Munich Airport

Airports Ready for the Holiday Season

Now that Thanksgiving is over, airports and airlines set their sights on the next phase of the holiday travel season.

And that means the holiday decorations at airports are out in earnest.

The free ice-skating rink at Denver International Airport (DEN) is already up and running.

And, after a two-year break, so is the Christmas and Winter Market at Germany’s Munich Airport.

Courtesy Munich Airport

Located in a giant roofed open-air space between terminals, the market is open through December 26 and is surrounded by decorated Christmas trees.

Inside the market, visitors can enjoy dozens of booths offering handicrafts, clothing, jewelry, toys, and treats to eat.

Courtesy Munich Airport

There’s also a large ice rink open every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Skating costs 5 euros per session, but skate rental is free of charge. There are also sessions set aside for curling.

Courtesy Munich Airport

St. Nicholas will arrive on December 6 to hand out small gifts to children and there are magic shows, arts and crafts classes, and live music every day.

3 airports where you can go ice-skating this winter

What’s better than an airport with an ice-skating rink?

Three airports with ice-skating rinks, of course!

Denver International Airport (DEN) is bringing back its free outdoor skating rink for the fourth season.

Starting November 22, DEN’s ice-skating rink will be in the pre-security area on the DEN Plaza, which is between the airport terminal and the Westin hotel.

Time on the ice is free. And, recognizing that not everyone has their own ice skates, or travels with them, there is free skate rental as well.

DEN’s skating rink hours will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily from November 22 through January 20, 2020. As a bonus, on Friday afternoons there will be hot chocolate, hot cider and a variety of extra winter activities, including live entertainment.

Skating at the TWA Hotel at JFK

This year there will an ice-skating rink created at the TWA Hotel across from JetBlue Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) as well.

The custom 56-by-44-foot Runway Rink will be created near the hotel’s 1958 Lockheed Constellation Connie airplane-turned-cocktail lounge and operate seven days a week starting November 30 and running through February 2020.

While skating shows are planned, time on the ice at the TWA Hotel’s Runway Rink won’t be free. Admission will be $15 for adults and $10 for kids under 12. Skate rentals will $10 ($8 for kids under 12).

Hours:

  • Monday through Thursday from 4 PM to 9 PM
  • Friday from 4 PM to 10 PM
  • Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 10 PM

The TWA Hotel will also be selling retro knit hats and scarves as well as beers, Sno-Caps candy and other snacks.

Skate in a Winter Wonderland

If you’re traveling to or through Germany’s Munich Airport (MUC) this holiday season, you’ll find an ice-skating rink already up and running.

For the 21st year, the large roofed open space between Terminals 1 and 2 and Munich Airport is transformed into a winter wonderland, with a winter market, more than 45 Christmas trees, live music, activities for kids and adults, a pine forest and a free ice-skating rink. Skates can be rented for a small fee and there’s a bonus rink for curling set up next to the skating rink as well.

Hours: 11 am to 9 pm. Daily.

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.