Things To Do in Berlin at Christmas

I’ve always wanted to travel during December, not just because it’s my birthday month, but to also see the Christmas festivities in other countries. Having spent my whole life celebrating my birthday in Wales, I thought why not venture out a little for my 21stand visit somewhere I’ve never been before. So that’s exactly what happened. My boyfriend and I booked a trip to Berlin for 3 days and it was the most Christmassy, icy cold and magical birthday yet.

Sure, Berlin is famous for its numerous German Christmas markets, and I am definitely not going to take the shine away from them (they were truly amazing!), but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the other beautiful landmarks in Berlin that are also a Christmas must-see.

1. Christmas Markets

I’ll start my Berlin Christmas must-see list with the obvious contender. The Christmas Markets are exactly how you imagine them; wooden lodges with fairy lights draping everywhere and garlands on every angle of their roof. The smell of food is poignant throughout the entire market, some super tasty and delicious, others a little queer (especially for me, being a fussy eater). I was actually surprised that Germans turn out to be utter foodies, there were far more food stalls than anything else. The food ranged from currywurst sausages to roasted nuts, from chocolate coated strawberries to potato soup! If you’re a foodie, then a trip to the Christmas Markets should definitely be on your list. There are a few dotted around Berlin, however, the ones we went to were Gendarmenmarkt, Alexanderplatz and Gedächtniskirche.

2. Brandenburg Gate and its enormous Christmas tree

Brandenburg Gate is always on the to-do list of any Berlin visitor, yet I really don’t believe it gets true recognition that it deserves at Christmas. We arrived rather late on our first day and decided to go on a quick 10-minute walk around the block to find our bearings a little. Well, we actually ended up stumbling across the Brandenburg Gate, as we had no idea how close we actually were to it! The sky was pitch black and this gigantic, magical Christmas tree shone bright onto the Brandenburg Gate. It was truly breath-taking to stand next to such a beautiful scene. Time and time again I tried to adjust my camera focus, dim the lighting and play around with the angle, but nothing worked to do this scene justice. It’s something you most definitely have to see for your own eyes.

3. The Big Red Bus

Everyone has heard of the famous Hop On – Hop Off bus, it’s an historical artefact in most major cities. With only three days in Berlin, my boyfriend and I decided it would be our best chance of seeing as much of Berlin as possible. Though we never quite managed to use the ‘Hop On’ quality of the bus (we would either be in the wrong stop or oblivious to the timetable), but we did stubble across Ke De We. I had never heard of this luxurious shopping centre before, but we were informed that it was the Berlin equivalent to Harrods. Well, if I didn’t see 50 Christmas trees, I didn’t see 1. It doesn’t matter if designer brands aren’t your thing, this store should be applauded for its exquisite trees and New York Christmas shopping scene vibe. As it was my birthday, we decided to wander up to the restaurant on the top floor, just expecting a relaxed cup of coffee as a break in between a very busy day. To our surprise, the top floor was engulfed with a glass roof that acted as a stage for Berlin’s beautiful city skyline. It’s safe to say, we decided to spend my birthday lunch and drinks in this beautiful area and watch the day turn to night and the city’s skyline come to life.

4. A Bar that is definitely worth the find (and cocktail prices!)

To fulfil our nights, we traipsed the streets of Berlin to find lively, stylish bars to have a few cocktails and down time after crazy tourist-busy days. We came across one in particular that was a true surprise when we wandered in. Though the name gives it away, The Vincent Piano Bar was absolutely breath-taking, with beautiful piano music sweeping through the entire bar. We were definitely staying here. The cocktails are a little bit on the pricey side, but we most certainly didn’t mind paying when we were sat with candle lights all around us and live piano music right in front of our table. It was the most romantic place I’ve ever visited, and it should definitely be on your Berlin agenda.

5. What I didn’t do, that you should do

For my fifth suggestion, I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m going to talk about something I wish we did, but we simply didn’t have the time to squeeze it into our schedule. On the tour bus, we passed the Reichstag building numerous times and there were queues upon queues of people waiting to go in. My boyfriend had visited Berlin in the summer (he and his best friend went interrailing around Europe) and had a tour of the Reichstag building. I remember him telling me in the summer how pleasantly surprised he was and that the tour was really interesting and one of the highlights of his trip. From what people have told me, it seems like a really good and informative activity in Berlin, if you can fit it into your agenda at all. And if you do take up my suggestion, do tell me how it is so that the mad historian side of me is satisfied.

Lauren xo

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