Berlin · December

Berlin in December with kids

By Ramya ChinnaduraiPublished 14 October 2026Updated 14 October 2026

December in Berlin is a paid square and a free square, and a zoo that shuts at 14:00 on Christmas Eve. The Berlin with kids page already covers BVG 24-hour tickets, Welcome Card zones and Zoo Berlin's child prices. This page is the 2026 market dates, the Gendarmenmarkt fee, and the winter close.

visitBerlin, Zoo Berlin and Naturkunde were opened on 14 October 2026. Overview cards that still showed 2025 dates are omitted.

Official season, then two markets worth a child's time

visitBerlin's overview says the official season starts 22 November 2026. Some winter sites open earlier. From 23 November the two central ones that matter for families are Gendarmenmarkt and the Rotes Rathaus.

Gendarmenmarkt runs 23 November to 31 December 2026. Sunday to Thursday 11:00 to 22:00. Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 23:00. 24 December 12:00 to 18:00. Admission 2 euros. Under 12s free. Monday to Friday 11:00 to 14:00, everyone is free, except 24, 25, 26 and 31 December. The heated crafts tent is the indoor reset on that square. Dogs are not permitted, except guide dogs.

That weekday lunch window is the useful one. A 2-euro gate after 14:00 is still cheaper than inventing a third museum.

Rotes Rathaus runs 23 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Monday to Friday 12:00 to 22:00. Saturday and Sunday 11:00 to 22:00. Closed 24 December. 3 January 11:00 to 20:00. Admission free. Ice rink 5 euros, hire 3 euros, walking aids 5 euros. Father Christmas flights at 16:30, 18:30 and 20:30. A 50-metre Ferris wheel sits on the same listing.

If Christmas Eve is your only evening, neither of these is the plan: Gendarmenmarkt ends at 18:00, Rathaus is shut.

The overview also confirms Alexanderplatz 23 November to 26 December, Charlottenburg Palace 23 November to 27 December, Spandau 23 November to 22 December, Schlossplatz at the Humboldt Forum 18 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, and Christmas Garden at the Botanic Garden 18 November 2026 to 10 January 2027. One of those is enough.

Zoo at 16:30, and 14:00 on the 24th

Zoo Berlin from 26 October to 31 December is 09:00 to 16:30, last admission 15:30. Houses and restaurants close 30 minutes earlier. 24 December: close 14:00. Open 365 days. Under-4 prices stay on the year-round page. The clock is the December fact. Start at 09:00 if the 24th is the day you have.

Indoor when the air hits freezing

Naturkunde is closed Monday, otherwise until 18:00, last entry 30 minutes before. Under-6s free. Age 6 and over 5 euros. Adult 11. Family 18 euros for two adults and up to three children under 14. Pushchairs allowed. That is the wet, cold, Monday-is-not-available backup. Futurium and the Humboldt Forum remain free under-18 options on the year-round visitBerlin list.

visitBerlin weather : often around freezing, minus 10°C or lower not uncommon. November and December are for indoor walks, museums, indoor pools. Dress for ice. Do not plan a long outdoor playground.

A December day that holds: Gendarmenmarkt in the free weekday lunch window if you have an under-12, Rathaus ice if you want a free gate, the zoo at opening, Naturkunde when the wind wins. On 24 December the zoo ends at 14:00 and Rathaus is shut. For the year-round AB and ABC tickets, stay on Berlin with kids.

Gendarmenmarkt before 14:00, or pay 2 euros

The free weekday lunch window is the family product. After 14:00, and on the four excluded holiday dates, the 2-euro gate applies. Under 12s still enter free. An adult pair with an 8-year-old pays 4 euros after 14:00, or nothing at 12:00 on a Tuesday. Do that sum.

Rotes Rathaus ice (5 euros, hire 3, walking aids 5) is a separate spend from the free market gate. Father Christmas at 16:30 is the daylight flight. 20:30 is late for a young child in minus-10 air.

BVG 24-hour tickets still cover one adult plus up to three children aged 6 to 14. December does not change that. Zone C still matters if you ride to the airport. The year-round page has the 11.20 and 12.90 figures. This page will not reprint them.

Charlottenburg Palace market (23 November to 27 December, closed 24 December, free admission on the visitBerlin listing) is the west-side alternative if Mitte is full. It is a different U-Bahn. Do not add it after Gendarmenmarkt on the same evening.

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