Munich at Christmas

You ought to give some price guidelines. Many hotels near Marienplatz are quite expensive.

Are you going to be there over Christmas itself? Many visit Munich in the time just before the holiday when the Christmas Markets are in operation. It makes the city very festive. Things shut down a couple days over Christmas.

We try to stay near Sbahn or Ubahn stops for better access to the city, not small. A transportation group day pass for the extensive inner city is about 11 euros. Marienplatz is both a Ubahn and an Sbahn station.

We have stayed at the moderately priced Hotel Blauer Bock near Viktualien Markt and therefore Marienplatz. It was nice and is being refurnbished I have heard. Good breakfast and a lift.

http://www.hotelblauerbock.de/

Last advent season we stayed at the Hotel Bristol right at the Ubahn Stop at Sendlinger Tor. It was a decent hotel with a good breakfast and an elevator. Very professional staff.

http://www.bristol-munich.de/

Sendlinger Tor had its own Christmas Market and is about 10 minutes walk from Marienplatz, a minute or two Ubahn ride.

Hi! I would be only staying from Saturday morning until Tuesday or Wednesday. Just a quick trip. I think it would be amazing to see Germany at Christmas time. How easy is the UBahn? I don't know any German.

You just buy a 1 day Partner Day Ticket for 9.40 Euros or a three day Partner Day Ticket for 22 Euros. Validate it by machine the first time you use it.

Use a map of the metro system like this to find your way:

http://www.munich-info.de/travel/mvv_en.html

Lines are marked by number and termination point (example: U6-Feldmoching). There is a learning curve but it becomes quite easy after the first trip or two. You will quickly learn the few lines that best serve the inner city.

"Streetwise Munich" maps available at Barnes & Nobles will have a both a the above metro map and a map of the inner city with Ubahn/Sbahn stops.

Regards, Gary

Blauer Bock
Viktualienmarkt
Royal
Uhland
Seibel
Münchner Kindl

Note: Hotel Uhland is nowhere near Marienplatz. Neither is Hotel Royal, although it is closer.

This is a picture of a Munich metro (MVV) ticket automat. Press the yellow button marked "Partner-Tageskarte Innenraum". It will ask you for €9,40. The ticket will be valid for buses, trams, and trains (U-/S-Bahn, and regional) within the inner zone (white area on the map) of the MVV for up to five people for the entire day.

There are two kinds of underground trains in Munich. The S-Bahn (S1, S2, etc) and the U-Bahn (U1, U2, etc) both go underground in the city. The smaller U-Bahn stay in the city; the larger S-Bahn goes out into the suburbs, where it is mostly above ground.

If you plan on being there over Christmas, then do pick a hotel that offers dinner on Christmas Eve, because all of the restaurants will shut down by 16:00 at the very latest. The 24th is the big celebration and there will literally be nothing open, though public transportation still runs. A few cosy pubs may open later in the evening, but you should check with your hotel to see what is open in their neighborhood.

The next 2 days are also holidays, so no stores will be open, though most restaurants will be full if they are open. If you were planning on visiting museums, then check their websites. Some will be open, some will be closed.

My tip is to go before the holidays while the Christmas markets are open, as the reality of being there on Christmas itself, may not be so wonderful unless you have friends or family there to visit