Berlin | Germany : A Quick Guide to Planning Your Adventure

berlin7 — Prater Garten, Berlin’s oldest biergarten – Berlin, Germany

Don’t miss it

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Participate in SANDEMANs New Europe’s Free Walking Tour. This three-hour tour is heavily focused on the World War II and post-WWII communist eras of German history. It’s an efficient way to visit the major historical sites, such as Brandenburg Gate, Hitler’s Bunker, Checkpoint Charlie, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the Berlin Wall.

The tour begins at Brandenburg Gate, which is also near the Reichstag Building, the meeting place of Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag. Due to high security screening, the tour does not enter the building, but I do recommend visiting the Reichstag dome on your own. Admission is free, but tickets must be reserved online in advance. The dome’s architecture is interesting, the self-guided audio tour is informative and the 360-degree views of the city are spectacular [especially around sunset].

Pretty cool

Wander along the East Side Gallery, which is a section of the Berlin Wall that has been transformed into a nearly mile-long art gallery. It is located in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, an artistic neighborhood filled with restaurants, bars and boutiques. This area is known for having superb brunch spots as well.

Must try food/drink

Käsespätzle [mac and cheese topped with fried onions], schnitzel [fried veal], bratwurst and radler [beer mixed with lemonade] are just a few German staples.

Grab a bratwurst and beer at Prater Garten, Berlin’s oldest biergarten. Then, have a more formal meal at Schwarzwaldstuben, an authentic German restaurant in the city center. Afterward, walk down the street to Weinerei, which becomes a “pay-what-you-can” wine bar after 8PM [20:00 hour].

Here’s a hint

Dress appropriately for the weather, as most restaurants/cafes/hostels do not have air conditioning. Open windows don’t do much when it is nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit [37 degrees Celsius] in August.

The trains/subways/trams are efficient, inexpensive, easy to use, and frequent. Use them!

Wish I had more time for

Six nights in Berlin was the perfect amount of time. It allowed for day trips to Dresden, a city about 2 1/2 hours south of Berlin that was completely rebuilt following severe bombing in World War II, and Oranienburg, a town about 30 minutes north of Berlin where the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is located. I highly recommend a visit to the former concentration camp, which has been turned into a memorial and museum.

Accommodation

A six night stay at St Christopher’s Hostel. This hostel-chain provides hotel-like services with budget-friendly prices. I’ve now stayed with them in Berlin, London and Barcelona, and there are a dozen more locations throughout Europe.