Viktualienmarkt

In 1807 the food market outgrew Marienplatz and was pushed one block south, where it has stayed ever since. It is not a hall but an open square of fixed stalls, around a hundred and forty of them, many held by the same families across generations. What they sell is narrow and deep: one stall for honey, another only for herbs, a butcher for veal sausage, cheesemongers, game and poultry dealers, flower growers, and a stand that does nothing but potatoes. The maypole in the middle carries painted figures of the trades that supplied the city. It is a working market that also feeds office workers at lunchtime, and like everything else in Bavaria it closes on Sundays.

What you actually see

• The maypole - blue and white, hung with painted figures of the city's old trades.
• The specialist stalls - single-product traders for honey, herbs, game or potatoes.
• Weisswurst - the white veal sausage, sold to a strictly morning convention.
• Seasonal produce - white asparagus in spring, chanterelles, game and pumpkins in autumn.

When to go

Monday to Saturday, with stalls closing in the late afternoon and the whole square shut on Sundays and public holidays. Mornings are for shopping, midday for eating standing up, and it empties by early evening. White asparagus arrives in April and May; chanterelles, game and pumpkins run from late summer into October.

Honest expectations

It is central and priced accordingly. This is not where Munich shops for value, and some stalls charge visitors whatever the location allows. Seating is limited and shared, benches fill at lunchtime, and the aisles are tight when tour groups come through. Sunday arrivals find everything closed, which catches out a lot of weekend visitors.

Nearby

Marienplatz and the old town, the Asamkirche and the delicatessens of the surrounding streets.