The Best of Berlin's Enchanting Christmas Season
Berlin in winter – a time when the city hums with festive concerts, colourful lights, and the scent of gingerbread, roasted almonds and mulled wine fills the air. It’s a treat for all the senses.
Stefanie Bäslack, Head Concierge of Hotel de Rome, loves this time of year. She takes us beyond the well-known tourist spots – past the atmospheric Christmas markets on the Gendarmenmarkt and the Memorial Church – to hidden places, waiting to be discovered.
Twinkling lights in a royal setting: Charlottenburg Palace Christmas market
27th November to 31st December 2023 (excluding 24th), 12 noon to 10pm
Charlottenburg Palace, once the seat of Prussian kings in Berlin, sparkles at Christmas time. Approximately seven kilometres from Hotel de Rome, it has a wonderfully romantic atmosphere. Ring in the twilight, admiring sparkling light installations on a stroll around the illuminated castle grounds. Become part of the crowd circulating among 250 wooden huts and pagoda tents on the Schlossplatz as children have fun twirling on the carousels of the traditional Christmas market.
Enjoy the international culinary delicacies or take the opportunity to buy Christmas presents: handcrafts such as jewellery, pottery or toys are all exclusively made from natural materials at this particular market. You can easily combine a visit to the Christmas market at Charlottenburg Palace with a cultural detour to the nearby Berggruen Museum or the Bröhan Museum.
Splendour and Gloria: Christmas Oratorio featuring Vivaldi and Bach: Philharmonic Chamber Music Hall
Saturday 16th December 2023, 8pm
Musical experiences such as the Swan Lake ballet, which is performed at several venues, are part of the cultural Christmas season in Berlin. But for a particularly magical Christmas atmosphere, see a Christmas concert at the Chamber Music Hall by the Berliner Philharmoniker. Immerse yourself in a festive world of melodic sounds and harmonious songs, presented by the renowned choir and orchestra of the Berliner Bach Akademie.
The Chamber Music Hall will be lit up by festive lights while the voices of the choir fill the room with “Gloria”, Antonio Vivaldi’s joyful piece, and the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach. Not only a treat for music connoisseurs, the concert will also put you and your loved ones in a festive mood. A leisurely stroll of around two and a half kilometres will take you from our hotel to the Philharmonie, past the Brandenburg Gate and under lime trees decorated especially for Christmas.
Family excursion to the magic forest: Botanical Garden, Berlin-Dahlem
17th November 2023 – 14th January 2024
Charlottenburg Palace, once the seat of Prussian kings in Berlin, sparkles at Christmas time. Approximately seven kilometres from Hotel de Rome, it has a wonderfully romantic atmosphere. Ring in the twilight, admiring sparkling light installations on a stroll around the illuminated castle grounds. Become part of the crowd circulating among 250 wooden huts and pagoda tents on the Schlossplatz as children have fun twirling on the carousels of the traditional Christmas market.
Enjoy the international culinary delicacies or take the opportunity to buy Christmas presents: handcrafts such as jewellery, pottery or toys are all exclusively made from natural materials at this particular market. You can easily combine a visit to the Christmas market at Charlottenburg Palace with a cultural detour to the nearby Berggruen Museum or the Bröhan Museum.
A white Christmas in Berlin: tobogganing fun in Viktoriapark & Berlin-Kreuzberg
When the snow falls
When Berlin is covered in a blanket of snow, everyone in the city comes out to play. Every hillside becomes a slope. Grab your sledge and join in the tobogganing fun. On the steep meadow in the southwest corner of the Viktoriapark, about four kilometres away from Hotel de Rome, countless tobogganing enthusiasts spontaneously gather when it snows, enjoying the rush of a slip-slide down the hillside. The excitement of the rare snowfall lasts all day and continues long after dark.
Even if it doesn’t snow in Berlin at Christmas time, a visit to Viktoriapark is worthwhile. With its waterfall, the animal enclosure at Villa Kreuzberg and the national monument on its summit, it has been a place of local recreation for young and old for almost 150 years. The 66 metre high Kreuzberg is a popular destination – the whole city can be seen from its viewing platform. On New Year's Eve, panoramic views over the city’s fireworks attract tourists and Berliners alike.
For these and more winter hotspots in Berlin, our team is here to help. For more information, timely ticket reservations or tips for your stay, simply email us at concierge.derome@roccofortehotels.com or call Concierge Stefanie Bäslack at Hotel de Rome on +49 (0)30 460 609 1120.
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