Munich Airport

Munich Airport Christmas Market

Munich Airport’s Christmas and Winter Market is open – so here’s hoping you have a long layover here.

For the 19th consecutive year, the large covered space between the Munich Airport terminals has been transformed into a winter wonderland with more than 40 kiosks in among 450 real Christmas trees and plenty of seasonal treats and local handicrafts.

Better yet, at the center of the market is a free ice-skating rink (with low-cost skate rentals) where visitors can try out Eisstockschiessen, Bavaria’s broom-free version of curling.

Entertainment is offered daily, except Mondays, starting at 6 pm, with a wide range of live musical acts, including jazz, swing, gospel, rock and pop bands and, every Thursday at 6pm, a DJ spins tunes for the skaters on the ice. Each Wednesday starting at 4 p.m. an evening of family-oriented fairytale performances and magic shows is scheduled.

Sound like fun at the airport? Munich Airport’s Christmas and Winter Market is open daily from 11am – pm through December 30.

Love this: Tennis court at Munich Airport

The MAC Forum – a giant outdoor covered space at Munich Airport – is used to host events such as an annual Christmas Market, volleyball tournaments and surfing.

Now there are two tennis courts set up in the space, with a grandstand and a full schedule of tennis training camps, appearances by big name tennis players and free balls and rackets, showers and changing rooms for those who want to take a lesson or play.

The courts will be open from Wednesday, April 19 through Friday, April 28 and are there to help promote the BMW Open by FWU, a tennis tournament taking place in Munich the first week in May.

Eat in a gondola at Munich Airport

Munich Airport has a lot going for it, amenities-wise.

There’s the brewery/beer garden, the play areas for kids, the sleeping cabins, the observation deck, and the MAC Forum that’s used to host everything from summer surfing to a full=blown Christmas Market.

Now there’s one more fun way to spend time at Munich Airport: eating in a gondola taken from a real ski lift.

The airport has a new restaurant – Sportalm – in Terminal 2, that serves Alpine specialties in a mountain-decor, a gondola, a sports bar and, opening next month, an upper level sun terrace with love seats and lounge chairs.

To set the scene of a traditional Upper Bavarian farmhouse, the decor includes tree trunks, knickknacks, an old barn door and a stone trough – all things that give the restaurant “authentic snugness and originality,” according to the airport.

 

Go skating at Denver and Munich Airports

Ice-skating kid with pillow

(At least) two airports will have free skating rinks on site this holiday season so travelers can take a spin on the ice while waiting for their flights.

Denver International Airport’s rink opens on Friday, in the outdoor plaza between the main terminal and the Westin Denver International Airport. The rink, complete with carolers and seasonal music, will be there through January 1, from 9 in the morning till 9 at night.

Time on the ice is free and complimentary skates are available.

The DEN Plaza is also where you’ll find a Holiday Market on December 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m and, starting at 4 pm on December 16, an ugly holiday sweater party and a showing of the film “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

There’s also a free ice-skating rink at Munich Airport – with a space set aside for curling – as part of the airport’s Christmas Market.

The market, set in a ‘forest’ of more than 450 pine trees, runs through December 30 and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 pm. (Booths close at 5 on Christmas Eve)

In addition to free skating (there is a small fee for renting skates), Munich Airport’s Christmas Market has food booths, entertainment, craft workshops and, of course, a visit from St. Nick.

Winter Market at Munich Airport

Munich Airport Christmas Market

Here’s a great airport amenity: a Winter Market.

Each winter, Munich Airport turns the covered open space between the airport’s two terminals into a festive holiday market.

450 live Christmas trees plus one giant centerpiece tree help set the scene for the winter wonderland, with more than 46 stands selling charming gifts and yummy foods, such as mulled wine, sweet roasted almonds and gingerbread.

Better yet, there’s a large skating rink in the center of the market and another ice surface just for curling.

Santa Claus is scheduled to visit on December 6; on Saturday, December 19, Germany’s top figure skaters will perform on the ice; there’s live music on the weekends and hourly departures for the airport’s popular 50-minute twilight tours of the runways, fire stations, cargo terminal and maintenance hangars.

Sound like fun?

Here’s a link to more information and scheduled activities at Munich Airport’s Winter Market.

Santa visits Munich Airport Christmas Market