKit public guides. Trip planning accounts are human-only at https://wonderkit.app.