So, it's easter which means (other than the whole Jesus thing) that we have time off - so we decided to spend a couple of days in Berlin. The capital city of Germany is only a (roughly) 5 hour drive from where we live, and therefore quicker than taking a plane. We left sunday morning and arrived at around noon, where we stayed at Hotel Berlin, which is located across from Tiergarten.
Now, Berlin is quite a big city - and when you have a limited amount of days to explore it's a good idea to try and figure out what you want to see, do and eat. SO here's a list of the things that we did that were fun, a list of things I wish we did, and a list of things I wish we hadn't done.
Things I loved:
Hop on hop off tour So this might be the most cliché thing, but honestly when there's this much to see it's much easier to get on one of those city tour busses. They show you all the basic things as well as having a guide (ours was digital) who tells you funny and interesting stories and details about the city and specific buildings. Once we had seen everything we kind of used the busses as taxi's when we had the tickets, we would figure out what we wanted to see more of and would just use them to get around. We used the Big Bus company, which had three routes and quick times.
Shopping The shopping in this city is amazing. They have several big shopping areas including Kurfürstendamm, Friedrichstraße and multiple malls. So, if you're into shopping I would highly suggest you reserve at least a day for this.
Pergamon Panorama Museum Now, there are two Pergamon museums within 200 meters of each other - and they both showcase exhibitions on ancient civilisations. The Pergamon Panorama museum is 200 meters from the other museums on museum island, and is therefore usually quite free in the regards to how many people are there, even though it offers a great exhibition. We got to see some cool stuff from Ancient Greece and didn't have to wait in line for anything - just remember to book your tickets in advance.
Hard Rock Café This might be a cliché, but I love Hard Rock - and it has been a staple for where we eat whenever we travel. I have been to countless of their restaurants, and although the interior and decorations vary from place to place - the quality of the food doesn't. So, if you want a good burger and some solid appetisers (and some keepsakes) I would highly suggest lunch or dinner here. It's also located down the Kurfürstendamm shopping street, so it's a great place to take a break from shopping (which counts as cardio).
Mundo Tapas Bar This is a tapas bar located quite literally at check point Charlie - so if you're there you might as well grab something to eat. It's however only open for dinner. It had great food, and had something for everyone of all ages, so it's a great place for families. It also had some amazing cocktails.
Park Inn Panorama Terrace So, if you don't have time or don't want to spend as much money on going to the TV tower, the terrace at the Park Inn hotel is a great second option (and it's located by a bus stop, as well as being right opposite the TV tower). You go up the elevator and then climb some steps to pay the ticket fee, and you can stay there as long as you want - giving you a great view of Berlin and the TV tower.
Things I wish we did:
Museum island Yes we visited one museum, but I wish we had more time to visit the big museums in the area called museum island. Berlin is really filled with many small museums, and in general I just wish we had more time to visit them.
Parliament tour Another thing I wish we did was go on the free parliament tour, where you're shown around the Reichstag building by a tour guide.
Clubbing Now, this might not be for everyone, but Berlin is known for it's amazing (and interesting) night life, and if we had been there during a weekend, or if I had been there with friends, I would definitely have gone out to their many clubs.
Tv tower As mentioned above we went to the Park Inn terrace instead of going to the TV tower, and that was mostly due to scheduling. You have to book in advance, and we just forgot to do so - which is a shame because I've been told that the view is amazing.
Things I wish we didn't do:
Blind bar So, this is a little controversial, but we went to the Unsicht bar, which is a dining experience where you are eating in the dark, and served by blind waiters - in order to really experience the food and the atmosphere. We did not have a good time, the food was bad and so was the service - we had to wait 40 minutes until someone came to help us to the bathroom (we couldn't go by ourselves, because it was pitch black). It was 50 euro per plate and was supposed to be a 4 course meal, but it wasn't very good. So sadly I wouldn't even reccomend this place to my worst enemy.
KaDaVe I wouldn't say that I wish we didn't go to KaDaVe - which is a luxury shopping mall right in the centre of Kurfürstendamm - but I do wish we didn't spend so much time there. And that's mostly because I'm broke.
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