A citytrip in Berlin

I love Berlin. But maybe that is also because I am a real city girl. Berlin is a real metropolis, full of culture, restaurants, stores and parks. And of course the impressive remnants of the Berlin Wall that you can still find in various places in the city. In this blog I take you on a journey of discovery through the city in preparation for your Berlin city break!

Travelling to Berlin

As in all other major German cities, you need a green environmental vignette to enter the city with your car. But, there are also other ways to reach the city. By train, for example! The ICE International will take you right into the heart of the city center. But you can also choose a P&R location. There are several of these in the city. You park your car and then take the subway into the city. Cheap, safe and very relaxing. We tried 2 of those P&R locations last summer and it worked out well. With the metro card you can then continue to travel all day without having to buy an extra ticket. Just keep in mind that most P&R locations are unguarded. So don’t leave valuables in your car.

See Berlin from above!

Many tourists go to the Berliner Fernsehturm for a spectacular view of the city. You can do this, but I have a much alternative for you. A ticket to the Fernsehturm quickly costs €23.50! But. across the street from the Fernsehturm is Hotel Park Inn on Alexanderplatz. They have a rooftop terrace (https://www.parkinn-berlin.de/en/rooftop-terrace/) with an insane view of the city. And for a price of €6! And while you’re there, book another top attraction right away: they have a swing there at 120 meters high.

Berlin Cathedral

Another venue not to be missed is the Berliner Dom. To enter you need a ticket, but with that ticket you can also climb all the way up the tower and enjoy the view of the city from there as well. At the foot of the Dom is a lovely park, so it’s good to hang out there anyway!

Brandenburg Gate and the Holocast Memorial

Another sight not to be missed during your city break Berlin is the Brandenburg Gate. Behind the Tor is the “Tiergarten” park. This is not a zoo, but a huge park where you can take a break from the hustle and bustle. On the side of the Brandenburg Gate you will find the Holocast Memorial. This impressive structure consists of several blocks: small and very large blocks. You can walk between them. Each block represents a Jewish victim of the Holocast.

Well, the holocast is of course the main reason that Berlin got a wall right through the city. Fortunately, the wall is gone, but everywhere in the city you can still see parts of it. So visit East Side Gallery (https://www.visitberlin.de/en/east-side-gallery). Here you will find the largest remaining piece of the Berlin Wall. On the other side of the wall is a park overlooking the Spree River. There is a wonderful urban vibe there. Definitely worth a visit.

Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer

Want to learn more about the Berlin Wall and what it was like after the war? Then visit Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer on Bernauer Strasse. Funny enough, few tourists come here (only 300,000 visitors a year), while this open-air museum gives a good picture of what life was like in Berlin after the war. The museum is in the middle of an ordinary residential area, but the watchtowers, gray wall and barbed wire are still original. From one of the watchtowers you have a view of the so-called todesstreifen. This was a piece of no man’s land between two pieces of wall. There was gravel sprinkled so that the sentries would see footsteps immediately. Anyone who wanted to cross the wall was shot without mercy. Very impressive! Much more impressive than Checkpoint Charlie, but of course it’s fun to take a picture there.

Shopping in Berlin

Berlin is an excellent shopping city! We didn’t go specifically to shop, but we did go to a huge indoor mall where you can really get everything. The KaDeWe(https://www.kadewe.de/en/) is Berlin’s largest department store. In fact, the Mall of Berlin (https://www.mallofberlin.de/en/ ) comes very close to that! The Kurfürstendamm is an open shopping area that makes every shopper happy. While you’re there, stroll right into the Gedächtniskirche (https://www.gedaechtniskirche-berlin.de/ ). By the way, Berliner Hauptbahnhof (https://www.bahnhof.de/berlin-hauptbahnhof ) (the train station) is also bursting at the seams with stores and nice restaurants. From here you can also rent bicycles (https://www.bahnhof.de/berlin-hauptbahnhof/fahrradverleih-berlin-hbf ) And the stores along the famous street “Unter den Linden”(https://berlijn-blog.nl/bezienswaardigheden/unter-den-linden/) is also worth seeing .

Eating out in Berlin

A metropolis like Berlin naturally has a lot to offer the inner man. Whether you go for a quick bite or an extensive 3-course menu: everything is available. Berlin’s eating habits are not much different from ours, so you won’t be looked at oddly if you want to eat at 6:30 p.m. (as is the case in France). There are also many options for lunch, so actually, as a foodie, you’re totally fine in Berlin. At least you won’t have to starve to death!

Day trip from Berlin: Belitz-Heilstätten

Between Berlin and Potsdam is something very special. If you have the chance, be sure to visit during your Berlin city break! Belitz-Heilstätten (https://baumundzeit.de/en/start_en/ ) is a huge complex that used to house a sanatorium. The buildings on the grounds have long stood empty, allowing vandals, as well as nature, free rein. For a number of years the grounds have been partially refurbished and are now a tourist attraction, but they have done so really beautifully and with great respect. In the sanatorium, tuberculosis patients were admitted and cared for. To the best of their ability, because there was no medicine yet for this terrible lung disease. But there are more buildings on the grounds. Each building has its own story. Through a tree canopy path, but also walking around the grounds, you pass all these buildings. You cannot enter them unaccompanied, but you can peek inside. For children, there are fun activities to do along the way. Be sure to book a tour! We did a tour (with a construction helmet!) of the old sanatorium. Really very impressive!

Photos: Sonja Koene