Where to Stay in Berlin
Mitte is the neighborhood located in the center of Berlin, making it the most central location for historical sights. It’s also a young, hipster scene with tons of places to eat and shop. In this area, you can find many hotels, but I went for the economical hostel option.
While in Berlin, I stayed at the Wombat’s Hostel in Mitte, which is now unfortunately permanently closed! The rooftop bar was lovely with decently priced drinks and a gorgeous city view. I recommend finding another hostel in the area for cheaper accommodations and opportunities to meet friendly faces!
What to Do in Berlin
There is so much to do in Berlin, which makes it one of my favorite cities in the world! You can simply walk around and run into new sights, cool restaurants, shopping strips, and more. Here’s a list of my favorite Berlin attractions grouped by proximity to one another so you can catch them in the same day:
- Brandenburg Gate / Reichstag (monuments)
- Checkpoint Charlie / Mall of Berlin / Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe / Hitler’s Bunker (historical sights plus the mall)
- Kulturbrauerei / Mauerpark (food trucks & farmer’s market)
- Alexanderplatz (shopping)
- East Side Gallery / Urban Spree (art galleries)
- Berlin Zoo / Monkey Room (zoo & rooftop bar)
Getting Around Berlin
Public Bus 100 & 200: the Affordable Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
The public bus got us almost everywhere we wanted to go in Berlin! It’s the cheapest bus tour you’ll find in the city if you’re savvy enough to know where to stop. Hint: almost every stop has something. A day pass was 7 euros, and we never waited more than 3 minutes to hop on a bus. They don’t mess around with their public transportation in Berlin!
If you’re staying in Mitte, you’ll probably start at the Alexanderplatz station. I recommend using Bus 200 mostly because it will go in both directions stopping at Alexanderplatz; however Bus 100 will come in handy too. Just be mindful of the direction your bus goes!
Bus 200 passes these sights and more:
- Alexanderplatz
- The TV Tower
- Brandenburg Gate
- Reichstag
- Museum Island (We didn’t go in, but the architecture here is beautiful)
- Schloss Bellevue
- BIKINI Berlin (where Monkey Bar is located – a must do!!)
- Zoologischer Garten
U-bahn and S-bahn
I’m not even going to waste your time writing about these because I’m no expert. I found it more confusing than using the public bus; however, it’s necessary to get to some sights such as the East Side Gallery and the clubbing scene. Good luck my friends!
Walking
Don’t be afraid to walk everywhere in Berlin. Just have a Berlin map downloaded for offline use in advance if data is an issue. (I use Google Maps usually.) It’s an incredible city for its history, art, and culture, and you get to experience so much more when you’re on foot.
Places to Eat in Mitte
Here’s a curated list of restaurants I tried first-hand and recommend:
- Rose Garden: an instagrammable cafe with delicious brunch food and coffee (def get the smoked salmon bagel)
- What Do You Fancy Love?: a small, adorable cafe for perfect for a quick coffee, smoothie, or pastry
- Dolores Mitte: the best burrito or burrito-in-a-bowl California -inspired fresh food in Berlin
- King King: a sushi restaurant known for its large, shareable sushi platters (We got the chicken curry…highly recommend!)
- Zeit für Brot: a bakery with coffee, croissants, cinammon rolls, and German baked goods
- Monsieur Vuong: delicious Vietnamese pho
- Belushi’s: OK technically not adding this for food. BUT! If you want to take a break and watch American football, this is the place for you. Also it’s not on the menu, but ask for cheese fries with ranch if that’s your thing.
When’s your trip to Berlin?
Let me know when you’re going and what you plan on doing! I’d love to answer any questions, so feel free to message me.
Happy Travels!
Xx,
Michelle says
I love your photos and appreciate the honest comments about the Wombat’s Hostel. Will be for sure to reference this when I plan my trip to Berlin!
Marissa Wehrer says
Thanks so much!! That’s so great to hear. Hope you have a stellar trip, and feel free to ask me anything else.
Allison Carroll says
Great pictures! I adore Berlin, but I’m not up to date on the cool hostels anymore (I’ts been a minute!) – so this is very helpful! 🙂
Marissa Wehrer says
Thank you!! It was certainly a cool hostel and a great way to meet fellow young travelers. Berlin was indeed amazing!! I hope to make it back some day.