Viktualienmarkt
Munich's beloved open air food market and the culinary heart of the old town, alive with the scent of fresh herbs, roasting sausages, and Bavarian delicacies. Beneath its blue and white maypole, around one hundred and forty stalls, folk singer fountains, and the city's most central beer garden buzz with local life.
About this place
Just behind the Old Peter church, the Viktualienmarkt has been feeding Munich for more than two centuries. It was founded in 1807 when King Maximilian I Joseph decreed that the overcrowded food stalls of Marienplatz be relocated to this larger square, where the market steadily grew until it reached its present size around 1890. Today roughly one hundred and forty merchants spread across some twenty two thousand square meters, selling everything from Alpine cheese and honey to spices, cut flowers, and freshly caught fish. At its center rises the striped blue and white maypole, raised in 1962 so the market would feel like a proper Bavarian village, while ornate fountains honor the city's cherished folk singers and comedians. Beneath the chestnut trees sits Munich's most central beer garden, pouring rotating brews from all six of the city's historic breweries, making the Viktualienmarkt not just a place to shop but the social and culinary soul of the old town.
Key facts
- 1807 year — A royal decree by King Maximilian I Joseph moved the market to this site
- 140 stalls — Merchants trade fresh produce, meat, fish, flowers and delicacies here
- 22000 m² — The area the open air market sprawls across in the heart of the old town
📍 Viktualienmarkt 6, 80331, München