Being in Berlin

Living and Transportation:

When visiting Berlin, Germany, my trip was only a few days long and I was trying to live most cost effectively. Because of this my friends and I chose to go the cheaper route and stay at a hostel rather than a hotel or an AirBNB. We chose to stay at the hostel called, The Generator, which was one of the more pricey ones, but had the best reviews and location. However, there were other hostels nearby that were even less than what we paid.

In addition, when arriving in Berlin via train at the central station it was simple to go to the tourist and transportation shop (which was located in the station itself) and purchase a bus pass that would meet our needs for the weekend. The pass that we chose was the unlimited bus and train throughout Berlin for the 3 day time period we were visiting. This was a great option because the city is quite large and when going from place to place it could get exhausting to walk everywhere. Although we did spend most of our time on foot, it was cool to be able to ride throughout the city and see a little more of Berlin and it really came in handy for long distances with hurting feet!

Now here are some places to visit once you have your living arrangements and transportation figured out!

Places to Visit:

Fernsehturm Berlin is the tallest building in Berlin located in central Berlin. Interestingly, the tower also contains a large antenna above that is used as a Radio and TV Tower as well.This building was walking distance to the hostel we stayed at, The Generator. It was also near many shops and cool sights in the middle of Berlin. If you’d like, you can also pay to go to the top of the tower and see views of all of Berlin from a 360 degree view. However, if you plan on doing so arrive somewhat early and expect to be waiting in some lines before you are able to reach the top. I recommend doing this as you can put into perspective how large this city truly is.

The Holocaust Memorial (The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) is a memorial in Berlin that is dedicated to the Jewish victims that were a part of the Holocaust. This memorial consists of many concrete slabs of different sizes that are arranged in a particular pattern. Berlin was one of the cities with the greatest Jewish populations in Europe, which is why it is a great location for this memorial. The architecture of the memorial was beautiful to see in person, and it was definitely a great place to reflect on all the history this city contains. This location of this spot is also in the center of many other sites in Berlin so it was one of the first places I visited when I was there.

Berlin Wall is definitely a must. Many know of the Berlin Wall, but for those who don’t know much, it was a concrete wall that went throughout the city of Berlin to separate the east and west of Berlin. This wall divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989 and was constructed by the German Democratic Republic. Today majority of the wall has been demolished; however, there are parts that remain in various places throughout Berlin. I suggest doing some research on where the best places are to visit the wall, because when I was visiting Berlin we had some difficulty knowing where to go to see the best views of the wall.

Checkpoint Charlie is the crossing point that was between East and West Berlin during the Cold War time period. This was a cool spot to visit because there was remaining signs from this time that had to do with passing the border and emigration restrictions. Here there were also many souvenir shops too if you’re looking to keep something from the Berlin Wall. Keep in mind this is a place where a lot of tourists visit so it will most likely be busy while you are here. It is definitely a place I recommend seeing, but don’t think it’s somewhere i’d spend much of my time in Berlin at.

Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) is a church that has history starting back in the 15th century as a Roman Catholic place of worship. The Cathedral is located on the Museum Island in the Mitte borough. Surrounding is a peaceful fountain and lawn where people can sit and enjoy the views with friends. When I visited there were also performers around playing music and doing magic tricks. This is a great place to relax in the city of Berlin and take a break from the great amount of walking you’ll be doing. You may even want to bring a picnic blanket and some snacks while hanging around this beautiful sight!

Now that you have the essential information for traveling to Berlin, don’t forget to have fun and let me know how you enjoy your trip!

-- Marisol