Le Chic En Rose

Whenever we’re travelling in Europe we always try and stay in the older parts of a town or city as we love the character and charm of the old streets and buildings. Our Munich hotel, the Platzl (which deserves a post of its own so will tell you more then) is at the end of Sparkassenstrasse, just a couple of minutes walk from the Marienplatz.  Straight down the road from the Platzl, we found ourselves at the entrance to the Viktualienmarkt (victuals market). The colours of the pretty stalls, not to mention the assortment of delicious produce, brightened up a rather dull Munich morning when we went in search of some souvenirs.

If you’re coming from the direction of the Marienplatz you’ll find the markets behind St Peter’s Church. You can spot it from a distance by following the distinctive maypole in the centre of the market.

Maypole in the centre of the Viktualienmarkt Munich

The maypole displays figurettes of the trades and crafts in this part of Bavaria. Originally the Viktualienmarkt, which dates back to the Middle Ages, was held in the nearby Marienplatz (main town square). However by 1807 it had become so big that King Maximilian 1 issued a decree to have it moved a little further south east to its present location (just a stone’s throw from the Marienplatz though). There are now about 140 stalls, which sell the most delicious looking local produce from fruits, vegetables, cold meats to luxurious looking chocolates and all manner of condiments! Fresh flowers, wines, beers and pretty ornaments and decorations – you will find a great array of things here!

Honighaus Viktualienmarkt Munich

We loved the idea of the Honighaus, even the name sounds delicious, and debated long and hard whether to risk taking some honey back home to Australia with us. However the thought of a mishap with a jar of honey on a long plane trip was too awful to contemplate and we didn’t fancy lengthy explanations to Australian customs officials either, so sadly had to give it a miss. Monsieur Le Chic particularly enjoyed the fresh honey cut from a honeycomb every morning at the Platzl breakfast buffet, which the chef probably got from the market just down the road!

The honeycomb was a daily feature on the breakfast buffet at the Platzl Hotel

Fortunately a little further on, we found a lovely stall selling all manner of chocolates, sweets and nougat so made some purchases here! Monsieur Le Chic loved the idea of the beer glasses filled with orange lollies and topped with marshmallows for froth – they did look quite realistic. In the end Monsieur settled on a miniature one to bring home.

Sweet shop Viktualienmarkt Munich

Beer glass filled sweet treats at the Viktualienmarkt!

If we had been staying in an apartment in central Munich rather than a hotel, we would have bought a lot of our daily produce from the markets. The range and quality looked excellent.

Flowers and plants

Vegetables

Bowl of garlic

Signpost to the markets

The spring “Weiss Spargel” or white asparagus

Seasonal fruit

Leo’s “Obst” Fruit Stall

The Viktualienmarkt opens Monday to Fridays from 10 am to 6 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm. It is closed on Sundays. There is also a beer garden set amongst the cobbled stones of the market, which is a popular meeting spot and a good place to sample some of the local Bavarian fayre. The beer garden opens each day, except Sundays, from 9 am to 10 pm. Adjacent are a number of stalls and fast food outlets selling typical Bavarian dishes such as ubiquitous “Wurst” (Sausage) or Schweinebraten (roast pork).

Beer Garden Viktualienmarkt

We had a wonderful time wandering round the Viktualienmarkt at a leisurely pace and browsing through the various stalls. If you enjoy exploring markets, the Viktualienmarkt is a must do in Munich!

Cheeses

Planter boxes

Advertising sign Viktualienmarkt

Wandering around the stalls

Wines

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