11 Cosy Date Ideas For Berlin Winter

Winter is the perfect time for snuggling up, getting cosy and nestling into some romance. While Berlin isn’t exactly known for romance, the capital of hedonistic club culture has a softer side, and amid the Brutalist architecture and thumping techno, there are a number of wonderful places to warm up and date during the colder months. Here are the cosiest date ideas for Berlin’s winter.

Get festive at a Christmas market

As winter’s chill sets in, Berlin keeps warm with festive and traditional Christmas Markets and glühwein’s potent hug. Dotted around the city, these markets have been a German tradition since the middle ages. With a variety of stalls selling handcrafted gifts, traditional German food and festive drinks, these markets bring together Christmas joy and German customs. They’re an ideal place to wander round with a lover for the perfect winter date.

1. Go ice skating

Stadium

Is there anything more romantic than ice skating? This winter, strap on the skates and head outdoors to a number of rinks around the city, or head over to Horst-Dohm Ice Stadium in Charlottenburg, Berlin’s largest ice rink with 6.17 kilometres of space. At the 400-meter outdoor rink, couples can glide around a festively lit rink as they enjoy some fresh winter air.

Ice skating outside the city hall | © Austrian Tourist Board

2. Ballroom dancing in Mitte

Clärchens Ballhaus has been a Berlin date-night favourite for more than a century. Located in Mitte, many come for the cheap dance classes that range from salsa to cha-cha to swing. Start the evening off with a candlelit dinner at Spiegelsaal, a romantic 19th-century mirror room, or by enjoying a live set of traditional Russian music. Either way, it’s an elegant and unique date night that’ll keep you toasty in Berlin this winter.
Clärchens Ballhaus, Auguststraße 24, Berlin, Germany +49 30 2829295

3. City views from a secret bar

Bar, Cafe, Pub Grub

There’s nothing like a cosy bar with a view, and Klunkerkranich bar, atop the Neukölln Arcadian, has one of the best views around. Known for its summer parties, the bar becomes a lot more homely in the winter. Serving warming glühwein and offering stunning views, it’s a great spot to escape to for an intimate winter date.

4. Excite your senses at a dark dinner

Discover a new world of senses and dine in the dark at Berlin’s finest dark-restaurant. Nocti Vagus offers the dine-in-the-dark experience with a little twist. Its program ranges from spooky horror shows to crime mysteries and erotic literature readings, always paired with a fantastic four-course meal.
Nocti Vagus, Saarbrücker Straße 36, Berlin, Germany +49 30 74749123

Enjoy a cosy movie date

Berlin is filled with amazing, unique and arty cinemas or kinos. In the chill of winter, they offer the perfect refuge for a classic date-night favourite of catching the latest flick and enjoying some salty popcorn and beer.

5. Bond over beer

Shop

What’s more German than getting to know someone over a beer? It’s a great casual date idea and Bier Shop in Moabit is the perfect spot. With regular tastings with a range of microbrews from across Europe, it’s a chance to bond over some truly special brews.

Bier Shop, Kirchstraße 23, Berlin, Germany +49 30 39100730

6. Escape to the steamy sauna

Spa

It doesn’t get much more intimate than relaxing in a sauna in one of Berlin’s many spas. Head over to Liquidrom and relax in plush white robes while sipping champagne, float in their salt-water techno pool or unwind in the many available saunas.

The heated outdoor pool at night | © Liquidrom

7. Get romantic at the cheapskate symphony

Berlin is filled with high cultural delights from the symphony to the opera, with plenty of luxury shows to bask in. While they can often come at a steep price, there are free alternatives. Head over to Salon Christophori for small, intimate classical piano and reading performances. Or, try the lunch concerts of the world-class Philharmonie, available every Tuesday at 1pm and always free.

Piano Salon Christophori, Uferstraße 8, Berlin, Germany

8. Go sledding

As a thick layer of snow covers Berlin, there is nothing better to do than head out and play in it. Going sledding is the perfect, fun date and it can be completely free. Head over to Hasenheide and race down the hill with locals, or skip the wait for first snow fall at Potsdamer Platz’s Winter World, Europe’s largest snow tubing run.

Winterwelt am Potsdamer Platz | © Clem/Flickr

9. Rug up and enjoy Berlin’s Christmas lights

Botanical Garden, Museum

Rugging up in your most comfortable winter gear and heading over to Berlin’s Christmas Garden is a wonderful date for the winter. During the festive season, the city’s Botanical Garden is transformed for Christmas, making it a wonderful place to simply walk around. Alternatively, couples can head to the infamous shopping street, Kurfürstendamm, where the tree-lined boulevard is adorned with fairy lights and huge light structures from early November until early January.

Botanisches Museum, Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, Berlin, Germany +49 30 83850100

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