Munich’s Christkindlmarkt opens on Friday 20 November and runs until 24 December. If you are going with children, put one earlier date in the diary: the free Himmelswerkstatt craft workshop is by registration only, and booking opens in mid-November.
What the market offers, and when it is open
The city-run market fills Marienplatz and Rindermarkt, with the Kripperlmarkt (nativity scenes) in front of the Alter Peter church. The city lists 137 stalls selling food and crafts. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 9pm, Sunday 10am to 8pm and Christmas Eve 10am to 2pm. The market is closed on Totensonntag, 22 November. The easiest way in is U3/U6 or any S-Bahn line to Marienplatz.
Once a week there is “Singen unterm Christbaum” at the Alter Peter, a roughly 30-minute singalong that is step-free and offers texts in large print and Braille; the city’s page does not name the weekday. On Sunday 13 December from 3pm to 5pm the Krampuslauf winds through the centre, with more than 300 Krampus and Perchten figures from about 25 groups. The city expects up to 50,000 spectators, and it can be loud and scary for small children, so arrive early.
Himmelswerkstatt: how to get a place
Schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 make cards, candles and other gifts in the Ratstrinkstube of the Neues Rathaus every day from 26 November to 13 December. There are two sessions, 2.30pm to 4pm and 4.30pm to 6pm. It is free, but places are limited.
Booking goes through the Kindermuseum München and opens exactly ten days before the date you want. For the first day, 26 November, that means 16 November; for the last day, 13 December, it means 3 December. Each child can book at most two sessions. Children attend without parents and meet 15 minutes early at the Rathauspforte by the Fischbrunnen. If you have to cancel, tell the museum early so another child can take the place. Questions go to the museum on 089 / 54 04 644 0 (Mon–Thu, 10am to 2pm) or info@kindermuseum-muenchen.de.
The city stresses that children from Germany and abroad take part “without language barriers”. For Ukrainian families it is a chance for children to meet their peers before Christmas, though the page does not say whether help is available in Ukrainian, so ask beforehand if that matters.
Our assessment: weekends and the days just before Christmas will probably go first. That is an expectation, not an organiser figure. If you want a particular date, set a calendar reminder for the day booking opens.
Sources: muenchen.de – Christkindlmarkt, muenchen.de – Himmelswerkstatt, Kindermuseum München
