The Geitau Winterzauber is one of the first Christmas markets in the county, arriving a full week before the first Sunday of Advent. And it is small, genuinely small. That is exactly why I love it: a handful of wooden stalls on the village square in front of the Rote Wand, strings of lights, the maypole in the middle. Add a little snowfall and you get a picture-book Christmas market, the kind you rarely find anymore.
Small, local, and warm
There is no fairground bustle and no mass-produced goods here. You stand at a bar table, chat with neighbors and stallholders, and the kids dart across the square. The whole of Geitau is out and about this weekend, and you are part of it, not just a customer.
Who sets up here
The Winterzauber has been running since 2019, launched and still organized by the Geitau village improvement association. The stalls are mostly run by families and small businesses from Geitau itself, plus a few makers from the surrounding area. Not a professional stall operation touring from market to market, but people from right here.
What you will find
Plenty of handmade things: Advent wreaths, Christmas decorations, and gift ideas, most of it made by the sellers themselves. And plenty for body and soul: mulled wine, Geitau specialties, and warm little bites to keep out the cold.
My honest take
To be honest, I am usually behind the camera at the Winterzauber. The mood with the snow and the fairy lights is simply too good not to capture. But I stop at the handmade pieces every single time. What people craft by hand here is worth a close look, even if all you do is browse.
Dates 2026
Friday, November 20 from 4 pm and Saturday, November 21 from 2 pm, admission is free. The square comes into its own after dark, when the strings of lights take over. And if that leaves you wanting more: one week later, on the first weekend of Advent (November 28 and 29), the larger Advent market in Bayrischzell follows.
Good to know
Bring cash, the stalls do not take cards. Geitau has no dedicated parking lot, so you pull over along the roadside at one of the two village entrances. The relaxed option is the train: Geitau has its own BRB stop on the line from Munich toward Bayrischzell, and it is only a few steps from the station to the square. That way you can enjoy your mulled wine without any designated-driver debate. Dogs on a leash are no problem, as at our Christmas markets in general.
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Warming up at the Rote Wand
The Rote Wand inn sits right on the square and runs its own stall at the Winterzauber. When the cold gets to you, step inside for a coffee, a slice of cake, or a hearty snack.
Geitau by daylight
Discover Geitau by daylight
If you arrive earlier: a short walk leads past the Geitau chapel, the Rote Wand, and the old farmhouses, with an audio guide to listen along. A nice way to see the village in the light too.
One week later in Bayrischzell
Bayrischzell Advent Market
The big Advent market, a good part of it inside the town hall, with the Wendelstein-Männlein. One week after the Winterzauber.
