Hanukkah
There are still Hanukkah events, even in the coming days:Sixth candle, Friday, December 23 -
- at 14:30 at the Brandenburg Gate
- The lighting of candles by Chabad Alexanderplatz at the "Mita City Hall" at 19:30 (I did not personally understand if it was the "Roots Rathaus" or the Mita City Hall next to Kino International)
- Hanukkah party for children at 12:30 at the Chabad house on Münstersche Str
- Party for Israelis at 19:30 at Beit Chabad (for registration)
- And if you are out of town - also a Hanukkah party in Hanover Chanukka Wunderland (details)
Christmas
For those who have not yet experienced Christmas here, this is one of the "quiet" periods in Berlin.What is important to know about Christmas in Berlin:
- On Sunday (December 25) and Monday (December 26) the stores will be closed, on December 24 (Christmas Eve) they will close at noon (depending on the store, most of them will be closed at 2:00 p.m.)
- Public transportation operates all days of the holiday
- On December 24, most museums and attractions are closed. In the rest of the blog I gave some ideas what should be done. On Sunday and Monday there are attractions that work, including museums that are usually closed on Mondays, but on Monday, December 26, they will be open.
- Want to catch up on another Christmas market? For most of them you should hurry and visit on Friday, December 23.
Some markets that are still open after Christmas starts..
- Potsdamer Platz, we're back at you! The first market to open, and one of the last to close, the Winter World at Potsdamer Platz, a tiny market that includes the famous snow slide (December 24: 10:00-14:00, the market itself will be open for another two hours until 16:00 but without the facilities; December 25-1 January 11:00-22:00) - Location
- Staatsaufer/Babelplatz: The market of the Gendarmenmarkt will be located in the Babelplatz in the coming years due to the renovation of the original square. December 24 12:00-18:00; December 25-December 30 12:00-10:00 p.m. and December 31 (New Year's Eve) 12:00 - 1:00 a.m. January 1 (location/site)
- Alexanderplatz (next to the Kaufhof Gallery): December 24, 10:00-16:00; on December 25 and 26, 10:00-22:00; Not far from there, the market in the Red Town Hall will be open on December 25/26 from 11:00 - 21:00 and between December 27 and 30 from 12:00 to 22:00 (on the 24th - closed)
- Memorial Church: The main market of City West is open on December 24 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; on the 25th and 26th from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on December 27-30 from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Frankfurter Alla's amusement park, Winterzauber Berlin will also be open during the holiday, but not on the eve of the holiday: on December 25 from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on December 26 from 2:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (location/FB presence)
- Another funfair that will be open during the holiday is Family Wonderland in Spandau - on the 25/26 from 12:00 to 22:00; on 27-30 between 13:00 and 22:00 (location)
- The Zehlendorf market will be open both on the eve of the holiday and on the holiday itself: on December 24 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; on the 25/26 from 11:00 to 20:00; and on December 27-30, 11:00 - 21:00
- You can get to the market of Spandau Citadel on Monday until December 30 between 12:00 and 20:00 (location/site). (24/25 closed)
- Probably the last chance to enjoy the Charlottenburg Palace Christmas market (the market will not take place in the coming years) is on December 25/26, from 12:00 to 20:00 (on the 24th - closed) (place/site)
- Still open Christmas Gardens (location/site) and Christmas at the Tierpark (location/site) are quite expensive but great if you're into the WOW effect and Instagram moments.
So what is there to do on December 24th?
On December 25/26, just to be clear, almost everything is open, except for shops. So you can plan your day as you would normally plan it.On December 24, on the other hand, the museums and attractions are mostly closed (and even a spontaneous restaurant in the evening may be difficult to find) and you should plan what to do. Some ideas:
Morning:
- Karl's Erdbeerhof is open on December 24th from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. On the 25/26 it is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m
- The pool at "Spreewaldplatz" is open from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., including the wave pool and the slide (details)
afternoon:
- The GameState arcade in Potsdamer Platz is open until 16:00 (location)
- For a slightly more active activity, the climbing hall "Ostblok" (location) is open until 17:00 and the Lenkwitz ice rink is open from 12:00 to 16:00 (site/location), by the way, the Lenkwitz pool, next to the ice rink, is open until 1:30 p.m
- The Spy Museum is open until 20:00 (details/location) as well as the "Disgusting Food Museum" and the house at Checkpoint Charlie (the last two museums are not really recommended museums in my opinion, but your decision).
Evening (not for the whole family!):
- Comedy (in English): "Ho-Ho-Ho" How about NO?? (in Neuklan, details/location) ; or "Xmas NON Special" (in Mitte, details/location)
- Christmas Film Festival at "Movimento" (details)
- Many parties in clubs (details)
