December opens with St. Nicholas. Kids put a boot outside the door on the night of December 5 and find it filled with sweets, and Nikolaus turns up with gifts. His dark companion, Krampus, comes too: horned, furry and loud. Our picks go from gentle to scary. Here's what we checked, from Nikolaus at the zoo's elephant house to the Krampus run through the Old Town.
Santa Claus, known here as Nikolaus, visits the zoo with his angels. Every child gets a moment to tell him their Christmas wishes, and a sweet surprise to take home. It all happens in front of the elephant house, with festive decorations around.
Around 300 Krampus and Perchten in shaggy fur and hand-carved wooden masks rattle, clang and roar through the Old Town's Christmas market streets. The groups come from across the Alps, keeping a 500-year-old tradition alive.
The figures play with the crowd, snatch a hat and hand it back, and stop for selfies. Fun for kids who like a good scare; not for a child afraid of masks.
A Christmas market inside the Kaiserhof, the grand courtyard of Munich's Residenz palace, just off Odeonsplatz. More than 50 stalls sell handmade crafts, old Bavarian nativity scenes, mulled wine and homemade eggnog.
For kids, the draw is the Märchenwald, a fairy-tale forest where scenes come to life at the push of a button. It suits preschool and early primary kids most.
LUMAGICA turns the Showpalast grounds in Fröttmaning into a 1.5 km loop of glowing sculptures and light installations. This year's theme follows Phileas Fogg and Passepartout from Around the World in 80 Days, through light worlds for Asia, the Americas and Europe.
Kids can set off some of the installations themselves, pose at photo spots and catch a light and laser show along the way.
Students from the Munich Music Seminar and their guests perform Christmas melodies and classical pieces from various eras. The program includes a gift-giving ceremony as part of this musical St. Nicholas celebration.
Munich's oldest Christmas market fills Marienplatz and nearby streets with stalls of ornaments, gingerbread hearts and roasted almonds, under a giant tree outside the New Town Hall. Kids can hear brass bands and choirs on the town hall balcony, browse a huge nativity-figure market by St. Peter's, and catch the Krampus run if they like a scare. About three million people visit each season, so expect crowds.
December opens with St. Nicholas. Kids put a boot outside the door on the night of December 5 and find it filled with sweets, and Nikolaus turns up with gifts. His dark companion, Krampus, comes too: horned, furry and loud. Our picks go from gentle to scary. Here's what we checked, from Nikolaus at the zoo's elephant house to the Krampus run through the Old Town.
Santa Claus, known here as Nikolaus, visits the zoo with his angels. Every child gets a moment to tell him their Christmas wishes, and a sweet surprise to take home. It all happens in front of the elephant house, with festive decorations around.
Around 300 Krampus and Perchten in shaggy fur and hand-carved wooden masks rattle, clang and roar through the Old Town's Christmas market streets. The groups come from across the Alps, keeping a 500-year-old tradition alive.
The figures play with the crowd, snatch a hat and hand it back, and stop for selfies. Fun for kids who like a good scare; not for a child afraid of masks.
A Christmas market inside the Kaiserhof, the grand courtyard of Munich's Residenz palace, just off Odeonsplatz. More than 50 stalls sell handmade crafts, old Bavarian nativity scenes, mulled wine and homemade eggnog.
For kids, the draw is the Märchenwald, a fairy-tale forest where scenes come to life at the push of a button. It suits preschool and early primary kids most.
LUMAGICA turns the Showpalast grounds in Fröttmaning into a 1.5 km loop of glowing sculptures and light installations. This year's theme follows Phileas Fogg and Passepartout from Around the World in 80 Days, through light worlds for Asia, the Americas and Europe.
Kids can set off some of the installations themselves, pose at photo spots and catch a light and laser show along the way.
Students from the Munich Music Seminar and their guests perform Christmas melodies and classical pieces from various eras. The program includes a gift-giving ceremony as part of this musical St. Nicholas celebration.
Munich's oldest Christmas market fills Marienplatz and nearby streets with stalls of ornaments, gingerbread hearts and roasted almonds, under a giant tree outside the New Town Hall. Kids can hear brass bands and choirs on the town hall balcony, browse a huge nativity-figure market by St. Peter's, and catch the Krampus run if they like a scare. About three million people visit each season, so expect crowds.
