Berlin Things to Do Tips by TempNomad

Open every Wednesday and Saturday...The Winterfeldplatz Markt is a lot of fun. There are tons of fresh cheeses, breads, flowers, meats, veggies, fruit, and handcrafted items as well. It's crowded and colorful and it smells really good!

The market is surrounded by lots of cute cafes, so make a morning or an afternoon out of it. The surrounding neighborhood also has a lot to offer. Great buildings, playgrounds, interesting apartment buildings...lots of characters, too!

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Address: Winterfeldplatz - next to the church
Directions: Take the U bahn to Nollendorfplatz...walk towards the church steeple.

Berlin seems to have a lot of really interesting playgrounds. None were exactly alike. Some were very popular, and others were almost deserted. It may have had something to do with the weather, but they still made for curious sights.

The playground pictured had a huge multi-faced-rock-statue thing that looked very cool. It also had a lot of room to run around. The swings were, of course, the popular spot. The pictured playground was near Winterfeldplatz.

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Address: Next to Winterfeldplatz
Directions: There are lots of playgrounds next to squares. If you look up PARKS in any guidebook, they'll surely steer you to some.

The Gate is a magnificent site on its own, but there is a very cool historical display. Even if you can't read all the explanations, the photos tell the story pretty well. See my travelogue for a photo of the "old/new" view of the Gate.

Arount the area there are several chains (Starbucks/Dunkin'Donuts) for a snack or coffee...the Donuts place is good for a quick bathroom break. Starbucks is always too crowded. Who knows why.

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Address: Pariser Platz, Berlin-Mitte
Directions: S-Bahn: Unter den Linden, Bus 100

We visited the Judisches Museum with the intention of spending an hour perusing the exhibits. We ended up staying for about three hours looking at the various exhibits and displays. It's multi-media experience.

It's not a Holocaust Museum; it's a history of the Jewish People in Germany, for the most part. I strongly recommend a visit. It's included in the state sponsored card, and admission is 8 Euro for a regular admission.

The visit has lots of spaces to check out. There is the concrete memorial (see travelogue) and a room of silence and reflection. There are exhibits of sound, sight, and feel (try putting on a peddlar's pack!). It's great for adults and children. Lots of stuff for everyone to experience.

The exhibits are mainly in German, but there are English translations (albeit sparse). In the film about Geman/Jewish history, the English is very sparse. In fact, most of the non-German speakers (of all nationalities) ended up leaving before the end.

Definitely set aside a few hours for this Museum!

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Phone: (030) 30 87 85 - 681
Address: Lindenstraße 9-14, Berlin-Kreuzberg
Directions: U-Bahn: Hallesches Tor
Website: http://www.jmberlin.de

We stopped by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, but the information center was closed. The last entrants are allowed into the info. center at 19:15. However, there were pamphlets available, and the Stelae are always open. Entrance is always free.

Walking around inside the Memorial is pretty cool. The Stelae go far above your head (the tallest are more than four meters high) and then they shrink down to your ankles at some points.

The result has been controversial for a while, but what's not controversial these days? I appreciate the aesthetic, and I found walking through the stelae calming. However, I think some written plaque at each corner (I didn't see one) or some other acknowledgement of the meaning behind the memorial might serve it well.

There were children jumping on top of some of the stelae, and some were even jumping from one to another. From what I heard from other visitors to the memorial, people have also used it for sunbathing. Now, I'm not big on forced meditation or anything, but something just seems wrong about that.

Anyway, I liked it. It reminded me a little of the Vietnam Memorial, which I like very much. One concern (especially coming from the hyper-safety-litigious US) is that with kids running around down there, someone is going to crack a skull or two. I'd also refuse to go walk around after dark or alone. Maybe I'm overly paranoid, but if I were someone up to no good, that's where I'd hang out.

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Phone: 49 030 740 72929
Address: Cora-Berliner-Str. 1
Directions: S-Bahn to Unter den Linden and Potsdamer Platz
U-Bahn to Potzdamer Platz (U2)
Website: http://www.stiftung-denkmal.de/

For curiosity's sake, take a walk by Checkpoint Charlie. I didn't go into the museum, so it's not really fair of me to judge, but it looked a little too packaged for my taste.

There are several cafes and places to buy Ostalgia items and postcards and keychains and pins and shirts and army uniforms...

My advice: keep walking towards the more interesting Topographie des Terrors.

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Phone: (030) 25 37 25-0
Address: Friedrichstraße, Corner Kochstraße
Directions: U-Bahn: Kochstrasse
Website: www.mauer-museum.com
Other Contact: www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/.

This is a very comprehensive exhibition. It's open-air, and open from 10:00 - dark. The hours are later in the summer, naturally. The text is mainly in German, but the photographs are quite explicit. For those who can read German, it's very, very interesting.

Not only can you see the remains for the Berlin Wall, but there are two separate informational exhibits located directly between the sections. It's on the excavated remains of the basements of the former Gestapo, SS, and Reich Security Offices. The display details the goings-on regarding interrogations and other ugly events. There is a free English audio-guide available.

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Phone: 030/25486703
Address: Niederkirchnerstraße 8
Directions: U-Bahn to Kochstrasse, or Potzdamerplatz, or Mitte. It's walkable from any of those. Kochstrasse is closest.
Website: http://www.topographie.de/en/

If you are like we are, you'll make sure to check out the graveyards. We enjoyed walking through a few and checking out the different stones and dates and names. The ones in this photo are relatively new, but there are some that are a few hundred years old. Very interesting. The graveyards are leafy and green and some are quite overgrown. It's peaceful, hence the name Friedhof.

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Address: All over. Check out a map for graveyards

Any lover of archaelogy MUST go to this museum. It has some of the most amazing pieces of history I've seen. The Hellenistic Pergamon Altar is the first exhibition. Its scenes of the Titans and the New Generation of gods fighting is amazing. Scores of people sit on steps while they listen to the audio guide (available in several languages). There is also the Miletus Market Gate in another room. Amazing. I also loved seeing the Gate of Ishtar. So impressive and just beautiful.

Smaller exhibits include Middle Eastern ceilings and a prayer alcove from the Alhambra in Granada. Definitely worth a long visit!!

This museum is included in the State Museum Pass. For more photos, see my travelogue.

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Phone: 20905566
Address: Am Kupfergraben (Museuminsel)
Directions: Friedrichstrasse on many of the U or S Bahn lines.
Website: http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/

Sadly, we only stopped in here for thirty minutes. We intended to return later, but then Berlin whisked us away and we never came back to the Museum Insel. This museum is included in the State sponsored three day pass. It's 8 Euro otherwise.

From what I saw, the collection is wonderful and very extensive. The building was recently restored, and the entrance lobby is beautiful. Something to be aware of is that there are a lot of steps. Call first to find out about elevator access if you have trouble walking/climbing steps.

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Phone: 20905245
Address: Lustgarten
Directions: S Bahn to Hackescher Markt. On the Museuminsel.
Website: http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/