Berlin

BERLIN • without doubt one of my favourite cities in the world.  If there is anywhere I am keen to get back to and explore it is Berlin.  Rich in history, culturally unique with a thriving arts scene Berlin is uber cool and there really is something for everyone.  I only had a few days in Berlin so will just give an overview of some of the things we did to help you get an idea of what Berlin is about. This is by no means a comprehensive guide but will give you a little touristy taste of this amazing city.

Getting there

Berlin's main airports are Schönefeld and Tegel International Airport. Public transport is excellent in Berlin and buses and trains will connect you to nearly everywhere.  You will find all the information you need on the public transportation website here.

The train system is comprehensive in Berlin with the u-bahn stations (underground subways) and s-bahn (separate above ground train line). Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the main central train station and links long distance and regional train routes. Zone A-B is the main urban area of Berlin and C includes Pottsdam and the outter suburbs. There is a good rail map here. A one way ticket in zone AB will cost around 2.70e.

Geography 

Berlin is a large city with a population of around 3.5 million.  It is the capital of Germany and sits on the Spree and Harvel rivers.  Berlin is separated into 12 districts and  23 neighbourhoods.

The main neighbourhoods I'd recommend for accomodation include:

Mitte

• Mitte translates to middle and is Berlin's main city centre.
• It is home to many historical monuments and sights. 
• Rosenthaler Platz is home to some good accomodation, bars and restaurants.

Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain

• Home to the east side gallery, street art and hipsters live here. It's also home to Berlin's beach bars along the Spree river. 
• Turkish influences are imprinted due to the Turkish neighbourhoods nearby.
• Don't miss streetfood Thursdays at Markthalle Neun or the flea market/ nightclubs at RAW (see below).

Prenzlauer Berg

• Home to the student population and where the cool kids eat drink and party. Think williamsburg new york/ fitzroy melbourne.

Charlottenburg

• Charlottenburg is one of the most upmarket neighbourhoods with high end shopping, 5 star hotels and fancy restaurants.

Getting around

Trains (see above) are by far the easiest method of transport.  Berlin is a large city so you will likely need to use them at some point. Keep an eye out for ampelmann- the east german traffic light signal - when you are crossing the roads.

Accomodation

We stayed at the Circus Hostel  (Weinbergsweg 1A Berlin, Germany) and I can highly recommend it to anyone.  There are hostel, apartment and hotel style rooms with excellent facilities and activities in a convenient location (Mitte) right near a u-bahn stop. Otherwise look for somewhere to stay im Mitte, Kreuzberg or Prenzlauer Berg.  Ps. it is circus themed haha.

Things to do

Walking tours

• I'd highly recommend starting your stay with a walking tour from New Europe.  The 'free tour' goes for 2.5 hours and covers a lot, you just pay what you think the tour was worth at the end (usually around 5-20 euro).  I can't stress enough that the tour is excellent and tells the story of Berlin's unique history with so many interesting facts and tales thrown in.  It was my favourite walking tour (the new europe tour in prague was a close second).
• We also did their tour of the Sachsenhausn concentration camp memorial.  It was extremely confronting but was worth attending. 15e, 5 hour tour.
• I did the Red Berlin tour by New Europe which was also very good. My favourite was learning about the stolperstein- an artistic installation commemorating Holocaust victims.  

Famous buildings and sites in Berlin

• The walking tour above covers many famous buildings/sites in Berlin and the best part is that their significance is explained to you by locals and you have the opportunity to ask questions.  It is amazing to stop and see bullet holes in the side of older buildings or to be told that a building had been completely rebuilt after bombings in the war.  I remember a guide telling us that the allied continued to bomb the Berlin state opera because they knew Hitler loved opera and saw his efforts to rebuild the buildings. 
• If you are self-touring these are some of the places that will be worth seeing:
• Unter den Linden/ Pariser Platz
• Pariser Platz is a square at the end of the famous street 'uter den linden' (under the linden trees) and is next to the Brandenburg gate. It is one of the focal points of Berlin.  All the buildings in Pariser Platz were destroyed during bombings of WWII except the Brandenburg gait which still stands.
• Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin,
• The Brandenburg Gate / Brandenburger Tor
• The gate has a rich political history- and was the site of the reuinification of Germany.
• Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin.

• Bebelplatz and the memorial to Hitler's book burning
• a square bounded by famous buildings including the Berlin State Opera and Humboldt University. It is the site of the infamous Nazi book burnings in 1933. 
• A photo of the memorial of the book burning is below- it shows a library of empty bookshelves and a plaque that reads 'That was only a prelude, there where they burn books, they burn in the end people. Heinrich Heine 1820'
• Unter den Linden, 10117 Berlin

• The Site of Hitler’s Former Bunker
• 'Fuhrerbunker' has been mostly demolished and built to be purposefully ordinary and unremarkable to discourage neo-nazis using the landmark. The site of Hitlers bunker is marked with only a small sign.
• Wilhelmstrasse 77, Berlin, Germany
• The Berlin Wall 
• From 1961 to 1989 Berlin wad divided by the Berlin wall.  At that time Germany was two countries- east Germany (run by the soviet union) and West Germany (run by the Allies)  The wall completely surround West Berlin (a free city) which was bordered by East berlin/ East germany- part of the communist GDR. The wall went up overnight in August 1961 - separating people from their families, friends, work etc.  Up to 200 people are thought to have died trying to cross over the wall.
• Nicknamed the iron curtain, the Berlin wall fell in November 1969 after ongoing pressure against the Soviet Union.
• Today the longest remaining stretch of the berlin wall is the East Side Gallery (see below). 
• Checkpoint Charlie
• the most famous east-west berlin wall crossing checkpoint, today is a tourist attraction.
• Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10117 Berlin

• Gendarmenmarkt
• Thought to be one of the most beautiful places in Germany, home to the German
  Cathedral, French Cathedral and the concert house.
• Gendarmenmarkt, 10117 Berlin Mitte
• Reichstag building
• The German parliamont building is rich in history and has a good audio tour and nice views from the terrace.  The large glass dome and floors are said to symbolist the transparency of the German government. 
• To get into the dome you must book 2 days in advance, see website here. Entry is free.
• Platz der Republik 1, 11011 Berlin Tiergarten

• Alexander Platz
• Alexander Platz is a large public square in Mitte.
• Is is home to the world time clock (an art installation showing the time all over the world)
The nearby Fernsehturm (Tv tower) can often be seen as part of the Berlin skyline and remains a symbol of Berlin.

The East Side Gallery

• The East Side Gallery is a must see.  A remaining segment of the Berlin Wall spanning more than a kilometer was decorated by 118 different artists after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The art is mostly politically themed and paints and picture of hope for the future. It was one of my favourite parts of my trip to europe.
• Mühlenstraße 10243 (near Warschauer Straße U bahn station)

Holocaust memorial

• Officially known as the 'Memorial to the Murdered Jew of Europe', is an area with sculptures located a block away from the Brandenburg gate.
• It was designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold and is apparently supposed to create an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason. I think the memorial is meant to be interpreted by the individual and it certainly was moving when we visited. There is an underground information centre also.
• Cora-Berliner-Straße 1, 10117 Berlin

Art

• Museum Island
• Museum Island contains 5 famous museums and architecturally is a work of art itself. It is located on the northern tip of Spree Island.
• Museumsinsel (Bodestraße), 10178 Berlin

• Berlin Kulturforum
• This cultural mecca houses a cluster of museums, concert halls, libraries etc.
• See the website of each gallery for opening hours.
• Matthäikirchplatz 4-6, 10785 Berlin

Shopping

• I hope you have saved some pocket money because the shopping in Berlin is ridiculously good!
• I loved the Prenzlauerberg / Berlin Mitte areas
• try walking along Weinbergsweg and Kastanienallee.
• find Alte Schönhauser Strasse  and Neue Schönhauser Strasse   (two streets) in Berlin's
  Mitte district. Home to lots of up and coming designers.
• Hackesche Höfe at Hackescher Markt (Berlin Mitte)
• this outdoor shopping mall consists of 8 courtyards housing up and coming designers
• Rosenthaler Straße 40/41, 10178 Berlin Mitte
• Visit Potsdamer Platz for chain stores- zara, h&m etc

• Mauerpark 
• Visit the flea market on Sundays in Prenzlauer Berg.  Not for the faint hearted or casual shopper!  7am-5pm, kareoke starts at 3 (rumoured to be quite a spectacle).
• Bernauer Straße 63, 10435 Berlin
• KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens)
• Berlin's biggest department store, also the largest department store in Europe. The food hall is meant to be mind blowing.
• Tauentzienstraße 21-24, 10789 Berlin, German

Fassbender & Rausch

• Famous Berlin chocolate shop with giant models made of chocolate. 
• Charlottenstraße 60, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Get to the Mall of Berlin and go down this slide. I think they forgot to check with OH&S re: the steepness. Very fun I can assure you!

Make your own chocolate at Rittersport. Obviously, why wouldn't you. The KNUSPERFLAKES one was pretty yum though.

Dining and nightlife. 

It is has been a few years since I've been to Berlin so make sure you do some research as Berlin has some of the coolest dining experiences and is well known for its epic club scene. You could try this list of hidden bars if you are up for a challenge or try a traditional Berlinner Weisse (beer with red or green syrup)

I'm not going to pretend I know anything about the best places to go clubbing so try this trip advisor guide as a start!  Prenzlauer Berg and Berlin Mitte are still known as the best districts for nightlife (and have great shopping hence think about staying somewhere nearby!).  Berghain is supposed to be Berlin's most exclusive nightclub housed in an old powerhouse.  See article here for more info.

RAW 

• This venue was a former railway association run by the RAW Tempel association.
• Home to a Sunday flea markets and the street food market Neue Heimat (see below).  It is also a venue for popular clubs like Cassiopeia or the Suicide Circus.
• Revaler Straße 99, 10245 (Friedrichshain)

Beach bars

• Check out one of Berlin's famous summer beach bars - bars on the river where sand and deck chairs are shipped in over summer for excellent people watching and cocktails.
• This website has a of some to try such as Badeschiff an der Arena which has a pool attached!  I went there last trip- it was the best. 

Babel

• My friend Sam and I demolished many a falafel whilst we were away- these were up there with some of the best.  Great to stop off whilst shopping.
• Kastanienallee 33, 10119 Berlin

Max und Moritz 

• For old world German fare try Mx und Moritz. I'm talking pork knuckle and Wiener schnitzel!
• Oranienstrasse 162, 10969 Berlin

Kimchi Princess 

• Try Korean streetfood at Kimchi princess (take away sister restaurant Angry Chicken is also next door)
• Skalitzer Straße

Lokal

• Modern german bistro food
• Linienstraße 160 Berlin-Mitte

Zur Haxe

• Rumoured to be one of the best traditional german eateries.
• Erich-Weinert-Str. 128(Ecke Hosemannstraße), 10409 Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

Berlin street food markets

• Check out this post on street food market events happening in Berlin.
• Markthalle Neun
• Home to Streetfood Thursdays 
• Eisenbahnstraße 42-43, 10997 Berlin,
• Neue Heimat 
• An uber cool street food venue in an abandoned warehouse. Berlin Village Market: Sundays 12:00-02:00 or Bar & Food Night : Fridays 18:00-04:00
• Check website for local events.  This is my pick when I can come back to visit Berlin
• Dirschauer Str., 10245 Berlin, Germany

Kunkerkranich

• Hidden bar on top of a shopping centre. Very cool place- if you can find it! Clue- enter from the carpark!

Burgermeister Kreuzberg

• The BEST burger I've had in years. Come early because there will be a massive line (worth it).
• Located under a rail bridge  

Kafeebar

• Melbourne food and coffee if you are homesick!
• Graefestraße 8, 10967 Berlin, Germany

BRLO Brewhouse

• Microbrewery with share plates and food. Good for big groups.

Other things

I'm sad to say one of my favourite places in Berlin has now closed- the The Art House Tachelles/ Kunsthaus Tacheles. Originally a department store in the Jewish district, this building was used as a Nazi prison before being partly demolished and being invaded by artists. The building has housed a cinema, an open air sculpture garden, artists studios and workshops. Tachelles is yiddish for straight talking. The original building of the art centre remains but the artists were eventually evicted it closed in 2012. The artists continue their work online.