Gendarmenmarkt

Been eagerly waiting to get here and booked a hotel nearby. Though the Christmas ornaments were spectacular, I didn't purchase any. There was a variety of food stalls and some had seating options. It was an experience but too crowded to get a good photo. Had our very first curry wurst here. Wished I could buy food to go. No to-go option here. There is 1 Euro admission fee. It is walking distance to many landmarks.

One of my favorite German Christmas Markets. A bit classier than others (which I also love). Don't miss the indoor sections where many vendors are staying warm.

This is a nice square in Berlin. It's the epicenter of three iconic and historic buildings and often has cute markets.

There are stalls for German food, gifts or to warm up with some gluhwein (spiced wine).

The cathedral is beautiful to look at as are the concert hall. This is a very busy and popular place. A great spot for people watching and capturing some nice pics too.

In A Nutshell:

-Gendarmenmarkt is an awesome Christmas Market in Berlin.
-It's a small square situated between a couple of iconic buildings which act as the perfect backdrop during winter.
-Enjoy many food stalls serving the best German comfort foods while sipping on some mulled wine.
-There is a stage that is set-up w/ performances by Santa & others.
-You can even find pop-up restaurants that serve amazing foods.

Overall, this is a great Christmas Market, it's small & crowded but worth checking out while you are in Berlin!

Freedom rings when breathing in this place!

German architecture is exuded, yes!

I get enraptured in new places that has history and how it came about. Not only is it enlightening on how it surpassed or survived the struggles, but it makes me to believe that it happens and it will endure all of it because of purpose and love.

Learn from the past, learn from the present and encapture the moment to move forward towards the future! Smile while at. Life is too short to turn it upside down! I'd say mind as well live it up!

:)

We came New Year's Eve, 6 Euro pp instead of 1. There was a band which played a lot of 80's and 90's songs. Stores and food was ok.

Loved this huge market- we went two or three times. It was packed every time. In the shadow of the Konzerthaus, there was even an indoor section at this one, that had tons of vendors with hats, bags, jewelry, paper, crafts, wooden items, all kinds of hand-crafted things. Truly lovely stuff and the best market for gift buying we encountered of all the holiday markets. Loved it and wish I could do this every year!

Undoubtedly one of Berlin's fanciest squares, architecture fans flock here to admire three buildings: The German and French Cathedrals (Deutscher und Französischer Dom) and Schinkel's Konzerthaus.

I was distractedly admiring the facades of the said structures while our guide was talking about its history, however, I did find it ironic that both German and French influences are able to co-exist peacefully in one plaza =)

After you take your panoramic shot, you can sit down and soak in the atmosphere. This area is very posh and surrounded by glitzy hotels and nice restaurants. At Christmas time, this place is buzzing with actitivies from the holiday martket. Maybe I'll get to experience that someday.

Gendarmenmarkt, home to the beautiful German Cathedral and also housing Christmas Markets in the latter parts of the year, this historic square in the German capital, Berlin has developed a high-end nature of late, especially with the restaurants in the square seeming to be a tad more expensive than elsewhere in the city (and with poor choice), a historical element is that most of the buildings were damaged and rebuilt after the Second World War and during the division of Berlin, this historic square was in the East of the city (USSR / Communist), the square its-self was built in the late 1600s.

Staying here during my time in Berlin at the Hilton Berlin in the square, one of the worst parts about my Hilton was the location being in the Gendarmenmarkt, unlike so many big attractions in big European cities, it seems the restauraunt scene and things to do in and around the square is very minimal, it is a wasted opportunity not to include too many bars for alcoholic beverages or coffee just to sit back and admire the beauty of the square. Being gluten-free, one of my biggest difficulties was finding somewhere with the already limited selection to cater to me, which seemed to be a daunting and impossible task.

Housing many old and impressive buildings, this is a nice part of the city but other than admiring buildings a lack of things to see, eat and do without a good walk into Alexander Platz, it just is a shame and I can only award two stars based on how impressive the buildings and square is in general albeit it does appear to me, to simply be a wasted opportunity and even slightly a letdown.

The Christmas market at Gendarmenmarkt is absolutely magical. Bundle up, grab a hot glühwein and an enormous gingerbread cookie, and enjoy!