First trip of the year! We decided on it one month before. We didn't actually plan on going to Berlin but the tickets were cheap so we just booked it. Nonetheless, Berlin was much prettier than I expected!!
Getting Around
During this trip, we realised that a group of five is the perfect number to visit Berlin. Reason? The Small Group Day Ticket allows up to five people to use all public transport. Berlin is divided into 3 tariff zones, the group ticket for zone AB costs €19.90 & ABC which covers Potsdam and Schönefeld airport costs €20.80. S-Bahn stands for train and U-Bahn stands for underground (yellow trains). Do remember to validate (punch) the ticket!
Where we stayed
We booked a 6-bed room at Meininger Hotel Berlin Mitte Humboldthaus (but was given a 8-bed room during check in), would really recommend this place because of its location.
The toilet and shower
The metro, tram and bus stations are just right outside of the hotel! Super convenient but the metro station was under construction over the weekend pfftttt
The hotel provides a common kitchen, luggage storage room (without charge) as well as a postbox (stamps can be purchased there). Transport tickets can be bought from the reception too.
Directions: Take the train (S1, S2, S25, S26) or tram (M1, M5) to Oranienburger Straße station.
Where we went
#1 Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor)
The iconic landmark of Berlin which symbolizes peace and unity.
During the day-
Directions: Take the train (S1, S2, S25 or U55) or Bus #100 to Brandenburger Tor station.
#2 Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
DON'T visit this place at night because it's creepy af. It's much prettier during the day. It consists of 2711 concrete slabs of different heights. Do stay in groups when you're there and stay away from people who ask for donations. Just walk away when they ask "Do you know English?" lol.
Admission to the underground information centre is free. It is full of historical photographs, farewell letters etc. We read the first half and were too lazy to continue ahaha.
Directions: Brandenburger Tor station is the nearest station, it's 300m away from the Brandenburg Gate.
#3 Reichstag Building
The home of the German Parliament.
Directions: Take the bus #100 to Reichstag/Bundestag station (100m away) or the underground U55 to Bundestag station (200m away) or walk from the Brandenburg gate (500m away).
#4 Reichstag Dome
Access to the Reichstag Dome is free! However, you need to book a slot for your visit either online or at their booth located opposite of the Reichstag building.
Do grab one of the audio guides before going in!
We only realised that the roof is empty when we reached the top! And then 心理作用 suddenly feel very cold HAHAHA
Some history of the Reichstag-
Directions: same as above // U55 Bundestag is the nearest station and also the prettiest and newest and cleanest station I've been to in Berlin.
#5 Museum Island (Museumsinsel)
There are 5 museums on Museum Island and they're all closed on Mondays. You can read more about the museums here and get the Museum Island pass for €18 if you're interested to visit all of them.
(ft. the Berlin TV Tower at the back)
Bode Museum
Directions: Take the train (S3, S5, S7, S9) or bus (N42) to Hackescher Markt station (400m away). It is a 5 minutes' walk away from our hotel and also Oranienburger Str station (S1,S2).
#6 Potsdam - Sansoucci Park
Potsdam is located at Zone C, and it takes around 1.5 hours to reach there from the city center. Thanks KY for telling me about this place else I really would've missed it.
Sanssouci Palace
Chinese House
Orangery Palace
New Palace at Sanssouci
Charlottenhof Palace
Directions (to Sanssouci palace): Take the train (S7) all the way to the end station Potsdam and switch to bus (#614 or #695) to Schloss Sanssouci station.
Other popular places to visit
• Berlin Wall
• Berlin Cathedral
• Alexanderplatz
• Charlottenburg Palace
What we ate
Cuban food @ QBA Restaurant
Our first meal in Berlin! Was too hungry so we just walked down the street and went into this restaurant because it has a rating above 4. Portion is huge, food is above average.
Pastries @ Lindner
The pastries were sour, surprisingly, rather than sweet! Quite good actually.
Wurst (sausage)@ Berlin Pavillon
Go for the saucy potato option instead of fries because it tastes wayyyy better!
Döner @ Pergamon Döner Kebap
I asked J for recommendations and he told me döner so I literally keyed in that into google maps without knowing it's actually kebab HAHAHA So it brought us here and I would say it's pretty good!! Very filling and it's only €4!!!
German dishes @ Mommseneck
Initially we went to Zur Letzten Instanz for pork knuckles after looking at this list but unfortunately the restaurant was full and they didn't want to take in any more customers. Wasn't feeling well that night so I wasn't keen on these really meaty dishes :/
Ketwurst @ Alain' Snack
Went all the way here for brunch during our last day and it was so worth it!
The word Ketwurst comes from a combination of ketchup and wurst. The sausage is dunked in ketchup and put inside of a long roll which is pierced by a hot metal cylinder. €2.40 only!!
Curry ohne Darm for €2.10 (another type of sausage and it's also damn good)
Directions: Take the tram (M1) or train (S9, S41, S85, U2) to Schönhauser Allee Station and it's located right opposite of the road.
Also, beer is extremely cheap here. You can see people walking around with beer bottles and they carry a bottle opener with them all the time.
Language
German felt way tougher than French imo. Menus are mostly in German as well.
Some useful German vocab to take note of:
Bahn - train
Bahnhof - railway station
Ausgang - exit
Wurst - sausage
Danke - thank you
Expenses
Flight (London Stansted ⇌ Berlin Schönefeld) - £26.50
Train (Canterbury ⇌ London Stansted) - £53.20
Accommodation - £60.22
Food - €60
Transport - €16.60
Total ≈ £200
3 comments
Happy you enjoyed your stay at MEININGER. Hope to see you soon again! Matthias, from the MEININGER team
ReplyDeleteWe certainly did! Thanks for the great hospitality :)
DeleteAmazing post. I have been to Berlin before & reading your blog made me traversed through Berlin again. Thanks to team Germany Visa for making my trip possible. It was a memorable one!
ReplyDelete