Berlin is a ‘cool’ and ‘hip’ city. The city oozes with a type of energy that you don’t find in most other cities.  The crazy part is that within 10 minutes of getting off the bus and arriving to Berlin, I saw… THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND! There was a crowd of people standing on the sidewalks and lots of police, so I was wondering what was going on. As I get close to the road, I see about 20 motorcycles drive in a V shape, and then a vehicle with big windows passes as Queen Elizabeth waves to the crowds. Goosebumps!


What to do:


               Berlin has a lot of history, so you can spend weeks visiting different monuments and learning about the past. The free walking tour in Berlin was the best walking tour I’ve ever taken! The walk takes you to many different must-see places including Bandenburg Gate, Reichstag Building, Berlin Wall, and The Holocaust Memorial. A great place to check out is Alexanderplatz, a large modern public square. Berlin is a large city, so taking the subway would be a good idea if you have limited time. Berlin also is famous for having great bars, and clubs, and it does not disappoint. Here you’ll find a unique style of music, and the Germans really know how to dance! Clubs don’t stop until 6/7am, and the clubs are still packed at this time! Berlin is truly a city that never sleeps. I accidentally bumped into the Pride Parade (known as Christopher Street Day), and it was pretty crazy! Dozens of vehicles with huge speakers were blasting music, and the whole street was filled with thousands of people dancing to the thumping beats. Confetti, broken glass, flags, and pamphlets were all over the ground in huge amounts. Another cool thing about Berlin is that public drinking is allowed, and everyone loves this! Parks are filled with teenagers and young adults enjoying a few beers during day and night, and you’re never too far from a store or street salesperson who’s offering some cold beer or wine.


Where to stay:


               I stayed in two different hostels in Berlin, St. Christopher’s, and Wombats City Hostel. Both were large hostel chains with locations all over Europe, and the experience was quite similar.


Wombats City Hostel has a nice common area that was quite social, and the rooftop patio provides absolutely stunning views of the city, overlooking the Fernsehturm de Berlin Tower. The hostel has a bar with reasonable prices, and lots of deals including a Buy-One-Get-One beer deal that’s on most of the time.


St. Christopher’s Berlin was a very large hostel with organized events in the bar. Although the common area/bar is open to the public, you can meet people if you try. The best and easiest way to do so is to attend the events and walking tour, but if you’re shy then nobody is going to come up to you here due to the large size of the hostel.

Both Hostels were quite similar, and only a 3 minute walk from eat other. If I had to choose only one, I would choose Wombats.

© 2020 Tal Braiman