This is a post for all the Christmas enthusiasts out there who wish it was Christmas everyday – because where can you go that embraces the Christmas Market more than Germany?
2019’s winter trip was to a little 3-day girl’s trip to the wonderful Berlin. Having never been to Germany before, Berlin was the perfect city to start, and fast became one of my favourite holiday destinations that I’ve visited so far. And with a short 3-days we crammed as much in as possible. So here’s my 3-days in Berlin…
Day one was a Saturday, and we’d heard a lot about the nightlife that Berlin brags – the rumour was that if you’re crawling out of the club at 4am you’ve done an okay job. I like a night out as much as the next person, but 3am is usually a push for me, so I was slightly apprehensive. After lot’s of research of where to go, and hearing different opinions from every angle, we found a local walking pub-crawl. With drinks included at each bar, guaranteed entry (this is notoriously risky to not have in Berlin), and promises of only great venues, we found this to be the best way to enjoy a night out.
Just a note on this to any travellers or solo travellers, this was a really popular option amongst the people needing company to go on a night out with. Although we were there in a group of three, we spent most of the night mingling with the other pub-crawlers, and by the end of the first pub everyone was on first name terms and knew where we’d all come from – and without the awkward ‘tell us something we don’t know’ intro games. A (genuine!) pub crawl is definitely a good option for any solo travellers wanting to make some new travel buddies.
The next day we were feeling a little fragile, and ended up not waking up too early – great because we saved money on breakfast, but not so great when we realised we’d wasted precious Berlin time.
The thing about Berlin is that it’s really overwhelming how much there is to see before you leave. Rather than spend our time planning out what to go and see first, we signed ourselves up to a free walking tour of the city.
Another great option for any travellers travelling with a budget are the free walking tours. The idea is that you complete the tour first, then at the end, pay the amount you think the tour was worth. And they’re really elaborate tours – we started at the Brandenburg Gate, and then walked through various sites, including the Holocaust Memorial, the section of the Berlin Wall that’s still standing, Check Point Charlie, and one of the locations for the book burning. We then also squeezed in the East Side Gallery, which was one of my personal favourites!
In the evening we headed to the Reichstag Dome, which is definiely something worth booking while you’re in the city. Once at the top you have amazing 360 views of the city. We went at night, which means you can’t particularly work out where everything is, but it’s still beautiful.
The main target of the next day was Christmas Markets! And this is where the advice will drop if you’re visiting Berlin during any other time of the year…
We managed to make it to a total of seven markets. The markets varied from family-friendly attractions, to indie-cool homemade crafts and goods, and more posh-affairs held outside of palaces.
And to finish the trip, on the day of our flight, we decided to squeeze in one last sightseeing visit – Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. I’d never been to a concentration camp before, but it was such a chilling experience. We decided to pay the donation to have the audio guides as well, and listening to the stories as you’re walking around is heartbreaking, but humbling.
And that was how we spent our three days in Berlin. It wasn’t by any means a chilled out holiday, we were pretty much rushing around the whole time, but it was an amazing city, and I had a great time! For any travellers looking for a city-break with lot’s to do, Berlin is probably the place for you.
xx
