Berlin’s best places to see, and eat

Berlin is a delightful city, one that will always be associated with the Cold War for me, not least because of its eponymous wall and its pivotal role in that post-WWII standoff. My first trip was mind-blowing. I just couldn’t get over how much it had changed and how profound these changes were.

But Berlin has evolved into a cultural and tech hub in the last few decades, filled with amazing historical sites, and great art and food. These are the highlights I’ve discovered in my various trips there. The Google Maps links are included in the headings for each.

Don’t forget to try the Weiss beer (my favourite) and the various sausages, especially the Berlinesque currywurst.

Berlin Wall Memorial | Bernauer Str. 111, 13355 Berlin

If you want a taste of the weirdness of the Cold War years, then go to the Bernauer Strasse open-air museum. This street was the site of several of the infamous events around the Berlin Wall, including the well-known picture of the East German soldier jumping over the barbed wire.

There is part of the wall and the mine-infested no-man’s land they kept as a reminder (sans mines I hope), and the viewing deck offers an impressive view of Berlin itself. It’s worth a walk down the strip to get a sense of the strangeness of that time.

Checkpoint Charlie | Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10117 Berlin

As befits the relentless advance of capitalism, it is now flanked by “snack point Charlie” which includes a McDonald’s and other examples of American cultural imperialism. It’s a brisk walk down the same road from the Brandenburg Gate.

Brandenburg Gate | Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin 

Berlin’s cultural and militaristic equivalent of Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, the Brandenburg Gate similarly has longstanding militaristic and patriotic associations.

During the Cold War, it was marginally inside East Berlin and it was in front of it that Ronald Reagan made his famous “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” speech.

Interestingly, the famous JFK speech “Ich bin ein Berliner” or “I am a citizen of Berlin,” is often misunderstood as he mispronounced the “ein” and instead said “I am a jelly doughnut”.

Sadly, this delightful misconception is not true as jelly doughnuts in Berlin are called “Pfannkuchen”. Still, do try the German pasties – deep-fried dough and sugar are always good, whatever they are called.

When I first read about this, I was irrationally irritated that such a prime spot in Berlin would be the site of such a memorial. I thought it was just so, well… “obvious” and trite. Especially with a name like that.

But once I walked through these six-foot, coffin-length, mausoleum-like sculptures I was impressed at the gravity created by this open-air sculpture park.

I wanted to hate it – for being so “obvious” – but I have to admit it is quite profound; especially because such sculpture parks are generally so crap and especially because Holocaust memorials are generally even more trite.

Just nearby are two other notable sites of recent history.

Off towards Potsdamer Platz (itself a Cold War nexus point that was mostly minefield and is now a glass-fronted, high-rise, modern-day megalopolis) is the unmarked site of Hitler’s bunker, where he spent his final months and ultimately committed suicide. It was deliberately not marked after the war to prevent any kind of reverse hero worship.

On the other side, towards the Brandenburg Gate is the green-roofed Adlon Hotel. This is where Michael Jackson infamously held his baby over the parapet to show him off to his adoring fans. It is arguably the moment his mania became his madness.

This quirky vegetarian restaurant can be found down a side alley, behind the Grand Westin Hotel, past a giant chandelier (no, really) and is worth the effort of finding. Make a reservation (if you can) and expect a fantastic vegetarian meal with some of the most pompous, self-important waiters in all of waiterdom. But the food is worth it.

Berlin Hackescher Markt | Hackescher Markt, 10178 Berlin

This quirkily little area is part market, part touristy haven. There are food stalls and other trinkets on sale during the day in the open square; and a good assortment of restaurants around the sides. German food is in abundance. The currywurst is a Berlin staple, as are the platters of sausage with potato salad.

Right nearby is my favourite store in the world, Muji. The Japanese store’s name means “brand of no brand” and the travel accessories are particularly useful. You can read this homage I wrote a few years back about why I love Muji’s timeless elegance.