Winter World and Christmas Market at Potsdamer Platz

Alpine Winter Landscape in the Middle of Mitte

When the first fairy lights are switched on around Potsdamer Platz in early November, it's something of an unofficial start to the Advent season in Berlin. The Winter World at Potsdamer Platz has been a firm fixture on Berlin's winter calendar since 2001 and is one of the city's central hotspots between Halloween and New Year's Eve. Fir trees glisten on the central plaza, film history and light art come together in the Sony Center, and the huts of the Christmas market line up along Alte Potsdamer Straße.

The Mobile Toboggan Run – Europe's Largest

The main attraction is a toboggan run, rebuilt every year, which at over 70 meters long is one of the largest portable slides in Europe. Tire sleds transport children and adults down the artificial ice slope – an experience that attracts day-trippers as well as Berliners spending their lunch break here. In some seasons, an ice rink inside the Sony Center complements the winter sports offerings.

Christmas Market Along Alte Potsdamer Straße

The Christmas market stretches from the entrance of the Sony Center towards Leipziger Platz. Mulled wine, bratwurst, traditional German doughnuts (Schmalzkuchen) from Northern Germany, Polish pierogi, and vegan alternatives complement the classic offerings of arts and crafts, wooden toys, wool products, and winter trinkets. A stage in the middle of the promenade provides concerts and après-ski acts on weekends.

Mitte District, Tiergarten Sub-district

Potsdamer Platz marks the old center of a reunited Berlin: a border strip before the Wall fell, and Europe's most ambitious urban development project from the 1990s onwards. Today, it's a hub for transport and culture – the Berlinale film festival resides here in February, the Museum of Film and Television is next door, and the Philharmonie and Kulturforum are within walking distance. Visitors to the winter market can easily extend their trip into a day of high culture.