The capital of Germany, Berlin has 3.5 million inhabitants, almost 5 million if we add up the population of the entire agglomeration. It is one of the ten most populous cities in the EU.
It was built in the 13th century, and today represents the reunification of Germany, but also a very important cultural and artistic center in Europe, symbolized by hundreds of museums, theaters, and libraries. The city is refreshed by rivers and canals, lakes, and gardens, which give it a pleasant and airy appearance, this impression being reinforced by its buildings with very rich architecture.
You will discover with pleasure the historic center, with a number of admirable monuments like the Berliner Dom, the Pergamon Museum, the beautiful avenue Unter den Linden and its historic buildings, the 3 opera houses, the Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz, the fountain of Neptune, are just a few examples. In the center-west, you can visit Europe’s largest zoo, the Zoologischer Garten, as well as Charlottenburg Palace.
But the new Berlin also has undeniable attractions and the architects have given it their all: discover the superb dome of the Sony-Center, the Daimler complex, and its arcades, not to mention the Hansaviertel district in Moabit and its 35 built buildings especially for an architectural competition.
Berlin presents itself above all as a cosmopolitan, open, multicultural, and tolerant capital, where many young people settle and bring a constantly renewed energy.
It is also very well served by public transport and you can go anywhere at any time of the day or night.
Considered the hippest city in Europe, Berlin is attracting more and more tourists who are not only interested in its recent and turbulent history. The cultural life is intense and dynamic, the arts are constantly developing in multiple directions, the atmosphere is for discovery, creation, and openness, and young people fly around like butterflies around them. ‘a lamp, carried by the festive atmosphere and diffused energy. However, the past still occupies a large place there, and the city has also managed to keep humanity that contributes to this impression of well-being, with traffic favored by very efficient public transport, rather satisfactory security, and very affordable prices in most areas.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN BERLIN?
A certain number of sites are essential to which you will inevitably devote a small visit: first of all, the Reichstag, with its glass dome, true symbol of the city, today seat of the Parliament; then the Brandenburg Gate, at the entrance to the city, which has become the emblem of reunified Germany, with its columns and its goddess of Victory in all their majesty in neoclassical style; continue with the Island of Museums, which brings together 5 buildings, museums listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, and which bear witness to 6000 years of art history, each with their specialties; Charlottenburg Palace, a magnificent Baroque palace that certainly evokes Versailles, with its beautiful park; Postdamer Platz, which marks the old east/west separation of the city, and which today brings together buildings designed by the best current architects; the Holocaust Memorial, where you can reflect on the tragic fate of the victims of the Nazis, in a poignant atmosphere enhanced by the labyrinthine design of the place; places dedicated to the memory of the fall of the Wall, such as Checkpoint Charlie or the Wall Memorial; the botanical garden and museums of Dahlem; the Victory Column; the Jewish Museum. You will undoubtedly find many other sites that will appeal to you during your exploration.
ACTIVITIES TO PRACTICE
Berlin is full of places to discover and various activities. Here are some suggestions from which you can choose according to your tastes and possibilities:
- Visit the main monuments and museums that will inspire you
- Spend a moment at Potsdamer Platz, because it’s hip Berlin whose heart beats to the rhythm of the 21st century
- Spend an evening at the opera
- Go back to the 1920s in spending an evening in a cabaret
- Cycling on the 130 kilometers of cycle paths to discover Berlin in a different way
- End the night in one of the many clubs or discotheques, which offer a variety of incomparable styles of music
- Taste the very cosmopolitan cuisine in very good quality restaurants that dot the city
- Visit one of the many art galleries (more than 400) which often offer very interesting and avant-garde exhibitions
- Discover the boutiques of new designers who are making trendy, daring, and inventive fashion
- Stroll through the botanical garden of Dahlem
- Discover the Sans-Souci castle in Potsdam with its vineyard terraces
- Visit the old shelters and the underground passages that passed under the berlin wall
TRANSPORTATION
Go to Berlin: the city is served by two international airports, pending the end of the construction of the new one (Brandenburg) which is very late. You can also get there by bus, which is quite economical, even if the trip is necessarily longer, travel by train. The car can be a good solution, the 1000 kilometers between Paris and Berlin being covered by a good quality motorway network.
Getting around Berlin: there is a card that gives access to all public transport in the city, which can be an interesting purchase. You can get around by metro, S-Bahn (equivalent to RER), bus, and tram in the east of the city. Cycling is also very popular in Berlin, thanks to the numerous and efficient cycle paths. The taxi is obviously a practical solution in some cases, especially as for journeys of less than 2 km you can ask for a package of 5 €. You can also do some boat trips on the Spree and Havel, where there are around 30 possible stops: very convenient for some destinations.
HOUSING
You will have the choice between many types of accommodation, depending on your way of traveling and your budget: the condition will be to plan well in advance (except in summer when Berliners are on vacation elsewhere). Youth hostels are, like everywhere, the most economical accommodation, but they are in competition with apartment rentals, which are gaining more and more fans. The hotels are quite affordable compared to other European capitals.
TO EAT
You can find everything at relatively low prices in Berlin. In addition to the fast-food which is very widespread there, between kebabs, falafels, and vegetarian sandwiches, you will find multiple restaurants of all levels and international cuisine. But it would be a shame not to taste the Berlin specialties: Pellkartoffel (Prussian potato) instead of bread, Schlachtplatte (black blood sausage and liver sausage with foot and pork), Dill (marinated herring in dill ), Käsekuchen (cottage cheesecake), here are some examples to try if your heart tells you. During the weekends, you can have brunch all over town in very friendly cafes and at very reasonable prices. Beers and coffees are two other must-haves. These are often accompanied by pastries, so do not deprive yourself!
WHERE TO GO?
Berlin is renowned for its intense nightlife and endlessly renewed party places. In the Auguststrasse you will go from gallery to gallery, you will also try various luxury restaurants, or dance the night away at the Clärchens Ballhaus. Around Oranienburger Strasse, you will find a series of trendy bars, trendy clubs, and restaurants, but also theaters and cinemas as well as artists’ studios. Other very lively districts: the beautiful Kollwitzplatz square, the old port of the Spree (Osthafen), the Schönenberg district already famous in the 1920s, or the Torstrasse, apparently quiet and discreet, but which today abounds in trendy restaurants, shops, and clubs. For fans of electro music, don’t miss the Panorama Bar,
SHOPPING
Depending on the neighborhood, you will find different objects and styles: in Charlottenburg, you will stroll in search of antiques and works of art. On Friedrichstrasse, the big international brands are open to you, but you can also find thrift stores in Kreusberg, and everywhere objects made exclusively in Berlin, whether it is chocolate or candies but also jewelry and bags. The KaDeWe breaks records for tourist frequentation and is renowned as the largest store in Europe: impossible not to go there, at least out of curiosity! And if you like to dig around and take your time, don’t miss the Avenue du 17 Juin flea market, where you’ll get your hands on original, inexpensive objects.
BUDGET
By taking you there early enough, you can find plane tickets for 100 € return with a low-cost company. A double room in a decent hotel cost around € 100 a night, and a restaurant meal can vary between € 5 and € 35 depending on whether you choose a snack bar or a fancy establishment. A transport card including a “museums” pass exists (around 35 € for 5 days), which can be really interesting. If you add the memories brought back to friends and one or two nights at nightclubs or at the concert, you can consider a budget of 800 € for a long weekend for two in Berlin. So what are you waiting for to leave?
