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Berlin this weekend

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited January 2023 in General Chat
I'm going to Berlin this weekend. I don't really know much about the place, can anyone recommend things to do and see?

I'm on a pretty tight budget...what sort of street food is there (as opposed to restaurants), or cheap places to eat? I'm really fed up of Polish food so hopefully Berlin will be a welcome break!

Can anyone recommend some nice bars? I'm not that into clubbing. I know the city is renowned for its clubs but is there plenty to do in the daytime as well?

I'm hoping briggi and ed will come to my rescue.. :) I managed to persuade the others that Berlin was the best place to go for Easter.
Post edited by JustV on

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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm so chuffed you're going, you won't regret it I promise you! It's not even as though clubs are all Berlin has to offer (though they're damn good), you won't get bored or run out of things to do.

    As for food. Well there is no shortage of food and no drought of variety. There is a huge Turkish population in Berlin so of course there are all the kebab shops/street stalls/restaraunts etc. My brother lives in Hamburg and he extols the virtues of kebabs in Berlin. They cost next to nothing and apparently are the best. I love the falafel wraps you get at all the places - and there are loads of places dedicated to falafel :razz: Anyway you can visit ANY kind of restaurant in Berlin. In Friedrichshain there is a little cluster of the best bars, cafes and restaurants. One place in particular - can't remember the name but will get back to you - is just amazing. I had brie and pear soup with vollkornbrot last time I was there and it was out of this world. It's surrounded by places that do Sunday brunch which is amazing and terrible. Amazing because they have everything and it barely costs a thing... terrible because it eats up your entire Sunday if you have no willpower! Wiener Straße is great, lots of clubs, bars and cafés right in that street. The best cafés there are "Hanibal" (on the corner of Wiener Straße and Skalitzer, opposite the metro) and "Café Morgenland" (Skalitzer Str. 35). Its easy to spend half a day there, too - the buffet is enormous! But anywhere in the city you'll find any kind of food - it's nothing if not amazingly diverse.

    As for how to entertain yourself - well there are no limits there either. If you fancy something different then "the bathing ship" is a sauna during winter. Probably the spaciest I have been in: www.arena-berlin.de/badeschiff.aspx. The view is as amazing in summer and winter.

    In terms of seeing the sights. Well Berlin isn't really walkable - it is but it's not too pleasant. The city is very spread out and is essentially still two halves, with two city centres though there is obviously no animosity or official divide anymore. There are loads of bus tour operators in Berlin at various prices but the insider's secret is that from Kurfurstendam to Alexander Platz or visa versa can be done on the 100 bus for 2.20 EUR and it takes you by all the sights. You can get off and look around and get the next bus, much less stressful than the "ok, you've got 3 minutes" breaks you often get on the tour buses. Of course on a nice day it is nice to have the tour in an open top double decker with a tour guide... and the tour guides are often hilarious. But it's also good to save money ;-) On that note, make sure you buy a Tageskarte (Day Card) for the bus and U-Bahn/S-Bahn. It seems quite steep but it saves you in the long run and you can use it on the bus and metros as I said. If there are four or five of you, you can get the group card which may well work out cheaper. With this card you can create your own tour at your leisure. Grab one of the free maps that are everywhere. Oh yeah, as in Poland there are usually 2 or more punch machines, mounted on poles on the bus. You have to stamp your tickets - though they are veryveryvery rarely checked I'd feel bad if you got caught after I recommended Schwarzfahren. What I'd do is jump on bus 100 and when it gets near the Brandenburg Gate, hop off. Have a coffee and some cake at Cafe Einstein or another nearby cafe, and go over and see the Gate. The bus also goes by the following locations. The Reichstag (where you can go up to the big glass dome... you might even get to glimpse Angela Merkel as loads of people I know have done! Wow!), Schloss Bellevue, Grosser Stern, The Berlin Zoo and Aquarium, Museum Island and Alexander Platz and more.

    Ok, that's the usual stuff out of the way. Now onto the fun, weird side of Berlin!

    1) There is a very professional group of young, alternative people who have explored and documented everything which is underground in Berlin and not in use anymore (war bunkers, metro-tubes, sewers, old cellars etc). They lead guided tours through the underground labyrinths of Berlin - very interesting and entertaining at the same time if you like old sewers (which it seems, I do!). Here is their english website: http://www.berliner-unterwelten.de/en/002/002.htm. It's really interesting, honest!

    2) Definitely check out the Tacheles in the Oranienburgerstr. 54-56a. Please, please do. I always recommend this to my friends and they wimp out. Basically it used to be a squat which was taken over by punks. Now it's home to loads of diverse artists in there creating weird art and the building is just amazing. Make sure to check out the back yard as well, it's a beach bar... of sorts. Of course, this is free which makes it well-worth the adventure :D

    3) Something else you should try to do in terms of bars. There is a bar that is run by blind people called the Unsicht-Bar (which is a pun and means "invisible"). You can dine in total darkness and experience food in a whole new way. It in the Gormannstr. 14. It's quite expensive though, when speaking relatively, because Berlin is cheap as it gets for Western Europe.

    4) Something that is totally incredible but not really that weird is the Gärten der Welt. Essentially a big park where they established a Japanese garden, a Chinese garden, a Balinese garden, a Korean garden and an Oriental garden. You find it in the Eisenacher Str. 99, 12685 Berlin. Maybe not your thing but on the off-chance I thought I'd mention it. I can assure you that you will hardly ever run into tourists there and it's really not a place many people in Berlin have even seen. But it is only 2 € and since the gardens have been constructed with the help of the countries themselves they are really authentic. Really relaxing way to get away from the crowds.

    5) Now for a REALLY weird place. The Gruselkabinett in the Schönebergerstr. 23a. It's a real-life horror film in an old bunker with actors trying to scare you all the time. It's been years since I've been there but it was quite strange... and scary. I laughed about it afterwards, after I'd had a drink... or five ;)

    As I think of anything else I'll let you know. If you've got questions, just let me know.

    Oh yeah, forgot... what kind of bars do you like? Are we talking cocktail bars? Dirty old pubs? Places with live music? Let me know and I'll give you some recommendations :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    good post above...

    when i visited we went on the pub crawl the 1st night,its agood way of meeting people, its very cheap and they take you to some cool bars....Zappatta is a really cool place it was saved by squaters and it has good music,also next door to it is a huge tower block coverd in graffiti but if you go in there is an art gallery and a bar with techno type music on...its worth a visit just to see as its quite unusual.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks briggi, I've printed that reply off. I definitely want to go to some sort of sauna.I'm a bit shy though...I know they like to go naked there!

    I'll let you know how I get on! The weather forecast is lousy..but hey, I'm used to it now!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    briggi wrote: »
    Now for a REALLY weird place. The Gruselkabinett in the Schönebergerstr. 23a. It's a real-life horror film in an old bunker with actors trying to scare you all the time. It's been years since I've been there but it was quite strange... and scary. I laughed about it afterwards, after I'd had a drink... or five ;)

    :yes: i went years ago too - first place we were taken to on a school exchange type thing. they do go quite far with the whole scaring you thing... looking back it was good although i cant say i thought that at the time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    what a city!

    i nip up there as often as i can

    i would agree with the post about checking out that old squat, but be warned that the street it is on, is a centre for prostitutes!

    in terms of clubbing, if you want something a little weird, check out the panorama bar. its in an old abandoned power station out of the way, but its worth a look if you're experimental. ask around, because a lot of people don't know where it is. the other 'classic' is weekend, on alexanderplatz, its up on the 11th floor or something, popular with tourists but its quite a cool place

    i am not sure it "isn't walkable" either - start from the hbf, you can walk to potsdamer platz within about 3 hours including taking in the bundestag, jewish memorial, brandenburger tor etc. checkpoint charlie, to be fair, is not much of a site! if you have some more time, check out the cathedral and the old DDR museum, which are worth doing

    let us know how you get on; its probably the best city for a weekend break!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I can't remember specific places anymore as it was years ago I went on an exchange from school but it ROCKED!!!!!!!! Have a great time :D :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I had a wicked time! The weather was terrible until today.

    It was so nice to eat food other than Polish, I had some great sushi, falafel and an Indian meal. Cocktails were fantastic too, and had a nice raspberry beer or two.

    I went on a fantastic tour called alternative Berlin, would totally recommend it, I climbed on the roof of an abandoned prison, had the most amazing views of the skyline.

    I never thought I wanted to go to Germany, but it was sooooo good! I really want to go back, a weekend wasn't enough.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm so glad you had a great time - Germany is amazing and Berlin is particularly so (not as fab as HH but that's irrelevant :razz:). A weekend definitely isn't enough, you can go back though of course. The thing about Germany is that it's almost like a well-kept secret. So many people have so many prejudices about it that they steer well clear. All the better for those of us who really know the craic :thumb:

    We're moving to Berlin on April 4th and I CAN'T wait. I'm so excited, really. I'd move there permanently in a heartbeat but it's still an issue for discussion ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    How long are you going to be living there?

    I met a guy and he said his rent was only 150 euros a month...I can't believe a capital can be so cheap.

    The German people we met seemed nice too...a lot friendlier than Polish people!

    I'm going to go to Dresden in a few weeks as that's quite close to Poland, and my Dad's visiting.

    I'd like to go back to Berlin for a bit longer but not sure I'll have a chance.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Until August, that's the temporary plan anyway :) It is the cheapest city in Germany from what I've experienced, which is crazy since it's the capital (though Dresden would give it a close run... fantastic city by the way!). It's incredibly cheap, the only thing more expensive in Germany than here are things like utilities... even then it's only because they're trying to bring in more ethical and environmentally friendly methods. Even then they aren't all more expensive, just some.

    Germans are incredibly friendly, open-minded, welcoming, helpful... I just love 'em :D I didn't warm to the Poles in that way... though the Poles I've met over here - and particularly those I teach - are very different, generally.

    If you do come back to Berlin then give me a shout :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    briggi wrote: »
    Until August, that's the temporary plan anyway :) It is the cheapest city in Germany from what I've experienced, which is crazy since it's the capital (though Dresden would give it a close run... fantastic city by the way!). It's incredibly cheap, the only thing more expensive in Germany than here are things like utilities... even then it's only because they're trying to bring in more ethical and environmentally friendly methods. Even then they aren't all more expensive, just some.

    Germans are incredibly friendly, open-minded, welcoming, helpful... I just love 'em :D I didn't warm to the Poles in that way... though the Poles I've met over here - and particularly those I teach - are very different, generally.

    If you do come back to Berlin then give me a shout :thumb:

    you can find cheaper cities in the proper east...chemnitz etc. to be fair, if you stay away from tourist areas then berlin is cheap too! loved hamburg big time, but a much more expensive place. not as bad as munchen, but still. hamburg doesn't have quite the variety of nightlife that berlin does, from what i found
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm think about going to Berlin in May - is that a good time of year to go?
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