Welcome to the capital of Germany, Berlin! After the cold war, and reunification of West and East Germany, Berlin was declared the capital of Germany once again in 1990. I don’t mean to bore you with historic facts, however if you know your bit of German history class, you will understand the city better, and it’s significance! From 1990 to now Berlin has evolved to become an insanely attractive city, not within Germany, but also within Europe; it is very rare in Germany to walk into a cafe or restaurant and be greeted by the waitress or waiter in English rather than German. This has a bi-directional cause; on the one hand the employees are often not German-natives and on the other hand the high influx of tourists just makes the likelihood of a common communicative denominator much higher when talking in English. Berlin is made of 12 governmental districts, also called “Kiez”, e.g. Mitte, Neukölln, Kreuzberg & Friedrichshain. It is said that some people never leave their “Kiez” if not required. Be sure to inform yourself which “Kiez” suits you most; starting Berlin from Mitte is probably your best choice as a newbie.
Read more: 🇩🇪 Berlin – huge, hip & happeningLogistics: Take a flight to BER (Berlin Brandenburg Airport) or come by ICE train.
Currency: €
Hotel: Start your Berlin tour in Mitte. Motel-One is usually a good deal considering price, location and cleanliness.
Transport: Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) operate the public transport network. I recommend downloading their BVG App; from their you get travel information and can also purchase your tickets using e.g. Paypal. They offer different tickets incl. a 24-h ticket, which cost 8,80€ last time I travelled. Additionally Berlin offers plenty of electric scooters in case you intend to travel semi-long distances.
Food: Berlin has evolved to become a food town offering a wide spectrum of foods from Vietnamese Pho soup that you eat while sitting on a plastic stool to a solid Rostbratwurst that you buy & eat on your way to the next tourist attraction.
During my visit to Singapore I chatted with a restaurant employee. After I told him that I am from Germany we got to talk about Berlin, of course. He asked me if I have been to a cafe called “Five Elephant“; I had not. Next thing you know I saved the location of their branch in my Google maps. If somebody from food capital Singapore recommends a restaurant or cafe, you can be sure the recommendation is rock-solid! During my visit I did not try their cheesecake, however that seems to be one of their most popular offerings. But I can assure you that the other pastries are festival for your taste buds 🙂 It goes without saying that you order a coffee to accompany your food treat.
For a nice Italian dinner go to Muret La Barba in Berlin-Mitte. The place is a bit pricy, but they have a great pasta and a good selection of Italian wines. And, in contrast to other places you will be served by a professional waiter, who knows his stuff – let the dolce vita begin.
Tourist Attractions: Brandenburger Tor is a must-visit. I recommend you do a day tour from e.g. GuruWalks. They will cover most relevant places and give you outstanding background information to put every place in it’s historical context. I liked very much!
Berlin TV tower (“Berliner Fernsehturm”) is the tallest construction in the city. It will literally follow you around the whole town, whether you are partying in Friedrichshain or on your way to the central station; this landmark is unmissable, and also gives you the assuring feeling that you are still in Berlin. It is kind of comforting to know, that no matter where you are in the city, the TV tower is always in sight.
Special Attractions: Now this is a very personal recommendation considering the plethora of things you can do and see in a place like Berlin, but I will just name some of the places I liked – feel inspired 🙂
I like rooftop bars, hence I recommend Klunkerkranich in Neukölln. It is located at the top of Neukölln Arcaden shopping mall. Take the elevator to the fifht floor, “P5”; do not get confused with the “P6” button in the elevator, you really need to go to the 5th floor, because that it were the entry is. After you have entered you will walk up to the sixth floor, where you will be rewarded at the top of the mall with a very cozy and wide view of Berlin and soothing electronic music.
Have breakfast at Father Carpenter. This is probably the most hipster and popular coffee place in Berlin-Mitte, and rightly so: The coffee, food, location & staff all create a very authentic experience. Pro-Tip, arrive their shortly before the opening time before 10:00 to avoid queuing afterwards.
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