When Christmas has passed and we have welcomed in a new year – Winter really starts to take hold in Berlin and it can be a time where people start to develop the winter blues. We want to help you to find ways to keep yourself busy and to make this time of year as enjoyable as possible.

1. Winter walks – one of the best ways to keep on top of the winter blues is to stay active and get lots of fresh air. Berlin offers lots of opportunities for nice winter walks and often in winter because the leaves are not on the trees you can see and discover things which are hidden in other months by the foliage. There are so many great parks in Berlin or walking the banks of the Spree or even a stroll down Unter-den-Linden. One tip for a nice afternoon out is a walk around the Grunewald Lake in Dahlem and then stop in for a delicious lunch at 12 Apostoli Restaurant located in the beautiful old building of the Forsthaus Paulsborn .

2. Linie 1 Grips Theater – this is a classic play about Berlin East & West. It first debuted in 1986 and has been performed more than 1800x since then, needless to say, a huge hit. The show is performed in German with English subtitles and is a must-see for anyone living in Berlin. Synopsis: A young girl runs away from her provincial hometown, and ends up at Bahnhof Zoo at 6.14 a.m., searching for her Prince Charming, a rock musician from Berlin. She gets stuck in the underground line 1, known as the Orient Express to Kreuzberg. She encounters a kaleidoscope of urban characters and their fates. Her naivety acts as a catalyst provoking contacts, actions and reactions, which otherwise would not take place. It’s a show, a drama, a musical about living and surviving in a large city, hope and adaptation, courage and self-deceit, to laugh and cry at, to dream, and to think about oneself. (source: http://www.grips-theater.de/programm/spielplan/produktion/1 )

3. Cinema – what better time than cold winter days than to see some of the latest films. The York Kino in Berlin-Schöneberg has a selection of films in the original language. They also offer literary events, live broadcasts of Ballett from Moskau or Opera from London and Queer film nights.

4. Swimming – another great way to stay on top of the winter is swimming. Berlin has various indoor pool facilities including Sauna, swim schools and aqua aerobics.

A very special wellness and sauna experience awaits at Vabali in Berlin Mitte, a Bali-style Sauna retreat which spreads over 20 000sqm, including pools & a good restaurant – please be aware that this is an adults-only facility. They also offer all types of wellness treatments from massages to facials. A great place to spend a few hours or a day!

There are also some great thermal pools in the surrounding Brandenburg if you are looking for a more relaxing weekend activity. To find your local pool check out: Berliner Bäderbetriebe and for thermal pools, we can recommend: Spreewald Therme in Burg, Saarow Therme in Bad Saarow, Stein Therme in Bad Belzig.

5. Book browsing – contrary to many predictions the book is alive and well and Berlin has some excellent book stores you can visit, browse the books, spend some time finding gems and maybe even have a great coffee. Just a few on offer are Dussmann on Friedrichstraße in Mitte, Hugendubel on the Tauentzienstraße in City West, St Georges English Bookstore in Prenzlauer Berg and Lovestory of Berlin in the Helmholzkiez.

About the author

Hi there! I’m Juli, I have german roots but I grew up in New Zealand and have been living in Germany since 2004. I love sharing my passion for Berlin and all it has to offer with new ‚Berliners‘ and through my work as a freelance Relocation Consultant with IRC I have the opportunity to do so.