The Munich Centre Tour for Foodies

Munich feeds itself from a market square in the middle of the old town, which is unusual for a European capital of its size and the reason this walk works. The Viktualienmarkt has traded on the same ground since 1807, and the streets around it hold delicatessens, butchers, bakeries and beer gardens that supply the city rather than the guidebooks. This private tasting walk gives your clients a guide who buys here, a route of four to six stops and enough time between them to actually eat.

Where the walk goes

The route starts on or near Marienplatz and drops immediately into the market. Your clients work through the stalls in the order a local would: bread and pretzels first, then cheese and charcuterie, then the honey, spice and preserve traders who have held their pitches for generations. From the market the walk moves into the surrounding lanes for a delicatessen counter, a butcher who still makes his own Weisswurst, and a beer garden or a tavern for something warm. Along the way the guide explains the Bavarian purity law, why Weisswurst is eaten before midday, and how the market survived both the war and every attempt to redevelop it.

What your clients taste

The exact selection changes with the season and with what the traders have that morning, which is the point of using a guide instead of a fixed script. In broad terms the walk covers Bavarian bread and pretzels, regional cheese, cured and cooked sausage, mustard and pickles, something sweet from a confectioner, and a drink to finish – a wheat beer, a Franconian wine or an alcohol-free alternative. Dietary requirements are workable if you tell us early; vegetarian is straightforward, strict vegan and gluten-free need advance planning because several stops are built around one product.

How it is arranged

• Private walking tour of roughly three hours, on foot throughout, over short and flat distances
• Morning departures are best, because the market traders are fully stocked and the Weisswurst is fresh
• Licensed guide with a food background, working in English as standard and other languages on request
• Tastings at each stop are arranged in advance; a full sit-down lunch can be added at the end instead
• Mondays to Saturdays only – the market is closed on Sundays and public holidays

Who it suits and what to pair it with

This is a good first morning for clients who like to understand a city through what it eats, and a good second day for returning guests who have already seen the sights. It also works for parties travelling with teenagers, because there is always something to chew on. Pair it with the private walking and driving tour of Munich for the architecture and the royal city, or with Munich beyond Oktoberfest if the same clients want the evening side of the city. Guide qualifications are described on our page about licensed private guides in Germany, the full city programme sits on the Munich destination page, and the local product range in our Munich portfolio.