48 Hours in Berlin

Glasgow to Berlin, in less than 2 and a half hours your just a hop skip and a jump away from the capital of Germany. I wanted to visit Berlin as so many people I knew advised it is a “must see” and they weren’t wrong!

We left Glasgow at 7am … stepped off the plane and a short walk away we jumped on the S-Bahn train line for 2 Euros & 20 minutes later we were in Berlin city centre before 11am! (don’t forget to stamp your ticket or else it’s a hefty 60 euros fine for no stamp! You can also buy a 20 euro 2 day card which will get you on and off every transport link within Berlin – definitely worth it)

Where to stay: We decided to stay in the well-known district of Alexanderplatz, at The Park Inn by Radisson Hotel. I highly recommend this hotel with its central location, comfy rooms & a great German breakfast/fab cocktail list in the evening … it’s also the tallest hotel in the city which means you’ll never get lost finding your way back to your hotel after a long day of sightseeing. Alexanderplatz is known for being one of the liveliest places in Berlin, with shops, cinemas, restaurants, and many attractions within walking distance. It’s also the best place to stay for access to all the major transport links - the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, regional trains, trams and buses, making it the ideal starting point for a sightseeing tour of Berlin. Getting around is so easy, google maps was our go-to as it picks up all the local buses/trains.

Where to go: We headed straight for lunch at the Hackescher Markt (Mitte) – It’s a famous square with lots of cool restaurants/bars. You can sit out in the square and eat/drink watch the world go by as they have heating/blankets in the winter time. We went to Restaurant 1840 it was a great atmosphere, really good food (steaks/burgers/grill) & of course served the almighty German Stein Beer (2 Litres of beer). From here you can head off round about the local area, you’ll find lots of shops and quirky places to see with lots of art work and cool buildings along the way. We had pre-booked a river cruise online (approx. 15 Euros per person) before we went so we headed down to the river side and boarded the cruise at 5pm, this allows you to relax and enjoy the views of the city at sunset. We finished the cruise around 7pm and headed out to try out the local nightlife. Berlin is known for some of the largest nightclub’s in Europe so if this is your scene head to Warschauer Strasse or Kreuzberg where you can party the day and night away (literally – as some of the clubs are open 24 hours) - We opted to stick to some nice cocktail bars & local places round about Mitte area.

What to see: A walking tour is a MUST DO! We booked online, free of charge and met at 9am on our second day in front of The Brandenburg Gate... there are lots of companies to choose from! The tour guide was excellent and took us around Berlin’s sites in under 3 hours. The main sights of the tour are; The Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag Building, Berlin Cathedral, The Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe, Remains of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie & The Topography of Terror. The best thing about having a tour guide is they give you a brief description on each sight, and you can then chose which one’s you want to go back to and spend more time at.

A wee tip is pre-book online to go inside The Reichstag Building, its free but pre-booking more than 72 hours in advance is required! The tour guide was fab and we learned so much about East & West Berlin in the times of trouble & the amount of history within Berlin is amazing! Our tour guide also recommended some restaurants/bars to visit …. We took up his recommendation for food & headed straight to Rosa-Luxemburg street which has lots of cool places to eat! The local dish is called “curry-wurst” which is basically curry sausage & chips! PLEASE TRY! You won’t regret it!!!

We left the next morning after breakfast and was back in Glasgow before 2pm … Berlin is such a cool & cosmopolitan city with so much culture & history – a must see for everyone!

What does it cost: We went in March which is pretty low season as it’s quite chilly … we still had a fab time & didn’t let the cold stop us! With EasyJet flights & hotel for 2 nights we were approx. £199pp.

Your great journey begins the minute you walk through our door or pick up the phone and we specialise in long-haul, cruise, tailor made getaways and have a real passion for travel despite your destination. If your looking for a trip to remember based on both your experience with our Gurus and your destination then we’d be delighted to get you on your way.