Centrovital Hotel

Charlottenburg Palace

West of Berlin's city centre in the Charlottenburg district lies the impressive Schloss Charlottenburg, which was built in the late 17th - and greatly expanded in the 18th century. Named after Sophie Charlotte, Queen of Frederick I, it was built as the couple's summer residence. A lavish Baroque garden was laid out immediately behind the palace, which was restored after destruction during World War II. It was reconstructed in the mid-1900s.

Berlin Zoological Garten

Berlin Zoo is the oldest zoopark in Germany and was originally established in year 1844. Today, the zoo offers more than 13.000 animals and 1.400 species spread over a huge area in the city district Charlottenburg, West of the center of Berlin. 

Victory Column

See for yourself the Victory Column with the Victory Goddess standing in the large roundabout in Berlin Mitte. Since 1873, the column has stood as a symbol of the war between Denmark, Austria and Prussia in 1864 (Battle of Dybbøl), when Denmark lost Schleswig, Lauenburg and Holstein. During the 2. During the Second World War the column was partially destroyed and today the bullet holes in the base of the monument can still be seen.

Parliaments

The Reichstag is Germany's parliament building, located in the centre of Berlin near the Brandenburg Gate. During the Cold War, the building was located in West Berlin and the Berlin Wall ran directly behind the Reichstag, which at the time stood deserted and abandoned. Bombings during World War II left the building in ruins, but in 1990 it was completely rebuilt with a magnificent glass dome on the roof. Don't deprive yourself of a trip up to the dome, where you can look down into the parliament chamber and enjoy an absolutely stunning view over Berlin.

Museum of Natural History

If you've got the kids along for the ride, a visit to Berlin's Natural History Museum is certainly not a bad choice, entertainment-wise either. It is probably one of the most important museums of its kind in the world, with over 30 million zoological, palaeontological and mineralogical specimens, and is famous for its spectacular exhibits, including the earliest specimen of the bird 'Archaeopteryx'.

Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was about 43 km long and 3.6 metres high and divided West and East Germany from 1961 until 1989, when Berlin was reunited. Today, little remains of the Berlin Wall, but there are markers around where it once stood. Experience Berlin with Risskov on a cheap weekend break in the big city. Ideal for a small family holiday filled with exciting experiences. There is only about 1.5 km left of the Wall, also called the 'East Side Gallery', which is located at Muehlenstrasse. But the best place to experience the Wall is at the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse 111 - take the U-bahn to ´Nordbahnhof Station´. Go on holiday with children and find a cheap hotel stay at Risskov and discover the city at a family pace.

Labyrinth Children's Museum Berlin

Take a city break in Europe and visit Berlin on a self-drive holiday in the south. Stop by the Labyrinth Kindermuseum in Berlin and find child-friendly hotels in the area at Risskov. The child-friendly museum opened in 1997 in a former factory in the Wedding area. It took about 10 years for the museum to establish itself as one of the most important children's museums in Germany. Labyrinth works with a host of public and private institutions to promote children's experiences of how children in other cultures live and work. Remember to bring extra socks, as shoes are not allowed. Find cheap hotel accommodation for a family holiday at Risskov and get away to the many adventures that await in Berlin.

Christmas market in Berlin

Go on a city break in Berlin and enjoy a stay in the cultural city with sightseeing, shopping and lots of lovely Christmas atmosphere. As Christmas approaches in Berlin, countless Christmas markets spring up all over the city, transforming the beautiful capital into a true Christmas paradise for people of all ages.

The Christmas market in front of the Red Town Hall is hard to miss, with its huge 50-metre high Ferris wheel, beautifully decorated with colourful lights. Here visitors can delve into Berlin's history and experience an old-fashioned urban environment as it looked in Berlin around 100 years ago. Particular emphasis is placed on the old virtues and traditional crafts and art forms. As well as countless stalls and food tents, you'll find a long list of entertainment on offer in the form of rides and the impressive 600m² floodlit ice rink. You might also be lucky enough to spot Santa Claus, who passes by three times a day on his sleigh for photos and hugs.

Not far from the Red Town Hall on Alexanderplatz you will find another Christmas market. Here you'll find Europe's largest 'walk-in' Christmas pyramid, decorated with more than 5,000 lights and offering a lovely view from the top. The market is one of the most visited in town, offering plenty of exciting entertainment and cosy stalls where you can enjoy everything from gingerbread to bratwurst.

Another of the city's most popular Christmas markets is the centrally located Gendarmenmarkt, which lies between the Deutscher Dom and the French cathedral. Here, visitors can see a wide range of exciting crafts every year and watch some of the talented artisans at work. Of course, you'll also find plenty of delicious Christmas food and general stalls selling all sorts of Christmas goodies.

More than 250 stalls are set up in front of the beautiful Schloss Charlottenburg, which, combined with lots of Christmas decorations, food and Glühwein tents and nostalgic rides for the kids, form the backdrop to the cosy Charlottenburg Weinachtsmarkt. The castle itself will be decorated and lit up with lots of Christmas lights in festive colours and the whole area around is transformed into a Christmas land with a big Ferris wheel, merry-go-rounds and slides where the kids can have fun while the adults ooze around between the stalls.

Berlin's biggest Christmas market is just outside the city centre, in the beautiful Alstadt Spandau district. Around the beautiful St. Nikolai Kirche, craftsmen of all kinds have set up stalls and the market has a very special atmosphere with its big Christmas tree and the many smells, sounds and music that fill the air here.

These Christmas markets are just a small part of all the exciting and cosy Christmas markets that can be found around Berlin. A small selection - but others worth visiting are the beautiful "Winter World" Christmas market at Potsdamer Platz and the Christmas markets at the Palace Square in Köpenick and at the Opernpalais in Berlin Mitte.

Get into the Christmas spirit with Risskov and book one of our many hotels in Berlin and the surrounding area, and stay close to all the great Christmas experiences in the historic capital.