Wikimecum:Berlin, Germany
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Berlin is the capitol and largest city in Germany. It is most famously known as one of the center points during World War Two. Hitler and the Nazi Party took over the city in 1933 and destroyed the Jewish community. After the war ended in 1945 the city was split right down the middle into East and West Germany. The Allies controlled West Berlin while the communist Soviet Union held East Germany. The city was divided by the infamous Berlin Wall, which wasn't taken down until 1989.
How to Get to Berlin
The cheapest way to get to Berlin is eastJet. The average cost for one person to fly round trip is 160€. This is one of the more expensive travel costs during my stay in Venice, but definitely worth it. The flight is convenient because it leave from Marco Polo, so a quick boat ride will get you to the airport. Other flights, such as Ryan Air leave from Treviso, which is about an hour away from Venice. EasyJet flies into the Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport, which is located on the edge of the city. There is a train terminal next to the airport, the S9 train towards Spandau will take you to the center of the city.
Where to Stay
We stayed in the West part of Berlin in a very clean and convenient hostel. JetPak Hostel was fairly cheap for a good location and nice room. It was roughly 25 euros a night for a 3 person private room with a shared bathroom. I would highly recommend to stay in this hostel, there is a subway station nearby. This hostel was found on Hostel World.
Where to eat
Berlin is a very large city with an influx of American chain restaurants. KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut are common to see in the city center or around the shopping places. There are traditional restaurants but the menu can be difficult to decipher (unless you speak German) but many places have an English menu. Just ask the front desk at the hostel for good places to eat, they usually know what is good for cheap. It is worth walking around for a while to find a good German restaurant.
What to See
Top Places to See in Berlin
- Berlin Wall
- Brandenburg Gate
- Reichstag
- Alexanderplatz and the Fernsehturm TV tower
- The Berliner Dom
- Checkpoint Charlie
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Berlin Wall -
Brandenburg Gate -
Reichstag -
TV Tower -
Berliner Dom -
Checkpoint Charlie
Bus Tour
There are many bus tours available in Berlin, they are basically all the same. The tour was about two hours but it made frequent stops where you could get off and look around more. Take a bus through Berlin is a good idea because it is such a large city, this is necessary to see the whole city in a short period of time. The bus stops at all the major sites, all that are listed above and more. We picked up the bus tour at Alexanderplatz, it is a central terminal.
Free Tour
There is a free walking tour that is offered in major Europeans cities by New Europe. The guides conducting the tour work strictly on tips. This is a good alternative if you prefer walking around Berlin. Keep in mind this is the largest city in Germany. This organization also offers a nightly pub crawl. The cost is 12 euors which covers entrance fees at the bars. In Berlin the pub crawl covers two bars and three clubs. It is chaperoned by three guides for the entire night. Berlin has a very large nightlife, therefore it may be difficult to find places to go out. The pub crawl is a good way around the long lines and expensive cover charges. Most of the people in the pub crawl were American students studying abroad.
How to get around
During our stay in Berlin we primarily used the train and subway system. The subway is the U-Bahn and the above ground train is the S-Bahn. It was very easy to use both the train and subway, which usually came every five to seven minutes. The two most frequent stops on our trip was Zoologischer Garten (Line U9) and Alexanderplatz (Line U5) To see a map that combines both lines click here.
