What to do in Berlin?
📋 Key takeaways: Berlin is the European capital of contrast: between heavy history (wall, Reichstag, Holocaust), cultural avant-garde (legendary techno clubs, street art) and a reasonable cost of living for a capital city. My must-sees: Brandenburg + Holocaust Memorial, East Side Gallery (1.3 km of painted wall), Museum Island UNESCO, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain for nightlife. Plan for 3-5 days.
- The population:
According to some figures, less than 15% of the population in Berlin are not of German nationality and 25% of the population is of immigrant origin.
The largest minorities are Turks, Poles, and Slavic ethnicities, Croats, Slovenes.
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What to do in Berlin? The best tourist spots in Berlin:
When we talk about Berlin, we often think of the wall, yet the wall we so often talk about is now only on a small section of Berlin. It has been transformed into an Open-Air Art Gallery, where you can find drawings by artists from all over the world painted on it! Hard to imagine that thousands of people perished on these walls!
Contrary to what one might think, Berlin has as many theaters and museums as Paris!
I will list the tourist spots or places that I enjoyed:
– Alexanderplatz, during times like Christmas or Easter, there are small stands set up, you can find food, original objects, an ice rink (in winter), gadgets!In this square, there is a shopping center, a television tower located next to the subway station.
– Museum Island “Museumsinsel” with the Berliner Dom (it is the historic cathedral of Berlin, beautiful interior), the Lustgarten (It is a garden on Museum Island) and there are also several other museums (example: prehistory, antiquity).
🌍 Did you know?
The Berlin Wall measured 156 km in total, of which 43 km separated the two parts of the city. Built overnight in August 1961 and fallen on November 9, 1989, it is estimated to have caused 140 victims according to official estimates. Today, the East Side Gallery (1.3 km) is the longest remaining section, painted by 118 artists in 1990.
– The Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor), a true symbol of Berlin and reunified Germany, it appears on German euros. This is where you find the most expensive hotels in Berlin!
🗣️ My experience: The bike tour along the wall route (43 km in total) remains my most memorable experience. Berlin offers a bike path (Mauerweg) exactly on the location of the former wall, in a complete loop. Allow 6-8 hours for the full version, or 2-3 hours for the central section. Bike rental: 12-18 € per day. A little history lesson on bike that you don’t get walking.
Next to this door, there are extras posing for photos, so you can pose with Nazi soldiers and get your passport made in Germany!
– Not far from the door is a memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe, it is a set of pylons of different heights spaced 50cm apart, this set forms a rectangle.
🍀 Berlin
- Reasonable cost of living (capital)
- Fascinating 20th-century history
- Mythical techno music scene
- Late nightlife (until 2 a.m.)
🔻 Limitations
- Not the most beautiful city architecturally
- Gray weather 8 months/year
- Sometimes wasteland/austere spaces
- Berghain: difficult entry selection
– Potsdamer Platz (Potsdam Square), the square is one of the most striking places in Berlin and is frequented by many tourists. During my visit at Christmas, I saw something very amusing! People were sitting on an inflatable ring and sliding down a kind of large slide! I wanted to try it but there were too many people! Shame!
What to do in Berlin? German beers:
⚠️ Classic trap
Trying Berghain in a group wearing shorts and sneakers. The most legendary techno club in the world has a drastic selection: black outfit, solo or duo attitude, silent queue of 2-3 hours. 40% of tourists are turned away. If this is your priority, study the codes (YouTube videos), arrive Saturday between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., and be patient.
Berliners, like Germans, love beer as much as the French love wine! It’s their trademark, and if you visit Berlin, you must try the local beer called “Berliner,” which means Berliner in French, it’s a beer brewed from wheat, slightly sparkling and tart! There is also “Warmbier” and “heffe” but I much prefer the Berliner for the taste, there is also BECK which stands out a bit! Of course, there are many more beers but these are the ones I noticed most.
| Place | District | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brandenburg Gate + Reichstag | Mitte | Free (Reichstag reservation) |
| East Side Gallery | Friedrichshain | Free |
| Museum Island (5 UNESCO museums) | Mitte | 19 € day pass |
| Holocaust Memorial + Topography of Terror | Mitte | Free |
| Kreuzberg (street art, food) | Kreuzberg | Free stroll |
| Berghain (legendary techno club) | Friedrichshain | 20-25 € entry |
| Tiergarten + Victory Column | Center | Free (panorama 4 €) |
You will find them in the “kneipen” which means “pub,” these are the local bistros or street corner cafés like there are many in Paris! They are part of the Berlin landscape!
To explore the atmosphere of other cultural cities, what to do in Vienna covers the Austrian capital. The most beautiful cities in Europe places Berlin in a broader context. And cheap destinations in Europe lists affordable capitals like Berlin.
