Exploring Berlin — THE EDGE

Without a shadow of a doubt, Berlin is one of the most diverse cities in Germany. Undergoing many transformations, the city itself has multiple layers of history and demographic shifts that have helped to create its diverse environment. When exploring Berlin, there are tons of activities to do. This can include going to the multitude of museums, visiting monuments, exploring the different cuisines the city offers or going to events — you’ll truly never be bored!

Monuments & Museums

There are many museums to choose from when visiting Berlin. Some of our top favorites span from educating visitors about the Cold War to the communities that live within the city. For those who are super into history, the best museums to visit are The Jewish Museum, DDR Museum, Stasi Museum, Berlin Story Bunker Museum, House of the Wannsee Conference and Sachsenhausen memorial.

For those who are art enthusiasts, Berlin has a whole island dedicated to the different forms of art. Museum Insel or Museum Island, has five museums which span from classical architecture to classical antiquities to French impressionist art to European sculptures and Renaissance paintings to archaeological finds. If you want exhibitions that look at more experimental art forms, there is currently a Dark Matter Exhibition, which explores light and sound to create a whole experience.

For those who want to explore Berlin’s history on foot and see the different monuments, there are a ton of walking tours to choose from. However, some of the monuments we think you should definitely have on your list include the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Victory Column, Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism, Plötzensee Memorial Center, Monument to Homosexuals Persecuted Under National Socialist Regime. Also throughout the city, if you look down near buildings you may see Stolperstein or stumbling stones which showcase where jewish people used to live before they were sent to concentration camps.

Food

Now the food in Berlin is top notch in our book. You can get both traditional German cuisine and some amazing Thai food, all on the same street. One of the required rights of passage of anyone visiting the city is to get currywurst. This Berlin delicacy is what it sounds like. Depending on where you get it, currywurst is composed of bratwurst sliced into pieces and then ketchup and curry powder is drizzled over it. One of the most recommended places to get this delicious dish is Curry 36. If that isn’t your speed, another German fast food to try is the Döner kebab. This can be found at almost every other street corner. The dish is composed of meat sliced off a spit with your choice of sauce, fries, lettuce, tomato and other additions. Our recommendation is to get the Döner box so that eating is a bit cleaner. Also, you must get the yogurt sauce and not the other ones.

On main street, where you can explore the asian cuisine of Berlin, is Bergmanstraße. It is located in the South West of the City in the Kreuzburg neighborhood and is right near the Gneisenaustraße U-bahn station. Along this whole street there are amazing restaurants including Hako Ramen, Umami X-berg and Huang Que. One place right around the corner that we’re absolutely obsessed with is SongSong Chicken. When we say this is the best Korean Fried Chicken we have ever tasted, we mean it. There is even an asian food market hosted during the warmer months at Thai Park, where you can try all different Thai cuisines.

For any other cuisines, there are a ton of places spotted around the city. If you want to get a bagel that rivals a New York one, go to Masha’s Bagels & Delicatessen and if you’re itching to try out some vegan donuts, go to Brammibals donuts. Although not native to the city, if you want some Italian fast food, go to Vapianos (the best one is at Alexanderplatz).

Activities

Now if you don’t want to go to museums and you have already gorged yourself on the food Berlin provides, there are some other gratifying activities to do. One that we recommend for those visiting in the summer months is to go to Strandbad Wannsee. This is a beach set up on Havel lake just outside of Berlin. You can go out and tan or take a swim in the nice, cold water. If the beach is not your cup of tea, take a train out to Potsdam, which is a small town outside of Berlin that has its own historic architecture and food to explore. Another refreshing option is to go to the closed down airport, Tempelhofer Feld, which is now a converted park. There you can have a picnic, walk around the grounds, play some volleyball or ride your bike. You can also explore the Olympic stadium which is available to tour during the day and maybe catch a soccer game later that night.

Genießen Sie Ihre Reise!

Let us know @theedgemag the places you love to visit in Berlin!