What are you in the mood for in January? Fresh fish or fine chocolates, original works of art or merchandise by the K-Pop band BTS? The exhibition on Klimt's Kiss celebrates its German premiere in Berlin at the end of January - and the Cold War Museum presents "Cold War" history in new formats. In short, the new openings in Berlin in January are as diverse as the city itself. And to make sure you get to Berlin quickly and comfortably, 2023 will also bring a few new night train connections. We look forward to seeing you!
Extra tip: On 24 January, the Manifesto Food Hall also opens at The Playce at Potsdamer Platz, with 4 bars, 22 restaurants and even an amphitheatre.
Tip 1: Pars Chocolates & Restaurant
If you haven't yet tried the new restaurant from the creator of Pars Pralines, you should definitely do so in 2023. During the day, you can enjoy pralines, pastries and coffee at Pars. In the evening, choose from seasonal dishes and carefully selected wines. To top it all off, of course, there are the beautiful Pars chocolates, which are almost like sculptural works of art. The interior is also convincing with its classic minimalist design and artisanal accents, such as simple plaster reliefs reminiscent of antiquity.
Where: Grolmanstraße 53, Charlottenburg
When: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. coffee & chocolates, 5.30 p.m. - 7 p.m. à la carte, from 7.30 p.m. 6-course menu
Tip 2: Happa
If you like vegan food, you can't miss Sophia Hoffmann in Berlin. She is an advocate of plant-based cuisine, environmental protection, sustainability and feminism. With Happa, the author and chef fulfilled her dream of owning her own restaurant last November together with her business partner Nina Petersen. Here you can enjoy delicious vegan dishes and also experience how the concept of zero waste is put into practice.
Where: Schlesische Straße 35 a, Kreuzberg
When Monday to Thursday 12 - 3 p.m., Friday 7 p.m. with ticket
MORE VEGETARIAN & VEGAN Cuisine
Tip 3: Bamia Brunch
From the last weekend in January, you can enjoy an exquisite brunch menu in the light-flooded winter garden of the BAMIA Restaurant at Precise Tale Berlin Potsdamer Platz. In addition to an extensive buffet with many vegan options, you can choose a main course from the menu. In keeping with the international traveller flair of BAMIA, there are specialities from all over the world. Perfect to get inspired for your next big trip over brunch. Of course, you can also choose Berlin as your favourite destination. In summer, you can look forward to exciting events in the spacious garden of Precise Tale Berlin Potsdamer Platz.
Where: Stresemannstrasse 95, Mitte
When: from 28/29 January every weekend from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
MORE BREAKFAST & BRUNCH IN BERLIN
Tip 4: Samake Fish & Seafood
Fresh fish is served at this new restaurant in Wedding. How about grilled perch, dorade, or for a smaller appetite a sandwich with scampi or pulled salmon? Served with spicy potato cubes or sweet crisps. In keeping with the menu, the décor immerses the entire restaurant in lilac-blue ocean depths. In the painted underwater world, octopuses and other sea creatures swim among stylised algae and corals.
Where: Badstraße 21, Wedding
When: Monday to Sunday 11am - 10pm
Tip 5: Cold War Museum
History can be experienced everywhere in Berlin: from the former US listening station on Teufelsberg to the Soviet Memorial in Treptower Park, there are many more places in Berlin that bear witness to the Cold War era. With the Cold War Museum in Berlin's Mitte district, the history of the Cold War is now being retold and made tangible for all generations with numerous examples and high-tech installations.
Where: Unter den Linden 14, Mitte
When: daily 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
More about the Cold War Museum
Tip 6: Always Together
At Always Together you are the splashes of colour, you and the colourful lattés and fruity desserts like mango tiramisu or milkshakes with raspberry, red beans and coconut or Oreo. The real charm, however, is the hand-drawn interior of the white and black 2D café that opened in Mitte in December. So a visit to Always Together feels a little like entering a comic book.
Where: Große Hamburger Straße 24, Mitte
When: Monday to Saturday: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sunday: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Tip 7: BTS pop-up store: Space of BTS
Merchandise by the South Korean band BTS is on sale in Berlin's Mercedes-Benz Arena until 28 February. In addition to T-shirts, notebooks, mugs, bags and, of course, the music of the successful K-pop combo, you can also take great photos in front of thematic backgrounds - and dressed up - in the Space of BTS. By the way, BTS stands for Bangtan Soneyondan or Beyond The Scene. Most people probably know the band, which is currently on indefinite hiatus, via social media. In 2018, BTS also played two big concerts at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Where: Mercedes Platz, Mühlenstraße 5, Friedrichshain
When: 6 January to 28 February, Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Tip 8: Peter Pan Indoor Adventure
If it's too cold and wet to let off steam outside, you'll now find a new indoor adventure world just outside Berlin. There is an adventurous golf course, ValoJump trampolines on which you can catapult yourself into the air for real on the one hand, but also let your body jump through a virtual world on the other. Another highlight are the 14 mission rooms, where you have to solve puzzles and codes to escape - similar to an exit or escape game. Snacks and drinks are available at Hook's Food Lounge. The facility is part of a holiday complex including rental cottages by the lake and a natural beach.
Where: Töpferstraße 20, Brandenburg (Joachimsthal)
When: Monday to Friday 1pm - 8pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am - 8pm (book tickets online in advance).
Tip 9: New theme at the Futurium - Democracy
Berlin's House of Futures has a new theme. And because this theme is democracy, you have of course contributed yourselves. The best way to find out which questions about the democracy of tomorrow will ultimately be answered in the Futurium is to visit it.
Tip: At the Bürger:innenforum Berlin Tourismus on you can actively participate and discuss how Berlin can remain an attractive destination for people from all over the world, but also an attractive home for you, your family and friends.
Where: Palais in der Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36, Prenzlauer Berg
When: 31 January from 7 pm | Click here to register
Tip 10: Klimt's Kiss - Playing with Fire
The immersive art experience on the life and work of the Art Nouveau pioneer Gustav Klimt in the Musikbrauerei is not only new in Berlin, but also a German premiere. As part of a multimedia show with many digital effects, you will travel to Vienna at the turn of the century and listen to the voices of a young student from today, as well as the Klimt muse Emilie Flöges, who take a rather critical look at the "painter of women". In the finale, you will find yourself surrounded by Klimt's probably most famous painting, "The Kiss", which also gives the visual art spectacle its name.
Where: Musikbrauerei Berlin, Greifswalder Straße 23a, Prenzlauer Berg
When: 27 January to 10 April, daily 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
TICKETS FOR KLIMTS KUSS - PLAYING WITH FIRE
Tip 11: New train connections in 2023
2023 will be the year of night trains! Since December 2022, the Czech train operator Regiojet has been offering a night train between Berlin and Croatia and Slovenia. The route runs from Ljubljana and Zagreb via Maribor, Graz, Prague and Dresden and to Berlin Hauptbahnhof - and vice versa, of course. The journey takes about 14 hours.
And from 25 May 2023, there will be a night train between Berlin, Amsterdam and Brussels with the European Sleeper. So far, the connection is planned to run three times a week. A little tip: With a short stop in Brussels, you can now also travel comfortably between London and Berlin on this new night train. We have compiled all train connections and night trains for you on our travel pages.
