Berlin is a city with, I believe, unmatched charisma and personality. The German capital is a multi-faceted metropolitan city, largely owing to the impact of its diverse socio-political history. With the east and west sides of Germany and Berlin being reunited in 1990, cultural expression within the city is rich and layered. Due to this, Berlin does not only boast not-to-be-missed sites (the Brandenburg Gate, the East Side Gallery, the TV Tower, the Tiergarten – to name a few!) but also has many hidden gems.
To showcase these, here’s some alternatives for those key sites you could give a try (whilst not neglecting the popular sites – they’re popular for a reason!).
1. Street Art
Likely the most go-to site for street art in Berlin is the East Side Gallery and understandably so; it’s in a great location along the River Spree, it’s got world-famous art from international artists, and its all done on a remaining section of the Berlin Wall. AKA, very cool. However, it does get very busy (with crowding taking up the path on the roadside), the art is preserved but not renewed, and it doesn’t reflect the current motives of street artists in Berlin. In search of this, neighbourhoods in the east-side of Berlin have the most prevalent street art – just cross one of the bridges from the gallery and go exploring! The sides of buildings and train carriages are popular spots.
Also, closer to the centre of Berlin is Haus Schwarzenberg – it’s basically an open-air street art gallery, down a little alley in Spandauer Vorstadt. Even though this area is quite central to the city, the little off-shoots and alleyways often have cool things to find, which I encourage you do as Berlin is a city to be explored.
Image source:Jemma Tennison
2. Parks
The Tiergarten is a famous European city park and one of its main attractions are the many memorials to victims of the Holocaust – all unique and reflective of these groups in their own, artistic way. It also houses political buildings – the Reichstag (the parliament) and Bellevue Palace (the President’s residence). Besides these sights, the park itself is very picturesque and has different pathways for walking and cycling. However, like Berlin as a whole, it is very flat. Unless you pay extra to walk the winding stairs of the Victory Column, there are no vantage points over the city available from the park.
For a (free) view over the city – as well as a lush waterfall – head to Viktoriapark. It contains Berlin’s highest inner-city elevation for great views back to the city, as well as being a lovely, quieter park! Over in the east, Volkspark Friedrichshain is another great option. It’s the city’s oldest public park and is great for cycling, picnicking and BBQing, and watching movies – as it has an open-air cinema. So, Viktoriapark is an option for views and Volkspark Friedrichshain an option for activity!
3. Shopping
Like every city loved by tourists, Berlin has plenty of souvenir shops, including the Ampelmann shop along the Unter den Linden which sells souvenirs surrounding the beloved Berlin figure – look out for him on the pedestrian traffic light signals! Also, like every busy city, Berlin is not short of high street shopping. However, if you seek a different shopping experience, then try the flea market at Mauerpark. It takes place on a Sunday, which is great as a lot of shops across the city (like Germany) will be shut on Sundays. Even if flea-market shopping isn’t your thing, maybe open-mic karaoke is… the karaoke begins around 2/3pm and you can expect some Sunday afternoon entertainment if nothing else!
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4. Food
Berlin is absolutely the place to try German food, especially if it is your only stop in the country. We’re talking schnitzel, currywurst, bread, Sauerkraut. However, Berlin is also a very multicultural city and you can find excellent international cuisine. One place I’d like to highlight is Wen Cheng. They make hand-pulled Chinese noodles with generous portions and incredible boa buns (vegan friendly too!).
Berlin also has the largest population of Turkish people outside of Türkiye (due to Germany inviting guest workers over for post-war recovery) and that means that there is a multitude of incredible Turkish and Middle Eastern eateries in Berlin. Head to south-eastern neighbourhoods in the cities to hunt for the best falafel! Also, if you want to be totally put off from food, visit the Disgusting Food Museum. As one of the city’s more niche museums, it is exactly what is says on the tin – viewer discretion advised!
5. Drink
In Berlin, there are corner stores where you can buy drinks for a couple of euros (typically cash), pop the lid, and go on your way along the street. They are called Spätkauf (spay-tkawf), which translates roughly to ‘late shop’, and are commonly referred to as Spätis (shpay-tees). If you take your bottle to-go, just remember to leave it on the floor, out of the way when empty – the city runs a recycling scheme wherein people can return bottles to make some cash, and it’s a lot easier to pick bottles up from the group rather than rooting through a bin! The novelty of getting a drink from a Späti has not seemed to wear off yet, and I don’t think it will.
Some spätis even have benches outside and therefore operate kind of like a bar. Due to how common these Spätis are, I would not call them a hidden gem, although always worth a mention. Kind of like seeking street art, to find cool spots to drink in Berlin, you have to go ever-so-slightly off the beaten track. To re-mention Spandauer Vorstadt: it’s quite a central, popular area with high-street shops, but also has great bars tucked away – such as Echschloraque. It’s a dimly lit, uniquely decorated – very common for these more hidden bars in Berlin.
Neighbourhoods in the east also have lots of these great ‘dive bars’. Some things to note for these bars: they’re usually cash only, permit smoking inside, and are more local-centred, so try your best with some basic German phrases! Berlin nightlife kicks off pretty late, so a lot of these bars also open late and Spätis > bar > club is a recipe for a great night out in the city.
My love for Berlin gives me a HUGE bias when talking/writing about the city, but the sheer variety of things to do, see, eat, and drink when visiting is undeniable. In this article, I’ve showcased the depth within this variety too – Berlin really is a city that allows you to shape your experiences based off your interests and wants for you travels/holiday. So, when you visit Berlin, I urge that you check out some hidden gems (as well as the main sites, of course!).
