Hi All! This is a long overdue post, but here it is! I went to Germany during winter earlier this year as part of my Euro Trip, and was there for 5 days. I spent my time in Berlin and here is how I did it with a small budget :)
During my trip, the rate was: 1 Euro - RM4.70
Itinerary
Day 1
- Arrive at Berlin Mitte & Check In (About 9pm)
- Chill at Alexanderplatz and enjoy the night markets
Day 2
- Berlin Walking Tours
- Jew Memorial
- Reichtag building
- Checkpoint Charlie
- Typography of Terror Museum
Day 3
- Charottenburg Palace & Gardens
- Berlin Cathedral
- Night Markets
Day 4
- Underground Tunnels
- Berlin Wall Memorial
- East Side Gallery
Day 5
- Chill at Alexanderplatz
- Flight back to Ireland
Accommodation & Flights
I wont be counting in my flights for this trip, as I traveled from Ireland - Germany with RyanAir (RM480 return), so I'm not sure where you're flying from so I'll just put this budget aside
as for accommodation, I stayed at CityStay hostel berlin, which is smacked right in the middle of Alexanderplatz. It is really easy to navigate as you'll have the Berlin Tower as your land mark, and it is walking distance to Museum Island, and to the other attractions. It is slightly more expensive compared to the hostels along the east side gallery, but It is much nearer to the other attractions I thought of visiting.
I booked a bed in a 8 person mix dorm and had 3 Taiwanese & 2 Singaporeans as my room mates in the hostel, so it was pretty asiany LOL
I paid 19 Euros per night (76 Euros Total) and I got a 6% discount from Shopback.my as I used the App (76 - 4.56 = 71.44 Euros).
Accomodation Cost: RM336 (71.44 Euros)
This is how the room looks like. its pretty spacious with our own lockers
The Radio tower as the landmark
Transport
I would say as long you have a strong pair of legs you wouldn't need to worry :) Most of berlin is walkable, but if you're slightly lazy, you can always just get on the S-Bahn or U-Bahn (Trains) or rent a bicycle :)
The train system is pretty crazy over there and you're able to get to many destinations easily.
Their tariff system is based on the region, so as you see the map there is Region A, B and C.
For example You're travelling from Schonefield Airport (Region C) to Alexanderplatz (Region A), you'll get an A-B-C Ticket which will cost you €3.40
but if you're travelling along Region A-B only, it'll be €2.80
Of course if you're travelling throughout the day, you can opt for the Day Tickets, which will cost about €7+ per day
Total Transportation Cost: €15.20
Food
Food is pretty affordable in Berlin, and I would honestly say I went OD on Bratwursts and Beer. I ate pretty Simple allocating about €3 for breakfast, max €5 for lunch and max €10 for dinner. The only expensive meal I had was €15 for a Pork Knuckle.
Beers are pretty cheap as well, priced at €0,75 per 500ml bottle at the market, and if you wanna get a glass at a bar, it'll cost about €4-5 Euros
Food: €70
Beer: €30 (I drank quite a lot)
A simple lunch
Currywurst
Pork Knuckle
Warsteiner
Weissbeer
Things to do at Berlin
1) Berlin Free Walking Tours
There are a few free walking tour providers around Berlin (The Original Free Berlin Tour, Sandemans New Europe Tours, etc), so you can always just register online for your slot, and walk around Berlin for a few hours. The guide will give you a brief history of the famous places they'll bring you to, and they work for tips, so you can pay them how much you think they deserve :)
Our Guide
I started my walking tour with The Original Free Berlin Tour, and we started off at One80 Hostel, Alexanderplatz (I chose this cos it was the starting point was closest to my hostel), Our guide was pretty awesome explaining the places we'll be visiting, and
Cost: €5 tip
Some of the places that the walking tours cover:
The Neue Wache
St Mary's Church
Trabi World
Checkpoint Charlie
This used to be a place that the East & West Berliner's will go through to get to the other side. Over here you're able to take a picture with the guards (€10) or get your passport stamped with their old East/West Berlin Passport Stamps (€5)
Another random fun fact that I realized is, its called Checkpoint Charlie and the Photo of the American guard stationed there is called Harper. If you watched Two and a Half Men you'll think its funny yet a real coincidence?
Cost: €5 (For passport stamps)
Jew Memorial
The Jew memorial is one of the most iconic place as it serves as a remembrance during the troubled times of the Nazi's when they murdered all the Jews. This is a pretty interesting place to go as it is created in such a landscape where you'll be able to get lost in the middle of it. There is also a Jew museum over there if you have the time to go for it.
Brandenburg Gate
One of the most popular places to visit in Berlin, as been around since the 1800's and has always been rebuilt after heavy damage from the wars. It has been the site of major events in the past and now, Commissioned by the Prussian Monarchy, Napolean's been here, John Kennedy's been here, why not you? LOL
This ends the "Free Walking Tours" part
2) Topography of terrors Museum
This is a place that I truly loved as you're able to know about all the history of the Third Reich, and all the terror that happened in the past. There's also preserved sections of the Berlin Wall where you're able to get a good photo of
Entrance is free :)
Typography of terror centre
Part of the wall
Look Ma, an escape route!!
You're able to go into the Reichstag building if you have already registered for a spot online. You would just need to collect your tickets at the counter near to the building, and head in at your designated time slot
The glass dome at the top is what you definitely want to check out
Just had to LOL
4) Museum Island
There are a few key museums over here, such as the Pergamon Museum, Altes Museum, and more. I decided to visit the Berlin Cathedral on the island instead. and I was in luck! The Berlin Philharmonic was rehearsing for a show coming up. I quickly sat down, and just enjoyed the orchestra and choir while they rehearsed
Another great part of the Berlin Cathedral is that you can go to the rooftop to get a great view of the city!
Cost €7 for Berlin Cathedral Entry
The Altes Museum
The Pergamon Museum
The Berlin Cathedral
Inside the Berlin Cathedral
a 360 Shot of the Cathedral
The Berlin Philharmonic:
The rooftop view:
5) Berliner Underground
This is a great place to know how the German people survived in WW2. There are a few tours organized everyday for your choosing, and you're able to go down their bunkers and shelters where they took cover during the bombings of WW2. I went for the Dark Worlds Tour which costed me €11
There is a strict no photography allowed in there, so I've just took some photos from their website here: http://berliner-unterwelten.de/home.1.1.html
Cost: €11
6) The Berlin Wall & Memorial
After visiting the Berlin Underground, I took a 15 minute walk to the Berlin Wall Memorial. Over here you're able to see how the Berlin Wall used to look like with the guard towers and barricades, and also you'll see the vast contrast of how East & West Berlin looks like in the past
Entrance to the memorial is also free, so all you need to do is just walk there!
During my walk, Beer break!
7) East Side Gallery
The most vibrant place which is flocking with visitors everyday. The remains of the Berlin wall, covered in graffiti is definitely a must during your trip to Berlin.
Do note there are a lot of gypsies there doing their games so just be careful of their scams
8) Charlottenburg Palace & Gardens
Away from the main city, Charlottenburg is a place where you're able to see how the royals enjoyed their life in the past. I took a train there as I was slightly lazy. Entrance to the Palace is €10 Euros and you would need to pay another €3 if you would want to take photographs in the Palace
I honestly would say that I was not really impressed with the interior of the palace, but if you have the time to spare, why not? The gardens on the other hand was really big, but since it was winter, nothing was blooming. probably if you're around during spring, it is definitely a place to go to
You can check em out here: https://www.spsg.de/en/palaces-gardens/object/schloss-charlottenburg/
Cost: €13
Walking towards the palace
The Charllotenburg Palace
A 360 shot
The banquet hall of the palace
Displays of antiques
Portraits in the palace
The small library
The view behind the palace
The Charlottenburg Gardens
Must Dabbbb
9) Night Markets
Berlin has night markets once in a while, and it is a great place to taste their local cuisine and see their live performances. Entrance to the market was 1 Euro, and I ate my heart away in there
Cost: €1
Some of their live performances
All em sausages grilling
Trdelnik
Cheese Raclette with Bacon
A nice cup of Gluh Wein
So all in all that summed up my Berlin Trip. Definitely I could have done more, but I wasn't feeling too well during that time, so I had to pace out my activities
So here's the total cost for my 5 day trip:
€71.44 Accommodation
€15.20 Transport (excluding flights)
€100 Food & Vwwe
€100 Food & Vwwe
€42 Attractions
€228.64 (RM1,074) Total Cost
So actually its quite affordable to just chill at Berlin for a few days if you want to :) The main thing i spent for over here is food, so if you wanna budget a bit more, definitely you can! :)
Thanks for reading!
