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Must-do: Four Festive Day-Trips from Munich at Christmastime

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 18:33:44 GMT

Must-do: Four Festive Day-Trips from Munich at Christmastime

Maybe we are a little biased, but we truly believe that nobody does Christmas quite like Bavaria, and of course, no city is more festive than Munich. So, good for you for choosing our city as your holiday hub! At BlackBook Tours, we are snobs for all things (festive) food and drink-related, which is why we truly believe that no other city in all of Europe even comes close to the richness of Munich at Christmastime.

Yes, you could spend days wandering around Munich and visiting our vast array of Christmas markets – there’s really something for everyone here! With our first foray into the business of seasonal markets dating back to 1327, Munich is now home to more than a dozen Christkindlmarkt ; offering various festive foods, libations, gifts, entertainment, and more to really help you get into the holiday spirit.

Of course, after you’ve joined us on our seasonal Small Group Munich Christmas Market Festive Food and Wine Tour , you may be looking to expand your horizons and check out what some of our nearby neighbors are doing for the holidays. Lucky for you, there is no shortage of Christmas markets in Germany, and below is a list of our top four festive day-trip destinations all within two hours from Munich:

#4 Chiemsee – The Christmas Market on the Lake

Chiemsee is a large Bavarian lake about one hour away from Munich with the regional trains. Every year, Chiemsee holds a special Christmas Market on the Frauen Insel or Woman Island. The Frauen Insel Christkindlmarkt is a favorite holiday destination for Munich locals for a couple of reasons. Firstly, who doesn’t love jumping on a ferry and floating down a beautiful lake; taking in the wonders of nature as well as a 19 ^th century castle? Secondly, the Frauen Insel Christmas market is somewhat of an exclusive affair. While the majority of German Christmas markets will operate for the full four weeks of Advent, at Chiemsee, the Frauen Insel market only operates for a number of days each season – so make sure you time your vacation accordingly!

#3 Nuremberg – The Big One

Nuremberg is a must-visit city no matter what time of year you find yourself in Munich. About one hour by train (if you splurge on the ICE), our Franconian neighbor has so much to offer its visitors. From little bratwursts to medieval castles (and dungeons!), Nuremberg is always worth a day trip – although, we would definitely recommend spending the night, too! Nuremberg really shines at Christmastime, and is home to what is considered to be Germany’s largest Christmas market simply due to the sheer volume of merchants that pile into the streets every November and December. Nuremberg is also famous for a favorite festive staple – the Nürnberger Lebkuchen (gingerbread). In fact, a good way to offend a German at Christmas is to gift them gingerbread from literally any city except Nuremberg! These dense delicacies are now available in a wide array of flavors and always make excellent stocking stuffers!

#2 Regensburg – The Christmas Market for Lovers

A little further down the train tracks – about one and a half hours – you’ll find yourself in the 13 ^th century city of Regensburg. For history buffs, the old town is a must-see, as it is considered to be one of the largest medieval towns north of the Alps, and even earned its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. However, at Christmastime, Regensburg is transformed into a romantic holiday hotspot, and that is largely because of one particular Christkindlmarkt . Although, Regensburg is home to multiple Christmas markets, none have the same sparkle as the Romantischer Weihnachtsmarkt located on the grounds of the city’s Thurn und Taxis castle. Don’t let the entrance fee deter you from a visit because the romantic Christmas market is truly one-of-a-kind. Think: dark and snowy and lit by tiki torches – the perfect date night for any couple during the holiday season.

#1 Salzburg – Two Festive Countries in One Day

Finally, our top pick for holiday day-trips is none other than Munich’s Austrian cousin – Salzburg. Within two hours, your train from Munich will reach Salzburg’s central station. Salzburg, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also the birthplace of Mozart and a fairy-tale town in every sense of the word – castles, cafes, and classical music abound on these quaint cobblestone streets. Yes, there is even a Christmas museum operating all year round! Of course, like the other cities on this list, Salzburg only gets better at Christmastime. Enjoy the Christmas markets found throughout the city, do some holiday shopping on the famous Getreidegasse , and make sure to time your visit to coincide with Krampusnacht (Krampus Night). Krampus Night (December 5) is when everybody’s favorite Christmas devil takes to the night to teach naughty children a lesson. On this night in Salzburg, marvel as dozens of these horned beasts run amok in the streets and give terrifying chase to the both locals and tourists alike. Think you can’t handle your trip to Salzburg alone? Don’t worry, you can hire a professional and join us on our Salzburg Semi-Private Guided Day Tour From Munich with Dinner !

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Der Feuermann: How to survive an encounter with a flaming ghost on your next trip to Munich

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 18:16:19 GMT

Der Feuermann: How to survive an encounter with a flaming ghost on your next trip to Munich

Anyone who has every picked up a book of Grimm’s fairy tales knows that Germany has no shortage of terrifying monsters and macabre folklore. From Krampus , our creepy, Christmas devil, who terrorizes naughty children every December, to Der Großmann , a medieval monster; luring its victims into the depths of the Black Forest, and who is also the inspiration for the modern manifestation of Slenderman - yes, Germany is certainly teeming with supernatural spooks.

Not all of Germany’s spectres are created equal, though, and some of these sinister entities may be trying to do more than just get a cheap scare of out of you. In fact, some of these apparitions are so complicated, they really should come with a survival guide. Today, we will focus on one of the more bizarre spirits stalking Germany, and that is the polarizing figure of Der Feuermann or The Fire Man.

Having an encounter with Der Feuermann can be terrifying, but believe it or not, spotting this fiery ghost is typically regarded as a good omen. First of all, you’re probably wondering who or what The Fire Man is. Don’t freak out, but these flaming spirits are tormented souls roaming the earth to atone for the sins they committed in life – and we’re not talking just any old sin, like telling a little white lie, dropping the F-bomb, or stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. No, we’re talking really big stuff, as most Fire Men were big-time criminals in life. Think: treason and double-murder!

Given their criminal pasts, the Fire Men should be handled with caution; especially as many of them still possess their malicious and murderous tendencies. Now, in case you’re worried that you won’t be able to recognize Der Feuermann for what he is – fear not! Fire Men are virtually unmistakable. These spooks usually appear in the form of a giant-sized, flaming skeleton – kind of hard to miss, right?

OK, so what does he want?

You , of course. [evil laugh]

Just kidding, if a Fire Man appears on your next visit to Munich, it is usually with the intention of helping you. Remember, these fiery spirits are trying to atone for the mistakes they made in life, and they believe that performing a few good deeds in the world of the living will help them out of the limbo that is their current existence. This is why a Fire Man sighting is typically regarded as a good omen. Der Feuermann manifests in situations where he has determined you can really use his assistance. Perhaps you are wandering down a dimly-lit street at night while an unsavory character is lurking in the shadows, or your hike in the Bavarian Alps went off the rails and you’ve lost the trail just as the skies turned dark and ominous. These helpful Fire Men will use their flaming bones to help you find your way back to safety – but for a price…

Don’t be fooled into having a false sense of security when Der Feuermann crosses your path – he isn’t trying to help you purely out of the goodness of wherever his heart used to be. He needs something from you. The Fire Men are seeking blessings from the living for their good deeds, as these blessings will eventually tip the scales and balance out the horrible things they did in life, and only then can they finally be released from their own personal purgatory. That being said, if you promise to bless Der Feuermann , you better follow through on it because these fiery beings don’t take too kindly to those who use their services and then renege on the payment.

Here are some things to remember in order to survive your brush with Der Feuermann :

#1 Don’t touch the Fire Man! Yes, he’s made of actual fire , and touching him will severely burn you.

#2 Never turn your back on him! Sometimes Der Feuermann will want to make sure you get home safely and will escort you all the way back to your front door. Experts warn that if a Fire Man does follow you all the way home, that you walk into your house or hotel backwards to ensure that your back never faces him. Like we said, these beings can be unpredictable and some of them may still have that craving for murder, which brings us to the next point…

#3 Don’t summon him unless you really need him! Yes, experts assert that the Fire Men can actually be summoned by the living for help. However, you should only do this as an absolute last resort because the Fire Man who answers your call may be one of the evil ones.

#4 Don’t taunt Der Feuermann ! Young people, who want to believe that there is no such thing as the supernatural, often try to tempt fate by summoning him as a prank – think: Bloody Mary . Unfortunately, the only good that can come from playing this type of game is if a good-natured Fire Man heard the call and simply chose to ignore it. Der Feuermann doesn’t take too kindly to being mocked; usually retaliating against the pranksters by jumping onto their backs and lighting them ablaze – ouch!

#5 Don’t break your promise to him! An encounter with a Fire Man is certainly a terrifying experience because you don’t know if he is good or evil, and once he appears, you are basically forced to interact with him and hope it all goes well. It should go well for you as long as you bless him for his good deed with sincerity and pray to a higher power on his behalf. If, however, you lied or simply forgot to follow-through, Der Feuermann will seek his revenge on you; making you wish that you had never been born.

To discover more local supernatural spooks, join us on our award-winning Munich Ghosts and Spirits Tour … if you dare!

Your Guide to Weißwurst (Munich White Sausage)

Sat, 26 Aug 2023 14:35:19 GMT

ACHTUNG! The many complexities of the infamous Munich white sausage.

In Munich, we love rules – almost as much as we love enforcing rules. In fact, if you haven’t been yelled at, or at least received one piercing glare of disapproval from a local, well, then you haven’t really had the full, authentic Munich experience.

What are all these mysterious rules regulating social faux pas, you ask? There are definitely too many to list off in one mere mortal’s blog post, but just know that these (un)official regulations extend to pretty much every aspect of Munich life. Did you stand too close to a bike lane? Yep, you definitely got an earful, that is, if you didn’t get killed in the process. Did you greet your neighbor with “Hello” instead of “Happy New Year” on January 1? How dare you! Or did you visit a restaurant famous for schnitzel and you didn’t actually order the schnitzel? The horror…

The culinary scene in Munich is one particular area that is rife with rules that many an unsuspecting tourist is unknowingly likely to break. However, no other food item in this city has quite the number of complexities as our beloved Münchner Weißwurst .

Chances are, if you did even a little bit of research before embarking on your trip to Munich, you read about the infamous Munich white sausage. The original Munich white sausage is not the prettiest of Bavarian delicacies. Its stark, white color is probably not going to inspire many appetizing feelings in first-timers, but rather, at best, feelings of intrigue, and at worst, feelings of revulsion. The fact that these weird-looking sausages are proudly served in a pot of tepid water is certainly not helping their image. Trust us, though – they are actually delicious! And, truly, the most authentic culinary experience you can have on your trip to Munich is a hearty local breakfast of two white sausages, a pretzel, and a wheat beer.

It wasn’t always like this, though. Relatively speaking, the Munich white sausage is a fairly young gastronomical icon. Invented in 1857, the white sausage burst onto the Munich culinary scene by sheer accident. Due to Munich’s love of rules and regulations, this isn’t actually surprising, as most new things in this city do tend to happen accidentally.

As the story goes, this beloved breakfast food was invented by a man named Sepp Moser, who was preparing sausages for a big feast on the Sunday before Lent. Sepp, in very un-Bavarian fashion, didn’t plan his day with the structure and efficiency that we have come to expect (nay, demand ) from everyone in town, and he actually ran out of the thick sausage casings needed to serve the sausages to his guests – gasp! Since shops and merchants are closed on Sundays, Sepp had to swallow his pride and do things a different way; reluctantly stuffing his sausage meat into some of the thinner casings he already had lying around the kitchen. Fearing that the sausages would burst open in their thin casings on the grill, he made the ingenious decision to boil the sausages instead, which is how the white sausages maintain their distinctive, snow-white color, and why they are still served in a pot of water today.

Naturally, though, Sepp’s patrons were not very impressed with him when they first laid eyes upon this historic meal. You can be sure that Sepp endured his own fair share of piercing stares of disapproval, and likely had a steady parade of 19 ^th century karens storming the kitchen to complain about the worst wurst they had ever seen. However, once cooler heads prevailed, and his guests realized that if they didn’t eat that creepy-looking white sausage, they wouldn’t be eating that day, they reluctantly tried it. And, guess what? It was the greatest, sweetest, best, most-awesome sausage they EVER had – now the official sausage of the city of Munich!

So, let that be a lesson to all of you kids out there – never be afraid to try something new! But if you are still a bit nervous about navigating the gastronomical scene in Munich on your own, then you can join us on our Lunch Like A Local: The ORIGINAL Viktualienmarkt Food Tour PLUS – we’ll be your guide!

For those of you who think you are ready to take on the Weißwurst Challenge all by yourself, then there are a few rules you really need to know to avoid being the laughing stock of your Bavarian breakfast buffet:

Rule #1 – Don’t eat the skin! However, if you already ate the skin, don’t worry – it won’t kill you. Well, the skin is perfectly edible, but you still might die of shame and embarrassment. Fun Fact: the traditionalists don’t even use a knife and fork to eat their white sausage - they simply suck the meat out of its casing! No, you aren’t expected to do that, but it does make a great photo op.

Rule #2 – Use the correct mustard ! Using anything but the original Munich white sausage mustard on your original Munich white sausage is sure to bring about a tsunami of ridicule and maybe even the apocalypse. The Original Münchner Weißwurst Senf is a sweet mustard that perfectly complements the delicate flavors of the white sausage. Save the yellow mustard for your bratwursts – or else!

Rule #3 – Don’t order it after 12pm! The Munich white sausage is intended as a breakfast food and ordering it after 12pm is just plain wrong. This rule is actually really helpful in identifying local tourist traps. If you see Weißwurst on a menu being offered until 11:30 or 12pm, congratulations, this is probably a great restaurant! 2:30-3pm? Ehhh, it could be worse. However, if you see Weißwurst on a dinner menu, just turn around and get out of there – don’t even bother finishing your beer!

Just remember these three simple rules and you’ll be ready to master your first breakfast in Munich!

Good Luck and Guten Appetit!