Berlin is vibrant, young, cosmopolitan, hipster, alternative, and easygoing; as well as messy if compare to what a normal German city looks like. Berlin is a bubble apart from Germany. It’s a perfect choice for travelers looking for cities with many things to do, and cheap than other major European destinations. Lots of events happening daily, bars and restaurants opening and closing every single day, and people coming from all parts of the world to make things happen in Berlin. And here we go with what a day in Berlin could look like from a local’s perspective, or being precise, from someone living there for a while.
How to move around Berlin?
The easiest way to move around Berlin is by taking the subway or underground (U-Bahn), depending on the term more appropriate to your country, the yellow-colored trains. Most of the lines in Berlin operate underground but some lines run above-ground tracks. At hostels, airports, bus stations, and tourist information centers you can get a map showing all the networks of Berlin underground across 173 stations; which I recommend taking while moving around the city. The airports are also connected to the U-Bahn. During the day, the lines work on 5-minute intervals and at night in 10-minute, while on weekends the interval is five minutes longer. Punctuality is not a problem in Germany.
Best areas to stay in Berlin
If you wonder where to stay in Berlin, the best areas to stay that are not far from the main places to visit are near the underground stations Friedrischstrassen, Brandenburger Tor, Postdamer Platz, and Warschauer Strasse is near the East Side Gallery. A hostel I have stayed at next to the East Side Gallery is Industriepalast Hostel.
Walk through the East Side Gallery
Artsy, rebel, historic, messy, simultaneously beautiful and ugly depending on the angle you look at the paintings. East Side Gallery may be the most Berliner landmark amongst all the places visited by travelers who come to the city, for being one of the liveliest remaining symbols of WWII and the polarization brought up by the Cold War. In the past, many people used to risk their lives jumping the wall to escape from Communism while nowadays people take pictures across the pieces of the wall. Definitely, East Side Gallery is one of the most Instagrammable spots in Berlin for travelers and locals.
Drink Club-Mate
Club-Mate is a popular ice tea in Berlin, sold at every local supermarket, kiosks, grocery store, and all the shops. It’s a beverage to take while exploring the city or when chilling out after walking around. As someone from the Southern cone of South America, I have to say that Club-Mate is not mate, it’s ice tea! Mate is drunk in hot infused water on a calabash gourd, in cold water is tereré.
Drink Berliner Kindl
Berliner Kindl is the beer original from Berlin and, once you’re in Germany, you must buy a bottle of beer in a local kiosk and drink on the street like many Germans do, or drink at a park, or while the landmarks of the city such as the Brandenburg Tor, the Museum Island, the East Side Gallery, and other spots of your interest. Talking about beers in Germany, another interesting thing to do in Berlin is spending time at a biergarten.
Ride Bicycle in Berlin
Berlin is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, a paradise for everyone who dreams of such cities and enjoys riding bicycles. The city has an excellent infrastructure for biking and renting a bike is a practical way to explore Berlin passing by historical landmarks and local trendy places. Paying around Є12 is the average price for biking for half a day.
Eat Currywurst
Currywurst is a typical Berliner snack that became popular from the time of World War II, one of the best things to eat while exploring Berlin for being cheap and easily found around the city. Basically, it’s sausage, grilled or fried, sauced by curry, tomato, and other spices. It costs around Є1,50 and Є2,00 and matches perfectly with a beer so as with Club-Mate. The German term for places to eat currywurst is “Imbiss” and some recommended places in Berlin are Curry 36 (near stations the U-Bhf Gneisenaustraße and Hallesches Tor), Curry Baude (at the Gesundbrunnen station), and Zur Bratpfanne (near the stations U Schloß str. And U-Bhf Rathaus Steglitz).
Eat Kebab & falafel
Kebab and falafel aren’t German dishes, obviously, but popular all over Berlin. Frankly speaking, Berlin is not the place to get to know what German food is about. For travelers who want to eat cheap, both dishes are what you’ll end up eating most of your time in the city. Nano Falafel at Warschauer Straße is a place I recommend to eat, as it’s located near the East Side Gallery.
Startup scene
Berlin also has a vibrant startup scene and is one of the most important tech hubs in Europe, attracting people from all the parts of Germany, Europe, Israel, and other parts of the world. For travelers interested in entrepreneurship, design, technology, and innovation, many events and meetups happen on a daily basis at the coworking spaces around the city. Some coworking spaces to consider in Berlin are Betahaus, The Family, Factory Berlin, and St. Oberholz.
Flea markets in Berlin
If you have the chance to be in Berlin on a weekend day, especially on Sundays, going to a flea market is an interesting thing to do since many locals also go to buy second-hand stuff and antiquities, get together with friends, drink a beer, for a brunch and enjoy the events happening around. Some flea markets to go in Berlin are at Mauerpark (near the stations U Eberswalder Straße, Bernauer Straße, and Voltastraße), at Boxhagener Platz (near Samariterstr. station), at Ostbahnhof (near Berlin Ostbahnhof station), at Fehrbelliner Platz (near U-bhf Fehrbelliner Platz station), and at Straße des 17 Juni (at the station S-Bahnhof Tiergarten).
Originally posted 2021-02-02 02:16:51.
