BERLIN: 10 Most Awesome Experiences for First Timers in Berlin! (+ Pasalubong Tips :D)

Here’s a wrap-up of the Berlin Series in OAP: 10 Most Awesome Experiences for First Timers in Berlin!

#1 BERLIN WALL 

The Berlin Wall or Berliner Mauer is a barrier built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) that separated East Germany from West Germany from August 13, 1961 until its fall on November 9, 1990. It prevented the defection of the people from East to West and instantly separated the families upon its erection.

It’s amazing to see Berlin 25 years after the fall of the wall, reflect on this recent history, and celebrate this triumph with our brothers and sisters in Berlin!

Read More: BERLIN: The Fall of the Berlin Wall–25th Year Anniversary! @VisitBerlin

 

#2 REICHSTAG BREAKFAST

The Bundestag is the German Parliament, located in the Reichstag Building in Berlin.

Visitors are allowed to visit the Rooftop terrace and the Dome constructed by Sir Norman Foster, which has become a prominent symbol of the reunited democratic Germany.

We had one of the coolest breakfasts ever–at the Käfer rooftop restaurant, with awesome views of Berlin. 

Read More: BERLIN BUNDESTAG: Käfer Breakfast at the Rooftop of the Reichstag Building!

 

#3  SUPPER CLUBBING

Supper Clubbing is a private dining activity aimed at introducing new people to each other and experiencing different cultures and food in the comfort of other people’s homes. It started as an underground restaurant tradition in Cuba and later expanded to the US and Europe as a social dining experience.

In Manila, we have our own supper clubs but in various forms–organized private dining, guerilla dinners, and food trips. Take note, it’s Supper Clubs (with a double ‘P’) and not Super Club, which refers to the Night Clubbing experience.

In Berlin, you can join a supper club via http://www.supperclubbing.com/ to learn more about the food, culture, and the hospitality of Berliners.

Here’s our Berlin Supper Club experience with Johannes…

Read More: BERLIN: An Awesome Underground Supper Clubbing Experience in Berlin! @SupperClubbing

 

#4 TIM RAUE

TIM RAUE is a two-star Michelin Chef and is considered as one of the best Chefs in Berlin. He opened his flagship store, Tim Raue, together with his wife Marie-Anne last July 2010, serving Asian-inspired cuisine. It is the top 78 restaurant in the San Pellegrino list.

Tim also opened two new restaurants in 2013 in Berlin–Sra Bua by Tim Rau (Japanese-Thai cuisine) in Hotel Aldon Kempinski, and La Soupe Populaire (German cuisine) in the Studio House of Bötzow Brewery, along Prenzlauer Allee.

We tried Tim Raue restaurant with fashion blogger Camille Co and her awesome sister Charlotte Co on our last day in Berlin, and here’s a photo essay of our experience…

Read More: BERLIN: The TIM RAUE Experience – Best Chef in Berlin? (A Review)

 

#5 MARKTHALLE NEUN

Markthalle Neun (Market Hall 9) is a popular street food and weekend market in Berlin, located at the gentrified Kreuzberg railway market hall–built on October 1, 1891.  

Street Food Market Thursdays is a must-see for all foodies visiting Berlin if they want to get a taste of the emerging culinary landscape in the capital. Here’s a photo essay of our Markthalle Neun experience… 

Read More: BERLIN: Markthalle Neun Street Food Market Thursdays @BerlinFood

 

#6 TURKISH FOOD

BERLIN is known more for having the Best Turkish food (outside of Turkey) than having the best German food.

The Turks migrated to Berlin when nobody wanted to live there after WW2, and became the largest ethnic minority group in the city. The largest Turkish communities can be found in Neukölln, Kreuzberg, and Mitte.

You’ve got to try the Turkish Friday Market, Doner Kebab, and Hasir Restaurant in Kreuzberg when in Berlin…

Read More: BERLIN: Hasir + Doner Kebab – The Best Turkish Food Outside of Turkey! @BarbaraWoolsey

 

#7 BERLIN SUNDAY 

I arrived in Berlin on a Sunday and this started my love affair with the Best Kept Secret City in Europe.  

I’m kicking off my Awesome Berlin Series with my experience:

• Exploring Alexanderplatz Marketplace,
• Getting lost in U-Bhan (underground train),
• Attending a Catholic Filipino Sunday Mass in Bayernallee, and
• Experiencing the Hipster Flea Market at Mauerpark every Sunday.

Here’s a photo essay of my Sunday first impression of Germany…

Read More: SUNDAYS IN BERLIN: Alexanderplatz, Bayernallee Filipino Mass, Mauerpark Flea Market & Lost in U-Bahn! (First Impressions of Germany)

 

#8 BERLIN INTERNET COMMUNITY

We had the privilege of meeting with the best bloggers in Berlin and dining with them at Max und Moritz Old Berlin Tavern. I’d like to share with you what I learned about the blogosphere and lifesytle culture in the German Capital.

Thank you to our blogger friends from Berlin for an awesome meet-up. 🙂

Read More: BERLIN: What I Learned from Berlin’s Best Bloggers at Max und Moritz Old Berlin Tavern?

 

#9 ABANDONED BUILDINGS: TEUFELSBERG!

I must admit, when I saw Teufelsberg in the itinerary as the culminating activity for our last day in Berlin, I expected it to be boring.

But the charm of visiting the once abandoned building that has been turned into one of the largest outdoor gallery parks grows on you, then you start to appreciate how different Berlin is. (Read “How Berlin has ruined living anywhere else“.)

Here’s a photo essay on our tour of Teufelsberg…

Read More:  BERLIN: TEUFELSBERG – Abandoned Cold War-era Spy Station on top of the Devil’s Mountain!

 

#10 MUSEUM HOPPING

PERGAMON MUSEUM:

 

ALTES MUSEUM:

 

 

BEST PASALUBONG:

The best pasalubong is the iconic Ampelmann which is a little traffic light man designed by the GDR. 

You can also buy the German FIFA championship shirt from Adidas Store with the 4 stars.

BERLIN Chocolates are one of the best pasalubongs you can bring home to your loved ones or friends back in Manila. 

It was awesome to meet The Diplomatic Wife, a Filipina Expat diplomat now assigned in Berlin. She introduced me to one of the best boutique chocolate shops in Berlin–Winterfeldt Schokoladen.  

You can follow her ongoing food and travel adventures in Berlin with a Filipina perspective. 

I was able to visit Fassbender & Rauch at the Gendarmenmarkt first, so I had a something to contrast with my Winterfeldt Schokoladen experience.

Check out our chocolate food tripping in Berlin…

Read More: BERLIN: Meeting The Filipina Diplomatic Wife in Berlin over Berlin Chocolates @DiplomaticWife

 

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed in MOTEL ONE, a leading low budget designer motel brand in Europe, located in Alexanderplatz, the heart of the transportation hub in Berlin.

Here’s our Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz experience…

Read More: BERLIN: Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz (A Review)

Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz
Dircksenstrasse 36, Mitte, Berlin, Germany

Check out low rates and availability from Agoda: Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz (aff link)

 

AWESOME BERLIN – The Best Kept Secret City of Europe Series:

• BERLIN: 10 Most Awesome Experiences for First Timers in Berlin!
• BERLIN: The Fall of the Berlin Wall–25th Year Anniversary! @VisitBerlin
• SUNDAYS IN BERLIN: Alexanderplatz, Bayernallee Filipino Mass, Mauerpark Flea Market & Lost in U-Bahn! (First Impressions of Germany)
• BERLIN BUNDESTAG: Käfer Breakfast at the Rooftop of the Reichstag Building!
• BERLIN: An Awesome Underground Supper Clubbing Experience in Berlin! @SupperClubbing
• BERLIN: Meeting SupperClub Founder at Hüttenpalast Caravan-Hotel in Hipster-District of Neukölln
• BERLIN: Hasir + Doner Kebab – The Best Turkish Food Outside of Turkey! @BarbaraWoolsey
• BERLIN: Meeting The Filipina Diplomatic Wife in Berlin over Berlin Chocolates @DiplomaticWife
• BERLIN: What I Learned from Berlin’s Best Bloggers at Max und Moritz Old Berlin Tavern?
• BERLIN: TEUFELSBERG – Abandoned Cold War-era Spy Station on top of the Devil’s Mountain!
• BERLIN: Markthalle Neun Street Food Market Thursdays @BerlinFood
• BERLIN: White Trash Fast Food – “Exotic food just like Mama used to make!”
• BERLIN: The TIM RAUE Experience – Best Chef in Berlin? (A Review)
• BERLIN: Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz (A Review)
• GERMAN VISA MANILA: How to Apply for Schengen Visa in the German Embassy in Manila?

 Live an Awesome Life,

Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com 

Disclosures: Our Berlin Trip was courtesy of the Foreign Ministry as part of the Blogger Visitors Program of the Federal Republic of Germany. I wrote this article with my own biases, opinions, and insights. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.  

This is an Agoda affiliate link: Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz (aff link). I may receive a (very) small commission if you click on the link and book via Agoda. Thank you for considering to book via that link if this post was helpful in planning your travel.

P.S. Celebrating 60 years of Diplomatic Relations between Germany and the Philippines and German-Philippine friendship.

A reception hosted by German Ambassador to the Philippines Thomas Ossowski on the 03rd of October at the Sofitel Hotel in Manila celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and the Philippines. About 600 distinguished guests from the fields of politics, business and culture attended the reception. Mr. Michael Glos, former German Minister for Economics and Technology, had come from Germany to convey greetings of the German people on this festive occasion.

Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario, accompanied by his wife Gretchen and members of his family, was the Guest of Honor of the evening. During his address German Ambassador Thomas Ossowski particularly acknowledged Gretchen Del Rosario as a witness of the beginning of the diplomatic relations between Germany and the Philippines. Madame Del Rosario was in Germany in 1954 when her father, late Policronio R. de Venecia, opened the Consulate General of the Philippines in Hamburg and became the first Consul General of the Philippines to Germany after the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Island lounges representing the partners of the event were set up in the ballroom and highlighted the dense network of German institutions and German-Philippine companies operating in the Philippines. The award winning choral group Philippine Madrigal Singers sang the national anthems followed by a performance choreographed by Douglas Nierras of Powerdance. While the guests enjoyed culinary specialties from German and Philippine cuisine the internationally applauded techno-violinist Princess Ybanez performed a fusion of electro-rock and pop. Aicelle Santos, the Champion of Pinoy Pop Superstar 2006, and jazz-pop pianist Ryan Villamor completed the program and ensured the festive atmosphere throughout the evening.

Through the past 60 years Germany and the Philippines have built a deep and trustful partnership in the political, economic and cultural field. In September the successful visit of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III in Germany during which he held fruitful political talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and was received by Federal President Joachim Gauck was yet another milestone in deepening the already close ties between both countries.

On this momentous occasion Ambassador Ossowski said: “While we are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and the Philippines our bilateral relations are much older. Ever since Dr. José Rizal lived in Germany where he published his famous book “Noli Me Tangere” there has been a strong emotional bond between Germany and the Philippines. By celebrating the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, we are also celebrating a German-Philippine friendship that goes back a long way.”

Germany and the Philippine entertain strong economic relations. As Europe’s biggest economy, Germany is the Philippines’ number one trading partner in Europe with a trade volume of over 4 billion Euros per year. Germany’s imports from the Philippines even exceed its exports. Over 200 German companies are currently operating in the Philippines and Germany belongs to the top sources of FDI from Europe. Germany is also one of the most important donors of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the Philippines.

“Our globalized world brings Germany and the Philippines even closer together and we will continue to work towards fostering our partnership in the political, economic, development and cultural field”, said German Ambassador Thomas Ossowski.