From beer gardens to abandoned airports and amusement parks, Tripbod Jeroen reveals 10 of the greatest alternative things to see and do in Berlin.
1. The Berlin Wall Memorial
The right place for more information on the Berlin Wall as well as the division of Germany is definitely the official Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, north from the centre. The border ran right across the façades from the houses here, and following the inhabitants were evacuated and also the lower floors were bricked up, people still managed to flee the GDR by jumping out from the top floors. The data centre shows films of the construction of the wall, and there's a view tower overlooking a brief stretch of wall which has been restored for the original, brutal look. Walk across the back for any peek on the 'death strip' from the gaps within the rear wall.
Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer germany travel forum
Bernauer Strasse 111 & 119, Mitte
Tel. 49 30 46798 6666
www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de
Open 9: 30am-7pm, Nov-Mar 9: 30am-6pm. Closed Mon (outdoor exhibition open 24hrs).
Admission free
Berlin Wall Memorial © Jeroen van Marle
Berlin Wall Memorial
2. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is without a doubt one of the better in the world. Directed by Englishman Sir Simon Rattle, it performs regularly in Berlin, and tours the entire world extensively also. The orchestra's house is the striking yellow tent-shaped Philharmonie near Potsdamer Platz. Its interior with seating terraces all around the stage was revolutionary in the event it opened 50 years ago. Don't miss the free Tuesday lunchtime concerts by renowned and upcoming musicians; arrive 30-45 minutes early and carry something soft to sit down on, as the audience sits on the lobby floor!
Berliner Philharmonie
Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Berlin-Tiergarten
S/U Potsdamer Platz
Tel. 49 30 2548 8999
www.berlin-philharmonic.de
Lunchtime concerts: 1pm, 3 Sept - 14 June 2014
Berlin Philharmonic, Axel Lauer / Shutterstock.com
3. Three panoramic places
There are several places to get great panoramic views across town, although berlin may be a relatively flat city with only a handful of high-rise buildings. The Panoramapunkt at the top of the brick Kollhoff tower on Potsdamer Platz is my favourite city centre viewpoint. Europe's fastest elevator it zips you 100 metres up for views of Berlin's old and new centre, and it also includes a café and exhibition. Just south in the centre, the monument near the top of the Kreuzberg hill in Viktoriapark is Berlin's highest natural point; buy some beers in a Spaeti shop and walk up over the romantic waterfall at sunset. In the Neukoelln district, the brand new Klunkerkranich 'cultural rooftop garden' on top of a mall parking garage has a bar, DJs, live music and parties with fabulous views over Berlin.
Panoramapunkt
Potsdamer Platz 1, Berlin-Mitte
Tel. 49 30 2593 7080
www.panoramapunkt.de
Open daily 10: 00-20: 00
S/U-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz
Viktoriapark
Kreuzbergstrasse
U-Bahn: Mehringdamm
Klunkerkranich
Karl-Marx-Strasse 66, Berlin-Neukölln
U-Bahn: Rathaus Neukölln
Open Fri 16: 00-24: 00, Sat/Sun 14: 00-24: 00.
www.klunkerkranich.de
Victoriapark, Kreuzberg © Jeroen van Marle
Victoriapark, Kreuzberg
4. Require a tour having a difference
There are dozens of tours around Berlin’s tourist sights, but I really enjoy joining small tours around the outlying districts. The history here is no less interesting, and you'll get insights into normal daily life inside the city. Slow Travel Berlin, an internet site authored by Berlin-lovers, organises district walking tours that actually take the time for in-depth exploration of Prenzlauer Berg, western Kreuzberg or Wedding. Finding Berlin is yet another website by Berlin enthusiasts that spawned tours; join their 'Little Istanbul' walk that includes chats with Turkish shop and bakers owners in Neukoelln, or even the 'Life & Styles' tour, exploring eastern Kreuzberg using vintage fixed-gear bicycles.
Slow Travel Berlin
www.slowtravelberlin.com
Finding Berlin Tours & Vintage Bike Rental
Schlesische Straße 29/30 (2nd courtyard), Berlin-Kreuzberg
U Schlesisches Tor
Tel. 49 176 9933 3913
www.findingberlin-tours.com
woman riding bike, Berlin
5. Markthalle 9
Only 2 of Berlin's 13 market halls survive, as well as the beautiful 'number 9' hall in Kreuzberg, dating back to 1891, was recently revived using a lively weekly farmers' market; I live nearby and it's an excellent spot for fresh regional food. But there's more: the Kantine restaurant serves excellent organic lunches every single day, there's a popular street food market every Thursday evening and then there are frequently special markets on Sundays, dedicated to local crafts or sweets. If that isn't enough reason to drop by, the new Heidenpeters microbrewery sells its ales on market days. By the Puecklerstrasse exit, the famous Weltrestaurant Markthalle is a lovely place for a schnitzel, or a beer on the terrace.
Markthalle 9
Eisenbahnstrasse 42, Berlin-Kreuzberg
www.marthalle9.de
Weekly market Fri/Sat 10: 00-18: 00, Streetfood Thursday 18: 00-22: 00.
U-Bahn: Goerlitzer Bahnhof
Weltrestaurant Markthalle
Puecklerstrasse 34, Berlin-Kreuzberg
Tel. 49 30 6175 502
www.weltrestaurant-markthalle.com
Markthalle 9, Berlin © Jeroen van Marle
Markthalle 9
6. Clärchens Ballhaus
Generations of Berliners have danced the nights away at Clärchens since it opened in September 1913. Here normal Berliners may have fun and perhaps dance with the male or female of their dreams. The photos at the entrance show that very little has changed over the last 100 years, though the front of the building, now a terrace, was bombed in the war. Nowadays, Clärchens is Berlin's last real dance hall, with great pizza and German dishes, and themed dance nights (tango, salsa and foxtrot etc - free admission) on weekdays. The legendary schwoof parties (€5) take place at weekends, when there's live music, and you're welcomed on the wardrobe by Günter who started working in the mid-1960s.
Auguststrasse 24, Berlin-Mitte
www.ballhaus.de
S-Bahn Oranienburger Straße
Open daily 11: 00-02: 00, Fri/Sat 11: 00-04: 00
7. Tempelhofer Freiheit Park
Every time I take visitors onto the runways of the former Tempelhof Airport and there's two kilometres of wide empty runway in front of them, their eyes always begin to sparkle, though visiting a former airfield may not sound very exciting. Tempelhof airport was integrated the 1930s to be the world's most advanced airport and one of many world's largest buildings. Later, the Americans used it being a military airport, plus it played a key role in saving West Berlin through the 1949 Soviet blockade. The 1200-metre-long terminal building is utilized for tours and events, as the airfield has been converted into a park for lying in the sunshine, kite jogging, cycling and boarding roller-blading, dog-walking and barbecuing. Make sure you come across bike to get the most from it!
Tempelhofer Freiheit Park
Several entrances; S/U-Bahn Tempelhof and U-Bahn Boddinstrasse are handiest.
Open sunrise to sunset, admission free.
www.tempelhoferfreiheit.de
Tempelhof © Jeroen van Marle
Catch the wind: Tempelhof
8. Have a beer in Berlin's new microbrewery scene
Berlin has a long tradition of brewing too, even though bavaria may have Germany's most famous beer brands. Recently several exciting new brewers have setup shop. Hidden inside a Wedding student housing complex, Eschenbraeu is well worth visiting for the home-brewed beers and flammekuchen pies. Within the Friedrichshain district, the Hops & Barley bar attracts a young crowd. Nearer to the centre, Brauhaus Lemke is actually a nice brewpub. But my favourite places for a beer would be the Prater Garten, the oldest Biergarten in the city, serving its own Prater Pils and the relaxing Cafe am Neuen See which serves Bavarian beers and overlooks a lovely boating lake in Tiergarten Park.
Eschenbraeu
Triftstrasse 67, Berlin-Wedding
U-Bahn: Leopoldstrasse
www.eschenbraeu.de
Hops & Barley
Wühlischstraße 22-23, Berlin-Friedrichshain
S/U-Bahn: Warschauer Strasse
www.hopsandbarley-berlin.de
Brauhaus Lemke
Dircksenstrasse, S-Bahnbogen 143, Berlin-Mitte
S-Bahn: Hackescher Markt
www.brauhaus-lemke.com
Prater Biergarten
Kastanienallee 7-9, Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg
U-Bahn: Eberswalder Strasse
www.pratergarten.de
Café am Neuen See
Lichtensteinallee 2, Berlin-Tiergarten
S/U-Bahn: Zoologischer Garten
www.cafeamneuensee.de
beer, Berlin
9. Go urban exploring
Photographers, graffiti-artists and also the plain curious are all drawn to Berlin's many ruined and abandoned places, and many websites are focused on this 'urban exploration'. Southeast from the city centre in the Treptow district, the first kind Spreepark theme park is among the most spectacular examples; the Ferris wheel and lots of rides are slowly being swallowed from the forest, and can be visited on the tour or perhaps by wandering in. On the western side in the city, there's the former CIA listening post on Teufelsberg hill. Further afield, explorers look for your Olympic Village and the Beelitz Heilstätten hospital and lots of Nazi or Soviet military areas.
Spreepark
Neue Krugallee, Berlin-Treptow
S-Bahn: Plänterwald
www.berliner-spreepark.de
Spreepark © Jeroen van Marle
Spreepark
10. Party on with a festival
Berliners prefer to celebrate outside through the warm summer. However the festival season starts off each year in the middle of winter with all the Berlinale Film Festival in February, which sees a large number of Berliners and foreigners retreat to warm cinema halls to look at the best new film releases. The outdoor season kicks off on May 1 with the MyFest street festival inside the Kreuzberg district. Berlin's main street party is the multicultural Karnaval der Kulturen parade at the end of May. Pay attention to live music at stages throughout town during Fete de la Musique, on 21 June, while late June sees the massive Christopher Street Day gay parade. Finally, the city's main landmarks and buildings are majestically lit up throughout the Festival of Lights in October.
Berlinale Film Festival
www.berlinale.de
MyFest
www.myfest36.de
Karnaval der Kulturen
www.karneval-berlin.de
Fete de la Musique
www.fetedelamusique.de
Christopher Street Day parade
www.csd-berlin.de
Festival of Lights
www.festival-of-lights.de