Munich Christmas Market 2026-2027: Dates & Markets

The Munich Christmas Market on Marienplatz, the Münchner Christkindlmarkt, runs from Friday 20 November to Thursday 24 December 2026, with one closed day on Sunday 22 November. The Munich Christkindlmarkt opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00, and it closes at 14:00 on Christmas Eve. Munich runs more than a dozen other Christmas markets around the city, and a few, such as the Viktualienmarkt and the Munich Feuerzangenbowle, carry on into January 2027.

This guide gives the confirmed 2026 dates and hours for the Marienplatz market and the city’s other main markets, what to eat and drink, and how to get there.

When is the Munich Christmas Market in 2026?

The Munich Christmas Market on Marienplatz runs from 20 November to 24 December 2026 and closes on 22 November, according to christkindlmarkt-muenchen.de, the city’s official market site, and munich.travel, the city tourism office. The 2026 opening hours are listed below.

Entry is free. Sunday 22 November 2026 is Totensonntag, the Protestant day of remembrance for the dead, and the tourism office notes that most of Munich’s Christmas markets close that day.

Where is the Munich Christmas Market?

The Munich Christmas Market fills Marienplatz, Munich’s central square, and the pedestrian streets leading off it, in front of the neo-Gothic New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus). There is no parking around Marienplatz, so the organiser asks visitors to come by public transport. Marienplatz has its own S-Bahn and U-Bahn station directly under the square.

How old is the Munich Christmas Market?

The Munich Christkindlmarkt traces its roots to the St. Nicholas markets of the 14th century, according to the city’s market site. Its first documented mention dates from 1642, when a “Nikolaidult” was held on Kaufingerstraße. The Nikolaimarkt was renamed the Christmarkt in 1806, and after several moves it settled on Marienplatz in its present form in 1972. The tourism office calls it the oldest Christmas market in Munich.

What is there to see at the Marienplatz market?

The Marienplatz market is a goods market first, with over a hundred stalls selling gingerbread, wooden carvings from Oberammergau, South Tyrol and the Ore Mountains, and everything else connected with Advent. The highlights the city lists are below.

• The Christmas tree. The giant tree in front of the New Town Hall is the market’s landmark, and since 1977 the city has received it as a donation. The 2026 tree comes from the municipality of Sauerlach near Munich.
• The Kripperlmarkt. The Kripperlmarkt beside St. Peter’s Church, a few steps from Marienplatz, is probably Germany’s largest nativity-scene market, selling only nativity scenes, figures and accessories. Munich’s first nativity market was held in 1757.
• Advent music from the Town Hall balcony. Bavarian folk music groups, brass bands and choirs play live from the Town Hall balcony from 17:15, Sunday to Thursday.
• Singing under the Christmas tree. An open carol sing-along takes place at 16:30 on the Wednesdays of Advent, 25 November and 2, 9 and 16 December 2026, in front of St. Michael’s Church on Neuhauser Straße. It is free and needs no registration.
• The Krampus run. The Krampus run on Sunday 13 December 2026, from 15:00 to 17:00, sends about 25 groups of Krampus, Perchten and other masked figures through the city centre, and it draws up to 50,000 onlookers, according to the organiser.

What are the other Christmas markets in Munich?

Munich’s other Christmas markets range from a medieval market to a queer market and an alternative winter festival on the Oktoberfest grounds. The main ones are listed below with their 2026-2027 dates from munich.travel.

Christmas Village in the Residenz

The Christmas Village runs from 16 November to 22 December 2026 in the Kaiserhof, the largest courtyard of the Munich Residenz, entered from Residenzstraße by Odeonsplatz. The courtyard keeps out the wind, and the village has a Hansel and Gretel fairytale forest, puppet shows and craft workshops where goldsmiths, furriers and glassblowers work in front of visitors.

Medieval Christmas Market on Wittelsbacherplatz

The Medieval Christmas Market runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026 on Wittelsbacherplatz, on Brienner Straße. Traders in historical costume sell from wooden huts, artisans demonstrate old crafts, and the food includes tarte flambée and sausages grilled over a beechwood fire, with hot drinks such as spiced wine made to old recipes.

Tollwood Winter Festival

Tollwood runs from 24 November to 23 December 2026 on the Theresienwiese, the Oktoberfest grounds, with a New Year’s Eve party on 31 December. It is Munich’s alternative Christmas market, with organic food, arts and crafts at its Market of Ideas, and a programme of theatre, music and children’s events, most of them free.

Christmas Market at the Chinesischer Turm

The Christmas Market at the Chinesischer Turm runs from 19 November to 23 December 2026 in the Englischer Garten, and it opens only from Wednesday to Sunday. The stalls stand around the park’s Chinese Tower, and the market offers carriage rides through the Englischer Garten, brass bands and carol singing at weekends.

Pink Christmas

Pink Christmas runs from 20 November to 20 December 2026 on Stephansplatz in the Glockenbachviertel, near Sendlinger Tor. It has been the Christmas market of Munich’s LGBTIQ community since 2005, with mulled wine, gifts and a small stage for drag acts and singers.

Christkindlmarkt at Sendlinger Tor

The Sendlinger Tor market runs from 20 November to 22 December 2026 in front of one of Munich’s 3 surviving medieval city gates. A Christmas market is said to have been held on this spot as early as 1886, and the stalls today sell nativity figures from Tyrol and Peru, candles, ceramics and wooden toys, with mulled wine and Feuerzangenbowle.

Viktualienmarkt and Haidhausen

The Viktualienmarkt, Munich’s central food market a few minutes from Marienplatz, adds Christmas lights, mulled wine and a nativity scene by its beer garden from 20 November 2026 to 5 January 2027. The Haidhausen Christmas Market on Weissenburger Platz, east of the river Isar, has run for forty years and has live music and a South Tyrolean nativity scene, from 20 November to 24 December 2026.

What food and drink should you try at the Munich Christmas Market?

Glühwein (mulled wine), punch and Feuerzangenbowle are the drinks of the Munich Christmas Market, according to the tourism office. The foods and drinks it lists for Marienplatz are below.

• Glühwein. Glühwein is hot mulled wine spiced with cinnamon and cloves, the standard drink at every stall.
• Feuerzangenbowle. Feuerzangenbowle is a punch of red wine, rum and spices made by setting light to a rum-soaked sugarloaf above the pot.
• Roasted almonds. Roasted almonds (gebrannte Mandeln) are sugar-coated almonds sold warm by the bag.
• Hot chestnuts. Hot chestnuts are roasted at the stalls and sold by the bag.
• Bratwurst. Bratwurst is the grilled sausage that fills the square with its smell, served in a roll.
• Lebkuchen. Lebkuchen (gingerbread) comes as biscuits and as gingerbread loaves, the classic sweet Advent speciality.

The organiser adds that the Marienplatz stalls also cater for vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free and diabetic diets. For a sit-down meal after the market, our guide to traditional German food covers the Bavarian dishes to order.

What can you buy at the Munich Christmas Market?

Wooden carvings, gingerbread and nativity figures are the classic buys at the Munich Christmas Market. The Marienplatz stalls sell carvings from Oberammergau, South Tyrol and the Ore Mountains, the Kripperlmarkt by St. Peter’s sells nativity scenes and figures in every size, and the Residenz Christmas Village sells work by goldsmiths and glassblowers. Tollwood’s Market of Ideas is the place for handmade and fair-trade gifts.

How do you get to the Munich Christmas Market?

Public transport is the only practical way to reach the Munich Christmas Market, because there is no parking around Marienplatz.

First, from Munich Airport, the S1 and S8 S-Bahn lines reach the city centre in about 40 minutes, according to the airport, and both stop at Marienplatz. For long-haul trips, compare flights to Munich.

Second, from Munich Hauptbahnhof (the main station), Marienplatz is two stops away on any S-Bahn line through the city centre, or a walk through the pedestrian zone past Karlsplatz-Stachus. Munich has direct trains to Nuremberg, Vienna and Salzburg, so compare trains to Munich if you are combining Christmas markets.

Third, within the city, the U-Bahn reaches Odeonsplatz for the Residenz and Wittelsbacherplatz markets and Theresienwiese for Tollwood, and a single ticket covers both S-Bahn and U-Bahn.

Where to stay near the Munich Christmas Market?

The Altstadt (old town) around Marienplatz is the most convenient base, because the Marienplatz, Residenz, Wittelsbacherplatz, Viktualienmarkt and Sendlinger Tor markets are all within walking distance. The streets around the Hauptbahnhof are a cheaper alternative two S-Bahn stops away. For options in both, compare hotels in Munich and across Germany and book early for Advent weekends.

Munich is a good starting point for Bavaria’s other markets, such as the Nuremberg Christmas markets and the Rothenburg Christmas market on the Romantic Road. Our round-up of the Christmas markets in Germany compares 20 of the country’s markets with their 2026 dates.

Munich Christmas Market FAQ

What is the most famous Christmas market in Munich?

The Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz is the most famous Christmas market in Munich. It is the city’s oldest market, it has stood on Marienplatz since 1972, and a Munich University of Applied Sciences study cited by the tourism office found it the most popular.

Is the Munich Christmas Market open on 22 November 2026?

No, the Munich Christmas Market on Marienplatz is closed on Sunday 22 November 2026, which is Totensonntag. The tourism office says most of Munich’s other Christmas markets also close that day.

Is the Munich Christmas Market open on Christmas Eve?

Yes, the Munich Christmas Market on Marienplatz opens on 24 December from 10:00 to 14:00, and that is its last day. The Grünwalder Turmbläser brass band traditionally plays at noon to close the market.

Which Munich Christmas markets are open after Christmas?

The Viktualienmarkt winter market runs to 5 January 2027, the Munich Feuerzangenbowle to 6 January 2027 and the Eiszauber ice rink on Karlsplatz-Stachus to 10 January 2027. The Marienplatz market itself closes on 24 December.

Is Munich or Cologne better for Christmas markets?

Munich and Cologne suit different trips, so the choice depends on what you want from the markets. Munich spreads its markets across the city, with the Residenz courtyard, a medieval market and the Tollwood festival alongside Marienplatz, and it adds Bavarian traditions such as the Krampus run. Our Cologne Christmas markets guide has Cologne’s 2026 markets and dates for comparison.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

The 4 tips below come from the city’s own 2026 market calendar, and each one changes which day you go.

1. Keep Sunday 22 November free of market plans. The Marienplatz market closes for Totensonntag two days after it opens, and the tourism office says most other Munich markets do the same.
2. Be at Marienplatz before 14:00 on 24 December. Christmas Eve is the last day and the stalls close at 14:00, after the Grünwalder Turmbläser play at noon.
3. Check the day before going to the Chinesischer Turm. The Englischer Garten market opens only from Wednesday to Sunday, so a Monday or Tuesday trip finds it shut.
4. Stand on Marienplatz at 17:15 from Sunday to Thursday. That is when the Advent music starts from the Town Hall balcony, and Friday and Saturday evenings do not have it.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the team covers Germany for independent travellers, including Munich’s Christmas markets, hotels and trains worth booking, and updates this page when dates, prices and rules change.