Sign in with Facebook"Bitte bringen Sie mich Berlin" Berlin by smirnofforiginal
Berlin Travel Guide: 6,866 reviews and 15,332 photos
I love Berlin, I have friends in Berlin and I just keeping returning. Even now, having just returned, I already have my next flights booked! It's a city over-flowing with history and there is absolutely no escaping it.
You can always expect crowds of people around the very touristy attractions such as the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate or Checkpoint Charlie but otherwise you wont have to tolerate them like you do in othe rmajor cities.
Crime is something I have never considered - of course it exists in all places but I have always found Berlin to be quite a relaxed city with mostly firendly people.
The torrent of tourists are, however, turning the tides for some. As with all places, tourist equal money which means the costs start to rise and in some areas, such as Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain, the Berliners have had enough and are very overt about it. You can expect banners telling you you are not welcome and some places may refuse to serve you!
The residents of Gräfekiez apparently contacted guide books to beg them to stop featuring the area which is, with its canals, quite picturesque.
My friend told me that there had even been a campaign to target tourists for petty crimes to make them go away. I was surprised because I have never encountered a feeling of unwelcoming. There are some very special places in Berlin and, I confess (as a foreigner) the attraction is, in part, that they are real - residential / unspoilt by tourists... However, Berlin does get a lot of revenue from its visitors so,,, a balance need to be struck,,,
Berlin is a city licking some old and not so old wounds. Divided and reunited...
There is no escaping the atrocities that have taken place in Berlin but it tries to move forwards whilst not forgetting (well, it would be impossible to forget because there seem to be new 'attractions' popping up as reminders everytime I visit!)
Berlin is steeped in history and it is the history that has shaped the present day city. It is a city ever rebuilding itself, caught between two views (former East & former West). It is a city with both sympathy and strength.
Reviews (77)
Flughafen Berlin Tempelhof
Things to Do
(55)
It is a history in itself but has sat empty since 2008 when it ceased operating. Tempelhof came into being towards the... more travel advice
Gedenkstatte Berliner Maur
Things to Do
(55)
To get a true sense of what the Berlin wall was all about, this is, in my opinion, probably the best place to come... more travel advice
Sachsenhausen - the museum (part II)
Things to Do
(55)
There is a lot of information and there are exhibits and detailed accounts and explanations in both German and... more travel advice
The evil of 1936 - Sachsenhausen
Things to Do
(55)
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was built in 1936, predominantly by prison labour. It was the first camp to be... more travel advice
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Comments (10)
I love Berlin, too!! Been there many times and going back again next month. Enjoyed reading your tips, I haven't done the trabi safari yet, so I think that'll be on my list this time! :)
I liked KaDeWe too :) Nice area, beside the Hollow Tooth! Lots of nice tips & memories here..
Some very useful information here. I'll be following several of your recommendations on my trip in two week's time :))
Very informative tips. I've bookmarked some for my trip next month.
an excellent page & great pics ! That Trabbi-tour sounds like a lot of fun !
EXcellent pages!
Excellent page, really, and I'm glad you liked it in Berlin. To be honest, I didn't even know those Trabi Safaris were organized tours.
Excellet page on Berlin. reading these tips takes me right back to my trips here a few summers ago. I don't remember Berlin Unterwelten - must be a new tour company - but their tours sound v interesting. Good to see the Berlin bears are still there.
I tried to get out of the East @ Checkpoint Charlie (a while back!); enjoyed your tip and pages
Brilliant photos and fabulous descriptions. Very well done ... :-)