Hello beautiful people!
How are you all today? I just came back from Berlin and want to share my experience with you guys. I have been to several times as I have some family there. I really love the city; all the cute green parks in the middle of the city and the amazing reasonably priced food makes for Berlin being one of my favourite cities. I also love that all the different neighbourhoods in Berlin sometimes feel like little towns. Of course, the city centre is a bit busy and hectic, but it's easy to escape the craziness and enjoy the quietness the city has to offer.
The view from my family's apartment during sunset.
Mitte and Prenzlauerberg are two of my favourite neighbourhoods in Berlin. They are next to each other and they both have amazing classical architecture, beautifully paved streets and big old trees providing some shade during summertime. They also have plenty of parks to chill out and small cafe's or restaurants to grab a bite to eat. I believe these neighbourhoods are perfect to walk around in and spend the day. They are lively yet quiet and peaceful, perfect to observe local life.
In the heart of Mitte Alexanderplatz is situated. This is a central place in Berlin that has many connections for public transport, some shopping malls and a few bars/clubs. Also, it's next to the famous Fernsehturm!
Another neighboorhood that is definitely worth a visit is Kreuzberg. This is a bit of an alternative neighbourhood that has a bit of a different crowd than Mitte or Kreuzberg. They have wonderful bookshops, good Middle-Eastern/Morrocan food and cool little shops. It's a good place to wander around for the day. If you have a chance go to Viktoriapark situated in Kreuzberg. It's quite a big park with a waterfall and a cool beer garden. Kreuzberg also has tons of food for vegan and vegetarians. There even is a completely vegan supermarket called Veganz!
My favourite hostel in Berlin. Playing music in the common room and dancing at 6AM was no problem, when I was here!
If you're looking for a clean, small and personal hostel I recommend staying at EastSeven Hostel. This is located in the Schwedterstrasse (close to the U-banh stop), which means you're close to the Kastanienallee. This is a street full of shops and good restaurants. The hostel situated on the border of Mitte and Prenzlauerberg. If you wanna grab a bite to eat close to your hostel go to Cat Tuong. It's a Vietnamese vegan restaurant and even if you're not vegan/vegetarian I really recommend going there, the food and drinks are incredible. Also, it's reasonably priced!
If you feel like some chilling afterwards you can walk to Weinbergspark. And lay down, listen to some music, chat or read a book. If you're getting thirsty you can walk down to the main street, there is a little shop where you can buy beer or other drinks. It's totally cool to drink in public in Berlin. And on a beautiful day during the afternoon you will see this parc filled with young adults chilling while sipping on a beer or two. There also is a cafe/restaurant called Nola's situated in the parc with a nice terrace. They offer a really good breakfast.
If you're looking for a nice dinner in the area go to Papa Pane di Sorrento. It's an Italian restaurant that makes a perfect pizza. Bring some cash though, 'cause they don't accept cards. While being in Berlin it's always smart to carry some cash around as paying by card is not always possible, especially in cafes and restaurants.
First course at Cat Tuong. A traditional Vietnamese pancake: Bánh xèo.
Main course at Cat Tuong: noodles and some more noodles.
Desert at Cat Tuong: Mint/lime ice cream and banana covered with rice and a delicious sauce.
Another great hostel I stayed at is ONE80. This is located near Alexanderplatz. It has quite a convenient location, however, you're in the middle of a busy and hectic place and you miss out on the local experience. The hostel in itself is good; it's clean, modern and the staff is friendly. But it's quite big and as a result, it feels less personal than EastSeven.
Another must-do in Berlin is renting a bike and cycling around the city. This way you'll see a lot of the sights in a small amount of time. You can all the way to the government buildings district. Go to the Deutscher Bundestag, cycle through the parc Großer Tiergarten and go all the way to the Brandenburger Tor. I would also recommend going to some monuments or museums about the history of Berlin/Germany. Especially about the wall of Berlin.
If you want to go shopping I would go to the Hackescher Markt. They have everything and it's less busy than the famous shopping street called Kurfurstendamm. If you want to go to a shopping mall go to KaDeWe. On the top floor, you have a restaurant (with overpriced food) and a good view of the city.
When going shopping take public transport to go from one place to the other. Download the application BVG, it will plan your trip for you and tell you which public transport to take. The public transport is really fast and efficient in Berlin, no need to take a taxi. When you arrive in Berlin you should take a look at the tickets. If you plan on taking public transport every day it may be cheaper to buy a ticket for 3 or 5 days. You can buy this at the airport or at any of the bigger stops.
The Fernsehturm close to Alexanderplatz, photo taken while cycling!
Berlin also has a wonderful party scene. It's famous for its underground techno scene. However, the city also offers many salsa/bachata dance parties and live jazz music. Check online for the upcoming events during your travel dates. Berlin also offers a pub crawl. It starts from the ONE80 hostel near Alexanderplatz and it takes you to 3 bars and one club. It's a good deal as you get a few free shots, they take you everywhere no need to think and you are guaranteed entree in one of the three clubs of Berlin. This comes in handy as the bouncers in Berlin can be extremely difficult. They don't like big groups and they quite often don't let people in for no apparent reason. So always have a backup plan when going clubbing in Berlin.
Some of the most popular clubs in Berlin are the Matrix, Berghain & Panorama Bar and Sisyphos. Nightlife in Berlin is at it's best during the weekends. If you're there during the week you should consider just chilling out in a beer garden or cafe as the clubs aren't very lively during the weekdays.
This was it! I hope you enjoy your time in Berlin. It's a beautiful city with a rich history and a lot to offer.
Have a good day!