I’ve frequently travel to Munich and was keen on visiting Berlin.  Berlin was only a short flight from London. Berlin is a city rich in history and very cosmopolitan. Berlin is where the young and hip Germans are and they love to party.

Traveling in Berlin is very easy as they have a very efficient train line that runs all night. The major attractions are also walkable.

My Berlin highlights:

• Brandenburg Gate

• Reichstaggebaude (German Parliament) – This has an interesting glass domed which worth a visit eventhough the queue’s long. It’s free and the queue moves fast.

• Checkpoint Charlie – Before the Berlin wall collapses, this is the gate to cross from West to East Berlin.  There’s a museum nearby with interesting stories of people attempting to by-pass the checkpoint in any possible ways. You can also get a stamp in your passport for a price that says East/West Berlin, etc

• Hackesher Markt – nearby is Hackesche Hofe with courtyards full of hidden edgy local designer fashion boutiques and nice cafes/bars. There’re also some chain or high street shops. In Hackesche Hofe, there’s the Ampleman shop which sell all Ampleman Memorabilias makes a great souvenirs (See my Berlin Shopping Post).

• East Side Gallery – this is what’s left of the original Berlin Wall which has the longest stretch. The Wall is painted in graffiti style.

• Berlin Zoo – the home of Polar Bear Knutt. Knutt’s a controversial human raised polar bear which the animal activists wanted him to die because it doesn’t live in its natural habitat but saved by the zoo instead.

• Dr Pong – this is where you can drink and play ping pong (table tennis at the same time). The game starts with 20 odds people circling the ping pong table and try to hit the ball, drinking and moving all the time. Each failed to hit back the ball player gets eliminated leaving just 2 people playing at the end. It’s a must thing to do when you’re in Berlin.

• Jewish Memorial – there’re a lot of interpretations of the actual memorial site. Some says the black boxes look like coffins, some said looks like concentration camps prisoners lining up. Whatever it is, will remind future generations about what happened.

• Joining Free Berlin Tour (starts in front of Starbucks at the Brandenburg Gate Square) – you get the highlights of city history in couple hours walking tour including the story behind the wall, hitler’s bunker, books burning, other historical buildings, etc

I didn’t get to see any burlesque show due to my limited time in the city but in my future visit, I’ll definetely pop into one.

Related posts:

1. Dachau Concentration Camp (Munich, Germany)
2. Munich, Germany – Currywurst & Beer
3. Arc De Triomphe – The round about of dealth, Paris
4. Neuschwanstein Castle – Munich, Germany