What To Expect If You Visit The Berlin Christmas Markets
Berlin is the capital and largest city in Germany, but is it good for Christmas? While Caleb and I felt that many of its Christmas markets felt over-commercialized, and the food was kinda meh (except for the glorious steak on fluffy bread that I still dream about), we still left Berlin thinking that the markets were worth a visit!
Yes, some are not authentic, but we also came across some hidden gems and beautiful, less-visited Christmas markets that we’d go back to in a heartbeat!
In this guide, we’re giving you a deep dive into what to expect so you can make a decision on whether the Christma markets in Berlin are worth visiting!
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Here’s a video we made of some of the markets so you can start getting the vibe!
What To Expect When Visiting
Chances are that if you’ve stumbled across our post, you might be looking for more than just an ultimate guide to all the Christmas markets to visit in Berlin (which we have for you!), but you might be trying to figure out if they’re actually worth working into your Christmas market trip.
So, get a warm bratwurst (in the name of culture, right?), and let’s discuss.
LOOKING FOR A GUIDE TO BERLIN’S CHRISTMAS MARKETS? You can check out our detailed Berlin Christmas market guide!
The Good:
Let’s start with some of the good things you can expect that may make you want to visit. Caleb and I really loved that there were SO many markets in Berlin. In fact, there are over 100 Christmas markets just in and around Berlin, which is the most of any city that we went to.
Our personal favorite was the Medieval market, where we saw a guy doing a crazy fire dance.
If you don’t have 2 months to explore the Christmas markets in Europe like we did, then you want to kill two (or 100?) birds with one stone, and choosing Berlin as a stop is probably an example of you wearing your thinking cap.
Many of the markets are walkable, too, so as long as you stay within the center of Berlin, you’ll be able to capitalize on your trip.
Berlin is also pretty much steeped in history, so if you’re a history buff, you’ll love being able to get your festive fix while doing some historical things like visiting the Berlin Wall. You can also tie some historical site visits in with market visits as there are markets in some of the main areas, like Charlottenburg Palace, near the Holocaust Memorial, or the lit-up Brandenburg Gate.
In terms of character and vibe, Berlin mostly felt like all the other German Christmas markets we visited, where everyone was there to make new friends, be in the community, and have a good time. I’m sure all the mulled gin we were all drinking added to this whole vibe.
The Bad:
We always like to keep our thoughts honest, so here are the downsides to know about if you visit:
While there are some really unique markets, like the Medieval market or a Nordic market (which actually is one we would say to skip), we personally felt like MANY of the markets seemed the same – same food at the markets, same trinkets for sale – just in different locations. There wasn’t anything particularly unique about markets in Berlin compared to other cities, other than a handful of markets.
If you’re going to have a super magical romantic or very unique Christmas market getaway, you may want to consider smaller towns in Germany like Tubingen or Essinglen, some of our favorite, beautiful Christmas markets.
Oh, and we should mention that this was one of the only markets in the 50+ that we visited where we had to pay an entrance fee at a few of them. It was only 2 or 3 euros, but it still made Christmas feel really commercialized. It personally gave Caleb and me sort of a “bad taste in our mouths” before stepping into some of the markets.
Berlin at Christmas is for you if…
To help you decide if you want to visit or not, here are some things that would make it worth checking out if you agree to all/most of them:
- You want to experience a lot of markets in one city because you’re short on time.
- You want some unique market options, such as a medieval market, with some more “German” markets.
- You want things to do outside of christmas markets, so going to a big city is key.
- You like history and love the idea of pairing history with a Christmas getaway.
- You haven’t experienced a lot of other German Christmas markets, so you don’t mind if the ones you visit feel like many others.
It’s not for you if:
On the flip side, if you agree with these thoughts, you may wanna give Berlin a good ‘ol pass:
- You’re looking for a super authentic German experience with small local markets.
- You’re sensitive to being annoyed by overcommercialization, such as paying to get into a christmas market where you have to pay to buy things anyway.
- You’re looking to do a lot of shopping for unique gifts or things to bring home.
The Next Step After Figuring Out If Berlin’s Christmas Markets Are Worth Visiting:
Phew, we made it! We do think Berlin’s Christmas markets are worth visiting, and if you’ve come to the same conclusion, the next step is to figure out specifically which markets to visit!
Good thing for you we wrote an ultimate guide to visiting Berlin’s christmas markets with everything you need to know and consider!
Or, read our ultimate guide on planning a Christmas market trip if you need help getting started!
So, do you think you’ll be visiting Berlin at Christmas?
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