This was published 5 years ago
Travel tips and things to do in Berlin, Germany: The nine things you should do
By David Whitley
Sunrise at Museum Island.Credit: Alamy
THE ONE ISLAND
Berlin's big, serious traditional museums are concentrated in one place. Museum Island in the central Mitte neighbourhood hosts the Neues Museum, which majors in Ancient Egypt, and the Altes Museum, which hones in on Greece and Rome. Meanwhile, the Pergamonmuseum focuses on monumental ancient architecture, and the Alte Nationalgalerie has a massive collection of 19th-century art. See smb.museum
THE ONE PARK
Formerly a royal hunting ground for the Elector of Brandenburg, the Tiergarten is where Berliners go to chill out. It's easy to find your own spot, as woodland trails emerge at pompous statues, the neatly primped rose garden, sprawling beer gardens and cutesy little man-made islands. Lakes are used for boating in summer and ice skating in winter.
THE ONE WALK
Bernauer Strasse, just north of the city centre, is home to remnants of the Berlin Wall. But most importantly, it has been largely preserved as a memorial. It shows clearly how it was not one wall but two, with a "death strip" in the middle, and has museum-esque displays on the guards, split families, escape tunnels and those who died trying to cross. See berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de
THE ONE DRIVE
Berliners have a semi-fond nostalgia for the divided Cold War era, and the Trabi Safari is an example of this. These tours of the city take place in old East German Trabants, the largely hapless, spluttering engine-propelled cars of the time. The novelty factor of getting behind the wheel makes it far more fun than a generic bus tour. See trabi-safari.de
THE ONE MEMORIAL
Deliberately abstract and incredibly disturbing to walk through, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is a field of 2711 grey concrete stelae of varying heights. It looks a little like a cemetery, and the pathways through the slabs are intentionally narrow to ramp up the sense of intimidation and unease. It's next to the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin's most famous symbol. See stiftung-denkmal.de
THE ONE HIPSTER HANG-OUT
RAW-Gelande, in the former Friedrichshain train yards, is Berlin's most impressive street art hot spot, but it also hosts nightclubs, an artificial beach bar, a poser-friendly pool inside the shell of an old factory, plenty of food trucks and art galleries. Basically, it is much of what makes Berlin cool in one grungy setting. See raw-gelaende.de
THE ONE SCHNITZEL
The setting is key for the Rio Grande. On the bank of the River Spree, it's a fine place to stretch the meal out and watch boats going past. It also serves up mighty fine schnitzels – served with a more-ish pickled potato salad and cranberries. See riogrande-berlin.de
THE ONE BAR
A fine encapsulation of Kreuzberg quirk, Madame Claude is a former brothel, accessed via dingy stairs. Once down there you can enjoy rudimentary cocktails and local craft beers, if you're not too weirded out by the upside-down theme. Tables, chairs – even cigarette packets and decks of cards – are hanging from the ceiling. There's live music or DJs most nights. See madameclaude.de
THE ONE HOTEL
The signature rooms at the Weinmeister have been given over to individual artists. Room 402 sees portraits of icons such as Muhammad Ali and Jack Nicholson being covered in tattoo-like words and symbols. There's also a plunge pool on the roof, and plenty of quirky design touches, such as the CCTV-esque reading lights built into headboards. Doubles cost from €131. See the-weinmeister.com
ONE MORE THING
The doner kebab as we know it was supposedly invented in Berlin. Pay tribute to this magical creation at one of the many, many Turkish restaurants and "imbiss'' stalls. Kottbusser Tor in Kreuzberg has a not-so-healthy cluster of them.
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David Whitley was a guest of Visit Berlin.
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