Weihnachtszeit (Christmas Time) in Germany: Berlin

First things first, why go to Germany in December if not for the Christmas markets? The gingerbread, gluhwein, sparkling paper stars and candles, aluminum and glass ornaments, nutcrackers everywhere. And the food – potato pancakes, salmon roasting on a wood fire, every possible type of sausage and cheese. And so that was indeed our reason to take the train from Copenhagen to Berlin for a few days.

But of course Berlin stands on its own as a destination to visit, so for our short (4 days) tour, we managed a little art, history, and chocolate, too (of course). Let’s start with chocolate.

Ritter Sport Colorful Chocolate World

We stayed near Gendarmenmarkt, and walking from the train to our hotel passed by this Ritter Sport shop. For those who don’t know, Ritter Sport is a popular, family-owned chocolate company in Germany. Their fun, rainbow packaging and square bars are recognizable in shops around Europe (and in the US). This store looked too much fun to pass up.

The most exciting part of the experience? You get to make your own chocolate bar- selecting the chocolate, the add-ins and then watching them melt and pour your creation into a mold, so once the chocolate is cooled and ready, you have your very own, self-designed chocolate bar! Tasted great and really fun.

Christmas Markets, Berlin Edition

Berlin has a LOT of Christmas markets. Like, over 100. We did not see all of them. But we did see quite a few of the big ones, and definitely decided which are our favorites*.

*We’ve been to Christmas markets in a few cities in Germany: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin, and Cologne. There’s many we haven’t yet tried, but hands down Cologne is the best of the 4 – tons of ice skating and music and rides – here’s my blog post about it.

Berlin City Hall & Alexanderplatz markets: the markets we went back to again and again as we walked through Berlin. A skating rink, a Ferris wheel, carousels, salmon cooked on an open fire, and gluhwein. Large markets with lots of treats and shopping, and preferred by the whole family. Easy to find, just head towards the TV tower looming above you.

Gendarmenmarkt (Bebelplatz): this one you had to pay to enter, and it was surprisingly small, considering. It could be because the market is normally at the Gendarmenmarkt Platz but in 2022 was moved due to construction. We had a beautiful view and a tasty candy apple, but otherwise not too much to do.

Potsdamer Platz: has a huge toboggan run, which was a little scary, actually (would probably be better with snow, but we had none). Otherwise a little small but with treats and good food.

Around Berlin & Historical Stops

We made our own walking tour of a number of tourist stops in Berlin, including Checkpoint Charlie, Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), the Neue Wache Remembrance Building, the Brandenburg Gate, and various parts of the Berlin Wall.

Near TrabiWorld and the Weltballon – vintage Trabant cars and just overall fun signs and stuff.

One afternoon we stopped at the Museum and “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe”, which is heavy but also very moving. Its not suggested for younger children (12 and under), according to the ticket office.

Art in Berlin: East Side Gallery & Haus Schwarzenberg

We spent an afternoon touring around the Haus Schwarzenberg and the East Side Gallery. The Haus Schwarzenberg was partially open, and we were able to tour a gallery and browse in the shop, which had some really interesting books, postcards, t-shirts, and posters. But mostly we came for the street art.

The East Side Gallery is an open air gallery and also the longest continuous section of the Berlin Wall still in existence. It officially opened as an open air gallery in September, 1990.

• Trip from December, 2022