Christmas Along the Elbe

Immerse yourself in Berlin’s past and present as you tour the city’s sights and shop for festive treats. Meet your guide and embark on a scenic drive by motor coach along Unter den Linden, across the Schlossbrücke, or Palace Bridge, and past the breathtaking neo-Renaissance cathedral. Stop at the open air East Side Gallery and admire the paintings along a section of the Berlin Wall before heading to the Old Town. Witness the imposing Brandenburg Gate, an entry into the city through which Napoleon once marched and a former symbol of a city once divided. At Checkpoint Charlie, discover stories of brave Berliners who tried to pass between East and West Berlin. After your panoramic tour, take a stroll around one of Berlin’s yuletide markets and enjoy the festive aromas of spiced glühwein and cinnamon-filled treats as you browse the colorful market stalls.

Sample the flavors of Berlin at some popular culinary institutions while exploring the city like a local. Take the S-Bahn to the Hackescher Markt station. As you walk, you will hear stories about Berlin’s colorful food landscape, informed by influences from the East and West. At Lindner, the city’s renowned fine foods shop celebrated for its house-made butter, you will enjoy a taste of Berliner Boulette—a flat meatball flavored with onions—along with other delicacies. Admire Berlin’s colorful street art en route to EAT Berlin, located amid a network of picturesque art nouveau courtyards. Local cheeses, mustards, pestos (sauces) and more are sold here, with lots of items to sample. At the popular Curry 61, order currywurst, a city favorite. No food tour of Berlin would be complete without a taste of traditional coffee and cake from one of the city’s many cafés, which serve this mainstay of German culinary traditions at any time of day.

Marvel at Berlin’s magnificent monuments as they are grandly illuminated by city lights during a panoramic tour. Drive to Alexanderplatz, where you will see the World Clock, a revolving banner that tells time around the globe. You will also drive past the Berlin Cathedral and admire its colossal facade. Pass through Potsdam Square and see the splendid Philharmonie, home to one of the best orchestras in the world. Gaze up at the golden sculpture of Victoria, the mythological goddess, atop the Siegessäule, or Victory Column, erected to commemorate the Prussian victory against the Danes in 1864. And stop for photos at two of the city’s most celebrated landmarks: the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of German unity and peace, and the Reichstag with its spectacular glass dome, meeting place of the German Parliament. Savor dinner at a typical local restaurant before returning to your hotel.

Explore Berlin and learn about life since reunification as you visit some of the city’s iconic sights. Berlin spent 28 years divided by its wall, under Soviet rule in the east and Allied occupation in the west. With your guide, you will uncover more about the Cold War and its effect on the people of Berlin. Visit the Stasi Museum, located in the former Stasi headquarters, and view exhibits that tell the story of East Germany’s surveillance of its people. Continue to the Berlin Wall Memorial and hear stories about those who tried to escape. Stop at the Nordbahnhof, known as the ghost station, as it was closed to the people of East Berlin to stop them from crossing into West Berlin. Cap your tour with a poignant stop at the “Palace of Tears,” the site where families on either side of the divide bid farewell to each other, not knowing when they would see each other again.