All through December we'll be showcasing the best of the holiday season in cities around the world. Today it's Christmastime in Berlin and
we've asked local experts for the essential ways to enjoy the winter's
best. Visitors and locals alike come together to celebrate the holidays
and the New Year, and we encourage you to share your own favorites with
us in the comments below. You can find all of the cities we've already
visited and stay up-to-date on the rest by bookmarking the series here. The Regent Berlin
- Don't miss the annual Christmas Market at Gendarmenmarkt Square. It has the city's most beautiful holiday decorations, plus kiosks selling cakes, crafts, and gifts, and a beautiful brightly-lit tree.
- For an authentic taste of Berlin, try Fassbender and Rausch, a traditional sweets shop located in Gendarmenmarkt Square. The store offers anything and everything covered or made from fine German chocolate--my favorites are the delicate truffles and delicious pralines.
- Bar Tausend is, in my opinion, one of the trendiest bars in the city. Once you are inside, you are transported to the roaring twenties, with 1920s-era music and uber-cool interiors. Order a glass of Bollinger champagne, their signature. There is no sign outside, but here's how to find it: head to Schiffbauer Damm, on the corner of Albrechtstrasse, and look for a steel door, located directly under the railway bridge.
- The city's most luxurious department stores and boutiques are located on Friedrichstrasse--in fact, please note The Regent Berlin's holiday package, which offers an insider's guide to the city's top stores and emerging designers, plus personal shopping services available on request.
- The Berlin Cathedral is the former court cathedral of Germany's royal family, referred to as the Hohenzollern. Originally created as the Protestant answer to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Cathedral's Christmas services are not to be missed.
- Very few visitors think of Berlin as a winter sports destination, but I highly recommend trying out one of the public ice-skating centers. Our winters are fairly mild, so it makes outdoor activities--like a winter walk at one of the city's stunning lakes--the perfect way to celebrate the season.
- The Museum Island, located on an actual island the city center, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is home to some of the world's top art museums: The Old Museum (Altes Museum), the New Museum (Neues Museum; currently being restored), the Old National Gallery, the Bode Museum (currently closed for renovation) and the Pergamon Museum. The range and scope of these museums is breathtaking. Together, they constitute one of the greatest collections of artistic treasures in the world, such as the Pergamon Altar and a reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon.
Martin Ruschitzka, Concierge
Hôtel Concorde Berlin
Raffaele Sorrentino, Chef Concierge
Hotel Adlon
Nancy Hauck, Public Relations Manager and
Carina Gerber, Concierge
The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin
Photo: Frankinho via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool
Hôtel Concorde Berlin
- For gifts, I prefer the unique shopping on Kurfürstendamm Boulevard.
- Have a glass of Champagne on the top floor of the KaDeWe luxury department store with beautiful Christmas decorations.
- Pick up traditional German sweets-- zimtsterne, stollen, and lebkuchen, at Leyseiffer pastry shop on Kurfürstendamm Boulevard.
- Take a break from sightseeing and have coffee and cake in the Le Faubourg lounge in the Hôtel Concorde Berlin Kurfürstendamm where you can relax and get your gifts wrapped at the same time.
- Right in front of the famous Charlottenburg castle is a beautiful, small, not over-crowded Christmas market where you can buy traditional arts and crafts. The market is connected to the castle's park, so you can go for a winter walk through the park. If it is cold enough the park's lake might offer ice skating.
- For a walk in the woods walk around lake Schlachtensee and drink a Glühwein (mulled red wine with cinnamon and cloves) in the Fischerhuette restaurant right at the lake.
Raffaele Sorrentino, Chef Concierge
Hotel Adlon
- Café "Kauf dich glücklich" (café buy you happy) is a shop where you can buy womens' fashions, have a coffee, and eat waffles with ice cream (Mitte, Kastanienallee).
- Do not forget to have a walk through the Scheunenviertel, an old Jewish area.
- Best areas for modern art galleries: Linienstrasse, Auguststrasse, Gipsstrasse.
- Visit and shop the designer boutiques of the Hackesche Hofe made up of seven courtyards that meet.
- Walk through Prenzlauer Berg (Kollwitzplatz) and feel the spirit of east Berlin.
- Visit one of the typical Christmas markets: Opernpalais or the Adventmarkt at Domäne Dahlem offer German Christmas trimmings, Glühwein and handcrafted Christmas gifts.
- December is the month to see a circus. Visit the Christmas show of the circus Roncalli (Dec. 18, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010).
- Go ice skating at the Bebelplatz, enjoying the Christmas atmosphere at the Boulevard Unter den Linden.
- Visit the Potsdamer Platz Winter World for ice skating, sledding, sampling traditional food from Salzburg, or walk around the Christmas market.
Nancy Hauck, Public Relations Manager and
Carina Gerber, Concierge
The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin
- Environmental & organic Christmas Market at Sophienstrasse: This Christmas Market takes place each weekend during Advent. It is the most charming market on one of the oldest streets of Berlin. The vendors sell organic Christmas foods as well as handcrafted Christmas items by Berlin-based designers.
- Enjoy an exclusive ride in one of Berlin's horse drawn-carriages. We recommend dressing up warm and accepting the blanket offered by the coachman. Then it is off from the historical site Pariser Platz down the famous Boulevard Unter den Linden to enjoy the Christmas lights aligned along the street. While on the ride, enjoy a cool bottle of champagne. When getting too cold, we suggest stopping at one of the Christmas markets to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate.
- The "Feuerzangenbowle", a red wine punch that is set aflame is famous throughout the world. On cold winter days, the Feuerzangenbowle is an excellent alternative to mulled wine. You can join us to revive the age-old tradition of the Feuerzangenbowle in The Curtain Club of The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin. The fragrance of the cinnamon, the lemon and the orange peel will put you in the festive mood.
Photo: Frankinho via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool
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Berlin is a city that becomes even more beautiful in winter and especially at Christmas. November Events also an excellent opportunity to learn about a city that combines history with both the most impressive technological advances.
Hotels in Berlin are among the best on the continent and are also very cheap