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Stuff to do in Berlin

Stuff to do in Berlin

Not everything about this blog will be about cancer. One day the cancer will be gone but this blog will remain. That means that I have to think to the future and consider other things that I want to write and post about. I will likely never post my real name or personally identifying features, since having a history of cancer may make me undesirable to future employers - technically that is considered a "disability" in some countries, even when post-cancer treatments can vary wildly from person to person.

However, I will still post about things that I find interesting or just random bits of fiction. This travel guide to Berlin fits the former category over the latter. It's spots in Berlin that I find interesting, set in 2-4 hour long travel itineraries for anyone who comes to Berlin for the first time. It's pretty biased towards the former Eastern bloc neighbourhoods since that is where I have lived, but I hope that folks who have used it have had a good time in the city. After all, it's what I forward to my friends and family when they visit, and so far they have done a good job pretending that they have had fun!

Useful Apps to Preinstall

Note: I am not being sponsored for any of this. I just find these handy

  • BVG Tickets: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.bvg.ticket
    • Absolutely essential for buying public transit tickets while in the city unless you want to fumble around with your cash.
    • There are a lot of BVG apps in the app store, make sure to download the Tickets one!
  • Airalo Esim: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobillium.airalo
    • A lot of phone plans do not have good international roaming rates. Airalo makes it easy to purchase and install sim cards so that you can always stay connected while you travel.
    • Before Airalo I would normally hunt down a physical sim card after landing. This lets me prepare the card before I even leave my home country.
  • Nextbike Bike Rental: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.nextbike
    • It's a dockless bike share that is easily available through most of the city, and with really good rates to boot!
    • Berlin is a very bike-friendly city, despite what the Dutch would lead you to believe. Getting a Nextbike day-pass or week-pass will usually make travelling around the city faster and cheaper than catching a bus or taxi

Sample Itineraries

Heading from West to East and back again

  • Start off at Charlottenburg Palace. This old Prussian summer palace is host to a lovely garden and a “wild” landscaped park. This is fine for adults and kiddos to explore.
  • From there, grab a one-way ferry to East Berlin.  This ferry ride has a rooftop deck with wonderful views of West Berlin and East Berlin architecture, while the tour guidegives you a quick history of the area.
    • The main deck serves ice cream and coffee
  • Disembark at Museum Island. From there you can climb to the top of the Berlin Dom ($) to have a lovely view of the city, or you can walk to AlexanderPlatz to admire the TV Tower and the Neptune Fountain. 
    • Alexanderplatz also is a major travel nexus so it’s easy to grab a train here to wherever you need to go next
  • If you have the energy, you can walk the boulevard all the way to the famous Brandenburg Gate (about 2km), and cross through it to re-enter West Berlin.

An Afternoon in Neukolln

  • A historically Turkish district in the former American sector, this place may look foreign and sketchy but is loaded with delicious restaurants, pretty canals, relaxing parks, and high-quality spatis. 
  • We start off walking along the canal at Maybaucherufer.
  • A quick stop at La Maison french bakery for a tasty pastry
  • We walk along the Mauerweg (where the Berlin wall used to be) up to Pushkinallee, and head over to Treptower park.
    • The park goes hard. Get ice cream/snacks, check out the soviet monument, and relax at the biergart(S9) en. 
  • Afterwards, take the Bahn or walk over to Oberbaumbrucke, and admire the lovely brickwork bridge that predates the cold war.
  • From there, you can walk along the river spree to the open-air Berlin Wall Museum. It’s a former segment of the wall now covered in pretty artwork
  • Stop at Zola’s for pizza when you’re done, and enjoy the river view

East Coast Best Coast

  • Start off at Volkspark Freidrichshain, and explore the hills, the water features, and the fairy tail themed fountain
  • Walk through Freidrichshain to Frankfurter Tor and admire the Soviet Buildings along the boulevard, made to impress the West about how prosperous the East was. Note that “Tor” means gate, and Frankfurter Tor was made with the iconic Brandenburg Gate in mind. Also note that there is no gate at Frankfurter Tor.
  • Head down to Boxhanger Platz for cute cafes and restaurants and shops in the area for lunch and drinks
  • Eventually you’ll get to the East Side Gallery by the waterfront, where you can admire the open-art gallery painted on the remnants of the Berlin wall, and enjoy the river Spree.
  • You can follow this to Ostbahnhof station, where you hop on a train to get to Treptower Park. The park hugs the Spree river and is incredibly expansive. Enjoy an ice cream and check out the Soviet War Memorial dedicated to those who died liberating Berlin in WW2. The statue goes hard

Sadness and Contemplation

Beach day

  • For days above 25c (77°F)
  • Take the S-bahn down to Wannsee and enjoy a relaxing day on the sun and sand
  • https://maps.app.goo.gl/qKYxFuWKH7ZFKZxJA
  • Buy tickets ahead of time to skip the line, but you can also buy them there
  • There is a bus from the train station to the beach, but you can also just walk there easily.

Stroll through the zoo

  • Berlin has two zoos, but the one in West Berlin is better. Take the subway down to the Zoologischer Garten station, and explore it! There are also a lot of trendy stores and cafes in the area, a lot of revitalization money was spent here
  • After the zoo you can check out the Flohmarkts, chill at a biergarten,  or rest in the Tiergarten!
  • Nearby is the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
  • Lots of Persian restaurants nearby!

Museum Island

  • The old big Museums are all on an island downtown, walk down there and enjoy the historical buildings and maybe check one out!
  • The river Spree is very pretty and you can take a boat tour from there
  • The DDR museum (mentioned earlier) is across from the island, while the Bode, old Gallery, Pergammon, Humbolt Forum, and the old castles are all on the island
  • Definitely go to the cathedral and climb up to Berliner Dom. It's a wonderful view of the city and you can see a lot of details of the restored cathedral. Right next to the lust garden

Museums I like

Shops

Groceries

  • Lidl (discount)
  • Edeka (like Zehrs)
  • Rewe (like Loblaws)
  • Netto (discount)
  • Denn’s Biomarkt (like Farm Boy)
  • Outdoor produce markets (amazing deals, Neukolln has a really good one on tuesdays)

Fun

  • Decathlon -> sports equipment
  • Humana -> thrift shop for clothes
  • Flohmarkts -> A proud Berlin heritage, be sure to check out the one by Boxhangener Platz on Sundays or the Antique market by Tiergarten Station

Banks

  • Berliner Sparkasse and Deutsch Bank atms have no fees
  • Euronet ATMs have fees

Drugstore

  • DM
  • Apothekes are pharmacies, which are for prescriptions