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Berlin Christmas markets, What area would you stay in??

I will have 2 days in Berlin for Christmas market. What area of city would be a good for hitting as many of the markets as possible, or at least the best markets. First time in Berlin, any other suggestions?

Thanks

Posted by
6231 posts

Most travelers go to the smaller cities and towns for Christmas markets but Berlin definitely has some and they are all over town. Gendarmenmarkt is a lovely square near many attractions and would make a good stop, and the Berlin City Hall market is not that far from there. I think it would also be fun to check out the ones at Spandau and Charlottenburg Palace.

https://www.berlin.de/en/christmas-markets/

Posted by
2274 posts

Sorry to disagree with you Mardee on Spandau (long way to go, nothing special EXCEPT for the U-bahn station) and Charlottenburg - always cheek to jowl (not only at the market but getting to and from on public transit) with the least attractive food selections.

Gendarmenmarkt is pretty stunning and the Alexanderplatz market has to be the largest in Berlin. I also like the market at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - good variety of food and drink choices.

As always, these are personal views ... YMMV

Posted by
6231 posts

periscope, no worries - I have not been to the Spandau and Charlottenburg markets so I will defer to someone who has. :)

Posted by
14482 posts

Hi,

I have not been to any Christmas markets in Germany, can't say anything about that but Gendarmenmarkt is an interesting and lovely place, worth a visit anyway. It was the French quarter in Berlin especially when the city was 20% French.

Spandau is quite easy to reach on the U-Bahn, worth exploring as it was not part of Berlin until 1920 when it and several other suburbs both in the west , eg, Spandau and in the east in the Greater Berlin area became part of the city. I did a couple of day trips to Spandau, the first one in 2017, and realised immediately I should have seen Spandau in the cold war days. Spandau has a different feel to it from the rest of Berlin.

Posted by
107 posts

We like to stay centrally near the Deutscher Dom or New Church. There are multiple U-Bahn stops nearby. Check out the BVG app - staying centrally and using that app makes finding your way around a breeze.

Posted by
100 posts

If I'm around the German capital in November and December, I typically have had a number of markets to "rotate" among friends living in the city. One of the most important things to me is having access to the U-Bahn or the S-Bahn; on recent trips to Berlin, I've chosen places close to the Ring for the Ringbahn. That's made it a little easier going to the following markets:

  • Mitte: Weihnachtsmarkt an der Gedächtniskirche (Breitscheidplatz, City-West)
  • Mitte: WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt, admission charge weekends and weekdays after 2pm
  • Mitte: Winterzauber im Nikolaiviertel
  • Prenzlauer Berg: Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt in der KulturBrauerei
  • Neukölln: Alt-Rixdorfer Weihnachtsmarkt
  • Neukölln: Kulturdachgartens Klunkerkranich
  • Steglitz: Alt-Steglitzer Weihnachtsmarkt

Not all have the same operating dates or hours; here's more from the City of Berlin : https://www.berlin.de/en/christmas-markets/

Posted by
993 posts

I can't remember where we stayed but it was somewhere decently east of the train station - not really in the center of Berlin. We went to the markets suggested by periscope and they were all great. We also saw all the Berlin sights pretty easily. So I guess my point is that we got around easily enough walking and on transport, so I think where you stay doesn't matter as much. I liked Berlin because we hit it after Christmas and the markets were still going! :)

Enjoy your trip!
Kim