This little joint in Neukölln has not been named Burrito Baby for nothing. Upon ordering one of their burritos, be ready for being handed an almost toddler sized one. Seating is scarce, which makes it especially nice during the summer months, because you can sit outside. This being said, we still recommend coming here, no matter the season, simply for the following dishes: one of their well-filled burittos or their ‚House Nachos‘. Find their full menu here.
Although it’s been a couple of years since we have been to the Pfaueninsel – Peacock Island, we have still fond memories of this trip. Close to Berlin Wannsee, it is the perfect day adventure for a sunny weekend. The Pfaueninsel has a very idyllic, almost enchanted vibe to it and as soon as one stepps foot on the ground of the island, one immidiately forgets that just an hour ago they were paving their way through busy streets in the city. The island certainly does its name justice and you’ll find several free-ranging peacocks walking around that give this place it’s fairytale atmosphere.
The island was rediscovered by Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia, who used it as a romantic venue for secret meetups with his mistress. Between 1794 and 1797, he had a little summer palace built on the island. Although many buildings in Berlin were damaged during the Second World War, the little palace on Peacock Island survived unscathed and so still remains in its original form today. Since 1990 the entire island has been a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Where?Peacock Island, Nikolskoer way, 14109 Berlin (it is best to take the S-Bahn to 'Wannsee'. From there it is a short walk or bus ride, Bus 218 or 316, up to the small ferry that takes you to the island).
When? Nov-Feb 10am-4pm, March 9am-6pm, April 9am-7pm, May-August: 9am-8pm, Sept 9am-7pm, Oct 9am-6pm.
Admission:4€ (reduced 3€)
(This account is written by a person who really likes sports) There are tons of sports opportunities in Berlin. The easiest way to take advantage of all of them (or let’s say a lot of them) is to have ‚the golden ticket‘, when it comes to doing sports in Berlin. Over the last year, I became a huge fan of the Urban Sports Club. A sports membership that allows you access to numerous gyms, yoga studios, swimming pools and other sports venues. I usually get bored easily and like to do a variety of different things. I love being flexible, not only of what kind of sports I do, but also when and where. Most venues do not require a sign-up in advance (a few exceptions apply), which gives you maximum flexibility.
How it works: as soon as you sign up online, you download an app. The app lists all USC partners in and around Berlin. You can filter by activity, venue, time, radius and area or just scroll through all the listings. Once you have found an activity, all that is left for you to do is to show up at the place and log in via a QR code. Done.
During a normal week, I would do a high intensity training with a group outside or inside, visit a standard gym and do weights, and go to a late-night yoga class. Granted, most standard gyms provide all these options under one roof. I guess it depends on what you are looking for and what is most important to you. I personally don’t always like the atmosphere in gyms and also don’t like to be bound to just one place. Especially, when it comes to yoga, I much rather go to a good smelling yoga studio than a sweaty gym (there are some pretty cool yoga locations in Berlin, especially in Kreuzberg).
Also good to know: you can pause and cancel your membership monthly.
(Although this reads like a paid ad, it’s not. I am just a big fan of the concept).
If you are like us and have discovered your love for whiskey pretty late in life, you hopefully have friends that quickly point you into the right direction when it comes to finding the perfect place for you new craving. If not. Listen up. Keith Bar is a rusty little bar in Neukölln, specilaizing in – and we quote „good whisky. And good music. And good food pop-ups. And good performances. And good art. And good cocktails. And good times with friends. And good beers…“. The bar is cozy and dark (the lighting mainly comes from candle light, as is common for so many bars in Berlin) with vintage wood furniture. Prices are quite reasonable and we never had to fight for a table – yet.
Whenever one comes back to the Berlinische Galerie, one could wonder: “have I ever been in this neighborhood before”? This comes as no surpirse, since the Galerie is randomly located in a very quiet residential area, away from Berlin’s usual hussle and bussle. It was built in the eighties as part of the Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA), the International Building Exhibition. The Berlinische Galerie is one of the newest museums in Germany (founded in 1975) and showcases art from 1870 to the present day from both local and international artists. It features painting, graphics, sculpture, multimedia – photography and architecture. There is a permanent exhibition (“Art in Berlin 1880-1980”) on the first floor and regularly changing exhibitions on the ground floor. My favorite room is the first one, which usually holds a big spatial art installation.
Where? Alte Jakobstraße 124–128, 10969 Berlin Germany
Opening Hours: Wednesday–Monday 10am–6 pm, closed on Tuesdays
Admission: 10€ (reduced 7€)
(This account is written by a former „Weddinger“) The Volkspark Humboldthain (named after explorer and scientist Alexander von Humboldt) was one of my favorite spots when I was living in Wedding a couple of years ago. It is a cute little park opposite the U- and S-Bahn station ‚Gesundbrunnen‘. There is a rose garden and several spots to chill and hang out (including a swimming pool that is open in the summer months), but the highlight is the climb up to the Flak Tower. You can chose between walking or mastering the narrow stairs (also a perfect training spot for runners). Up there you have a great panorama view of Berlin. The Flak Tower is a seven story bunker originally built under Hitler’s orders to protect Berlin from aerial attacks during the Second World War (tours are provided by the Berlin Underground Association).
Where? Brunnenstraße 100, 13357Berlin. Opposite the S-Bahn station ‚Gesundbrunnen‘
This account is written by a real Freiburg lover: Freiburg – situated in the south-west of Germany between the mountains of the Black Forest and one of Germany’s finest wine regions, the Kaiserstuhl, is not only one of Germany’s oldest university towns, but also very dear to my heart. When I was 9 years old my dad relocated from Berlin to Freiburg. Ever since, I spent nearly all my school holidays down there. Having grown up in Berlin, Freiburg has always been a good counterpart to Berlin and a perfect holiday destination – an amazing blend of nature, cultural events and deeelicious food!
„Schauinsland“
What it has to offer
The marvelous panorama of the Black Forest and the option to spontaneously take the lift up the mountains and go for an afternoon skiing adventure, while winter in the city hasn’t even arrived yet. You can also just hop on the Breisgau S-Bahn and take a trip to and around the beautiful wine region Kaiserstuhl where you can find delicious wines, all locally grown and produced. If you are up for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, why not try a 24h hike?! For more information check out this website: http://schwarzwälder-genussmanufaktur.de/
Black Forest
As one of Germany’s most southern cities, Freiburg is famous for its amazing weather, with more days of sunshine than any other place in the country. Moreover, since Freiburg is such a university town, it does not lack the buzzling life that students bring along – lots of bars, cafés and cultural events.
Kaiserstuhl
When in Freiburg you have to pay a visit to one of the famous “Strausse” of the region. A typical Strausse is a small family-run restaurant that is usually situated at a vineyard and only opens during the wine picking season. Their menu offers all the local specialities that one could wish for – Bibiliskäse (a light quark with fresh herbs) with Brägele (sauteed potatoes), Flammkuchen (onions and speck with crème fraiche on a thin pizza base) and of course wineeeee!
What I also love about Freiburg is its focus on sustainability. Not only was it voted greenest city of Germany, but it also has the best-planned bike paths in Germany and whole neighborhoods with houses that are completely self-sufficient.
What a real Freiburger does
„Blaue Brücke“
As an almost half local Freiburger myself, I have gotten to know a lot of Freiburg traditions. One and probably also my favorite one is when you arrive at the Freiburg Hauptbahnhof, you get yourself a bottled beer and climb on to the Blaue Brücke (the Blue Bridge), one of Freiburg’s most significant features, overlooking the train tracks with a beautiful view of the panoramic Black Forest mountains in the background.
Fun Fact
The Canals or better known as “Bächle”, small water-filled runnels, that run all through the old town of Freiburg, stem from the Middle Age, when they were used to fight fires, provide water for people and animals and of course to cool off during those famously hot summers. These days people still use them to dig their toes into the cold water or play around. There is a Freiburg saying that says if you fall into one of those Bächle unintentionally, you will end up marrying a Freiburger ;-).
How to get there
Take the direct ICE train from Berlin Hbf, which takes you to Freiburg Hbf in 6h and 14 min to be exact (find cheap fares on DB Sparpreisfinder).
For us, Umami finds the perfect balance between traditional asian flavours and slightly more unusual creations. This is not only true for their food, but also for their homemade lemonade and tea offers (our tip for tea fans: order the ‚Herbstlaub‘ tea). Don’t be discouraged by the queue that is forming at peak times. Waiting time is usually not that long and well worth it (we can only speak for the Kreuzberg location though). Try the ‚Buddah Burger‘: a sautéed seitan patty with mango-coleslaw and sweetpotatoe fries or the ‚Dragon Barbeque‘: grilled king prawns with honey, vegetables and sweetpotatoe fries on the side. For a glimpse into Umami’s menu, visit their website here. If you come with a larger group, plan ahead and try to make a reservation for the seating area where you sit – traditional asian style – on the floor.
Lalibela is a cute little place in the heart of Neukölln that serves delicious Ethiopian food. This is the perfect place to come with a small group, not because of the place’s size (au contraire, it’s rather small, so you might want to reserve a seat, if you don’t want to wait -> reservations can be done online), but because of the fact that the typical Ethiopian dish, the injera, is the perfect meal to share. Injera is an Ethiopian flatbread (made out of teff flour) that is served flat on a big iron plate with a variety of toppings, like lentils, salads, vegetables, potatoes, stews, etc., with more injera served on the side. What might need a little getting used to at first is that you will not be served utensils, since this dish is traditionally eaten with your hands, using small pieces of injera to scoop up the toppings. This makes the injera simultaneously a food, an eating utensil and also a plate. We recommend to mix and match the combos to get the full hands on experience.
Where? Herrfurthstraße 32, 12049 Berlin
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, 2PM – Open end.
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The Museumsinsel (Museum Island) right at Hackescher Markt in Berlin Mitte is the perfect place for all museum enthusiasts visiting Berlin (or for those who simply want to cram as many museums into one day as possible, whatever floats your boat). The first addition to the island was the Altes Museum in 1830. Soon thereafter more and more museums were added to the island. Today, it encompasses six buildings (Altes Museum (Old Museum), Neues Museum (New Museum), Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), Bode Museum, Pergamonmuseum, and the James-Simon-Galerie), with art that displays six thousand years of history, ranging from the Ancient Egyptians to European art of the 19th century. Due to its incredible number of famous collections, as well as its unique architecture, the Museumsinsel was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1999. Partially because of this, combined with the need for restoration of the museum buildings after the Second World War, the island has been in the process of being reconstructed since the turn of the century. While the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Bode Museum, and the Neues Museum have already been through the process, the Pergamonmuseum is currently being renovated, though visitors can still access parts of the museum in the meantime.
If you’re really into museums, and your legs don’t hurt yet after hours of exploring and admiring everything the island has to offer, you can find many more museums close to it such as the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German historical museum), the Designpanoptikum (small, unique museum for industrial objects), or the Hanfmuseum (Hemp museum).
Additionally, next to hosting museums, this little island and its surrounding area are a popular meeting place for people when the weather is nice . So after a long, fun, art-filled day, you can walk across the bridge leading from the island and sit in Monbijoupark right by the Spree, listen to the street musicians that frequent this popular spot, or go to one of the several bars along the river to have a drink (or just buy a Späti beer) and people-watch.
View of the Museumsinsel from across the Spree during the yearly Festival of Lights.
Where? Bodestr. 3, 10178 Berlin (S Hackescher Markt, U Klosterstraße)
Opening Hours:
Monday: closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10AM – 6PM
Thursday: 10AM – 8PM
Admission: free with your Museum Pass!
The island was rediscovered by Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia, who used it as a romantic venue for secret meetups with his mistress. Between 1794 and 1797, he had a little summer palace built on the island. Although many buildings in Berlin were damaged during the Second World War, the little palace on Peacock Island survived unscathed and so still remains in its original form today. Since 1990 the entire island has been a Unesco World Heritage Site.
