With a total of 4.5 months to travel around Europe, spending some time in Germany was at the top of my list. Berlin especially, was a city I wanted to visit after hearing so many good stories about it, and only having spent one night there two years ago I was looking forward to exploring the city in depth. We chose to spend four nights in Berlin, then slowly moved across the country on our way to The Netherlands, spending 3 nights in Hamburg and 3 nights in Cologne.
Berlin
Berlin is definitely a city that’s rich in culture and history. It permeates every aspect of the city and here you can find memorials and museums dotted around that tell an engaging and devastating story of World War two. There is a strong belief in remembering the past to prevent it happening again, which means the stories you can read in the museums are detailed and give you a real insight into the tragedies that occurred so many years ago. Just walking around you will get a feel for all the different museums and can choose to visit just one, or all the ones you come across.
We visited the Holocaust Memorial, which is under the holocaust memorial just down from Brandenburg Tor and Topography of Terror. The first one gives a brief overview on World War two and then each room is dedicated to telling someone’s story: I read about families who survived Auschwitz, daughters who were the sole survivors of families, children escaping the war – people’s memories and experiences are all on display and it is an extremely moving and personal insight into the lives of people who endured such tragedies.
Topography of Terror is also another fantastic museum in which you could easily spend hours there. We walked around from exhibit to exhibit and spent three hours there on our first visit just reading about the war. It’s arranged chronologically so you move through it with clarity and there are many, many pictures which all tell a story. These two are just the tip of the iceberg but are a fantastic recount of the horrific years gone by and I highly recommend visiting them. Both are free to do, and the maximum waiting time is 15 minutes for the Holocaust Memorial.
And, make sure to visit the Berlin Wall and Berlin Wall memorial. The painted wall is truly a spectacular site.
While Berlin does have a great focus on history, there are also many other great reasons to visit the city if you’re not a history buff. The city is easy to walk around and there are plenty of cafes, restaurants, fast-food outlets and shopping centres to keep everyone happy and well-fed, plus it really is a cheap city! Germany has a reputation for great food and beer, which I was more than happy to experience first hand. Curry-wurst is interesting but actually kind of delicious, not to mention my favourite, a Bratwurst with tomato sauce (Ketchup) and mustard and to wash down the food you can’t go wrong with a German beer especially considering it’s dirt cheap. Doner Kebabs are also another cheap and cheerful meal that cost around 3-5 euro and are extremely big and filling. Again, wash down with any German beer for a nice meal. While Bavarian food didn’t seem to be that big in Berlin if you look hard enough you can always find a Schnitzel or Pork Knuckle which are always delicious.
In the city centre, right behind Brandenburg Tor is the lovely city park. It’s a huge expanse of greenery our tour guide likened to New Yorks Central park, just to give you an idea of size. Apparently in the summer, senior men like to go there to play naked volleyball but happily I was not privileged to witness this and instead spent a rather peaceful afternoon munching on cheese, figs and bread in the sun, listening to the birds and lying on a rug. Taking a stroll through here is a great way to get away from the bustle and bustle of the city and take a break to enjoy a cold beer, ice-cream or lunch.
We were super lucky and on our last day just in front of the park there was a fair with stalls and stalls of sausages and beer, among other food and drinks, lots of tables and chairs and a big stage where local bands, dancers and musicians all played. Grabbing some food and beer we enjoyed listening to the German songs and were pleasantly surprised with some English songs too. There really is nothing better than sitting in the sun with live music and a cold beer in a beautiful day in Berlin.
With so much in Berlin, it’s hard to know where to start. Here are my top recommendations:
Top things to do in Berlin
- Visit the Holocaust Memorial and the museum underneath it
- Visit the Topography of Terror
- Stand where Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his bunker (its now a carpark)
- See Checkpoint Charlie
- Take a stroll through the city park. Don’t forget a picnic!
- Walk from the Berlin Dome to Brandenburg Tor
- Try German Beer and German food (Bratwurst, Currywurst, Doner Kebab)
- Head out for a wild night in German clubs
- Walk along East Side Gallery
- See the Berlin Wall, and visit the Berlin Wall memorial
- Walk down Oranienburger Straße. It’s such a lively street full of eateries!
- Visit the food markets! There is a great one on Thursday nights called the International food market. We got an amazing Taiwanese pork bun, some Arancini balls and gelato.
- Get lost. Berlin really is a wonderful city so put on your walking shoes and create your own adventure.
Berlin is one of my all time favourite cities in Europe! What’s yours?
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madeleinecurby 