Berlin Christmas

Berlin is a great city to visit. A good way to get a feel for the city is to take a walking tour (http://www.newberlintours.com/nbt/). This is a 4 hour tour of all the high points of the city. If you do it the first day, then you can go back and see more or what interest you. My son and I stayed on the hostel boat the Easter Comfort (http://www.eastern-comfort.com/) not too far from Alexanderplatz. Everyone was very friendly, and the subways are safe and effecient.

Berlin would be fun over the Christmas holiday! We stayed within walking distance of the Zoo at Pension Peters - a very nice (but not fancy) small hotel. The subway and bus system are very convenient and felt safe to us. The locals were very friendly and helpful. In addition to the museums, there should be Christmas markets at that time of year. The KaDeWe Department Store is fun - even if you just go to the food market. You don't need to do a group tour - just get Rick Steves' Germany Guidebook and follow his advice in the Berlin section. We did not do a tour to Auschwitz - perhaps someone else can advise you on that.

Close to Berlin are both Sachsenhausen and Ravensbruck Concentration Camps. Auschwitz is quite far away from Berlin. There is tons to do in Berlin, thus one of the best reasons to take a walking tour or two or three. There are regular, overview tours, 3rd Reich tours, Cold War tours, cruise and walk tours, bike tours, Jewish Experience tours and so on. There are many tour companies in Berlin, most of whom are very, very good, but the New Europe tours are controversial due to their employee treatment and payment model. Please use a different company than New Berlin. This was a huge theme last year on Ricks blog, if you are interested in reading about them. One of the TV stations did an expose on them that was extremely revealing. There are multiple lawsuits against them in several cities where they operate. http://www.ricksteves.com/blog/index.cfm?fuseaction=entry&entryID=411

John, this would be a great trip! I visited in July a few years ago, but my first trip to Berlin was in February. ; ) I most recently stayed at the Hotel Kastanienhof in the East. http://www.kastanienhof.biz/default.aspx?lang=en It was close to S-Bahh, the U-Bahn and good restaurants. It's the Prenzlauer district. The east has changed a lot in the last 20-years. I was stunned by the difference and the changes.

I traveled by myself and with a tour and felt very safe. Both the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn. I would recommend going to the top of the Reichstag. The view is great and the architecture fascinating. I took a day trip to Potsdam and really enjoyed it.

You should check to see if the Symphony is playing. That was a highlight of my first trip. A Christmas time there should be a Christmas Market somewhere in the city.

And did you know that Berlin had a basketball team! Alba Berlin. They play the day after Christmas! And it looks like Hertha plays Augsburg in football (soccer) on Dec. 18.

It's a great city.

Pam

I concur, this would be a great trip. If you can afford it, staying near Kurfurstendamm or Unter den Linden would be an awesome experience. Stop by KeDeWe and see the Christmas decorations, then go to the gourmet food & beverage floor (6th I believe). Great authentic food can be had everywhere, but we enjoy the Wirtshaus zum Nussbaum and the Rogacki deli in Charlottenburg. Check out the Berlin Welcome card that includes public transport passes plus optional add-ons like a museum pass. Oh, and don't forget the Christmas markets. There are two nice ones, one near museum island and the other by Kaiser Wilhelm kirche. http://tourist.visitberlin.de/en/welcomecard?tid=860 Enjoy your trip and let me know you have additional questions. I go to Berlin often:)

You may have been looking at the metric scale, where the average low is 0 and the average high is 3. At any rate, the average high for Berlin in December is just about what you have in DFW for lows that time of year (if that helps to give you an idea of what to expect).

Awesome, thanks for all the replies! I did think of one more question: I was checking online and it seems that the temperature in December is expected to be anywhere between 0-10 degrees. I'm from Texas, so I'll actually be quite excited to experience cold weather, but does 0-10 degrees seem like it would be too cold to actually be out and enjoying the sites? I know the answer to this is all relative, but I dont want to pay all that money to be stuck in some sort of blizzard conditions. What do you guys think?

My last time there was in March and it was chilly but not freezing - I can't comment on December weather. If it were me though, I'd take my chances and GO! But that's just me...

John, If you're interested in regional Prussian history, go to Potsdam to see the Brandenburg-Preussen Museum, very enlightening but I thought it downplayed the phenomenon of militarism. For a WW II site, go to Berlin-Karlshorst. Now, that's interesting and historical...I went there first in August 1989 when the Soviets still had it, then ten years later, the museum, much more balanced, is definitely worth seeing. If you read German , you're in luck. Even though the temperature might list 0-10C in December, it's freezing in Berlin then. Stroll down the Unter den Linden just for the vibes, go to the Opernpalais Cafe from Unter den Linden. There's a lot more, especially on the military "stuff," depending upon your interest area.
No need to stay in the outskirts, unless you have in mind the hostel in Potsdam. I always stay in the Charlottenburg district, plenty of choices depending on your definition of luxury, from hostels to 4 star hotels.

John, You just need to pack appropriate clothes and you'll be fine. Here in Wisconsin we would think that 30's are great for December. ; ) You should have a warm coat, hats, gloves etc. I think would plan some good walking shoes that you've water proofed before you go. Wool socks are always good for keeping your feet warm. If your feet are warm the rest of you will be dandy. ; ) Pam

John, invest in some silk underwear from Lands'End or Eddie Bauer. Silk glove inserts are great too. Wear a hat, couple pairs socks, you should be ok. SILK!