explore it yourself:
The journey and accomModations:
We arrived by train from Amsterdam on the late morning of June 16th and stayed until the morning of June 19th. We arrived in and departed from Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Public transit was very easy to navigate in Berlin as we used trams, buses, and subways to get around during our stay. All tickets can be purchased either at the stations, on board most transit, or in the BVG app. We opted to use the app and purchased a 24-hour ticket on both of the full days we stayed in berline for 11.20 EUR which allows for use of all forms of transit during its active period. This was extremely efficient for us as we ended up using public transit very frequently during our stay and single-use tickets would have added up well over what we paid for the 24-hour pass.
Below is what AI recommended for accommodations:
1. a&o Berlin Hauptbahnhof
2. MEININGER Hotel Berlin East Side Gallery
3. Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz
4. The Circus Hostel
5. easyHotel Berlin
We ended up selecting the easyHotel Berlin Hackescher Markt here as it was the most affordable option that AI recommended. We were satisfied with this option as the rooms were clean, and the bed felt huge after staying in hostels for the past week. The location was central to a lot of the attractions we intended on visiting and the neighborhood was packed with bars and restaurants which provides a lively energy to the area.
Note: * our additions to ai itinerary and exclusions are crossed out, also see our summary at the bottom.
Day 1: Berlin's Historic Core
Brandenburg Gate & Tiergarten
Coffee Stop: Cuccuma Berlin(near Potsdamer Platz)- Brandenburg Gate – Iconic Berlin landmark
- The gate is so much larger in person and reading about the history only made it feel so much more special to see
- Reichstag Building – Book in advance to access the glass dome for panoramic views
- We walked around the outskirts of the building as there was significant construction underway on the premises, the building is very impressive nonetheless
- Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe – Powerful and sobering
- Walk through Tiergarten (Berlin’s Central Park)
Hackescher Markt & Monbijoupark
- We skipped all of the following, but AI recommended 1 or 2 of the following:
Pergamon Museum– Ancient artifacts (partial closure: check ahead)Neues Museum– Home to the bust of NefertitiAltes MuseumorBode Museum– For art & sculpture lovers
- Walk along Unter den Linden boulevard
- Berlin Cathedral (climb the dome for great views)
- Easily one of the most beautiful builldings we have ever seen
- Explore Hackescher Höfe – Art Nouveau courtyards with shops and street art
- Optional: Visit
DDR Museum(hands-on East German history) - Nicholas’ Square* – We sat outside for a beer at one of the several bars along the river which had views of the Berlin Cathedral, highly recommend stopping in this area!
- Monbijoupark* – Park along the river. It was very lively filled with street performers, people picnicking in the park, and exercising.
- Strandbar Mitte* – This was an outdoor pizzeria and bar along the river full of people eating, dancing, and enjoying the nice weather. It was such a fun environment!
- Dinner at
Zur Letzten Instanz– Berlin’s oldest restaurant (since 1621)- OR PHO – Noodlebar – Asian fusion restaurant with unique menus made to look like plane tickets
- One of our favorite meals of the trip so far, we would recommend the Chicken Skewers and Edamame.
Day 2: Berlin Wall, Street Art, & Local Culture
History & Reflection
- Optional: Massage at New Soul* – We don’t typically get a massage on vacation, but our backpacks have made us a little sore. The massages here were just what we needed.
- Espresso House* – Chain coffee shop with locations all over Berlin
- This was one of the few coffee places we have visited so far that offers flavored syrups to add to your drinks so we enjoyed iced vanilla lattes together
- OR
Café Ora - Jewish Museum Berlin – Striking architecture & powerful exhibitions
- Free admission to enter and we highly suggest making time to stop here. The exhibits were really powerful and educational
- AND/OR Topography of Terror – Former Gestapo HQ turned documentation center
- Also free to visit, some of the information overlapped with the prior museum and the exhibits require a lot of reading, we both preferred the Jewish Museum
Berlin Wall & East Side (Friedrichshain)
- Burger at Burgermeister* – fast chain, we went to the location at Schlesisches Tor and it was under a bridge in a very cool setting
- We both agreed it as one of the best burgers we have ever had!
- Badeschiff* & Bite Club @ Arena – A swimming pool floating within the Spree River, accompanied by a sand-filled beach themed bar and plenty of space to lounge.
- For only 8 EUR per person you can spend up to 2 hours sitting in the sun and swimming in the pool. If you want more time you can purchase tickets for both 2-hour seesions of the day for a total of 4 hours. Note that their opening hours change by the day so check their website here. There is a sandy section in front of the bar as well as a large deck filled with first come-first serve chairs up for grabs.
- This was one of our absolute favorite moments of the trip so far. Beware, the pool water is very cold so be prepared for a refreshing dip on a hot day!
- For only 8 EUR per person you can spend up to 2 hours sitting in the sun and swimming in the pool. If you want more time you can purchase tickets for both 2-hour seesions of the day for a total of 4 hours. Note that their opening hours change by the day so check their website here. There is a sandy section in front of the bar as well as a large deck filled with first come-first serve chairs up for grabs.
- East Side Gallery – 1.3 km open-air gallery
- The longest-surviving secition of the Berlin wall has been converted into a series of paintings featuring over 100 murals of which begun in 1990.
- Oberbaum Bridge – Iconic red-brick bridge
- Optional:
RAW-Gelände– Street art, skateparks & alternative vibe - Dinner at
Michelberger HotelRestaurant - OR Rosenthaler Grill & Schlemmerbuffet* – When in Berlin, grabbing a döner sandwich is an absolute must.
- The portion size here for a single sandwich is huge so no need to order the large size!
Day 3: Charlottenburg & the Western Side
Charlottenburg Palace & Gardens
- Breakfast at House of Small Wonder – Cozy, green and hidden brunch/dinner spot
- Such a unique environment in what used to be a jewish elementary school, the food was great and scenery was lovely
- Tour the Charlottenburg Palace – opulent baroque residence
- We chose to walk along the outside of the palace although the building looked absolutely amazing and pictures of the interior look like it is well worth visiting
- Stroll through Schlossgarten (palace gardens)
- The palace gardens were absolutely stunning and perfectly manicured. We walked a big loop through the gardens and each passing section got more beautiful
- Coffee:
Benedict Berlin– excellent all-day breakfast and coffee
City West & Kurfürstendamm
- Visit Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (WWII ruins + modern chapel)
- This church was fascinating to visit, it gives perspective on how far Berlin has come following allied bombing during WWII.
- Shop or browse KaDeWe – continental Europe’s largest department store
- Very similar feel to Macy’s Herald Square in NYC with seemingly endless shops within. We rode the glass elevator to the top floor for sweeping views of Berlin
- Walk along Kurfürstendamm (upscale shopping street)
- Optional:
Victory Column (Siegessäule)– Tower climb with park views - Dinner at Prater Garten – Traditional beer garden experience
- We sat in the restaurant section and enjoyed a meal. If you are looking for something more casual, the wider beer garden section has snack food options as well
- The Radler beer (house-brewed beer with lemonade) was delicious!
- We sat in the restaurant section and enjoyed a meal. If you are looking for something more casual, the wider beer garden section has snack food options as well
final thoughts:
Overall Rating: 9/10, we had such a lovely time here.
Would I go again? Definitely! We would come back again in the summer, probably not in the winter months.
Favorite moment:
Bailey’s favorite: Badeschiff was my very favorite. Despite the cold temperature of the pool, I had the best time swimming. It was such an incredible hidden gem and I would love to go back in the future.
Parker’s favorite: Sitting in Nicholas’ square along the river on our first night and having a beer with views of the city was a lot of fun and also very relaxing
Favorite meal:
Bailey’s favorite: I always love a courtyard filled with greenery, with that being said, House of Small Wonder was my favorite. The food was also great.
Parker’s favorite: The burger we had at Burgermeister was one of the best I’ve ever had. So many fresh toppings and the buns were perfectly toasted as well!
Any surprises? For such a large city it is very clean and easy to navigate. Even the subway stations were spotless and air conditioned, making them comfortable.
Anything we missed? Only the things slashed above. Nothing in particular.
Food spots AI recommended, but we didn’t have a chance to go: Cuccuma Berlin, Café Ora, Michelberger Hotel, Zur Letzten Instanz, and Benedict Berlin.
Average step count per day: 18,350 steps
How did ai do?
Nailed it: We were happy with AI’s suggestion of accommodations at easyHotel Berlin Hackescher Markt which was very central to many attractions and in the heart of a restaurant filled neighborhood. We also liked the palace and gardens and was glad it included that within the itinerary!
Needs work: Many of our favorite spots were not included on the AI itinerary. With that being said, I would recommend doing your own research or making the prompt very specific to your interests to ensure you aren’t missing anything you would enjoy. Additionally, some places were quite spread out so it was difficult to hit it all.