Hotels near Christmas Village in the Residenz

The Weihnachtsdorf fills the Kaiserhof, the largest courtyard of the Munich Residenz, the former palace of the Bavarian rulers. Palace walls on all four sides block the wind, which makes it the warmest-feeling of the Munich Christmas markets on a cold December night. In 2026 it opens four days before Marienplatz, on 16 November, and runs until 22 December, daily from 11:00 to 21:00. The entrance is on Residenzstraße, opposite Max-Joseph-Platz and the National Theatre.

The theme is a Bavarian village, and the organisers commit to it: wooden huts with mossy roofs, a fairytale forest with Hansel and Gretel and puppet shows for children. The workshop huts are the real reason to come. Goldsmiths, furriers and glassblowers work at their benches in full view, so you can watch a bauble being blown before you buy one. It is smaller than Marienplatz and easy to see in 45 minutes, which makes it a good first Munich Christmas market stop on an Altstadt evening.

Pro Tip: Visit between 16 and 19 November 2026, before Marienplatz opens, and you will have the courtyard largely to yourself. From the exit, the Medieval Christmas Market on Wittelsbacher Platz is a 3-minute walk north along Residenzstraße and Brienner Straße.