Christmas Market Trips For School Groups In Berlin, Germany

Berlin is the capital city of the German Christmas Markets. Whether you prefer a contemplative and magical Christmas Market or a lively and urban one, Berlin offers you a choice of sixty Christmas Markets. Scattered throughout the city they all offer something unique, selling Christmas gift items along the large boulevards and squares, on the small side streets and even in several museums.

Explore Berlin’s rich culture and history on foot by taking a walking tour. The must see sights are the Brandenburg Gate (a former city gate, rebuilt in the late 18th century as a neoclassical triumphal arch), the Reichstag, Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe and Unter den Linden – the most well-known and grandest street in Berlin.

Lively, interactive and thrilling–the DDR Museum presents the history of the German Democratic Republic in all of its multiple facets. Visitors are taken on a journey through time into the East German socialist past. As one of the most interactive museums in the world touching and trying out the exhibits is explicitly allowed. Guided tours and a talk with a contemporary witness are available. Fact: The DDR Museum holds the largest museum collection of original GDR objects worldwide.

This 368-metre tower dominates the city skyline and is the tallest building in Germany. The Tower was built in the 1960s by the East German Government not least to demonstrate the strength and efficiency of the socialist party system. The observation deck at 203 metres includes Berlin’s highest bar and there is a revolving restaurant at a height of 207 metres. Combine your visit with Berlin Odyssey, a virtual reality time travel experience through 9 centuries of Berlin history, available at 203 metres.

Two millennia of Jewish history and culture in Germany are on display in the iconic zig-zag shaped building by architect Daniel Libeskind. Students can explore how the symbolic architecture retells German Jewish history. The historical exhibition route is punctuated with diverse and interactive thematic spaces that expand perspectives on the diversity of Jewish life up to the present day.

Checkpoint Charlie, the most well-known of the border crossings between East and West, is now one of Berlin’s most popular tourist attractions. At the Checkpoint Charlie Museum unique artefacts including many of the contraptions used by those who tried to cross illegally, and works inspired by the division, will vividly bring the past to life for your students.

East Berliners breached the Wall on 9 November 1989, and between February and June of 1990, 118 artists created unique works of art on its longest-remaining section. This open-air gallery serves as a memorial for freedom. One of the best-known works, by Russian artist Dmitri Vrubel, depicts Brezhnev and Honnecker (the former East German leader) kissing.

This former railway station serves as the Museum für Gegenwart(Museum for the Present), part of the Berlin National Gallery. It was set up after entrepreneur Erich Marx offered his private art collection to the city. The focus is on contemporary art of the 20th Century including works by Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Roy Lichtenstein and Joseph Beuys.

©️Maximilian Meisse

This outdoor museum and information centre is on the site of the former headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS. By finding out about the destructive effects of Nazi state terror, students gain a humanising insight into the history of totalitarianism in Germany, and its implications for the world today. They learn important lessons not only for exams, but also for their broader development.

The Race for Time trail is a teacher-led, self-guided city tour showcasing top landmarks. Fun activities along the way promote teamwork and dynamic thinking, turning a normal walk into a sightseeing adventure! Each trail pack includes comprehensive teacher’s notes and a risk assessment document (MFL and Enrichment version available).