Last Month We Visited Berlin, And This Is What We Learned

You’ve probably seen on my social channels that I visited Germany in December to visit the Christmas markets with my best friend. Tragically on our arrival there was a terrorist attack at the end of the road near where we were staying. Luckily we were safe at the airport when we found out, but our hearts went out to everybody effected. Despite the tragic incident, the community came together to support one another. 🇩🇪

The atmosphere near the scene of the attack was tense and saddening, but locals maintained high spirits nevertheless. Although it was horrific, it didn’t change the fact that Berlin is one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of Europe. It perfectly mixes the industrial with the glamorous, making for an interesting visual experience, but it is also one of the best places to visit if you want to cram in as many experiences as possible on your city break. So we did what we came here to do, and enjoyed the fantastic city for all it had to offer.

Whether you‘re a foodie, a music lover or a culture vulture, you will find much to appreciate about Berlin. We managed to see so much in Germany including the Victory Column, Berlin Cathedral and dine in a revolving restaurant 368m in the sky, Berliner Fernsehturm. We even squeezed in a sneaky spa day at Sultan Hamam (which was incredible!). Here are just a few of the city’s unique experiences that you should add to your itinerary:

The Berlin Wall

The second you jump in a taxi in Berlin to go off exploring the city, you should ask your driver to take you to what little is left of the famous Berlin Wall. Even if you are not much of a history buff, you can’t deny the importance of the falling of which was as significant an event as the moon landings and 9/11. What remains of the wall is now covered with brightly coloured murals, which are an interesting part of social history, and they’ll enable you to take some cracking photos too!

Museum Island

Museum Island is the jewel in the crown of Berlin’s cultural offerings. Consisting of five separate buildings, each housing a number of ancient treasures, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is the place to be if you want to sample art and culture from as far back as the Stone Age.

Hamburger Bahnhof

Berlin is well-known for being a big art of the European contemporary art scene, so if you’re lucky enough to spend some time there, you must at the very least check out the Hamburger Bahnhof, which is generally considered to be the best location for contemporary artwork, including sculptures, paintings, videos and even art installations. If you love your contemporary art, you don’t have to leave it there, because there are around 440 galleries dotted around Berlin offering up world class art that will really light your fire.

Schloss Charlottenburg

If you love architecture, opulence and royalty, you won’t want to miss out on a trip the impressive baroque palace that is Schloss Charlottenburg – a building that was once home to the very grand Prussian Royals. The best time to visit the palace is definitely in the summer when you can enjoy leisurely strolls around the grounds and have yourself a nice picnic, once you’ve finished looking at all the treasures of the Prussian royals from days gone by.

The Tiergarten

If you are looking for a romantic getaway, or you simply want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Berlin, you will find the Tiergarten hard to beat! Once a place for the rich and famous of Berlin to hunt, the Tiergarten was eventually taken into hand by Peter Lenné – a landscape artist who transformed the grounds into a beautiful, whimsical park with ponds, creeks, mysterious tree groves and hidden paths, back in the 1700s.

That should be more than enough to ensure that you have an interesting and exciting holiday in Berlin, but really it only tips the iceberg of what you can get up to in the best part of Germany.