Alexanderplatz Christmas Market 2026: Below the TV Tower

Under the TV Tower, beside a clock that shows the time on every continent, Berlin is giving its busiest square a new festive look. The Alexanderplatz Christmas Market is going international, mixing German traditions with food and ideas from other countries. It’s easy to reach from anywhere in the city, so I’d make it the starting point for an evening of hopping between markets.

Alexanderplatz Christmas Market 2026

Dates

Status: Confirmed
When: 23rd November to 26th December 2026
Last checked: October 2026

Update: Dates were announced in September. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of changes.

Source: Verified by Ultimate Christmas Markets via Visit Berlin.

Plan Your Visit

Location and Times

Location: Alexanderplatz
Opening times: 11am to 10pm

Travel and Accommodation

Recommended tour: Walking tour of Berlin’s top 10 attractions.
Public transport:
S-Bahn S3, S5, S7, S9: Alexanderplatz.
U-Bahn U2, U5, U8: Alexanderplatz.
Bus M48, 100: Alexanderplatz/Memhardstraße.
Tram M2, M4, M5, M6: Alexanderplatz/Memhardstraße.
Parking: Please take public transport to help limit congestion.
Where to stay: Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz is 3 minutes from Alexanderplatz.

Amenities and Attractions

Admission: Free.
Santa: No.
Reason to visit: A central, easy-to-reach market below the TV Tower, with international food alongside German classics and other markets within walking distance.

Dietary Options

Vegetarian: Plenty of options.
Vegan: Plenty of options.
Gluten free: Limited.
Specialities: Currywurst, Berliner Pfannkuchen (jam doughnuts), Thuringian bratwurst, glühwein, stollen and Lebkuchen (gingerbread).

Accessibility

Accessible: Yes.
Pet-friendly: Yes, but not recommended during busy periods.

Hotels in the Area

In Mitte, Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz stands out as a popular and affordable hotel just a short walk from the market.

If you don’t want to stay in this area, I created this guide to hotels in Berlin, which lists several options across the city and covers all budgets.

Interesting Tours

I suggest taking the Walking Tour to the Top 10 Sightseeing Attractions to explore Berlin’s iconic sites. You’ll have the opportunity to explore key locations, including the government district, Brandenburg Gate, Gendarmenmarkt, and the Nikolaiviertel.

Alternatively, the 3-Hour Secret Food Tour lets you explore Berlin’s diverse culinary scene. Guided by a knowledgeable guide, you’ll visit local eateries and restaurants, enjoy a variety of food tastings and learn the stories behind each dish.

Berlin is home to a huge range of winter markets. Read our guide to the best Berlin Christmas Markets.

Plan the rest of your trip with our complete list of German Christmas Markets.

Visitor Feedback

What Visitors Loved

• Location is the big plus. It’s right outside one of Berlin’s main stations, so plenty of visitors drop in on their way somewhere else.
• Families liked the rides, carousels and skating in recent seasons, which gave children more to do than at the craft-focused markets.
• Prices for mulled wine and sausages sat in line with Berlin’s other big markets, and they weren’t raised last season.
• The views up to the TV Tower after dark make for good photos, especially with the stalls lit up below.

Common Complaints

• Many visitors found it loud and closer to a funfair than a traditional market, with little of the cosiness of smaller Berlin markets.
• Weekend evenings get very crowded, and the square’s heavy foot traffic from the station adds to the crush.
• Shoppers looking for handmade gifts were often disappointed, as much of the stock felt generic.
• Several guides suggest a quick drink here rather than a whole evening.

Location Map

What to Expect

Bathed in warm light and decorated in sandy tones, with the stalls gathered around the Fountain of Friendship between Nations. The theme takes its cue from the nearby World Clock, which shows the time across every continent: German traditions sit alongside food and ideas from other countries, so expect international street food as well as the usual mulled wine and sausages.

In previous years Alexanderplatz was Berlin’s most funfair-like market, with a giant walk-in Christmas pyramid from the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) doubling as a bar, a roller skating rink, vintage carousels and brass players performing from the pyramid at weekends. The Mitte district has since retendered the market, and the full line-up of attractions hadn’t been published at the time of writing.

Food Specialties

• Currywurst: Berlin’s own street food, a sliced pork sausage covered in spiced ketchup and dusted with curry powder.
• Berliner Pfannkuchen: Despite the name, this isn’t a pancake. It’s a jam-filled doughnut with no hole, dusted with icing sugar, and highly recommended!
• Vegan sausage: Berlin takes plant-based food seriously, and grilled tofu or seitan sausages are a regular sight at the city’s markets.
• Thuringian bratwurst: The long, marjoram-seasoned grilled sausage from neighbouring Thuringia, served in a bread roll with mustard.
• Kartoffelpuffer: Crispy potato pancakes with apple sauce or garlic sauce. Ask before ordering if you’re vegetarian, as they’re sometimes fried in lard.
• Feuerzangenbowle: A rum-soaked sugarloaf is set alight and left to drip into mulled wine, making this as much a show as a drink.
• Glühwein: Mulled wine spiced with cloves, star anise, cinnamon and citrus. Apfelpunsch (hot spiced apple punch) is the alcohol-free alternative.

Unique Gifts and Shopping

• Nutcrackers: Hand-carved wooden figures from the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), the region that supplies much of Germany’s Christmas woodwork.
• Incense smokers (Räuchermännchen): Carved wooden figures that puff fragrant smoke from their mouths when you light an incense cone inside.
• Wooden toys: Another Ore Mountains speciality, from puzzles to small figures that appeal to collectors as much as children.
• Berlin ornaments: Baubles featuring the Brandenburg Gate, the TV Tower or Alexanderplatz itself make an easy souvenir to bring home.
• Berlin Wall souvenirs: Small pieces of the Wall set into keychains and decorative pieces are sold at several stalls.
• Amber jewellery: Baltic amber necklaces, earrings and bracelets are a common find at Berlin’s markets.
• Local spirits: Look out for Berliner Luft, the city’s peppermint schnapps, and fruit or herb liqueurs from the surrounding region.

Responsible Travel Tips

• Hand back your mug: The district’s conditions for running this market rule out single-use plates, cups and cutlery as well as portion packs and require a waste plan, so hand your reusable mug back to a stall (there’s usually a deposit) or keep it as a souvenir.
• Look for fair trade and regional stalls: Those same conditions ask for at least 15% of goods to be fair trade or sustainably made and another 15% to be regional or organic.
• Arrive by train: Alexanderplatz station is served by four S-Bahn lines plus the U2, U5 and U8, so there’s no reason to drive into Mitte.
• Walk to the next market: The Christmas market at the Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus) is a few minutes’ walk past the TV Tower, and Museum Island is just beyond it across the Spree.
• Shop at the eco market on Sophienstraße: About a 15-minute walk away near Hackescher Markt, this Advent weekend market sells organic, fair trade and locally designed goods and skips energy-hungry rides.
• Take the tram to the fair market in Lichtenberg: Trams M4 and M5 run from Alexanderplatz towards Prerower Platz, where a sustainable market usually sells organic mulled wine, fair trade chocolate and wooden toys.