A group of Norwich High School for Girls Year 9 to 13 students recently returned from a highly successful German and History trip to Berlin, where they enjoyed extensive sightseeing, including iconic landmarks like the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) and the Fernsehturm (TV Tower), delving into the city’s profound history at sites like the DDR Museum, and soaking up the festive atmosphere of the local Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets). The trip provided a wonderful opportunity for immersion, language practice and historical reflection.
Norwich High Trip to Berlin December 2025.
Trip Highlights from Mrs Catherine Gibson
The following notes from Norwich High School for Girls Head of Modern Foreign Languages, Mrs Gibson, highlight the successful blend of cultural, historical and linguistic experiences enjoyed by the students:
Freitag, den 5. Dezember (Friday 5th December)
We have had a great first day in Berlin with lots of walking, sightseeing and Christmas markets. The group has been amazing – appreciative of all the sights and seeming to enjoy the atmosphere of Berlin, even in some patches of drizzle. This afternoon they had some free time in Kurfürstendamm and then after a nice meal at Route 66 Diner, they enjoyed a very pretty Christmas market nearby. We are now back in the hostel and the girls have settled down for the night. They have been great company! Gute Nacht!
Samstag, den 6. Dezember (Saturday 6th December)
Today has been another great day. We started by taking a coach to the Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium), where we split into German and English speaking groups for a really fascinating and fun tour of the stadium. We then had our packed lunches and went to the DDR Museum which was great fun and really interesting. After a little bit of free time we then went up the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) which was great, but unfortunately only one of the two lifts was working so we had a LOT of queuing to do! We had a simple meal of chicken schnitzel and chips in the traditional restaurant “Der Alte Fritz” before having a bit more time in the Christmas market in Alexanderplatz. We were pleased to get back to the hostel a bit earlier this evening and the girls are happy to be having a lie-in in the morning before we head off to the East Side Gallery. The girls continue to be fantastic company!
Student Reflections
The trip offered a rich, immersive experience, as reflected in the students’ feedback:
“This trip to Berlin was an opportunity not only to see famous landmarks and Christmas markets in person but to learn about the history behind them at the same time. The trip was also very immersive for those of us studying German. We were able to test our skills and learn new practical phrases on the go. My favourite part was the European House, where we got to go into a 360° cinema and watch a video on how meetings of the European Union are handled, with live translations. Berlin was an amazing city to visit and the trip was very well managed, so we all got the most out of our time there. Thank you to all of the teachers who organised and looked after us on the trip. We all had an amazing time. Danke schön!”
— Nyah
“I really enjoyed our trip to Berlin! Berlin is a very interesting city with rich history from the recent past such as WWII and the Cold war. I loved seeing the Ampelman (traffic light signs) in East Berlin as it highlighted the differences between the east and west meaning you could always tell where you were! We also came across some Trabants which were the only car you could have in East Berlin. The people of Berlin were friendly and welcoming which was nice as a tourist. I really liked having free time to enjoy the Christmas markets and the shops which were all decorated for the festive period! I also enjoyed the trip to the Olympic stadium and up the TV Tower with amazing views over the city. The hostel was nice and very central and had great connections with the U-bahn.”
— Evie
