Are any beer gardens open in December, or will I be limited to Hofbrauhaus? I have been to Munich in summer and found the outdoor beer garden in the Englisher Garden to be so much fun. Will that be open?
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
No, beer gardens are closed in the winter.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3049 posts
All biergartens in Germany close down when the weather gets too cool - usually sometime in October - and don't open again until the weather is nice again, usually in April, or even May. But you can still have a lot of fun in beer halls and kellers, of which Hofbrauhaus is just one. Check out some of the Augustiner options in town!
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8171 posts
When it gets cold, they move the beer gardens inside. My favorite is behind the train station 4-5 blocks on the left (on the south side.) I forget the name, but we were the only Americans in there in February. Last time we were in the Hofbrauhaus, we were uncomfortable with some of the local citizens that were there.
Another favorite beer hall is the Augustiner Brewery over in Salzburg. Look at Rick's postings on Beer Halls in the Graffiti section.
Posted by
Berlin, Germany
37 posts
The Christmas markets might be an acceptable substitute. Social, convivial drinking of adult beverages in inviting (providing the weather is cooperative) outdoor locales... sounds kind of like a Biergarten. München has about fifty or so Christmas markets scattered throughout the city, so I've read, but if you'll be in town in December, then I recommend the Tollwood festival, located on the Oktoberfest grounds (Theresienwiese), as well as seeking out the more local neighborhood markets... I find the one at the Neues Rathaus / Marienplatz super-crowded. But the Middle Ages-themed market is not far from there, and is pretty cool. The one at the entrance to the Münchner Freiheit U-bahn station is more arty. And so on. You'll find stuff to do in place of the old summer standard. Viel Spaß!
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
425 posts
I believe that David is talking about the Augustiner
Bräustuben, which is indeed a great beer hall!
Posted by
OP
Frisco, Texas, US
254 posts
Thank you all for your advice. I have decided not to go to Munich this trip. I loved it in the summer, and my daughter (who has been in Seville this semester) missed Oktoberfest, so we thought we might do it, but with only a day and a half to work with, and the outdoor beer gardens closed, we are going to go to Vienna instead.