Berlin City Guide

Berlin City Guide

Berlin is one of the cities in which you can feel the Cold War to your bones. It is also one of the most preferred destinations for its historical texture and many tour options. The city is one of those European cities where you can clearly see the east-west synthesis. We suggest learning a couple of words before heading there to prevent the language barrier but let us also say that English is overall well-spoken in the country. Berlin has one of the highest Turkish populations in Germany, which is why it might be a good destination for Turks.

Accommodation

Accommodation is one of the top subjects for travelers. We suggest picking an accommodation close to the city center to avoid commuting around too much. Even though Berlin does not have a single designated city center, we can say Alexanderplatz is as close as it gets to a center. Some of the most beautiful and affordable hotels and hostels in the area are: 

• MEININGER Hotel

• St Christopher's Inn

• Heart of Gold Hostel

• ONE80° Hostel

• The Student Hotel

• Hotel Forsthaus

Commute

Subway, or U-Bahn as known in Germany, is one of the most used transportation means in the city. You can easily go wherever you want in the A, B, and C zones with over 173 stops. The subway is open until 1.30 am on weekdays and 24/7 on weekends. Another method is the S-Bahn, which is primarily used to commute to more local areas. 

Using a bicycle around Berlin is also another preferred transportation method in the city, which is now more popular than previous years. The increasing number of bike renting and exchange applications in the city contributed greatly to this method. Some of these applications are Byke, Donkey Republic, Lidl Bikes, Lime Bikes, mobike, nextbike, obike and ofo.

Must-See Locations

Let us start with where you can go as a tourist. One of the first sights to see in Berlin is the Brandenburg Gate standing since the WWII in Mitte district After that, you can see St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Berlin State Opera House, and Humboldt University while touring in Bebel Platz district. 

The next stop is Reichstag. This is the parliament building that even Adolf Hitler used in his time. The German council still actively meets in this building.

One of the first sights in Berlin to come to mind is the Berlin Wall. A part of it still stands as a memorial after its fall. The Wall is currently regarded as the “world’s largest open-air museum” with all the graffities on it. We suggest paying it a visit for a tale for your grandchildren one day.

Tiergarten Park is our suggestion for those who love greens and nature. As Berlin’s most popular public park, Tiergarten is visited mostly by Berliners for a relaxing time. You can easily commute to Tiergarten via the S-Bahn.  Potsdamer Platz is extremely close to Tiergarten Park and is known as modern-day Berlin’s city center. 

There are also two important monuments to see in Berlin. These two monuments mean a great deal to the German nation for the losses they have seen throughout history. The first one is the Holocaust Memorial. This memorial in Mitte district was designed by Peter Eisenmann on a 19,000 m2 ground in the name of all Jews who lost their lives during the Nazi Germany. 

Neue Wache is the second monument. It is a listed building on Unten den Linden boulevard, and it is a sight to see for its atmosphere and meaning. “Mother with her dead son” statue in the memorial is dedicated to all the children and all other lives lost in the war. It stands to remind us of the horrific aspects of war.

KaDeWe (Kaufhaus Des Westens) is a luxurious shopping center with a variety of products and brands for shopaholics. Mall of Berlin, Bikini Berlin ve Alexa Mall are also worth visiting.