Berlin – Any recommendations?

I’m off to Berlin a week on Friday with a couple of mates. First time I’ll have been so does anyone have any recommendations or things to avoid?

We’re staying in a hostel pretty much in the centre from what I can work out.

Thanks

There’s so much to do, especially if you like history. Lots of WW2 and cold war stuff. Olympic Stadium. Museum Island.

I always thought tourist tours of cities were a bit naff, but went on one of these Brewers Tour fantastic way to see the city.

What do you want to do? We (the missus and I) really enjoyed eating and drinking in and around Kotbusser Tor (sp?). Great if you like Turkish food and micro breweries.

We also went on a free alternative city tour taking in the RAW complex at Friedrichshain (sp?) and grafitti sites in the city.

Well, there’s 4 of us, early 30’s and there’ll be one that fancies a beer all day everyday and 3 that require a bit of culture in the mix so we may well split up and then meet at different times of the day.

War history will interest one or two of us.

Berlin is massive. There didn’t seem to be a real “centre” when I visited, but we tripped around the whole city – it’s truly awesome.

Reichstag is good, Checkpoint Charlie museum is interesting, Topography of Terror is worth a look if you’re passing, clubs in the east side are really good (not sure if Tacheles is still going). Architecture is stunning, metro system is great.

Have fun! (I hope you like beer, meat and potatoes…)

It is full of amazing restaurants. I have been with work so only really got chance to see a bit of the city in the evenings.

Got told by the locals that the best place for restaurants is Leibnizstraße it is however a long road.

Talk to the locals they are very friendly and helpful.

Best underground Club scene going at present. Many Clubs have a Zero tollerance to drugs and drink so pick carefully.

Stunning City, epic people and Uber rich in Culture.

You won’t have time to do it all.

If you are a Tourist (pureist sense) then a guide book and a bit of reading will help no end, think Lonley Planet or something like.

I’ve mates over there but they’re into stuff I’m into, may not be what you want out of it.

Bike hire is cheap and fun, and it’s a great place to go around on bike (lots of places – fat tire bike tours are one of the big ones).

If you like art, get one of the listings magazines (I think they’re mostly free, given away in bars), there are always loads of things on (mainly in old East Berlin).

Oh, and I can’t find any up to date info for this year, but they apparently have a very active and well known winter swimming group, the Berliner Seehunde, if you wanted to do something completely mental and masochistic.

The Guardian has a pretty good city guide

All good advice so far. I was there in September for 3 days and we walked everywhere, it’s a walking city, taking in path of the Wall, WWII stuff and the Ramones museum in the Jewish qtr where some of the buildings have schrapnel scars and bullet holes.
I didn’t rate the curry wurst but you have to try it anyway.

We stayed at the Adlon, which is very very special, but they wouldn’t let me re-create Jacko’s famous baby suspending scene from that window even though I found a willing local.

Being a classy guy I would recommend the kebab restaurant at Rosenthaller Platz U-bahn called the Grill-Und-Schlememrbuffet. Its licensed and serves the full range of kebabs, but also does pizza and pasta and the breads they serve are baked in proper pizza oven. Its much better Berlin food than Curry-Wurst. You can tell its a good place as its always busy 24-7 and frequented by cycle couriers, taxi drivers, the Police etc.

I went in September and we stayed near Potsdammer Platz and I found it a bit sterile and would’ve prefered something a bit livlier and less corporate.

I was there with work a few weeks back, cant give advice on things to do etc as was on a work visit so couldnt do what looked like a fun city justice. Only thing I can say in advice is take cash, I was suprised to find so many restaraunts not willing to take Credit cards, due to some sort of geman regulation affecting how long small business will wait before they get there maney from the CC companies. A lot didnt tell us until we got the bill. You’ll be ok in big chains etc, but we struggled with smaller independents with CC’s. Some great food to be had for not a lot of money so who cares 🙂 If you want a really good steak, (not cheap, but good) we went the Block house

The old Olympic stadium and complex are right at the end of one of the underground lines, but well worth making the effort to go to see. Incredible Nazi architecture, and it’s all been done so you can wander round and get an amazing sense of the events that have taken place there, from Zidane headbutts to Jesse Owens gold medals.

Was there a couple of years ago for a week and found it awesome. We stayed near Zoo and there’s a lot of nice places to eat/drink around.

Make sure you head to the old TV tower and get the view in, then see if you can find a way of getting to one of the river-front bars. I couldn’t even though they looked good. The stretch of river near the Reichstag is great at night and, as has been said already, the architecture is great.

Good shout Willard. We had breakfast at the top of the TV tower, was great. Also the cakes at the opera house are pretty good (probably not the thing on a lads trip, but went down well with the Mrs).

Nice place to just wander around. Kreuzberg area had some nice arty-ish bars etc and a great Thai restaurant.

Pergamon museum looks very impressive though we ended up getting back there too late to go in.

I have two Berlin city guides that belong to fellow STWers that I have shamefully failed to send back to them yet. Dunno if they would be happy for me to pass them on. 🙂

Thanks for all the suggestions people … I’ll take a look into it all.

Grum – not required, but thanks for the offer. One of the lads has a book so we’ll have something when we’re there and there’s a wealth of info on the web for beforehand.

Another vote for Block House steak restaurant, 2 mins walk from Brandenburg Gate.

Is it the generator hostel you’re staying at? I was there, it was decent, clean and handy. The public transport is so easy – buy a ticket covering the period you are there.

Club Tresor is quite simply an epic experience. The double decker bus bar near it also rocks, local kebab shops are superb and they sell superb beers for E2 or so.

The segway tour company are brilliant, segway is THE way to travel about Berlin.

Went to a district somewheer in the west which had loads of cool rock theme bars, filled with uber cool genuine german rockers.

Berlin is the best city I’ve ever been to.

Bauhaus

If you like cars then Classic Remise/Mielenwerke is well worth a look.

My favourite place ever.

Get the U-Bahn to Schleisses Tor and head out round Kreuzberg if you fancy drinking and clubbing. You can walk to Watergate from here too if you want to try your chances at getting in- but plenty of other places to go that are open late nearby if you don’t.

Not sure about in the winter but in the summer there’s plenty of bands, DJs and other live performers who just set-up impromptu gigs and performances in empty or public spaces like u-bahn stations, derelict buildings etc, keep your eyes peeled!

this is worth a visit

http://www.stasimuseum.de/lageplan.htm

and even more so this place…. the tour guides are former detainees. quite harrowing, eye opening and sobering…. there are specific times for english language tours. phone ahead to find out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin-Hohensch%C3%B6nhausen_Memorial

oh, and weed is available in almost every park in the city centre, if that is your thing.

wall near Warschauer Str is worth a nosey, East Side Gallery, i think.

My wife is from Berlin so get to go there quite frequently – its a great city. The museum at Checkpoint Charlie is worth a visit and so is Brandenburg Gate.

You will need to taste Currywurst – get it from street vendors/train stations across the city – its typical Berlin fare and those guys love it (i think it tastes kak!)

Berghain – panorama bar

wall near Warschauer Str is worth a nosey, East Side Gallery, i think.

+1