Berlin Travel Guide

Reichstag is German for “Imperial Diet”. It has been an institution as well as a building. The term Reichstag has not been used by German parliaments since World War II. In today's usage, the German word Reichstag (Imperial Diet Building) refers mainly to the building itself, while Bundestag (Federal Diet) refers to the institution. The...

The old border between the Soviet and American sector of Berlin. A museum stands to one side of the old sentry gate and there are usually a few actors dressed up as gardens as a re-enactment. You can have your photo taken with them and you can even have the old stamps put into your passport if you wish. evidence of the old regime is still around...

We came across this very moving and sad monument during our walk around Berlin. More than two million Jewish children lost their lives from 1933 to 1945 due to the policies of the Nazi Regime. A London stockbroker named Nicholas Winton, moved by the fate of Jewish refugees, worked to bring the first rescued children to the United Kingdom. These...

Konnopke’s Imbiss is a Berlin ‘institution’. It opened for business in 1930 serving fast food to night workers. It continued in business after WW2 and the arrival of the GDR. It claims to have invented currywurst by accident in 1960. For those who have never tried it, it consist of a special type of sausage, a spicy tomato ketchup sprinkled with a...

Cosy and warm, especially in the heart of Winter, the Einstein cafe is a wonderful place to stop and unwind, warm up, and let your palate loose. A massive selection of choice coffee's, served in a most unique and original way, some of the best cheesecake I've ever tasted, and absolutely top-notch service (even though the place was packed), makes me...

Not really a restaurant as you can see from the picture! Those guys are selling grilled bratwurst for less than 2 euros so I'd say it's pretty good value. There is only one: bratwurst but you can have it with or without bread.

Another nice Irish Pub. Nice about this one is the fact that it looks less touristy, and rather little of drunken folks. Food was good, long wait yet. We had chicken wings and country potatos. Live music was good too, given by Eddie and Marty. Since Berlin's hype kinda moved to Berlin-Mitte, visitors of that Pub can find easier parking spots than...

This is by far the best bar where I've ever been in my life. It's very central in Berlin, easy to find. I will not give away too much details because it's too awesome to experience this bar by yourself! Your senses will be amazed. Beware of the DJ; he has a very very sharp tongue and he likes to joke with and about all the customers. He does that...

I had seen a poster from Electro Swing Revolution saying they were having a party there, and as a particular fan of this music i thought this deserves a visit. The place itself is not so easy to find, and is in a slightly dodgy area but never the less once inside you couldn't tell once inside. It tries to be a ball room of sorts, so there is a...

I thought the public transport system in Berlin was going to be complicated but its simple compared to London. I found the ticket machine at Schoenefeld Airport and after few goes managed to get the choice of ticket I required. Most visitors only require a ticket for zones A & B but if you want to visit some of the sights out of town such as...

During my travels around Berlin I have made extensive use of the excellent public transport system. Because of where I have stayed I have used the U2 line the most. It is a fascinating line with main line stations like Alexanderplatz that connects to the whole system though the station is spread out with lots of stairs. Potsdamerplatz with its...

Berlin had three airports, but when the new Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brand airport is finally completed, it will have just one. Templehof closed as an airport in 2008 leaving the main airport at Tegel and Schonefeld still operating. Schonefeld, situated about 11 miles south-east of the city centre, was East Berlin’s airport when the city was...

Quite a number of street-sellers and shops, situated mostly around Checkpoint Charlie, offers "reliquia - reliquiorum" of what was once DDR (Deutche Demokratische Republik). It is nothing but worthless trash! Do not waste your time and money here. DDR was created for one reason only, to punnish Germans even more, I am really glad it finally...

Ka-We-De nowadays is known as one of the most expensive shopping centers in Europe. I believe it depends on its rich history. Shops here appeared already in 1907, I believe, building itself is quite old as well. It was wide variety goods shopping center in Germany, presented already even exotic sea fruits, new World fashions, so on. As for me,...

They sold young, trendy, up-to-the-minute clothing and accesories for girls in their teens and twens. In opinion of Urszula(matcrazy0) good choice of interesting clothes for young feeling women - simply her recommendation. Woman's clothes. Reasonable prices.

kiosks in the street or at stations (Imbiss) sell sausages in various forms. My favourite is the curry wurst. You can get it with or without the skin (mit/ohne lam) and it's cheap and delicious. Of course it's perfect with fries (pommes frites). yum!

I’m not sure where I heard that the main museums in Berlin are open on the first Thursday evening of the month from 6pm till 10pm and admission is free. I tried asking if this was true at the hotel where I was staying but only received blanked looks. So I decided to give it a try and discovered it was true. I went into the Altes and Pergamon...

Though not unique to Berlin, it does have more than its fair share of allotment gardens with over 800 complexes. You frequently see them along side the railway tracks and on other pieces of land close by. Originally designed, over 100 years ago, as in other countries for the growing of vegetables to supplement diets of the poor. Their use has...

I'm a first visitor to Berlin, on a work trip . I've been using subway,trams for local travel. Found it to be very useful. Unfortunately, today at Stadmitte station, as I was entering the train, there were two young men right behind me who actually opened the small sling bag which I was carrying and pulled out my purse, jumped off the train just as...

Germans are very protective about their privacy, and don't take kindly to being photographed by strangers. (Bad history with repressive governments will do that.) In the US, "street shooting" is accepted, and it is assumed that if you are out in public, anyone can take your picture. Not so in Germany. You can take photos of sights, or your friends,...

While in Berlin, I encountered this scam a number of times around the main tourist sites, particularly in the Museum Island district and Unter den Linden. A young boy or girl pretending to be deaf will approach you with a petition on a clipboard. They will thrust it at you saying nothing and trying to get you to read it and sign. Don't be tempted...

The last version of the Berlin Wall was over 140 Km in circumference, 3.6 metres high and 1.2 metres thick which makes for a total amount of concrete of around 604,800 cubic metres. For a "do-it-youselfer" you can buy ready-to-mix concrete at about 10 Euros per cubic metre these days and so I'd assume that back in 1961 the cost for a major project...

I visited the tower in the early nineties and enjoyed the experience. As I was passing recently I thought I'd have a ride to the top again. I was shocked to see that for an adult the cost for a two minute ride was now 11 euros. Please don't waste your money there are more enjoyable ways to spend your money in this exciting vibrant city. Don't it's...

Someone else has already mentioned it, but there are turkish or some eastern european men working the system here. They are close to or near the cathedral, the TV Tower or Unter den Linden. You will see men with 3 little boxes playing a game where they have a little soccer ball and you watch him move it, You know where it goes, because he oddly...

Actually I was visiting Berlin already in summer, but I needed really not only summer clothes. I used even jacket for a few days. I was happy to have umbrella with me, but finnaly used it only for a few hours. It looks like weather in Berlin really can change quite often. My suggestion is to take some extra clothing, despite it is summer...

Pack as you would for any big city. Depending on time of year, slacks, good walking shoes and an umbrella are essential. Long sleeves during the cooler months and short sleeves in the Spring and Summer. Make sure you have plenty of memory for your digital camera

Common questions in the Berlin Forum are; what is the weather like, what should I wear. I always make a point of using one of the websites available on the internet to check the weather for the duration of my stay. It's common sense. If the forecast is for snow, like my last trip, do not worry. Coming from a country that grinds to a halt after a...

Potsdam gained its town charter in 1345, it was chosen in 1660 as the hunting residence of Frederick William I and since then the center of the Prussian state until 1918. Sanssouci is the main attraction but there are several more palais and other attractions. Babelsberg was a major film production studio before the war. S Bahn S7 from Hauptahnhof...

Berlin has the reputation of being a dense metropolis, conspiring an uneasy blend of former Soviet 'syeriy' (grey - "monotony") & western modernism... It came as a personal revelation then, to find what an open, airy, major city it actually is, especially considering, my arrival was in the much maligned, eastern sector... The most pleasant surprise...

Robert Montgomery is one of my favourite artists. His most recent work centers around his poems which are either printed in large type and plastered around on advertising boards (Taking up a whole board) or are light structures. The work based at Templehof is 'Echoes of Voices in High Towers' It is work based on the history of Templehof airport -...

Olympiastadion was specially constructed for the Olympic games in August 1936. It is the venue for the games of the football club Hertha Berlin. You can watch the football games of Germany also. A tour around and inside the stadium costs 7 euro for adults (not reduced). A camera :)

This is a wonderful, relaxing sauna, swimming and spa center atop the Europa Center with a inspiring view of central Berlin. All activities are "mixed" in the Northern European sense of things so you will run into men as well as women completely naked (that is why it is so relaxing since it's no big thing). Here are some tips to enjoy your...

Sometimes one is lucky enough to get into places where one actually shouldn't be. Now, I do realise that for most people it's nothing spectacular to sit on a substitute bench in a stadium which belongs to a team in the second German division. But I'm sure there are a few out there who understands me...? No? No one...? Geez. Anyway, it was the day...

Every foreigner must also try a Bratwurst. Around Potsdammer platz you can find many vendors with grills hanging from their shoulders where you can purchase one. Usually around 1.35 you can't go wrong here when you have a rumbling stomach.

Berlin is a huge city and to truly explore it takes weeks, but even on a short trip, you can see more than just the central tourist sections by jumping on its extensive mass transit system. We got into Berlin a little later than planned but easily found our hostel and asked the receptionist if there was a Vietnamese restaurant in the city. He said...

Not my favorite thing...but a general tip: If you are thinking about taking a tour, I would recommend doing it by bus. Normally I enjoy walking tours because I feel you get to experience more; however, consider walking around some more by yourself afterwards. The fact is, Berlin is huge with spread out attractions and if you want to really see most...