New Year’s Eve in Berlin is considered to be one of the brightest and most amazing holiday celebrations in Europe. The decoration of the city in the last month of the year is simply blazing. Lights are shining everywhere: window shops, balconies and rooftops, bridges, street lights, trees and billboards. All of this year they spent a lot of money, but even in a crisis thrifty Germans do not plan to cut short these costs.
As long as you appear in Berlin in the holidays, it is necessary, first of all, just walking, mingling with the noisy crowd of tourists and locals. Try out the traditional German sausages and sausages, drink hot wine with spices and all sorts of tasty additions and buy souvenirs and sweets. Numerous Christmas markets are open until late at night, and near the surrounding stalls with special tables which are using gas heaters, so even in cold days staying here does not cause discomfort.
If it is not too cold, walking along the main park Tiergaten Berlin, check out the Presidential Palace and decorated the trunks of the captured guns of the Victory Column. Look in Hakskie yards, even in the 90 years the former workers’ quarters and a gathering place of fashionable hangouts. Now from past glory were perhaps that piece of designer clothes shops and souvenir shops. But to come here still stands, to see the festively decorated church of Hagia Sophia. Yes, and even having snack in the yards can be delicious and quite inexpensive. The entire area is occupied with a wide range of Asian cuisine: Vietnamese, Indonesian, Singaporean, Thai.
Another essential place to visit is the Potsdamer Platz, where you have to go always in the dark when the lights are on. Sony Center located here surely impresses your imagination a huge, shimmering like a rainbow, a hip roof, which because of its unusual design seems light as a feather. In the Sony Center you can arrange a good shopping, but you can just walk around, evaluate the colossus Christmas tree and some regular exhibition or installation. And be sure to check out the Italian ice-cream parlor, located on the second floor of the Arkaden. Berliners themselves argue that it was there that sell the most delicious ice cream in the city.
Another fantastic urban construction, which is interesting to see in this awesome place is the main station (Hauptbahnhof). A two-tier structure made of glass and concrete makes impression on anyone. In addition, a large number of shops located here, working until 11 pm, the station makes a very convenient place for shopping. And here you’ll get a chance to enjoy your shopping.
Berlin’s museums are open to visitors even on 31 December and 1 January. So to hide from the frost is possible not only by gas lamps and fairs in the huge shopping malls, but also looking at local museums. And, of course, you should definitely look into the Reichstag. At least if you do not have plans to get in you can stand on the observation deck or on its roof to admire the sparkling lights of the city. However, in the New Year days the number of people wishing to do so is a lot, so it pays to have patience, good company and a warm drink in order to wait for a while.
A little more comfortable way to see Berlin from a height, though not as big as the dome of the Reichstag, is a trip passing over the center of the city by S-Bahn train. Get in from the station of Alexanderplatz and get off at Zoologischer Garten, you will have time on the road to admire the many major attractions. By the way, the zoo of the German capital deserves attention because no other zoo in the world has such a diversity of animal species in it. And, furthermore, a panda lives here, seeing which one can be done perhaps not even in a Chinese zoo.
As can be seen resting in the hotel and gaining strength before the night fun at eight or nine in the evening should be nominated to the Brandenburg Gate. It is here in the crowd a million people, you can make the visit of the coming year in Berlin. 4 kilometres length of the boulevard, which stretches from the gate to a triumphal column, set the rides, a huge number of stalls with edible and several concert venues. Coming here is better in advance, because a couple of hours before the “X hours” access to the alley is closed, since it is simply not able to accommodate all the comers. And do not forget, going to celebrate, to stock up for hours because the District has never seen the arrival of the next year without having all of “the feelings”. Although it can be guided by a grand firework display, which begins as soon as the new year comes into its own. In addition, be safe and warm clothing and, necessarily, a hat: winter nights in Berlin is quite cold. But carrying a bottle of champagne is unlikely to take place, glass containers at this celebration of the New Year are prohibited. True, suffering from a lack of alcohol is not a necessary thing, it is sold in any shop on the boulevard. Official site of the festival: www.silvester-berlin.de
If the idea is to celebrate the New Year on the street, where everything is cool, does not appeal you, it is worth thinking about the water park of Tropical Island, which certainly, as before, will offer New Year program especially for those visitors who are afraid of the cold climate. And in the morning, enough to lie on the sand under the palms, swim and dash with the slides, then you can go to the hotel which is located immediately close to it to recover after a festive night. Living in a tent set on the white sand, will cost only 40 euros for two. By the way, a water park works and January 1, so that you can simply come here to sleep after the New Year’s night vigil.
