I arrived in Munich on Dec. 8th and spent the next four days going to as many Christkindlmarkts as possible!
We also happened to be there during the Krampus parade which was super fun!
Baumstriezel.... is it worth the wait?
It most definitely is!
So was this!
We purchased this in the Medieval Christmas Market in Munich. It was so fun that some towns had multiple markets in the various town squares and some of them had different themes.
More from the Medieval market.
The entrance to the Medieval market. They had great music, great food and everything was themed accordingly.
Each market had various places to buy hot beverages (various mulled spiced drinks, hot wine, hot chocolate, teas, etc) and they sold them in these mugs that were uniquely designed for that specific market. They charged you the price of the drink plus an extra 3 euros for the mug. If you decide to keep the mug, it's yours! If you decide not to, you simply turn it back in when you're done with your beverage and they give you back 3 euros. They then wash and re-use the mug. No litter, no trash and fun little collectibles for those that want to keep (which we did - we collected five and then filled them with fun German candies and presented them as souvenir gifts to our kids when we got home).
Another day, another Christmas market! This one was in Nuremberg, where history marks as the birthplace of Christkindlmarkt. Fittingly, it has one of the biggest and best!
Nurnberg also had a great Children's Christmas market.
Each stall had these really fun decorated canopy tops.
And there was glow-in-the dark cotton candy!
And little places to do make-your-own gingerbread.
See all those people behind me? Most of them are locals. It was rare to hear English. We spoke to several locals who said that, due to Covid canceling the 2020 and 2021 markets, this is the first time they've been able to experience this fun annual tradition in three years, so they were all chomping at the bit to get out and enjoy the festive Christmas season and these markets that make their towns come alive, especially at night.
These little nut/dried date figures are a Christmas market staple. So we of course had to get one!
Christmas market memories with my travel partner.
Bavaria is famous for its Gingerbread!
So much yummy, hot hand-held foods to try.
We loved this life-size German Nativity!
German sausage smothered in mustard and sauerkraut. Yummy in my tummy!
It was dreamy.
Verdict: We were in Germany from Dec. 8-12, 2022 and went to several Christmas markets in four different towns/cities: Munich, Nuremberg, Bamberg and Regensburg. You don't necessarily need to go to all the markets in all the towns, but YES, you definitely need to experience Christkindlmarkt in Germany (preferably Bavaria) at some point in your life. It feels like you are living on a Hallmark movie set or a part of a 3D Thomas Kinkaid Christmas card. It's festive and fun and a totally unique experience. My favorites were in Munich and Nuremberg.
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