Berlin

I spent a week exploring the city of Berlin. It is an amazing city! It is very different from London or Melbourne. It has its own personality and is an incredible place to visit. Berlin is a city full of history and culture. I have written up my Berlin Travel Guide with all my top recommendations to help you explore this wonderful city as well.

See

Walking Tour
I started off by doing a Sandermans free walking tour, I highly recommend these especially if you are travelling alone they are an easy way to make friends. This took use around to Checkpoint Charlie, Humboldt University, Konzert Haus Brandeburg Gate, Reichstag Building and the Jewish Memorial. Our guide was amazing and knew so much about the history of Berlin and was really enthusiastic about the city. The walking tour was the perfect way to explore the historical sites of Berlin, the guide provided detailed information about the sites and provided a great overview of Berlin.

East Side Gallery
I am sure you have all seen pictures of your friends at the East Side Gallery, it is a beautiful tribute to the Berlin Wall, the wall which once represented oppression and segregation has been transformed into a colourful gallery and is an international memorial for freedom. It is beautiful to just wander along slowly taking in the works on the bank of the river.

Sachsenhausen

I did this with a tour group again. It was a very solemn experience the memorial to the concentration camp has been impeccably well maintained and is both moving and informative. I highly recommend doing this with an organised tour as the information and facts they provide are invaluable. Sachsenhausen is not something that you necessarily want to do but it is something that you defiantly should do, it reminds you of the struggle and the history behind both Berlin and Europe as a whole.

Nights

Berlin is famous for its nightlife, in fact it is a city that is incredibly quiet during the day especially in the morning. Many of the fun places to go out are difficult to find as they are off the beaten path so make sure you have it all mapped out before you go and that you don’t go out until at least after midnight.

Berghein

This club is notoriously hard to get into but that doesn’t stop anyone from trying, there is always a big line especially on a Friday and Saturday night for this 24 hour club. Whilst it is notorious it is not necessarily for everyone, a lot of what goes on inside the club (if you manage to get in) is incredibly seedy and there is a very big drug culture. This Berlin institution is in the warehouse district a bit away from other places you might want to go out so to enhance your chances of getting in it is recommended that you dress in black and try to be unique. If you plan on trying this out good luck!

Suicide Circus

This club is a bit on the darker side, but is really trendy and has a big dance floor. Again don’t arrive to early as no one heads out until really late in Berlin and a dead club is never any fun. To get here catch the U-Bahn to Warschauer Straße and enjoy the rest of your night on the dance floor.

Others

You can find somewhere to have a drink anywhere in Berlin, if you are looking for a bit of an adventure you can catch the U-Bahn to Warschauer Straße, cross the river and walk along the river Spree, there is heaps of little beer houses, bars and pubs set along the river. Some play live music others have DJs, but so long as you are with your friends you might have some fun getting lost.

If thats not your style you might want to try out; Matrix, Watergate, Stattbatt or Sysuphus which all come highly reccommended.

Sleep

Meininger Hotel

This is where I stayed, it is a cross between a hotel and a hostel. It is really nice and reasonably priced with rooms starting from £15 a night. It is centrally located just across the street form the main train station which is seriously convenient and is on the main street. The wifi was average at best, the room was really nice I was in a 6 bed mixed dorm which had an ensuite and I managed to get a bed on the mezzanine level so was out of the clutter. The major downside of this place was there was no alcohol allowed in the rooms. In a city like Berlin this is not an ideal policy and it defiantly affected how social people were. The other odd thing was that I had 3 different men in my room across the week which is perfectly fine however they were mid to late 40s which is just a bit odd and the friends I made from my hostel room thoroughly agreed.

Wombat Hostel

I didn’t stay here but I made two friends who did. It is not as centrally located but had great wifi, a kitchen area, the rooms had an ensuite and there was a bar on the top floor. The hostel was very social and everyone who was staying there had a great time. We made friends in the bar and ended up going out with them that night. I think if you are travelling alone this is a much better option to stay at.

Apps

BVG FahrInfo Plus Berlin

Berlin Metro Free

Berlin Travel Guide and Offline City Map

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