Okay, I’ll admit it – I am addicted to visiting the European Christmas Markets. It is where the Christmas spirit makes its way into my soul. I could go again and again and again. It’s a different experience every time. Seeing families with smiling children out enjoying the holiday festivities tugs at my heart remembering my own children’s excitement when they were little.
Friends tell me they are not into shopping at Christmas. It isn’t so much about the shopping, as it is about the gathering of people, in their own town, or a neighboring city, to soak in the sights and sounds of the season. Don’t get me wrong, I DO select a few things to purchase for myself and others that we don’t see back home. It depends who I go with as to how much time and money I spend shopping.
From the glühwein to the musicians, the characters to the carolers, I love it all! Europe is magical from late November through the New Year holiday.
In 2018, my travel buddy Jan and I booked a Viking River Cruise from Passau to Budapest with a pre-extension in Munich and Salzburg. Jan and I also added a few extra days in Munich before our organized trip began. My brother-in-law Mike and his wife Ruth would be joining us in Passau for the cruise portion our itinerary.
Getting There
Booking air through Viking makes the trip a breeze. They arranged for our flight deviation to arrive into Munich earlier than our tour booked with them. We paid a bit more for this option but the flight was still less than had we booked our own.
Tuesday, December 4th – Jan drove to my house and my husband, John, took us to the Colorado Springs airport. We quickly made our way through security – the advantage of a smaller airport. Pricy Bloody Mary’s were a suiting kickoff to our trip. It was a quick hop to Denver where we enjoyed a Caribou Coffee and relaxed while we caught up on life’s events.
Finally, it was time to depart from Denver. Our reserved seats were H and K and thankfully nobody booked the seat in between us. Yay! A little extra room for the long flight to Munich.
I had salmon for dinner (it is so strange that they serve fish on a plane) and Jan opted for the pasta. Lufthansa was already in the spirit as we had yummy gingerbread for a treat. After visiting with each other and a couple movies, we got a little shuteye before waking up to a pre-arrival breakfast.
Adventures in Munich
Wednesday, December 5th – Arrival into Munich was at 9:50am. Even though the direct flight DEN to MUN was long, it was so worth it, in order to arrive here early in the day. Since we made a flight deviation (coming in early), we lost our included transportation to the hotel that Viking normally includes with the flight. Now we had to spend 65 euros on a short taxi ride of 30 minutes to the wonderful Hilton Munich Park.
Our first three nights were on our own, but we upgraded to an executive suite – for a fee, but we wouldn’t have to move when transitioning into our Viking group. The fee was less than the 29euro/each breakfast per day. Room 1431 was comfy and we could pop into the executive lounge for a variety of drinks and generous snacks.
We settled into our room, number 1431. It was large and comfortable. Off for a coffee in the lounge – and chocolate covered espresso beans. There was comfy seating next to the expansive windows where we sat to plan our afternoon.
We walked to the Chinese Tower in the Englisher Garten. Our first Christmas Market of the trip! We procured a steamy glühwein and watched a curling competition on the temporary ice surface set up right there in the market. It was pretty entertaining and I think the participants knew it.
Glühwein is the mulled wine and herb brew made with locally sourced wine and various liqueurs. This is the secret to staying warm at the Christmas Markets.
Each serving comes in a small mug unique to each market, that you can take home with you or return to the stall for your deposit called a pfand. If it’s cute, it’s coming home with me, to join the others in my collection. I display them in my stairway every December.
We walked through the stalls filled with various items. Jan purchased some cute whimsical angel ornaments from a very nice lady before we walked through the enchanting Englischer Garten to Marienplatz.
Marienplatz was alive with energy. This is where the famous 1908 Munchen Glockenspiel is found. It’s located on the central tower of the New Town Hall or Neues Rathaus.
The market covers the entire square and the inner courtyard. It also stretches down the main streets from the square. It has a traditional Bavarian feel. The decorated stalls contain a lot of handmade items, from handblown painted glass balls, to nostalgic paper pictures, to sheepskin products and weird fruit and nut figurines. Food and drink such as fresh chestnuts, gingerbread, Sneeballs, stollen and different flavors of glühwein can also be found.
The tallest thing in Marienplatz is the huge Christmas tree in all its glistening glory. The glow of the candles makes for a great ambiance for our first evening in Munich.
After having a cherry glühwein that came in a tall cup, we had to also have a cup of coffee in a small cafe, to get out of the cold for a moment and ….. you know, freshen up.
That’s when we spotted a cute little snowman mug. A quick inquiry led us down one of the aisles to have another glühwein and secure the cup that would catch the attention of people passing us by. So no, we aren’t the only crazy ones collecting cups, people were stopping us to ask where we had found the cute little guy.
Saint Nicholas Day!
Thursday, December 6th – We had a foil wrapped chocolate Santa at waiting for us outside our door! A large Santa, but he IS chocolate, so he might not last too long.
We purchased a three-day transportation pass that included the U-bahn, S-bahn, buses and trams. This would help us with getting around to all the Christmas Markets that Munich has to offer.
After a short bus ride to the Ostbahnhof, we boarded the train to the market at Sendlinger-Tor-Platz. I bought some paper stars for the grandsons and Jan bought a cute metal krankenschwester (nurse) for her daughter.
We then took the U-bahn to Odeonplatz. There are a couple markets within a short walk.
But first – Jan and I were sure to rub the lion’s nose on the statue that would bring us good luck. You could tell by looking, many people do so. We stood there watching tourists take photos when the touched it, as opposed to locals that would nonchalantly reach up for a touch. We were entertained for quite some time.
The Munich Residence Christmas Market was just off the square. That’s where a policeman took our picture. No, we weren’t in trouble, he just saw Jan taking a photo of me in a sled thought she should join me. His partner was giving him tips on how to do it. Quite entertaining.
An entire section was dedicated to large, and somewhat scary figurines moving to the Christmas music.
Pretty glasses of Eierpunsch kept us warm, for a while, and then cherry Glühwein did the job.
Off to the next market. The Medieval Market was so interesting. All the vendors were dressed the part and the stalls were as well. I found an excellent instrument for my son, Nicholas here. One of a kind. I was even able to film a little instructional video as to how it is played.
Jan and I had walked a few blocks, so we earned a new and different treat. A Feuerzungenbowle! It’s a traditional drink where a rum-soaked sugar cube is set on fire and drips into the Glühwein. The name means fire-tongs-punch. We had to get one! Look how St Nicholas pointed our way to the heaviest cups we would bring home.
It was evening before we enjoyed dinner of Spätzle and schnitzel at the Hofbrauhaus. A mas bier to wash it down was in order. Putting a designated daily amount of cash together to pay for meals and beverages was a great idea Jan thought of, but it caused our waiter a little confusion.
The Ubahn to Universitat left us to walk through the park in the dark. It was DARK! Really dark! A few steps in and you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. You would think you could at least see the lights from the businesses around the park, like our hotel – but nope. Yikes! Thank goodness for sell phone flashlights. I just hope nothing is lurking in the trees. I hope I can sleep.
We made it back safely but to a pile of chocolate covered espresso beans from a cute towel animal. I may not sleep for various reasons after all.
More Munich Fun
Friday, December 7th – There are still more Christmas Markets to be visited and we are only in our first city. We took a bus from the hotel to Marienplatz. It’s pretty in the daylight as well.
St Peter’s Church looked very plain from the outside but was very ornate inside. It is said to be the originating point for the city of Munich and is the oldest church here.
Inside the Galeria Kaufhof, there was a huge Christmas-themed Lego sculpture. Once outside, we were able to see the vast Christmas window display in action.
Munich is just so beautiful at Christmastime. I love the huge wooden pyramids and how they hang pretty decorations in the trees. By evening we arrived at Winterzauber auf dem Viktualienmarkt. I had been here in July 2010 and enjoyed a huge pretzel with a beer. It appears most of the little farmers market stalls are open all year.
Jan and I were surprised at how many people were in the biergarten, so after grabbing a quick bite to eat, we joined them. Oh, look. We are right by the cheese market. John would love this spot!
Of course a cold beer made a chill set in, so we had one Glühwein to warm up. In pretty red cups that were not unique enough to take home – a photo would have to suffice. That area was so full of people and continued to get more full of people.
Alas, it was getting late. We stopped into a nearby restaurant and Jan summoned an Uber. It’s a good thing they tell you what make and model car. Another person offered us a ride. Nope!
Our Viking Itinerary Begins
Saturday, December 8th – Were did the time go? It’s already the day our group tour begins. We met our Viking Host Nandor in the lobby at the Viking hospitality desk. Jan and I think he will be a fun host. He even provided his cell number to reach him in case we get lost or something. He is from Budapest so we questioned him about the Ruin Bars. He was surprised we knew of so many. He did’t recommend any one in particular.
The rest of our group will be arriving throughout the day and we will meet up with them this evening. For now, we are on our own to check out another Christmas market, or two.
The Pink Christmas Market awaits. It is located in Munich’s Glockenbachviertal at the tiny Stephansplatz. It was a bit of a journey so Jan got us an Uber. The girl that took us had to go all the way around due to construction, but got us very near.
The cups had little rainbow hearts on them but they were only stickers. Jan bought one but I passed. This market would be so pretty to see at night illuminated in all the pink lights.
We chose to make use of our transportation pass to return to the Hilton. We walked through the pretty neighborhood to the Ubahn station. The nearest Ubahn station to our hotel appeared to be Siegestor, across the park from our hotel. It gave us a chance to see the Victory Gate, a triumphal arch. On top is a huge lion quadriga. You don’t realize how big it is until you get closer. The arch is 21 meters high by 24 meters wide and 12 meters deep. Yep, that’s big. It was heavily damaged in WWII but restored with a different meaning. Today it is a monument to peace.
Our path took us right back through the market at the Chineser Turm. Since we had a little time, we hung out before returning to the hotel. The children were so exited by the horses and St Nicholas. Yes, so were we. And Jan fell in love with a little boy on skis. I think his name was Hummel.
At 5:00pm, we met with the others in our group at orientation in one of the hotel’s meeting rooms. Some beverages and light refreshments accompanied our welcome. The other guests seemed very nice, but tired. I’m glad we flew in early.
Before we embarked on this journey, I happened upon an article which referred to a cute little place Munich locals that live near the Englischer Garten like to frequent. We asked Nandor about it. He had never heard of it and referred us to the hotel staff. The concierge had never heard of it. I’m so glad I made notes that it was on the opposite side of the garden from the hotel. Let’s go find it! We walked through the park and found it! It’s called Milsch-Heusl. It is SO cute! It is a hut, surrounded by ski lift tram cars and a little cabin full of singing people. A fire was burning in a split log and kids were running all around. Sausages and potato salad made a tasty meal in our own little dining space. Of course, we had to have a spiked hot chocolate that was recommended to us.
Neuschwanstein Castle
Sunday, December 9th – Off on the first adventure with our local guide Michael. We loved Michael. His energy is off the charts. He is a teacher. How fun would his classes be? Viking finds the best of the best.
Peter, our bus driver, whisked us away to Neuschwanstein Castle. From the parking lot below the castle, you could see the Schloss Hohenschwangau, another castle of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. We won’t be visiting the “yellow castle” today.
On to the big one. Michael took us on a hike uphill to Marienbrucke first, to get the best view of the castle. So pretty from up here! It didn’t seem to be raining very hard but we were getting wet. An umbrella only does so much on a windy bridge.
We then had a downhill hike to the entry and after a short presentation on the terrace, we were able to go inside. Yay! In 2010, I only saw the outside. Unfortunately they didn’t allow photography inside so I had to buy a little photo book. … and a demi tasse.
Moving on, we reboarded the coach and drove through a very wet, but amazing Oberammergau with its ornately painted buildings. A couple hours later, we arrived at Linderhof Palace. It is overly opulent! Ludwig was the crazy king.
Upon our return to the Hilton in Munich, we opted to eat in the executive lounge. There was plenty to choose from and it filled us up. Back to our room we packed for an early morning departure.
Munich Panoramic Tour
Monday, December 10th – We were up early and had our bags out before 7:30am. Breakfast was a quick affair today, as the bus would be leaving at 8:30am.
The Munich Panoramic Tour taught us a lot about where we had been exploring the past few days. Michael was still very animated. He showed us where Freddy Mercury, Donna Summer, and Lou Bega of “Little Bit of Mambo” fame resided. With a “Look! Look! Look!”, we were able to spot the surfers on the water of the Englischer Garten river. (Jan and I later discovered the surfers in the background of a photo we had taken in the previous days). Had we been paying close attention, we could have watched them perform.
Michael then showed us Schlosspark Nymphenburg, with the huge palace that has a width of over 2,000 feet. Just a “small summer residence” for the former rulers of Bavaria. We took a spin around Olympic Park (where Mark Spitz won all his medals).
A quick planned “PP stop”, as Michael calls them, at BMW Welt, turned into a tour of the new releases of cars and motorcycles, and a look at a solar prototype that may one day grace the roads. You could even sit on the motorcycles for photographs, so we joined in the posing fun.
Even though we were all having a great time, there were still some highlights to see. We saw the Schwabinger Weinachtsmarkt (Schwabing Christmas Market) as we drove through the area. How did we miss this one, Jan? We were so close to it. Maybe it was because it sits below street level.
On our way down Leopoldstrasse, we see the Walking Man sculpture. It is so tall – Fifty six feet tall. There is the Siegestor that we walked around just a couple days before this. Michael pointed out the St Ludwig’s Church with its ornate rooftop and an equestrian statue fit for a king.
The large motorcoach returned to city center. Peter did a great job navigating the narrow streets. He stopped near the historical hub, and we started the walking portion of our tour at Odeonplatz. Hey, we’ve been here before too! Michael said the lion there might bring you luck, but would definitely bring you germs. Ha!
There is something to see in every direction. The Feldernhalle is a monumental loggia inspired by Italian architecture and is graced by two enormous lions. The Theatine Church of St. Cajetan dating back to the 1600’s was so opulent inside and out. There is a grand entrance arch to the Hofgarten which is part of the former royal residence.
So much to see, but time won’t stand still for us. The group was disappointed that we only made a very quick “PPStop” and peek in the Hofbrauhaus. Jan and I were glad we spent a leisurely evening there having a meal and enjoying the atmosphere.
Late morning found us at Marienplatz to wait for the noon Glockenspiel performance. It was amazing how huge a crowd gathered to watch and listen. (It needs tuning.)
Afterwards we were given free time for shopping and lunch. There is a cute little courtyard behind the bell towers. There was a small Christmas Market in here as well. We ate in the Rathskeller. That’s the basement under city hall. It’s a German thing. It’s very cool to eat in these historic building basements throughout the country. The käsespatzle was quite yummy and the surroundings were surreal. I will certainly miss Munich ……. until next time.
The Journey to Salzburg
Afternoon found us back on the motor coach for our transfer to Salzburg. The trip was snowy in portions. Finally, we arrived at the Radisson Blu Altstadt, a beautiful hotel right in the Baroque historical center of the city. Room 208 would be our home away from home for a couple nights. We had a metal key on a weighty metal key ring as opposed to a card. It had to be left at the front desk when leaving the hotel.
We had Mozart Balls on our beds! There was a sitting area and desk near the window which was nice, but at the expense of the beds being super close together. The wooden floors were beautiful (here I am in Austria looking at the floors). The windows actually opened wide. You could poke your head out and take in the view. Hohensalzburg Fortress was visible on the slope at the end of the street. As darkness fell, the holiday lights came on and so did the spotlights at the castle.
Nandor took us on an orientation walk that ended at the Christmas Market. So many wonderfully decorated stalls and a skating rink as well. Here the children use little figures such as snowmen or penguins to help them stay upright. So cute! We both picked up some of the famous salt at one stall and I bought some metal ornaments at another.
Then it was time to relax and just soak up the ambiance.
We both opted for the Mozart-Trunk which was recommended by a young girl from Belgrade. A hot concoction of Baileys, Kailua, and a Mozart Ball – It was the BEST. A second one confirmed it. Yep, the BEST! The stall hostess traded our cups for clean ones to take with us. How many Glühwein cups is that so far?
Back at the hotel, we collected our heavy key and headed upstairs where we were happy to see our luggage had made it to our room. Aaaah, the beds were comfy.
Salzburg, Austria
Tuesday, December 11th – The allure of Salzburg is that it was the birthplace of Mozart as well as the backdrop for the Sound of Music. Our morning was spent on a walking tour with our guide, Helga, and she pointed out the history of both.
As we walked through the Old Market Square, the smallest building we saw was built to close a narrow alleyway. It is a jewelry shop called Nedoluha.
We learned all about Mozart Balls and were encouraged to use our free time later to acquire some and decide for ourselves which is best. Hmm …. Chocolate tasting – assignment accepted!
In the daylight, we could better appreciate the area surrounding the Christmas Market.
Helga then took us to the Cathedral or Salzburger Dom. Saint Rupert founded it in 774. It was completely rebuilt in the Baroque style after being destroyed more than once by fire.
Mozart was baptized here and the font still remains. The same font that Joseph Mohr, who wrote Silent Night, was also baptized in. He is important to note, as the area is celebrating the 200th anniversary of when the famous Christmas carol was first performed at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf on December 24, 1818.
As we walked on, we went through a Christmas Market. Oh the delights we walked by! Mouthwatering confections to tempt us in every case.
Saint Peter’s Abbey is where a 13-year-old Mozart’s “Dominicus Mass” marked the ordination of the family’s landlord as the abbot.
We were taken to see the house where Mozart was born at the Mozart Museum. Then we crossed the river over a bridge filled with love locks to see where he lived later on. Not far beyond the second Mozart House was Mirabel Gardens. You know the one – with the steps – from the Sound of Music. Hmmm. Helga left us at this point to explore a bit more on our own.
After spending some time in the beautiful garden, which was so green even though it was December, we ventured beyond the stairs up to the street to take in the Mirabel Christmas Market – and yes, we had to have a glühwein as we strolled among the stalls. The smell of roasted almonds lured us over for a warm paper cone overflowing with them. Yum! Cute little hand knit ornaments were calling our names and we couldn’t resist buying some. It was time for a break, so back to the hotel we went.
The hotel was sooo relaxing, but we had come too far to lounge around for too long. We bought a bus pass and took a ride out to Hellbrunnen Schloss. Jan had been here in the summer when the fountains could trick the passers by. I’m glad she could provide a narrative of what it was like, since it is very cold and crisp this visit.
The Christmas Market at Hellbrunn was so beautiful with over 10,000 red ornaments decorating the trees. It had a lot of handmade items. The dirndls were so cute! I decided to buy one that would fit my granddaughter Emma’s doll. At least a doll won’t outgrow it. It was fun to stroll along and check out all the handiwork of the artisans.
There was also many things for children to see and do, we even spotted the Krampus canoeing down the river to remind them to behave.
After riding the bus back to near the hotel, we decided to try two of the famous Mozart Balls. We tried Braun and Furst. Jan and I agreed – Braun won our taste test.
For dinner that night, we opted for fish and chips at the Dubliner Irish Pub. It was away from the main area, so the clientele seemed more local. Delightful!
On our way back to our room, we took in one more weinachtsmart. As we were walking around we found the UNESCO signage for the Old Town Salzburg. Salzburg is one of the biggest sites in area covered. We made one last stop at another Christmas Market, to make sure we didn’t miss something we couldn’t live without, before we headed back to pack.
The Sound of Music
Wednesday December 12th. Today is our “Sound of Music” excursion. Jan and a few of the others are in seventh heaven. I had to admit to Jan, that I have never seen the movie The Sound of Music in its entirety, but I’m familiar with some of the songs and scenes. (Once we were on the ship we tried, we tried hard, night after night, to get through the movie, but neither one of us could stay awake after our busy days on shore.)
It is snowing like crazy as we met our guide up the street from our hotel. Some guests didn’t take the hilly and slippery terrain of Salzburg into consideration when choosing their footwear to trace the steps of Maria. Our guide walked us to the Nonnberg Abbey where the story began. The nuns sang “Maria” in the courtyard and the kids visited her here. We didn’t go inside and were told neither did the actors. Hollywood magic.
Thankfully the snow began to let up, just when we were boarding the motor coach. We drove to a familiar place. Weren’t we just here the yeserday? Yep, Hellbrunn Palace! It is where the gazebo in which Liesl sings “16 going on 17” was relocated. It was originally in the park of Leopoldskron Palace. What – Jan didn’t know this? We laughed because we were only a hundred feet away from it the prior day. Jan gave us a little sample of the song. I didn’t get it recorded though. Darn!
But oh what a winter wonderland! Such a huge contrast from the day before.
Jan and I were so glad we made the trip via bus on our own, since the Christmas Market wasn’t yet open for the day. The others in our group certainly missed out. Even the Krampus was covered in plastic. We were told his mask was quite valuable and needed to be protected.
Our next stop was in the town featured in the opening scene of the movie – St. Gilgen. It looks quite different covered in snow but is stunning nonetheless.
Off to our next Sound of Music setting – Mondsee! The marriage scene was filmed in the basilica St. Michael. Advent was a marvelous time to visit.
The Christmas Market at the church was not open until evening but the gift shop sold the little wooden ornaments I like to collect. I bought a 3D nativity scene ornament and then we headed to lunch. We picked a cute place called Braun and enjoyed a hearty soup and cappuccinos. It isn’t so hard to just pop in a restaurant without a wait at this time of year.
We found out the ship we are meeting in Passau has been changed to the Viking Ve. I looked online and it appeared to be identical to the Viking Hermod we were originally booked on. We were certainly ready to get to our stateroom to settle in for the rest of our trip.
See my Danube Waltz Christmas Markets Part 2 – to learn exactly how fun-filled our days and nights were spent traveling from Passau, Germany to Budapest, Hungary.
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