"Bitte bringen Sie mich Berlin" Berlin by smirnofforiginal

Berlin Travel Guide: 6,866 reviews and 15,332 photos

please take me to Berlin

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 - Berlin

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.

  • Last visit to Berlin: Aug 2012
  • Intro Updated Sep 14, 2012
  • Add to Trip Planner (?)
  • Report Abuse

Reviews (77)

Comments (10)

  • SandiMandi's Profile Photo
    May 6, 2010 at 11:03 AM

    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! :)

  • Durfun's Profile Photo
    Feb 25, 2010 at 10:32 AM

    I liked KaDeWe too :) Nice area, beside the Hollow Tooth! Lots of nice tips & memories here..

  • Ekaterinburg's Profile Photo
    Nov 15, 2007 at 3:25 PM

    Some very useful information here. I'll be following several of your recommendations on my trip in two week's time :))

  • Helga67's Profile Photo
    Nov 13, 2007 at 5:05 AM

    Very informative tips. I've bookmarked some for my trip next month.

  • globetrott's Profile Photo
    Sep 29, 2007 at 9:39 PM

    an excellent page & great pics ! That Trabbi-tour sounds like a lot of fun !

  • Britannia2's Profile Photo
    Sep 8, 2007 at 2:29 PM

    EXcellent pages!

  • Turtleshell's Profile Photo
    Aug 24, 2007 at 2:39 AM

    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.

  • barryg23's Profile Photo
    Aug 23, 2007 at 8:54 AM

    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.

  • iaint's Profile Photo
    Aug 22, 2007 at 1:33 PM

    I tried to get out of the East @ Checkpoint Charlie (a while back!); enjoyed your tip and pages

  • HORSCHECK's Profile Photo
    Aug 22, 2007 at 10:07 AM

    Brilliant photos and fabulous descriptions. Very well done ... :-)

smirnofforiginal

“Enter, traveller, into this immensity”

Online Now

Female

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 4 0 4
Forum Rank:
0 0 2 6 4

Badges & Stats in Berlin

  • 77 Reviews
  • 158 Photos
  • 26 Forum posts
  • 10 Comments
  • 3,677PageViews

Have you been to Berlin?

  Share Your Travels  

Latest Activity in Berlin

Latest Berlin hotel reviews

Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin
574 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 20, 2013
Hotel Arena Am Alexanderplatz
105 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 13, 2013
Generator Berlin (Storkower Strasse Landsberger )
260 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 17, 2013
Avalon Hotel Berlin
71 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 13, 2013
NH Jolly-Friedrichstrasse Vivaldi Hotel
183 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 16, 2013
Swissotel Berlin
850 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2013
Dorint Sofitel Gendarmenmarkt
222 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 13, 2013
Mark Hotel Meineke
58 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 19, 2013
Hotel Belmondo am Kurfurstendamm Berlin
100 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2013
Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz
1007 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2013
Berlin Mark Hotel
208 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 20, 2013
Courtyard By Marriott Berlin Koepenick
35 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 22, 2013
Ivbergs Premium
229 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 19, 2013
Mercure Airport Hotel Berlin Tegel Ex-Novotel
165 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2013