Bustling Berlin: Beyond the Tourist Trail
With vibrant culture, sharp fashion scene, exciting nightlife and colorful street art, the best way to enjoy Berlin city breaks is to get off the beaten track. Here are just some ways you can see Germany’s capital city from a different angle.
Bicycle tours
Cycling is becoming more popular in the city given the flat city landscape and plentiful cycle paths. A cheap and convenient way to travel from one place to another, you don’t need to look for a parking space or pay a parking ticket. Join a guided tour group to explore Berlin’s most interesting and unexpected places such as the Berlin Wall and Prenzlauer Berg.
Alternatively, rent a bike from the numerous bicycle rental stations located across the city and explore the neighborhoods, surrounding countryside and lakes. You can either create your own Berlin tour with the komoot app or check out one of their pre-planned bicycle tours.
Food tours
Taste the great cuisine in Berlin while on a walking food tour. You can join one of the culinary sightseeing tours organised by Eat the World to sample the authentic local and international food in different districts in Berlin. On a Kreuzberg-Tour, you can walk through the vibrant and multicultural Kreuzberg and sample food from Indian restaurants, German-/Latin-American snack bars, traditional bakery houses and a doner-kebab shop (the city is famous for them!).
Art scene
Berlin’s artistic scene is booming and continues to attract more artists, art collectors, curators and art lovers to the gallery events, abc Art Berlin Contemporary and Berlin Art Week. One of Berlin’s gallery gems beyond the beaten path is After the Butcher, located in the east district of Lichtenberg: this was one of the first buildings in Europe made from concrete between 1870 and 1875. What was once a butcher shop and smoke house is now an exhibition space for contemporary art and social issues.
Another must-see gallery is the Galerie im Körnerpark, which was opened in the mid-1980s. National and international acclaimed artists- as well as less established artists- exhibit their works here. Every summer from mid-June to late August, the ‘Summer in the Park’ series of free concerts is held on the terrace of the Parkcafé on a Sunday.
Berlin flea markets
A great way to spend a lovely Sunday morning is to stroll through one of Berlin’s bustling flea markets: it has more than any other European city. Berlin’s flea markets sell everything, including antiques and collectibles, books, records, clothing, accessories and designer fashion.
A popular flea market among younger hipsters is the Mauerpark Flea Market. This market runs every Sunday directly adjacent to the Mauerpark (Park of the Wall) in the Prenzlauer Berg district. Here you will find private sellers with toys, clothes, old vinyl records, musical instruments and bicycles. There are many cozy cafes around this flea market for those who want a break from the shopping. From spring until autumn, the park is packed with crowds watching the karaoke sessions at the amphitheater.
Make sure you don’t miss these unique ways to explore the bustling city life, rich history and culture, and the flea markets of Berlin.
#Images by Stefano Corso, Bjoern Schwarz, Andy Nahman, mompl and Osman Meran used under creative commons license.
#This article is written by one of our partners.