Berlin

[petitdonkey]

Hi All, Does anyone have any Berlin recommendations? I have never been but going in late April and so excited.
I would especially like restaurant recommendations - somewhere cool with a relaxed but energetic vibe... does that make sense??! Not formal but great food.
We have booked a hotel in Charlottenburg - no idea on areas though.

Any must-dos gratefully received!

I liked the Sony Center.

I lived in Germany for a couple of years. Berlin is awesome!

Food wise make sure you have currywurst mit pommes und mayo.

The city bus tour is brilliant.

I agree with PP, the bus tour was great & gave us a good feel for where things were in the city.
My top favourites; Holocaust museum (very emotional), going up to the top of the Reichstag.
Lots of things we didn't get to do so will definitely go back.

Went with kids so no nice, cool recommendations for restaurants I'm afraid.

It’s Berlin, take some Eccies and go to Berghain to have sex with strangers? :)

Great recommendations- thank you! Although don’t know what eccies are and not so keen on sex with strangers 😂

Never think to do bus tours but that’s perfect for the first day!

We did a good boat trip and had dinner at the TV tower on my birthday.

Definitely book beforehand to go up to the top of the Reichstag. We went at night and it was so cool, the best thing we did there by far.

Don't forget your passport when you go to the Reichstag!

Hi l, I lived in Berlin 20 years ago. It's not what it used to be 😉but sooo worth a visit.

There's a Kneipe near Kollwitzplatz called November, was still atmospheric when I went 3 years ago.

Also look for Rote Harfe, on Oranienstr. Turkish-run but frequented by the local ex-squatter establishment. God for weekend buffet breakfast, which is a must.

You definitely need to book Reichstag before you go - book it asap!

Go for cocktails at Bellboy. It’s expensive but the whole experience makes it worthwhile.

We did a walking tour, worth every penny

Do a boat tour along the Spree, and definitely Reichstag.

You can find these for free. We did one last year and agree it's well worth it

I was going to suggest Berghain too! Really easy to get into apparently...

We had breakfast up the TV tower which meant you got to see the city in daytime.
There is also a small Anne Frank museum which was emotional but worth the visit.
East side gallery to see the wall and art but be careful of pickpockets.
Another vote for the Reichstag.

Book a meal in the Fernsehturm. Check the local sunset and book for about an hour beforehand. The view is incredible and as the sun sets the city lights up.

Simon-Dach Strasse was always good for finding somewhere to eat.

Lots of cool places in Neukölln/Kreuzberg but I'm a little out of date with my knowledge and they pop-up and disappear quite quickly. There's usually a couple of local online blogs that are up-to-date.

For nice restaurants in Charlottenburg the best areas are Kantstraße and particularly Savignyplatz and the small side streets around it. There's also a nice neighbourhood between Charlottenburg Palace and Lietzensee (both of which I would also recommend as nice places to wander around) with some small cafes and restaurants.

Other great areas for restaurants are Mitte (particularly the north part that turns into Prenzlauer Berg), Prenzlauer Berg itself (especially Kollwitzkiez) and of course Kreuzberg.

Sony Center (mentioned by pp) is more of a mall vibe but there are a lot of great galleries and museums in that area (Potsdamer Platz) so it can be handy to get something to eat while you're visiting those.

Even with great public transport it takes a really long time to get around Berlin so bear that in mind when planning your days if you don't want to be spending all your time on the U Bahn.

While you are there you should really try a Döner ( kebab ) - knocks the socks off the ones you buy in the UK , especially around Alexanderplatz , where the TV tower is . Currywurst is another must try .

Pp mentioning the small Anne Frank museum reminded me about the Monster Kabinet in the same place. It’s an underground museum of mechanical monsters ran by the eccentric guy who made them. Quite random but I thought it was great.

Klunkerkranich in Neukölln is a fun rooftop bar. Bit hard to find as it's on top of a car park, but it's quite cool.

Thank you all so much! I’m making a list and will get some things booked. I told DH that mumsnet would be better than trip advisor!

Definitely Prenzlauerberg for cool cafes.

I love Bilderbuchcafe in Schöneberg, lots of different breakfasts all day long and great cake.

Hard Rock Cafe is great for drinks and cool, but wouldn't recommend the food.

Coffee and cake in the cafe on the top floor of KaDeWe on Kürfürstendamm, great views and lovely cakes, then wander round the floor below which is the food department, it's like Harrods.

Döner kebabs are better in Germany than in the UK.

Agree with Currywurst with pommes (chips) and mayo.

Greek restaurants seem to always be great in Germany.

Ice cream from Hokey Cokey. Amazing!