Being the capital and largest city in Germany, Berlin is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the whole of Germany; however don’t expect to see people dressed in lederhosen or establishments serving large steins of beer! There are numerous chic and trendy bars, fantastic restaurants serving excellent cuisines from all around the world, great shopping offering high end or high street and not forgetting the arts, history and culture scene. Berlin has something for everyone.

We went in January 2017 where the average temperature is around a high of 1° and a low of -4° We flew with EasyJet from Manchester arriving into Berlin Schönefeld airport, we’d prebooked a private taxi transfer in the UK so the driver was waiting for us when we came through into arrivals and also helped with our luggage and gave us a bottle of water which was nice. The journey took approx. 30 mins.

We stayed at the ABBA Hotel Berlin which was in a fantastic location, great for exploring the city; the staff were friendly and extremely helpful. We arranged our Berlin Pass on arrival at the hotel which cost €35.50 per person and covered all 4 days transportation around the city including Potsdam (ABC Zones) and also had discounted entrance fees at museums, cafes and restaurants across the city. http://www.s-bahn-berlin.de/en/tickets-fares/tourist-tickets/berlin-welcomecard-2016

The exclusive shopping area of the Kurfürstendamm Avenue is a few minutes’ walk from the hotel, as are the major sights of interest such as the Brandenburg Gate.

We ate at a restaurant close to the hotel on our first night, which we found on trip advisor (La Cantina Rosso) It looked lovely from the outside and had great reviews but the service was very poor and the food was average, we would not return. After this we walked swiftly back to the hotel as it was about -2° and had some drinks at the bar.

For our first full day we booked a group walking tour which lasted about 4 hrs we ticked off all the highlights and it cost only £14.00 per person. The group size was about 30 so you needed to keep up with the guide to make sure you could hear all the information. This was a very good option to do for your first day as you get your bearings for the city and also the transportation system. The only place which I wouldn’t return to was Checkpoint Charlie this was very commercialized but there is a good museum there so worth a trip to see! On the way back to our hotel we got to try the famous currywurst! A must for all visitors to the city!

Highlights of the trip were:

• Berlin Wall
• Brandenburg Gate
• (stand above) Hitler’s Bunker
• Site of Goebbels’ Bunker
• Checkpoint Charlie
• Museum Island
• Bebelplatz, scene of Nazi book burning
• Potsdamer Platz (contemporary architectural marvels)
• Site of SS and Gestapo HQs (Topography of Terror)
• “Ghost Station”
• Nikolaikirche (Berlin’s oldest church)
• Russian Embassy
• War Memorial (Neue Wache)
• Holocaust memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe
• Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)
• Friedrichstrasse (shopping mile)
• Humboldt University
• State Opera House
• Gendarmenmarkt
• Tiergarten (Berlin’s central park)

This evening we went were shattered so we ate in the hotel, there is a large restaurant but it was quite empty and there was a cosier atmosphere in the bar so we ate there, the food was excellent. I especially liked the potato soup! The hotel gives €2.00 to a local soup kitchen charity when you order it.

For our second day we booked a walking tour to Potsdam this cost £17.00 per person and lasted approx. 6 hrs, you need an ABC zone train ticket for this tour. Our guide was very informative and very passionate about Berlin’s history, which on this tour included the bridge of spies and the cold war in the 20th Century back to the Prussian kings, princes and German emperors of the 18th Century. This was a small group tour of 6 and was really informative, we thoroughly enjoyed the day.

This evening we went into the Sony Centre after being recommended a restaurant but when we got there it wasn’t what we expected so we came back to Kurfürstendamm Avenue and went to a Spanish restaurant (El Dorado) which was very good and had great service and a good selection of wine!

For our last day in Berlin we visited Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, this was booked as a group tour, however I would recommend doing this yourself as you can explore at your own pace and not be rushed around the exhibits, our guide knew lots of information but kept repeating herself and wasn’t able to keep the group together which meant waiting around for other people which is quite annoying. This cost £16.50 per person and lasted 6hrs.

For our last evening we found a restaurant, which was within walking distance of our hotel (Marjellchen restaurant), when we arrived outside it did not look open but when you opened the door and stepped through the velvet curtain you went back in time to the most amazing restaurant, no wonder it’s been given such high reviews. We were told that they were full but they could make us up a setting at the bar if we waited, we decided we would take this option, just as we were sitting down luckily a table became available! The service was amazing, the owner even makes a point of speaking to all the customers, she has a very good sense of humour, the staff are very friendly and the food was FANTASTIC! What a great way to end our 4 nights in Berlin.

I would highly recommend Berlin as a city break as it has something for everyone; we only scratched the surface of things to do so I will definitely be back!

Bon voyage
Sue!