I can’t believe it’s already December! The beginning of December makes me happy at the moment because it means: the Christmas markets are here, there’s only two more months left of my last semester of my master’s (aside from the thesis I still have to write) and of course, Christmas is coming! (I already have my advent calendar ready)
While I’m not sure of my plans for NYE yet, I’ve booked my flights already for the first week of January…Venice and Rome, here I come!
But back to the Christmas markets! Originally me and Yann wanted to check out the Pink Christmas market in Munich (apparently there are 24 Christmas markets in Munich so there’s a lot to choose from), but somehow we couldn’t find it so we ended up at the Tollwood one to satisfy our craving for some Glùhwein (hot mulled wine).
I’ve been to the Marienplatz Christmas market a few times and I’ve always hated it because it’s always so packed, so I was excited to check out Tollwood because it’s located at Theresienwiese, where Oktoberfest takes place. For those who have been to Oktoberfest, you know that the place is huge, which makes for a great Christmas market location because there’s plenty of room for tents, booths and anti-animal cruelty sculptures…
What I discovered at Tollwood was that it’s not an ordinary Christmas market. It’s sometimes promoted as an “alternative” Christmas market, but mostly it’s referring to the fact that most of their food is bio (you can even order bio Glühwein!) and they do have plenty of vegetarian and vegan food options as well. Plus everything is run on renewable energy!
They also have some large tents that sell international food from Africa, Spain, Thailand etc, as well as plenty of arts and crafts items that are more unique than what you would find at a more typical German Christmas market.
One drink that I tried was this called a “hot coconut.” You can order it with or without alcohol. Either way, it’s delicious! Plus I love the coconut bowl they serve it in!
Overall, I think this is one of my favourite Christmas markets. I went to the Nürnberg one last year which is suppose to be the biggest and oldest one in Germany, and while it is nice, I found it a bit boring after a while because everything looked the same. I love that this one has its own quirky personally. Also, while the prices are slightly more expensive than other Christmas markets because of their environmental and anti-animal cruelty practices, it’s not significantly more (maybe about 50 cents to a euro higher).
While it may not give you the traditional feel of a German Christmas market, I love that their anti-animal cruelty and environmental practices at Tollwood will make this Christmas market a guilt free visit (which is definitely a good excuse to have more Glühwein!)
Have you guys been to a Christmas market? Which one is your favourite?