When
- February 2012 for a long weekend
- August 2012 for a weekend
- May 2013 for a long weekend
Places
Berlin
- Berlin is great and there is always so much to do – I would live in this city!!!
- Free walking tour to get your bearings and to check out Berlin’s main sights including the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Site of Hitler’s Former Bunker, the Berlin Wall, the Former SS Headquarters, Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, the TV Tower (click here for the website of the free walking tour I did with Sandemans);
- I also went on the Alternative City Tour (also with Sandemans) which was realty interesting and took you around Berlin to discover the gritty, grungy, underground of the city that Berliners love and a whole lot of culture. Also got to check out the East Side Gallery in more detail (this one did cost thought but still only 12Euro);
- The Jewish Museum is very interesting and descriptive;
- Carnival of Culture – I cannot recommend this enough and even managed to miss my flight just so I could stay in Berlin for it (it is in June each year) – massive street party on the Sunday and one of my favourite things to do in Berlin now;
- I was lucky enough to get tickets to see The XX host their own festival in Spreepark (an old abandoned theme park – great place for photos);
- Yaam is a cool hangout by the Spree river;
- Mauer Park it a great hang out spot for summer – there is live karaoke performances and a massive flea market. Great way to spend a lazy Sunday.
Accommodation
- I was lucky enough to be able to stay at my friends place each time I went J but I can recommend St Christopher’s Hostel as I spent a fair bit of time at Belushi’s Bar which is downstairs
Language
- German but English is widely spoken and you will not have any issues.
- Hello: Hallo
- Thank you: Danke
- Good bye: Auf Wiedersehen
- Yes / No: ja/nein
Visa
- Visa not required for Australians for a stay of up to 90 days
Money
- Euro (0.73 EUR = $1 USD)
Food
- Go to Hofbrauhaus and have a feed of the massive pork knuckle and a litre of beer
- I cannot recommend Burgermeister enough – the best burgers I have EVER had and also some pretty delicious fries with your choice of topping (picture of the place above – the food didn’t last long enough for a snap)
- Bratwurst and currywurst are everywhere and pretty delicious
- I had a lot of Jager in Berlin – the drink now reminds me of Berlin each time I drink it
- Must have a doner kebab here too – yum!
Tips and tricks
- Take a Photoautomaten selfie from the many photo booths located around the city – I took one each time I went with my mates and it is great fun and funny to compare each time (from winter to summer!)
- I recommend getting yourself a bike here and just riding around the city – its great fun!
- Berlin has great nightlife but make sure you dress accordingly – they have very strict dress codes and some clubs simply won’t let you in because you are a westerner – best not to even talk in the line so they don’t hear your accent!
Germany blog
