Berlin's Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Markets)

Glühwein, and the best and wurst of the season

The Schneekönigin (Snow Queen) makes her stilted way through the Weihnachtsmart at Bebelplatz.

It can’t be an accident that the darkest time of the year way up here in Berlin – the sun is rumored to come up after 8 am and to go down at 3:50 pm today, though you can rarely see it, so who knows? – is marked by the festivals of light: Christmas and Hanukkah, the latter having ended last week.

We need light here! So Germany does Christmas up, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas markets. Scattered around the city, large and elaborate to small and neighborhood-specific, they are a delightful break from the relentless cold and dark (if not rain), shiny gathering places for everyone to pause, meet friends and celebrate the holidays.