Berlin travel guide
You are here:
Travel Guides > Germany > Berlin > Travel guide



Berlin is back – back as the capital of a reunified Germany and back as one of Europe’s greatest cities.
After World War II, Berlin was sandwiched between East and West, with a literal and metaphoric wall deeply dividing the two halves, but a new Berlin has emerged, that of a nation with nothing to hide, which is attempting to distance itself from the ghosts of its past.
Berlin is a city with two centers – one is a cluster of expensive hotels, bars, cinemas, shops around the Memorial Church and the other is the political and cultural core of the Imperial German capital. Because of the decades of division, the reunited city found itself with two of almost everything.
Despite the new constructions Berlin is a city full of historical charm – with the old streets of East Berlin, which are slowly being restored after remaining unchanged for 50 years.
The Berlin Wall divided the capital of Berlin for 28 years! If you want to understand why it was erected, how it fell and how Berlin is dealing with the scars of its past, see the longest stretch of wall still remaining! This is a great way to see the city, regardless if this is your first trip to Berlin or if you already feel like "ein Berliner",
You could also cover interesting sights of the city's center: Museum Island; Brandenburg Gate; the Neue Wache War Memorial; and visit a Ghost Station! Walking being the best way to see the sights of Berlin, get close to all these sights and, as they are all in the old center of town, reach them easily at a leisurely pace and on your way stop at a traditional German beer hall and experience Berlin as the locals do!
Contrary to the usual clichés about Germany, Berlin is a city with a laid-back attitude and some of the liveliest nightlife in Europe In Berlin today, there is everything from authentic beer halls to the clubs that have grown up out of the city's techno scene. If techno music is not your thing, then check out the city's wide range of more traditional clubs and discos. Berlin's clubs and discos are smaller, cheaper and less exclusive than their counterparts in London or New York – and you can also find restaurants offering a whole range of cuisines from around the globe. It's worth bearing in mind that many are excellent (and inexpensive) choices for food, especially breakfast, which may be served till afternoon.
Just about every street corner has a small Kneipe and most stay open later than elsewhere in Germany: it's quite feasible to drink around the clock here, the result of a law that requires bars to close only for an hour a day for cleaning.
Today’s essential Berlin experience is to laze through a summer day in the Tiergarten with a mug of chilled Pilsner beer, while witnessing a city reinventing itself as one of Europe’s finest capitals.
Berlin travel deals
- Berlin - Holiday Inn Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport air + hotel flight... $773
- Berlin - Intercontinental Berlin air + hotel flight + 3 night hotel... $938
- $72/night & up - Citadines Berlin Olivaer Platz - Berlin,... $72
- rated for 97%
Review added on May 1, 2009 >> by erato
One fact about Berlin, Germany: the 70% of the city stands of forest. So Berlin is one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities of the world, with a lot of parks and threes even in the center, what gives an unbeatable, calm and comfortable feeling to the city. I spent there a week but I couldn’t hear even a single loud word or somebody shouting. The other surprising fact was that Berlin is cheaper than most of the European capitals and I didn't only mean the extremely expensive London but cities like Budapest or Bucharest. There are a lot of places what you can visit thoroughly free like the Bundestag, Sans Souci Park in Potsdam, the Alexanderplatz, the Brandenburg Gate, the monuments of the wall separating East and West and many others. About the nightlife, a beer costs about 2-3 Euro and Saturday night all streets are tied up with young people goin' from one party to other. And before I forget, one of the most kind thing about Berlin is that almost everybody is riding a bicycle instead of driving a car and the people are (or seem to be) very patient and tolerant one with the other. So there's no doubt that you should pick up Berlin into your must-see list.
Read our members' travel tips about Berlin
Tiergarten park >> added on October 12, 2009, by Wazling
If you want to relax in the middle of Berlin, you can visit the park called Tierpark. It´s the green lung of the city. Close to it there are mayn sights you might also visit, like the 'Schloss Belvue', the 'Siegessäule', the 'Reichstag' and many other places.
Brandenburg Gate >> added on September 29, 2009, by erato
The Brandenburg Gate is the symbol of the unification of East and West Berlin as it stood on no-man's land during the cold war and was reopened in December 1989.
It stands on 12 columns having Doric capitals and with The Quadria on the top, the statue of the goddess of victory on a four horsed chariot.
The Gate is closed for cars and buses so you can enjoy a nice walk on the Pariser Platz next to the gate, under the gate or around the gate. ;)
Checkpoint Charlie Museum >> added on September 29, 2009, by erato
Checkpoint Charlie was a watchtower from where they controlled the area of the Berlin Wall that divided West and East Berlin so that nobody can cross from East to West.
The tower was demolished together with the Wall, but in 2001 they have rebuilt it. Right next to the tower you will find the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. This museum is a chronicle of the divided city and of those who tried to escape to the dream-like West, some succeeded and many failed and died.
Maybe the entrance is not very cheap, but I think it's definitely something everyone should see once in a lifetime.
What our community has to say about Berlin
Germany - travel tips, by lindamura
Bundestag, Reichstag, by erato
Berlin sights for a limited budget, by erato
free Berlin sights you shouldn’t miss, by erato
Berlin, by cipristb
Berlin, by mary
Berlin, by Victoria
Browse our members' Berlin galleries to get a better impression of the place
Show other destinations in Germany.
| $858 RT |
| vayama.com Check price |
| $890 RT |
| cfares.com Check price |
| $898 RT |
| vayama.com Check price |
| $972 RT |
| jetcombo.com Check price |
| $1189 RT |
| cfares.com Check price |
| $1439 RT |
| airfare.com Check price |
| $1495 RT |
| vayama.com Check price |
| $1517 RT |
| jetcombo.com Check price |
| $1785 RT |
| airfare.com Check price |
| $3456 RT |
| cfares.com Check price |

Highway...