Viktualienmarkt
Every serious food lover's first stop in Munich, the Viktualienmarkt is a sprawling, permanent open-air market that has occupied its sunny square just south of Marienplatz since 1807. Some 140 specialist stalls sell everything from Bavarian white asparagus and hand-rolled pretzels to rare Alpine cheeses, wild mushrooms and freshly pressed apple juice — and the beer garden at its centre lets you dr
What to Buy and Eat
The market's permanent stallholders are fiercely specialist: Standl 29 is legendary for its Obazda — a pungent Camembert-based Bavarian cheese spread mixed with butter, onion and paprika — piled onto a rye roll for a perfect standing breakfast. Seek out the Bavarian cold-cut stalls for Leberkäse (a smooth, baked meatloaf unique to the region) sold warm by the slice from stainless-steel trays.
The flower stalls in the southern section are among the most photogenic in Germany, stacked with seasonal blooms year-round. In spring, look for the first bunches of Maiglöckchen (lily of the valley) that Münchners traditionally give as gifts; in autumn the stalls overflow with pumpkins, dried herbs and walnut clusters from surrounding Bavarian farms.
The Central Beer Garden
The Viktualienmarkt beer garden is one of the most democratic drinking spots in the city — a self-service kiosk rotates taps from each of Munich's six major breweries across the year so you are always drinking the freshest seasonal brew. Grab a one-litre Maß, find a spot at the long wooden benches under the chestnut trees and watch the market world go by.
Around the beer garden stand six maypoles, each decorated with emblems representing a different traditional Munich trade — look for the brewer, the butcher and the fishmonger carved in colourful miniature. The maypoles are a Bavarian folk tradition dating back centuries and make for a wonderfully quirky photo backdrop.
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