Making it through winter in Berlin is no easy feat. Here's how I do it 😁.

Christmas markets 🎄

Wikipedia says there are over 80 Christmas markets in Berlin. Granted, they're not all equally big nor interesting, but I'd say at least 15 of them are big, popular, and worth a visit!

Two photos of the market at Rathaus — Christmas Market at Berlin City Hall

My personal favorite ones:

The Lucia market — Lucia Christmas Market at Kulturbrauerei

They usually open from late November till Christmas. A few will remain open until the first week of January. Here is a map with all of them (as of December 2024, the page currently lists 97 markets in Berlin only).

They are mostly filled with food and drink stalls (try Glühwein 🍷), something like 80% of all stalls. The 20% remaining is decoration, handmade wooden items (famously coming from the Erzgebirge region) and clothing.

I googled it, apparently Germany is the country with the most Christmas markets in the world. And Gemini (Google's AI) as well as this website cite Berlin as the city with the most Christmas markets in the world. Needless to say, December is a festive and joyful month to be in Berlin.

New Year's Eve 🎆

Some like it very much, some hate it. One thing is for sure, New Year's Eve is nothing short of unique in Berlin, greatly due to the fact that the city turns into a giant firework! During the last 3 days of the year, supermarkets are allowed to sell fairly big fireworks to everyone. So on the 31th, when the sun sets until the early morning lights, you'll hear and see fireworks explosions everywhere, on every corner and every street! Take part, or flee!

A photo showing a shop selling fireworks — A shop selling fireworks

Saunas 🧖

Ok, so past December, Christmas markets are gone. What now? Well friend, saunas!

Again, another thing germans excel at! It would be almost impossible to count the number of saunas in Berlin, since they are virtually everywhere! Hotels, gyms, dedicated wellness establishments, public swimming pools, they're everywhere!

In Winter, I'm a big sauna goer. My personal record: over 7 days, I went to saunas 5 times, in 4 different places.

Skiing and sledding ❄️

Another winter activity: skiing! Not so much doable in Berlin, but easily reachable from Berlin by train or plane. Austria, France, and Switzerland are never far away, and Germany even has a few ski resorts, Garmisch-Partenkirchen being my favorite!

Admittedly, Berlin is flat and not very high above sea level, but it still snows decent amounts every year, usually in January and February, sometimes as early as November. There are a few spots in Berlin with small "hills" where sledding is possible!

Brandenburger Tor under snow — Brandenburger Tor

People having fun and sledding at Volkspark Friedrichshain — Volkspark Friedrichshain

Frozen lake with snow — Cycling on Liepnitzsee while the lake is frozen

Indoor activities 🏠

Last but not least, cocooning and other indoor activities. Winter is a good time to do some minor repairs at home, build furniture, change one's interior decor, etc. Winter is also great for movies, binge watching TV series, and even clubbing! I usually pause or keep my clubbing to a minimum in summer, since I'm always outside running or cycling... but comes winter, I'm a different person 😜.