Berlin will take you by storm from the get-go. After my four weeks of living and breathing the Berliner Luft, I’ve come to the realisation that Berlin is the ultimate destination for under 30’s. Here’s why:
The people are amazing
Germans are known for their friendliness, efficiency, and honesty. Berliner’s take pride in the way they live and welcome new people to experience it for themselves. It is the city where each smile delivers an unspoken trust, and you’ll often see this in the management of their public systems – their train stations rarely use turnstiles as Berliner’s uphold strong values of being honest and equal citizens, making sure to pay for their tickets and passing on valid tickets to those in need.
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The party scene is huge
Some of you may have heard of the club, Berghain, notorious for its exclusivity, turning away every Tom, Dick but not Harry for reasons unknown. But for the partygoers and techno-heads that were turned away because their socks weren’t edgy enough, there are plenty more clubs, bars and parties to find tucked away, even in the light of day. That’s right, Berlin are the experts and pioneers in weekend-long night and day clubs! No need to stress about what you’ll be chowing down on for breakfast, chances are your club will have it served around 6am.
There’s no central “busy” area
Upon my departure from the airport, I did as any bright-eyed and bushy-tailed traveller would do and decided to explore my surroundings. Phone in hand and a wallet full of Euros, I took it upon myself to walk to the squares and find a place for dinner. For a Saturday night, I was shocked at how few people were out and about, basking in the 30-degree Summer sunset (which happens at 10pm by the way) and I began to feel a strange sense of uncertainty – Houston, we aren’t in Darling Harbour anymore. Soon enough, I found that Berlin was home to lots of hustling, bustling nooks, and crannies.
The public transport is always on time
I’ll keep this one short because it’s not enough just to tell you, you have to see it for yourself. Berliner’s are punctual people and if the U-Bahn is late then there’s sure to be some kerfuffle. Berlin does a great job of keeping the trains on time and making sure everyone knows it with more clocks than people.
There’s two of everything
Before the Berlin wall collapse, the city was divided between East and West. Because of this, you’ll find there are often at least two of every main public area including zoos and opera houses! Berlin is culturally rich and you’ll often find many parts of the wall are still preserved with a noticeable difference in architecture on either side of the divide!
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Berlin is the trend-setting city
Berlin is like that cool kid from school that you always wanted to be but couldn’t quite figure out why. Somewhere along the line, scuffed up Converse and ripped jeans became the trend, and in Berlin, vintage will never fade. Heading down to Kreuzberg you’ll find a selection of Pick N Weight stores to fill your dream vintage wardrobe, and if you’re looking for a snack, it’s likely you’ll find your vegan ice-cream fix right next door.
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