Berlin Base

My home and roots are in Berlin and therefore I always come back no matter how much I like other places as well.

I love it specifically for the beautiful people and the vibrant culture, art and club scene.

Compared to many other European capitals, it is still quite affordable and the lifestyle and work life balance unlike any other place.

The best time to visit is between May and September. Late fall, winter and early spring can be very dark, grey and uncomfortable. People are just spending time inside, but once the first rays of sunshine are coming out, the city awakes to new life and becomes very vibrant. Average temperatures then are from 20-30 degrees at the daytime.

The Energy in Berlin is quite masculine and can be harsh. Specifically in winter when it is cold and grey. It is definitely not a place for everyone to live because it can suck people in and bring them to dark places. It requires a strong personality to stay focussed and healthy in Berlin. It is a bit like a vortex that pulls people in and then its hard toleave the place, although it feels exhausting. Scheduling in some vacations and weekend trips to get an outside perspective can be helpful.

Berliner Schnauze: 

This is a term for the Berliner mentality which translated means: "Snout" or "Animal Face" and stands for the directness of the locals. Germans in general are known to be very upfront and straight forward but in Berlin that can take on a whole next level. So if someone seems reserved and a bit rude even, don’t worry it’s just part of culture and has nothing to do with you. Just surprise them with a smile instead ;) 

All Neighbourhoods are quite different in their vibe, so you wanna choose wisely where you want to stay.

Neukölln is quite rough and edgy at some parts of it but also cool and creative. The Arabian community mostly lives there and therefore you find cheap and good middle eastern restaurants and shops in that area. However I found the men to be difficult, as there is a lot of catcalling or staring when walking down the streets. The area is a bit run down still, but the proximity to Tempelhofer Feld and Treptower Park make up for it.

Kreuzberg has become a bit famous for its history, so its a funny combination of tourists, junkies, old original Berliners and hipsters being around there. I personally dont like it too much, but best is to get an impression yourself. The restaurant and bar scene is for sure the best there and its also located very central, so easy to get around from there.

Prenzlauer Berg is where I live and I love it! Its almost a bit like Disneyland because its so beautiful! Very old and nice houses, cute organic shops and small local brands, nice farmers markets and.... a lot of children. There is the joke that everyone moving to Prenzlauer Berg will get pregnant immediately. Fortunately didn´t happen to me yet, but for sure the stereotype has some truth. But thats also the reason why it feels so safe and clean in the area.

Friedrichshain is home for all the good clubs. So if you just want to party round the clock and be strategic with it, thats your place. Joke aside; you also find some of the best food places there, thrift-shops and its close to Treptower Park, an absolute must see! Friedrichshain is also still very leftist, so there are still squatted houses and some demonstrations going on. It never gets boring, specifically if you stay on Rigaer Strasse.

Mitte means middle in German and thats due to the location. Its right in the middle of Berlin but doesn't have the downtown vie other cities usually have. Its actually very hip, cool, beautiful and also very expensive. But if you don´t mind spending more money on your trip, it might be the best location to be at. Just make sure you´re still far away enough from Alexanderplatz, which is a tourist trap. Its nothing special to see there but ugly shopping malls and grumpy German bogans.

Charlottenburg / Moabit / Wedding are areas where I almost never go, because its not really my vibe. Wedding is know to be the "ghetto" of the city, even though people have been saying since years that "Wedding will be up and coming". Not sure if I´ll see that happening in my lifetime. Moabit actually has changes a lot in the last decade from rough to quite nice but its not really well connected with public transport, so there is not really anything to do. Charlottenburg has beautiful houses and is very fancy, but more in a showoff kind of way. Not for me, but if you like expensive brands and very fancy rooftop bars, that will be the best place for you to find all of this.

In terms of safety Berlin is one of the most secure places I´ve ever been to and have never experienced any strange situation or scary moment in 14 years. I´ve only had a few bikes stolen, so make sure to get some good locks and store it inside the courtyard or your house. Also keep an eye out for your belongings on the subway and in crowded places. I love that I can wear whatever I want and usually do not need to fear any sexual assault or feeling scared for my physical wellbeing. In Neukölln or Wedding you need to be a bit more careful with that as a woman or queer person though, as the men here can be a bit too much.

Moneywise, a lot of places still only accept cash, so you should always have some on you, but there are atms and banks everywhere in the city. To avoid fees, I´d go to one of the official bank automats though.

Berlin is still comparably cheap to other capitals around the world. But inflation has definitely changes things as well.

Good to know, is that all shops are closed on Sundays. Best is to get your groceries the day before or even earlier. Most supermarkets are sold out already on Saturday afternoon.

You will also not be able to get a SIM card without German registration. So if you travel to another country before Germany, you can get a SIM there and activate free roaming once you get to Berlin. Another option is to get an eSIM beforehand online and activate it on your travel.

The Public Transport is quite good, although lately there have been many interruptions and irregularities. If you stay a bit longer, it makes sense to get the "Deutschlandticket" for only 49€ and its valid for all regional trains, trams busses in whole Germany for a month. Just dont forget to cancelit again until the 10. of each month either through the app or in one of their centers.

If you go without subscription, you need to purchase a ticket before going on board and sometimes stamp it in a machine on the platforms. Otherwise a controller person might charge you an 80€ fee and they are cruel. You can´t see them from their appearance as they come incognito most of the time and there is no escape.

Alternatively to public transport, there is of course Uber and Bolt, but also electric scooters like Lime, Tier and Bird, rental bikes from Lime, Nextbike, and my favourite: e-moto scooters called Emmy. Just make sure you register for that with your drivers licence some days before you come to Berlin, because the onboarding takes a while. You can also use my promo code to get free minutes for Uber: hf51j22asmjk and the code for Emmy: pmbKn6HH

Apartments have become rare and like anywhere in the world there is a housing crisis. Therefore Airbnb and Hotel prices have skyrocket and there are very few good options.

I would recommend searching on WG Gesucht for stays. They have longterm and short-term options available. Also if you seek on telegram groups for Berlin Housing you find some good pages. Sometimes you can also find some goodies on Kleinanzeigen, just be careful because there are a lot of scammers out there.

Fashion is a big thing or no thing in Berlin. Depending on how you look at it. No one really seems to care what they wear and that fact itself becomes a statement. Sometimes it´s difficult to distinguish between a homeless person and a hipster. Therefore it is a great spot to experiment with your style and dare more than you usually would. Bring along your wildest outfits and check out some local clothing shops to get some new goodies. Also check out some flea markets if you come between April and October, as there you can find some really cheap nice treats.

What not to do in Berlin:

Walk on bike path unless you wanna die

Go to a club Friday night 

Do your groceries Saturday evening 

Visit between November and April 

Spend time at Alexanderplatz 

Smile at people. They might think you wanna flirt 

Taking your time at a supermarket checkout 

Coffee:

5 Elefants (Pberg / Mitte/ XBerg)

The Ordinary (FHain)

Silo (FHain)

Neumanns (FHain)

Symple P (Pberg)

Kajumi (Pberg)

Town Mouse (Pberg)

Isla (NK)

Populus (XBerg)

19Grams (XBerg)

Concierge (XBerg)

Kaffeekirsche (XBerg)

Bonanza (XBerg / PBerg)

Oslo Kaffeebar (Mitte)

The Barn (Mitte)

Sakura (Mitte)

Passenger (Treptow)

Food:

Kitten Deli (Middle Eastern / XBerg)

Hummus and Friends (Middle Eastern / Mitte)

SimSim Levantine (Middle Eastern / PBerg)

Cafe Pliz (Middle Eastern / NK)

Aviv 030 (Middle Eastern / NK)

Zollhaus Pankow (Pizza / PBerg)

60 Seconds to Napoli ( Pizza / PBerg)

Stella Nera (Vegan Pizza / NK)

Gazzo (Pizza / NK)

Zola (Pizza / XBerg)

Sadhu (Indian / PBerg / XBerg)

Seerose (Vegetarian Buffet / XBerg)

Chen Che (Vietnamese / Mitte)

1990 Vegan Living (Vegan Asian / FHain)

Beergarden

Cassiopeia Beergarden

Berghain Cantine Beergarden

Zollhaus Pankow Beergarden

HdKdW Cafe and Beergarden

(As I don´t drink, I can´t give you bar recommendations)

Clubs:

The one and only for me: Berghain :)

But here some others where I used to go:

Sisyphos

About Blank

Heideglühen

RSO

Tresor

Fandango Dayparty on Tuesdays

Favourite flea markets:

Kranoldplatz (rather small and cheap- each 2. Sunday)

Nowkoelln (pretty busy but good stuff and cheap prices - each 2. Sunday)

RAW (a bit boring but still good bargains - every Sunday)

Mauerpark (very touristy and hectic, can be overpriced - each Sunday)

Boxhagener Platz (more for food stands and homeware and decoration - each Sunday)

Yoga Studios:

OHIA (Mitte) Har (XBerg)

Hale Now (XBerg / Mitte / Pberg)

Must see:

Tiergarten (Big Park)

Liepnitzsee (Lake in the North of Berlin)

Treptower Park (City Gardens)

Botanical Gardens (Pankow / Zehlendorf)

Teufelsberg (Old station in West of Berlin)