Merry Christmas from the Munich Residenz Christmas Market!
- Brooke
- Dec 23, 2025
- 5 min read
Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!
This year, Ben and I were fortunate to take a trip to Europe in late November, which allowed us to visit a few Christmas markets, one of our favorite things.
And the first Christmas market of the trip was one we hadn't even planned on visiting. Fortunately for us, our very kind and knowledgeable hotel staff informed us that there was a Christmas market open, and not too far away from the hotel - the Munich Residenz Christmas Market (officially: Weihnachtsdorf im Kaiserhof der Residenz).
The Residenz was the home to Bavaria's monarchs, the Wittelsbach family. Unfortunately for us, we didn't have time to visit the palace interiors on this trip, but we did manage to make a trip out to their incredibly lavish and ornate summer palace located about 15 minutes from the city center, Schloss Nymphenburg (a blog post will be forthcoming). However, I was excited that we would get a chance to take some time to pay a visit to some of its exteriors, and even better, have an opportunity to visit our first Christmas market of the trip.
This visit was made more exciting by the fact that we knew we would be missing Munich's main Christmas market by one day. Therefore, to get a chance to see some of the city's festivities was a pleasant surprise. We also couldn't ask for much more ambiance to kick off our winter trip than having it snow on us while in the market. As I've probably mentioned eight hundred million times by now, I'm not a huge fan of snow, but it can definitely be charming when you're drinking a hot glass of mulled cider surrounded by twinkling lights and festive revelers.
And now, without further ado, let's go check out what we saw during this Christmas market, our first one of 2025.
We'll start at the end.
This picture above was taken as we were leaving the market, and you can see that the snow was really coming down. It took us some maneuvering to find this particular entrance, but we eventually made it (the helpful people at the entrance to the museum pointed us in this direction).
Above, this is NOT the entrance to the market but the museum.
Below, this is not the courtyard for the market either.
The courtyard that holds the market is located essentially directly across from the Theatine Church near Odeonsplatz.
The market was busy, but not packed. I can't speak to its volume later in the season as Christmas draws nearer, but we were pleasantly surprised to see so many people enjoying the lights, the sights, the food and drinks all while being lightly dusted by snow.
Upon entering, we were immediately confronted by a bratwurst stand. We had had many a wurst by this time of our trip, but who can turn down another? This would be our last evening in Munich, and our wurst times would soon come to a close.
The next stop on any German Christmas market list has to be the Gluhwein stall. Gluhwein, pronounced glue-vine, is a spiced mulled wine, often red, and is seen all over European Christmas markets. Gluhwein is the German version, though you'll see other examples, such as vin chaud in France. For those who don't drink alcohol, each stall generally has a non-alcoholic option called Kinderpunsch (children's punch). Be sure to double check that it is, in fact, alcohol free, though, as we found a Kinderpunsch in Vienna that was not! In German, you'll see the designation, alkoholfrei.
Another thing to note at each market in Germany, they will have their own unique Gluhwein mug. You are often charged a small deposit fee, about 5€, which you can get back if you return the mug. We generally don't, as these are some of the souvenirs we bring back home with us. If you come to our house around Christmas time, expect to be served a warm drink using a mug from one of the Christmas markets we've visited.
We continued to walk around the small courtyard, admiring all of the stands.
The longer we stayed, the more it snowed, making the space even more festive.
And you don't have to worry, you are never more than a 30 second walk away from a potential bratwurst being placed in your hands.
The stall below was selling mac and cheese as well as the traditional Christmas snack, corn on the cob!
At each market, Ben and I try to find an ornament to bring home and place on our tree.
At this market, I managed to secure one of these massive ornaments - it really is the biggest one on our tree by far - but I liked that it was a hand painted scene of the city of Munich. (I snagged the blue one).
After some more wandering, it was time to try a new wurst, and this time we opted for a curry wurst. I am a sucker for all things curry, so this sounded right up my alley, and it was the first one we had encountered on the trip.
In my head, the sausage would have curry inside of it. But no! It was topped with a tomato based sauce and then sprinkled with curry on top of it. Not bad, but not quite what we had been thinking. Now that I know what to expect, I would try it again and try to appreciate it more.
As with almost all Christmas markets we've ever visited, this one also had the obligatory models featuring the nativity as well as German folk tales and fairy tales that are unknown to Ben and I, like this one below.
And because there's also usually a Santa nearby (or Père Noel, or St. Nikolas), I had to force Ben to get his picture with him. Look at his face, you know he loved it. :)
Finally, we had reached the end of the loop and stumbled upon a stall featuring some yummy looking sweet treats. Because I had been told by my doctor to add some gluten back into my diet while we rule out a few things, I was definitely going to partake in a bite or two of these delicious desserts.
Ben sprang for a Dampfnudel (steamed dumpling), while I went with the Apfelküchle, or apple ringed donuts.
I had a bite or two of the steamed dumpling, which was tasty. But the real hero were the apple ring donuts, which are made after you order them. Hot, crispy, sweet...if I have to eat gluten, this is the type of exception to a gluten free life that I am willing to make a sacrifice for.
After dessert, it was time to say auf wiedersehen to the market and make our way back to our hotel. What a pleasant surprise it was for us to discover that we could, in fact, visit a Christmas market in Munich before we would depart for our river cruise down the Danube. If you find yourself in this part of the world during the Christmas season, be sure to stop in to the Christmas market at the Residenz!
Munich Residenz Christmas Market Details (Weihnachtsdorf im Kaiserhof der Residenz)
Above, the specific entrance to the market. Below, the general map to find the Residenz within the city of Munich.
For 2025, the market was open for the following dates:
"The Christmas village is open this year for its visitors, both young and old, from Monday, November 17th, 2025 to Monday, December 22nd, 2025, daily from 11:00am to 9:00pm"
To check the opening times for future markets, visit their home page.
Admission is free to enter. Have some cash and your card on hand to ensure you can pay for items at each stall. Germany takes Euros and all major US credit/debit cards.
To learn more about Munich's other Christmas markets, visit this page.
Day of visit: November 21, 2025
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