Berlin – A Guide to the Capital

Berlin is the capital of Germany and is with 3.4 million inhabitants the largest city in Germany and the second largest city in the European Union.

In this blog, we want to give you some useful information about Berlin 😀

 

 

Sights:

Berlin consists of 12 districts, however most attractions are concentrated in just one – Berlin-Mitte. That’s where you will find the main tourist attractions and it is the heart of Berlin with all its architecture, history and culture.

Sights in Berlin – Mitte:

Brandenburger Tor: The Brandenburger Gate is probably the best known tourist attraction in Germany. Built in the 18th century and the only surviving one of 18 city gates, it is now a symbol of the reunification of Germany. The Brandenburger Gate stands on the elegant Pariser Platz which is surrounded by embassies and banks.

Holocaust Memorial: The Holocaust Memorial is a football-field-sized Memorial in memory of the Murdered European Jews during the Second World War. The memorial is not far away from the Brandenburger gate.

 

Museumsinsel: The museum island is the northern half of an island in the river Spree, where there is one museum after the other. There are 5 museums in total. There is the Altes Museum, the Neues Museum, Pergamonmuseum, Bodemuseum and the Alte Nationalgalerie. Admission for all 5 museums is €12 per person. You are able to buy separate tickets but remember this one tip: There is free entry for everyone for the last 4 opening hours every Thursday.

Fernsehturm: One of the bigger tourist attractions is the TV Tower with a height of 368m. It is Germany’s tallest building and the view from up there is amazing. An adult ticket cost €10 for kids €5,50. If you want to avoid the queues, come early or buy a VIP ticket for €19,50 per person.

Reichstag: This is the German parliament since 1999, the building itself however was built in the 19th century. There is a lift ride for free to the top of the glass dome with spectacular views. But expect long queues to get to the top.

Bundeskanzleramt: That’s where the German Chancellor keeps his/her office. At the moment it is the office of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Hauptbahnhof: This train station looks more like a space ship than a train station.

Sights at Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten

Potsdamer Platz: The Potsdamer Platz was an equivalent for the New York Times Square for years until the Second World War destroyed this image. Nowadays there is a big shopping center called Potsdamer Platz Arkadenwhere more than 100 000 people go shopping every day. The Potsdamer Platz is also the place to be every year in February, when all the big names like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise etc come here for the Berlinale international film festival.

Tiergarten: Not far away from the Potsdamer Platz is der Tiergarten which is one of the world’s biggest city parks, where you can go jogging, relax or hang around with friends. The Tiergarten is east-west from the Strasse des 17. Juni , where big festivals like the Christopher Street Day take place every year around the Siegessäule, a triumphal column .

Schloss Bellevue: North of the Siegssäule is Schloss Bellevue.

Sights in Berlin-Kreuzberg:

Checkpoint Charlie: Checkpoint Charlie used to be the gateway for Allies or non-Germans between Berlin-West and Berlin-East. Nowadays it’s only a tourist attraction and not much to see anymore.

 

Sights in Charlottenburg:

Schloss Charlottenburg: The grandest of Berlin’s castle is Schloss Charlottenburg. It has a huge garden and is very impressive from inside.

Kurfürstendamm: The Kurfürstendamm was supposed to be an equivalent for the French Champs-Elysee which was widened and paved by Otto Bismarck in 1870.

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche: This church is an anti-war memorial with bombed out towers from the war. You will find this church on Breitscheidplatz on the Kurfürstendamms eastern terminus.
 
 

Tours:

If you are interested in good Tours, then get the City Circle Bus Tour. A day ticket costs €15. If you want it a little bit cheaper, then go to the Bus 100&200 self guided tour for €2,10 for a ticket or €6,10 for a day pass.

Hotels:

A good and affordable hostel is the Wombat’s City Hostel in Berlin Mitte. A dorm will cost €21, a double room €58. (www.wombats-hostels.com, Alte Schönhauser Strasse 2)

A good hotel is the Circus Hotel, also in Berlin Mitte (www.circus-berlin.de, Rosenthaler Strasse 1)

If you want to stay in a top end hotel, choose the Adlon Hotel Kempinski (www.hotel-adlon.de) near the Brandenburger Tor. A night costs between €320-€440

Restaurants:

If you want to eat typical German cuisine head to the Schwarzwaldstuben in Berlin Mitte (Tucholskystrasse 48), mains will cost between €7-€14. I really can recommend that place 😀

If you are a vegetarian, the Cookies Cream is the perfect place to eat. (Friedrichstrasse 105b) A three course meal will cost about €30.

Bars:

If you get thirsty, head to the Bebel Bar in Berlin Mitte (Behrenstrasse 37) or to the Barcomi’s Deli Bar (Sophienstrasse 21): Here you can get a nice cup of coffee and Bagels.

Clubs:

At night, a lot of people head to the Berghain/Panorama Bar which is one of the best clubs in the world. Here you will hear only the best techno and house.

The Club der Visionäre (Am Flutgraben 1 in Kreuzberg) is a very popular club in summertime where you can chill on the boat and watch the busy surroundings.

Shopping:

There are several shopping departments in Berlin and you will find every big label in Berlin. One of the biggest department stores is the KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westen) This century old department store is a must see, especially their gourmet food hall.
 
Alexa is a mega shopping center in Berlin Mitte. A lot of famous German people love to go shopping there.

Even the French department store Lafayette has a branch in Berlin Mitte.

Markets:

There is a Turkish market every Tuesday and Friday in Berlin Kreuzberg and a Flea market at Strasse des 17. Juni every Saturday and Sunday.

Tips:

Get a Berlin WelcomeCard (www.berlin-welcomecard.com). This card will save you up to 50% on entry fees for 140 sights, attractions and tours in Berlin. And that’s not all: You are allowed to unlimited public travelling within the fare zone. This card costs for 2/3/5 days for zones AB €16,50/22/29,50. You can buy them at U-Bahn or S-Bahn vending machines or at the Berlin Infostores. You can find the Berlin Infostores at the Brandenburger Gate (south wing) or at the Hauptbahnhof (central train station, ground floor) or at the Kurfürstendamm 21.

If you want to see some remainings of the famous Berlin wall, head to the East Side Gallery in Friedrichshain. There you can find the longest best preserved stretch of the Berlin wall. It’s length is 1,5 km.

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