There is something warming about European Christmas Markets. With over 80 Christmas markets Berlin has been on our list for a while. Yes 80 Berlin Christmas markets and they have one for dogs too!
I knew the main ones I wanted to go to. There are several as you walk around and you can spend hours just hopping from one to the other. 3 nights is plenty to explore some of the Christmas markets. It is always good to break it up too so it does not feel repetitive.
1) Be ware of pick pockets. This goes without day. Like with any busy public spot ensure you keep your belongings safe.
2) Remember to carry euros with you (coins or small amounts_ because you need them at all the toilets in the markets. One place took 1.50 euros but most took 1 euro. It is a European thing to get you to pay for the toilet!
Return your glasses and crockery to the vendors after you have finished with them. Most places take a deposit of 5 euros for your drinks mug or food plates. If you pay in card you will get this back in euros.
3) Some stalls only take cash payments. Don’t worry there will be plenty that take card though.
4) The paid Christmas market have better stalls and selection of food and drink and restaurants too. It is still busy and you still had to pay to go to the toilet.
5) My friend has a peanut allergy and a lot of the stalls were great at knowing what ingredients went into their food. The markets cater for many requirements and in general are diverse in terms of food.
Five of the Prettiest Berlin Markets
These are the Christmas Markets we visited on our 3 night Christmas trip with our friends.
Winter Market Schloßplatz Berlin Mitte:
Our FAVOURITE market and one I recommend if you only have time to visit one. It is around the Humboldt Forum and you can see the Berlin cathedral from it. There is a beautiful back drop and lots of crafts, live performances and music here. The food selection is great and they have several stalls. There is space around to sit or stand and enjoy food. It is one of the new ones and the vibe is great. Due to the layout and size, we didn’t feel we had to squeeze past the crowds. We had drinks in the little cabin overlooking the square which was cute and one I recommend, bought gifts and went here twice cause it was so good. The flames drink is a Hcibe Hex and it was 8 euros. Bratwurst lovers, you can get 1/2 metre for just 8 euros. If you love smoked salmon try it in a jacket potato with sour cream & chives 14 euros. There is a bar called Rosi’s Bar (part of the Christmas market) and it plays good music and you can almost have a sing along too.
Berliner Weihnachtszeit at the Rotes Rathaus
The market is between the Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus) and St Marienkirche (St Mary’s Christchurch). This is a diverse Christmas market that is full of food, drinks and fun. There is an ice rink, a big ferris wheel, carousel and a flying Santa on his sleigh here at 4:30 pm, 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. Some of the market stalls have the original illustrations from houses dating back to 1900 giving it an authentic feel.We enjoyed the Kasesuppe which was a delicious garlic and cheese soup in a bread bowl. The bread was a bit dry but the soup was delicious. 10 euros. The brakwurst was 5 euros.
Christmas Market on Gendarmenmarkt
This is a paid one but worth the 2 euros entrance fee. It normally is in the Gendarmenmarkt however this year it is taking place in Bebelplatz. It has traditional craftsmanship, performances, some indoor restaurants, cocktails and great food choices. We had the truffle mash 10 euros and had tapas at the Ständige Weihnachtsvertretung. We waited for 10 minutes for a table and enjoyed some tapas and Gluhwein. For that sweet fix we had some apple strudel with vanilla custard and that was worth the 8 euros – It was delicious. The prices are not too bad considering you are in a restaurant in the market. The art stalls at this market felt less tacky but pricey.
Charlottenburg Christmas Markets
The Charlottenburg Palace Christmas Markets are meant to be one of the prettiest Christmas Markets because of the displays and back drop. Yes it is beautiful but we spent the least amount of time in this market because it was so busy and there were queues everywhere. It is also a far bit out of town (about 30 minutes walk from the zoo) The only stall that was not as busy was the chestnuts ones and they were nice (4 euros for 100 grams). We had some eggnog, gluhwein and apple wine here too before getting a taxi back to our favourite market. The toilets here cost more too at 1.50 a go.
Christmas Markets Alexanderplatz
This was one of the smaller ones out of the ones above. It has one of biggest walk-in Christmas pyramid in Europe. We found this market was the cheapest for Christmas gifts like festive candle holders. It’s in the middle of the centre too and there are lots of other shops and restaurants around. There is an ice ring here too and this is where you can see the famous world clock and get views of the Berlin tower.
Exploring Berlin
We were in Berlin for the Christmas markets so that is where we spent our evenings. Here is what we did in the day time.
City Sightseeing Bus Tour
Discover Berlin by bus. It is stress free and flexible was to explore the must-see spots of the city, The beauty of the City Sightseeing bus is you can Hop-On and Hop-Off as much as you like.
The City Sightseeing bus has two routes, Red and Green. We got a 48 hour pass and managed to see all the main attractions in Berlin. We also learnt a lot through the commentary which is multilingual (around 13 different languages to choose from). All you need to do is select the language and listen through headphones provided. Did you know the first European traffic lights were erected at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin?
The Green Route covers 8 stops, including the East Side Gallery. Our route stopped here for 20 minutes for its break, and this was ideal for us to look at the wall and the murals and hop back on the bus. A full loop is 90 minutes.
The Classic Route covers 18 stops including Gendarmenmarkt, Branderbuger and the Zoo. We got this route to cover all the tourist spots we wanted to explore, and it was sufficient. A full loop is 2 hours.
Why choose the Hop on Hop off Bus
The bus has seating upstairs and downstairs. In warmer dry weather the bus is open top and you can get a 360 degrees panoramic view of the city. The roof was on when we went on and that did not spoil the experience. The bus was heated too which made it quite cosy in the cold weather.
The beauty about the bus is you can stay on it the whole time and get a snapshot of Berlin then go back and explore what you want in more depth. We would normally do a walking tour but the weather was hit and miss so we chose to do the bus tour instead and covered more of Berlin. We used the buses are our transportation during the day.
City Sightseeing is the World’s Leading Hop-on Hop-Off tour. This ticket is less than £30pp which for 48 hours is great value*. It also meant we stayed dry and still managed to explore Berlin.
Points of Interest In Berlin
Here are some key attractions to visit in Berlin during the day. You can get to them all via the City Sightseeing bus and see them whilst on the top deck of the bus. This is where we saw majority of them.
- Check point Charlie
- Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe
- Brandenburg Gate
- Berlin Wall Memorial
- Breitscheidplatz
- World Time Clock
- Reichstag building
- Berlin Cathedral
- Potsdamer Platz
- Victory Column
Berlin’s highest place- the Berlin TV Tower
This historic landmark in Berlin is 368m tall and opened in 1969.
The Berlin TV Tower is a great way to have a panoramic view of Berlin on a clear day. We went and it was misty. Luckily the clouds came and went so we saw little glimpses. The tower tickets are non-refundable.
I would recommend getting the Premium Ticket that gets to entrance to the observation desk and the Berlin Odyssey VR experience. This way you get an extra experience and don’t feel like you did not see as much up the tower.A combi ticket is less than £30 per person*.
We chose to watch the Berlin history and it was great. 15 minutes with VR headsets showing the rise and ball of the city from 1200 to date in unique 3D animations and reconstructions.
They have a revolving restaurant there too and a bar when you get to the top.
Monkey Bar Berlin
We had time to squeeze in one bar and it had to be Monkey Bar.
The 10th floor bar overlooks the Berlin Zoo and is high enough to give you panoramic views of the city including the TV tower and the zoo. It also had a rooftop deck too with different views of the city. The ambiance is warm, and it is a perfect spot to chill and take in the atmosphere of West Berlin. The décor is zoo themed. If you use the last cubicles in the toilets, you overlook the zoo too.
We went as walk ins because there were no slots available online. During the daytime this is fine. In the evenings it can be tricky because it gets busy. A lot of locals visit the bar too for after work drinks.
We managed to see the giraffes walking in and out of their enclosure. The cocktails were made well, and we had some picky bits to eat too which were nice.
The Monkey bar is in the 25hours hotel. There is a Mediterranean restaurant on the same floor as the bar called Neni.
Beer halls In Berlin
When in Germany, you have to visit a beer hall right?
We ended up at the Hofbräu Wirtshaus Berlin because it was the first one we came across. It is in Alexanderplatz. Staff dress in traditional costumes and everyone is there to have a good time. Kev & I went to the one in Munich and the one here was just as good. The atmosphere is great, and drinks are good. They beer hall plays live music, and the band gets the crowd involved. We did not have food this time, but I remember the one in Munich has great food. Beer is less 6.20 euros for 0.5 l and 12.4 euros for 1l. You are in a beer hall, and it makes sense to get the 1l for the experience. Kev & I like to share the Radler which is their version of a shandy but much better. German beer is stronger, and this dilutes it slightly and makes it a lighter drink to enjoy.
Do you love European Christmas Markets? Read all about the Christmas Markets in Hamburg here.
Neha
*AD: I was part gifted tickets to the City Sightseeing Bus and the Berlin Tower. All opinions and photos are my own.
