As soon as the days start getting chillier, expect to feel a yearning to be warmed from within. Glühwein, literally translated as “glow wine” is the German take on mulled wine, and we have put together a list of the best spots in the city to enjoy it – from the Christmas market to a heated café terrace, as well as ideas for neighbourhood mulled wine walks.
The period between mid-November and early January is wonderful for enjoying mulled wine at Munich's Christmas markets, as there’s something for every taste and in every district of the city. Those looking for a traditional experience can head to Marienplatz to visit the Münchner Christkindlmarkt, which has roots all the way back to the 14th century. As the city’s largest Christmas market, it boasts numerous mulled wine stalls encompassing organic options, a fruity version made from berries, and even the well-loved Feuerzangenbowle hot punch made with rum-soaked flaming sugar.
Meanwhile, the Viktualienmarkt food market’s Winter Magic programme and the Christmas village in the Kaiserhof courtyard at the Residenz (Weihnachtsdorf im Kaiserhof der Residenz) are less hectic options but still conveniently located in the historic Altstadt district. In Glockenbachviertel Pink Christmas, the queer Christmas market, invites visitors to enjoy mulled wine and prosecco, vegetarian and vegan fare and any amount of colourful stage shows. In Haidhausen, you can stroll through the sedate, family-friendly Christmas market in and around Weissenburger Platz, while visitors to the mulled wine festival in the Bogenhausen Christmas Forest will be spoilt for choice with more than 30 types of mulled wine, punch and Feuerzangenbowle hot punch on offer.
Mulled wine tours are the latest trend and a perfect way to combine a meet-up with friends with a bit of a wander. Many of Munich’s kiosks offer mulled wine to go every winter, with Milchhäusl a particularly popular choice. This organic food kiosk is in the Englischer Garten and includes cosy decommissioned cable-car gondolas that you can get comfy in as you savour a white, red or even rosé mulled wine. Milchhäusl also surprises drinkers with a new guest punch every week, such as blackberry and raspberry or peach and apricot. If your mulled wine tour is in the Englischer Garten, be sure to stop by the Fräulein Müller or Fräulein Grüneis kiosks, where you can enjoy a hot apple juice with a shot.
If you want a mulled wine walk with a river view, arrange to meet at the Isarwahn, Isar Alm or Isarfräulein kiosks – the last is situated beside Grosshesseloher Brücke (bridge) – so you can get your fix directly beside the waters of the Isar. If you’re out and about further north in Giesing, you can stop by the kiosk in the Grünspitz green space, or at Café Crönlein. In Maxvorstadt you’ll find mulled wine on offer at the Minna Thiel – a decommissioned tram that has been installed on the green in front of the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). It makes the perfect starting point for a wonderful walk through the Kunstareal museum area.
JuLu kaffeebar, Munich's smallest café, is also located between the old town and Glockenbachviertel. Here, too, you can order mulled wine between the end of November and the end of December under the great arcades of the city's oldest high-rise building. Not quite as central, but worth a trip: in Munich's Laim district, visitors will find the cosy Café Steinchen. In this colourful cultural café, mulled wine is served until shortly before Christmas.
Some Munich bars serve mulled wine all winter long too – perfect for those who prefer a comfortable seat or would simply rather be indoors. You can meet with friends in cosy indoor spaces or sit out on a terrace – some of which are heated. The little Tabula Rasa café in the Glockenbachviertel district has both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as home-made mulled wine, while a few streets away the Gärtnerplatz Alm serves mulled wine every winter alongside its warming cheese fondue. Back in Maxvorstadt you’ll find organic mulled wine, hot vermouth and hot apple juice at Salon Irkutsk – to take away if you like!
The deck of the now-land-bound Alte Utting pleasure boat in Schlachthofviertel is a particularly beautiful spot: this is where the “Sternenflotte” (Starfleet) Christmas market takes place every year, with hot spiked punch and Feuerzangenbowle, as well as mulled wine. At the Gans am Wasser trailer café in Sendling, guests can warm themselves beside an open fire as they listen to live music and order a portion of chips with their mulled wine. And at the Gans Woanders on Kolumbusplatz, you can either enjoy your mulled wine on-site, in the cosy little witch’s cottage hut, or take it to go in a reusable beaker so the drink can keep you warm as you walk along the banks of the Isar – before returning the cup to get your deposit back.
