From insider tricks for saving money on admission, to free days to visit and ways to make your visit go more smoothly, here are our best tips for saving money and time at Berlin’s top 10 sights.

Related: Our favorite affordable hotels in Berlin

Saving at Berlin’s Top 10 Sights

1. The Reichstag

Long an empty shell in the Mauerstreifen (the military zone between the east and west side of the Berlin Wall), the Reichstag was extensively renovated and modernized when the government moved back to Berlin in 2000.

Today, the Reichstag is home to the German parliament and open to visitors. The building’s glass dome roof, designed by the British architect Sir Norman Foster, offers a great view over the city. To get inside, you need to register in advance. You can learn about the process on the Visit Berlin website.

Budget tips:

• The good news is that visiting the Reichstag is free of charge. Just be sure to organize everything as far in advance as possible, since this is a very popular attraction. Book ahead of time to enjoy this building’s rich history.
• To explore the dome and terrace, book admission at www.bundestag.de.

2. Brandenburg Gate

Nothing says “Berlin” quite like the Brandenburg Gate. Built in 1791, this gate has become a symbol of German unity after years of division between east and west. Take a stroll across swanky Pariser Platz, home to the French and US embassies, as well as the luxurious, upscale Hotel Adlon.

Budget tips:

• Although the boulevard Unter den Linden is definitely worth a stroll, the restaurants and cafes you’ll find there, or anywhere around the Brandenburg Gate, will most likely be touristy and overpriced.
• To save those precious euros for more worthy pursuits, pack a picnic and head to the Tiergarten park to the west of the gate.

3. Berlin Television Tower (Fernsehturm)

Rising to a staggering 1,207 feet, the Berlin TV Tower is by far the tallest building in Berlin and can be seen all over the city. The tower also has an interesting history: It was opened on October 3, 1969, shortly before the 20th anniversary of the GDR, and was designed to be a symbol of the might and superiority of East Germany and other socialist societies over the West. Travel to the mirrored sphere at the top for breathtaking views over all of Berlin.

Budget tips:

• The Berlin WelcomeCard will save you 25% on the price of admission.
• The revolving restaurant at the top is expensive, but you can be a true Cheapo and just order a couple of drinks and an appetizer. The food might not blow you away, but the view will!

4. Gendarmenmarkt

One of the most beautiful squares in Berlin, if not Germany, Gendarmenmarkt is a must-see for any visitor. The square is flanked by two cathedrals, Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) on the northern side and Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) on the southern side with Konzerthaus (Concert House) behind it. Be sure and say “guten tag” to the statue of Friedrich Schiller, the famous German poet and playwright, located at the center of the square.

Budget tips:

• If you’d like to see the inside of one of the cathedrals, opt for the French Cathedral. Its admission is just €3 (€4 less than the price for the German Cathedral).
• Take free guided tour of the Concert House, designed by the famous German neoclassical architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

5. Berliner Dom

Located on Museum Island (see below) directly on the Spree River, the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) is Berlin’s largest Protestant church and is a wonderful example of High-Renaissance Baroque architecture. The cathedral is also steeped with history and is tied very closely to the Hohenzollern dynasty. It was closed during the GDR era and reopened in 1993 after extensive renovations.

Budget tips:

• The Berlin Pass offers free entry to the cathedral (normal price €7).
• You can also enjoy it from the outside. Snap a few photos, then stretch out and relax at nearby Lustgarten.

6. Kurfürstendamm

Affectionately called “Ku’damm” by Berliners, Kurfürstendamm was West Berlin’s glitzy main shopping street, and stood for cosmopolitan elegance and sophistication for decades. The street begins at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and extends into the upscale neighborhood Halensee. Europe’s biggest department store KaDeWe and Zoological Garten, Germany’s oldest zoo, are both nearby and definitely worth a visit.

Budget tips:

• As with Unter den Linden, you should probably avoid restaurants and cafes directly on Ku’damm.
• But you can find more affordable food nearby: There are many inexpensive Indian restaurants on Grolmanstrasse and cheap Chinese places on Kant Strasse, including the amazing Lon Men’s Noodle House.
• To get a glimpse of student life in Berlin as well as a meal at a very nice price, you can also eat lunch at the TU Mensa, the cafeteria for Berlin’s Technical University.

7. Schloss Charlottenburg

Located just outside of the center of Berlin City West, Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Palace) is a beautiful baroque palace located in the middle of a large, picturesque garden at the banks of the Spree River.

Budget tips:

• Unless you’re an absolute palace junkie, it really isn’t necessary to pay the €10 entry fee to go inside the palace. Instead, take a stroll around the beautiful gardens.
• Seek out the bridge over a small lake – a romantic photo opportunity that has been used in numerous films and television shows – as well as the Queen Louise’s mausoleum and the Schinkel pavilion, a small house commissioned by King Friedrich Wilhelm II.

A river boat cruises by Museum Island. Photo: Chas B

8. Museum Island

An UNESCO world heritage site, Museum Island is also home to many of Berlin’s most important museums including the Pergamon Museum, the Bode Museum, Alte Museum (Old Museum),  Neues Museum (New Museum) and Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery).

Budget tips:

• To save on museum admission fees, you should definitely consider buying either the Berlin Museum Pass or Berlin Welcome Card Museum Island.
• If you’re not one for museums, be sure to take a stroll around the island and soak in the quaint history of the place, which is, of course, free of charge.

The Berlin Wall Memorial contain a preserved guard tower. Photo: Ingo Ronner

9. The Berlin Wall Memorial and Documentation Center

Located between the districts of Wedding (former West Berlin) and Mitte (former East Berlin), the Berlin Wall Memorial honors those who lost their lives trying to cross the Berlin Wall. A section of the wall and a guard tower remain standing, which offers a good feel for what the border felt like for decades. Cross the street and check out the Documentation Center to learn more about the wall’s history.

Budget tips:

• Both the Memorial and Documentation Center are free of charge. Read, listen, and learn about Berlin’s history as a divided city and the tragic consequences it had for the lives of many.
• Keep an eye on your wallet: Pickpockets are often active in this area, so a little extra precaution is advised.

Related: Memorializing the Berlin Wall

10.  Potsdamer Platz

Once a bustling commercial center, Potsdamer Platz became a dormant no-man’s land after World War II and until the fall of the Wall. Soon after, skyscrapers – as well as the Sony Center and the mall Potsdamer Platz Arcaden – sprung up out of the ground practically overnight. In February, the square is also home to the Berlinale, Berlin’s international film festival.

Budget tips:

• Again, it’s best to avoid the touristy restaurants around Potsdamer Platz.
• If you’d like to see a film in English, be sure to check out some of the smaller original language movie theaters in Berlin (check out this list) before shelling out bigger bucks at SonyCineStar.

The post How to save at Berlin’s Top 10 attractions appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

This weekend the city was aglow with lights spread out along 15km of the wall’s former path. It was a spectacular sight to behold across Berlin, and the city held several events to commemorate this historic moment. They even encouraged a hashtag #fallofthewall25 to document the festivities. It all built up to a big celebration last night on the official anniversary.

Here are some photos that capture the spirit of the city on this historic evening.

A mural along the famous East Side Gallery. Photo: Craig Nelson

A view looking over the preserved guard tower at the Berlin Wall Memorial. Photo: Craig Nelson

Looking up at the towers along the Oberbaum Bridge crossing the Spree River. Photo: Craig Nelson

The lights stretching as far as you can see along the East Side Gallery. Photo: Craig Nelson

The light display running through Mauerpark. Photo: Craig Nelson

Crossing Oberbaum bridge into Kreuzburg just after sunset. Photo: Craig Nelson

Thousands of Berliners of all ages turned out for this historic night. Photo: Craig Nelson

The balloons were released one by one around 7 pm. Here is the scene along Behmstrasse. Photo: Craig Nelson

November 9 Platz. This is where the border was first breached in 1989. Photo: Craig Nelson

The post Fall of the Wall 25: On the scene in Berlin appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

These sights will be more crowded on the weekend, but for good reason:  well-priced brunches, weekend-only flea markets and Friday and Saturday nightlife make this an attractive destination for residents and visitors from across Berlin.

Start at Ostbahnhof Train Station

Start your tour at Berlin’s Ostbahnhof train station. Over its lifetime this train station has had more name changes than any other in the city—it served as (East) Berlin’s central train station, and was known as “Hauptbahnhof” between 1987 and 1998, when it was renamed “Ostbahnhof”. While the station entrance has undergone major renovation and modernization, erasing most evidence of the periods before under a mall-like facade common to most German train stations, the wide, gritty station hall with numerous platforms and tracks wows with its massive steel and glass construction and eerie quiet.

As with any major train station in the city, it’s easy to grab a quick snack or drink here at one of the many small eateries or from one of the two large supermarkets in the basement. This is also one of the city’s only locations with grocery stores open on Sundays, if you’ve forgotten to stock up in advance.

Swing by the Postbahnhof

To the east of the station lies Postbahnhof am Ostbahnhof. As its name suggests, it was used as a postal sorting and storage facility until the 1990s, at which point mail was transported by trucks and airplanes rather than by train.

It has since become a location for concerts, events, and temporary exhibitions, and houses FritzClub, a nightclub popular with students and younger night owls.

Stroll along the East Side Gallery

Toward the river, you’ll spot your first glimpse of the East Side Gallery, one of Berlin’s longest sections of extant Berlin Wall. This strip owes its existence and popularity to a post-Wall 1989-90 art project that brought together artists from around the world to decorate it in a series of murals, most touching on the historical and social aspects of the Wall’s fall. After years of decay and obfuscation by graffiti, many sections were repainted in 2009.

Related: 10 ways to explore the Fall of the Wall, 25 years later

This borderland area has undergone a tremendous amount of development in the interceding 25 years. This section of the Wall, once obscuring industrial eyesores from the sight of official state visitors traveling the road between Schönefeld airport and Ostbahnhof, now neighbors parks, beach bars, and hotels.

The riverside and East Side Gallery are threatened by development. In 2013 David Hasselhoff made international headlines by appearing alongside Berlin protesters attempting to thwart the removal of sections of the East Side Gallery in the name of long-approved public and private development projects. As you walk eastward, don’t forget to look at the development on the other side of the street as well—everything here has been built since the fall of the Wall, most notably Berlin’s stadium event hall, O2 World.

Take in (but don’t cross) the Oberbaumbrücke

Walking to the end of the Mühlenstr., you’ll reach one of Berlin’s most recognizable landmarks, the Oberbaumbrücke. This double-decker bridge with its two brick towers is a highlight of any Spree boat tour. Visitors may remember it from its appearance in the films “Run Lola Run” or “The Bourne Supremacy.” During German division, U1 subway service into the East was interrupted, and the bridge served as a pedestrian border from West (Kreuzberg) to East (Friedrichshain) Berlin.

Walk up Warschauer Str.

Turn left and walk up Warschauer Str. toward the U- and S-Bahn stations. Directly under the U-Bahn station (and accessed from the rear, or Warschauer Platz, side) is the dance club Matrix. One of Berlin’s largest, Matrix expands over ten “underground” vaults and is open to visitors over 18 years old, seven nights a week from 10 PM.

Across from the U-Bahn station, the gray building you see is the so-called Industriepalast. Built in the early 20th century, the building housed one of the GDR’s most prominent refrigeration and cooling compressor manufacturers. Since renovations in the early 1990s, the landmark-protected building now houses a hotel, a hostel, small shops and eateries, and Monster Ronson’s, one of Berlin’s best karaoke bars.

Cross the bridge over the train tracks (avoid stepping on the punks and their dogs!), pausing to capture an excellent photo of the Alexanderplatz TV tower, another of East Berlin’s icons.

Coffee or beer break at RAW-tempel

At the next intersection, turn right into the Revaler Str. On your right side, you’ll come to the questionable looking entrance of the RAW-tempel. RAW is an acronym for Reichsbahnausbesserungswerkstatt (don’t you love German?), a really long word for a train repair facility—in use here until 1995—which explains both the RAW-tempel’s location as well as its size.

What started (and continues) as a non-profit organization promoting a free space for cultural activities now houses numerous popular clubs and bars, an art gallery, an open-air cinema, a circus school, and a weekend flea market. This expansive creative space definitely warrants a wander or perhaps a coffee/beer break! Come back at another time of day to experience a completely different atmosphere.

Simon-Dach-Str is filled with cafes and bars offering plenty of outdoor seating. Photo: La Citta Vita

Turn left onto Simon-Dach-Strasse

Continue eastward on the Revaler Str., turning left into the Simon-Dach-Str. At this end of the street, you can understand what this residential area felt like before post-Wall development took hold. Starting from the intersection with Kopernikusstr., you’ll discover one of Berlin’s most popular streets for going out, lined on both sides with restaurants and bars offering thousands of outdoor seats.

If you’re looking for something a little quieter, head just a bit further east (literally and figuratively) to Datscha (one of our recommended brunch locales) on the corner of Kopernikusstr. and Gabriel-Max-Str.

Hang out at Boxhagener Platz

Heading northward along the Gabriel-Max-Str. or eastward from the Simon-Dach-Str. along Grünberger Str., you’ll soon hit Boxhagener Platz. A popular neighborhood gathering space, the place comes alive on weekends for its Saturday open-air food market or highly-trafficked Sunday flea market. The square was the focus of a recent German film set in East Berlin in 1968 of the same name.

Walk north to Frankfurter Allee

From here, head northward on the Mainzer Str. until you reach Frankfurter Allee. Mainzer Str. was home to one of Berlin’s most famous post-Wall squats. Houses 2 through 11, 22, and 24 were occupied for seven months before being violently cleared in November 1990. Gentrification remains a central issue in the area. Today, most houses in this street, like those in the surrounding streets, have been renovated, leaving no trace of this alternative history.

Turn left on Frankfurter Allee. During the 1950s, this wide boulevard was renamed “Stalinallee”. Walk toward the Gendarmenmarkt-inspired twin towers marking Frankfurter Tor and the start of the socialist classical developments built by the GDR between here and Alexanderplatz along the Karl-Marx-Allee. The street, with its monumental architectural backdrop, was regularly used for GDR May 1st (Labor) Day parades. It has retained its popularity as a shopping street, albeit with less prestige than in it held the GDR.

Then choose your own adventure!

From here, you’ve got choices! You can:

• head back to the Simon-Dach-Str. or RAW-tempel for some well-earned refreshment.

• head out for a night of techno at the nearby Berghain, one of Berlin’s most legendary clubs, in a former power plant back toward Ostbahnhof (Am Wriezener Bahnhof).

• catch the U5 subway to Alexanderplatz and continue your city sightseeing from there.

Or, catch the M10 tram northbound toward Nordbahnhof:

• getting off after four stops (Paul-Heyse-Str.) to explore Volkspark Friedrichshain.

• getting off after 10 stops (Husemannstr.) to explore the Kollwitzplatz area of Prenzlauer Berg.

• getting off after 12 stops (Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn Sportpark) to explore Mauerpark, visit the Mauerpark flea market, or enjoy open-air karaoke.

• getting off after 14 stops (U8-Bernauer Str.) to explore the Berlin Wall Memorial, walking along Bernauer Str. to Nordbahnhof.

The post A Walking Tour of former East Berlin: Hanging out in Friedrichshain appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

With the big milestone coming up, we’ve compiled a list of 10 ways to explore the history of the Wall, its construction, dismantling, and the reunification of Germany. And good news for budget travelers, almost all of these are free to visit!

1. Visit the Berlin Wall Memorial

Starting point for any deeper understanding of the Berlin Wall is the Berlin Wall Memorial, near S-Nordbahnhof. Before exiting the station, study the informational displays in the stairwell and station foyer telling the story of the Bahnhof and others like it which became “ghost stations.” (The GDR blocked access for its citizens to certain sections of Berlin’s S-Bahn network which could have served as a direct escape route to West Berlin.)

Above ground, you’ll find indoor and outdoor informational displays, including historical films, original documents and numerous broadcasts and interviews detailing the events leading up to the the Wall’s construction, reactions and dramatic events—including numerous escape attempts—around its construction in August 1963, what the division of the city meant for its residents (especially those in the shadow of the Wall, as here in Bernauer Str.), and what the city looked like in the days and months after the Wall came down.

The Memorial also reflects on the short history of its own existence, including the struggle to maintain the existing section of border strip with original Wall pieces given residents’ animosity, the interference of neighboring parishes and the profit-driven desire to develop as much of this newly open land as possible.

From a specially constructed viewing tower, you can look down into the memorial for a better sense of the entire border complex, view the small chapel constructed from the rubble following the 1986 destruction of a church which stood on the same spot, enveloped by the Wall for nearly three decades and imagine the current memorial park landscape in its former militarized state.

The interpretive park ends at U8-Bernauer Str., but you may choose to extend your walk to Mauerpark, the meeting point of three Berlin districts. On Sundays, this lively strip is host to a popular flea market, chock full of original Berlin souvenirs; in the afternoons, free and friendly karaoke steals the show on the amphitheater stage.

Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer, Bernauer Str. 119. Outdoor displays accessible at all times, indoor displays 9:30 AM to 7 PM (summer), to 6 PM (winter), closed Mondays, free admission. S-Nordbahnhof, U8-Bernauer Str.

A memorial dedicated to freedom, the East Side Gallery features restored murals that graced the Wall before the fall. Photo: Antonio Campoy

2. Visit other bits of the Wall

Other places to view original segments of the Wall include Berlin’s East Side Gallery (running along the Spree between S-Ostbahnhof and S-Warschauer Str.) or the Topography of Terror (between Potsdamer Platz and Checkpoint Charlie). There are numerous Wall pieces which have now been sprinkled around Potsdamer Platz and Leipziger Platz, generally not in their original location.

3. Explore the German Historical Museum

To understand better the parallel developments in West and East Germany following the end of World War II, including the events leading to reunification, visit the German Historical Museum’s permanent exhibition. An entire floor is dedicated to this period, and visitors to the well-designed display get an excellent sense of the events leading to the division of Germany, as well as the significance of the erection of the Berlin Wall and the inner-German border for the GDR economy and East-West German relations in the mid- to late-20th century.

Deutsches Historisches Museum, Unter den Linden 2. Open 10 AM To 6 PM daily, admission €8/4. S-Friedrichstr., S-Hackescher Markt, S-Alexanderplatz, bus stop Unter den Linden/Staatsoper.

4. Trace the path of the Wall

Where was the Wall located? Well, in the center of Berlin, the former path of the westernmost element of the Berlin Wall security complex is often marked by a cobblestone line, regularly inset with copper plates stating, “Berliner Mauer 1961-1989.” You can easily pick up this line running behind the Reichstag and around the Brandenburg Gate, past the Holocaust Memorial, up to Potsdamer Platz, then past the Topography of Terror and Checkpoint Charlie to points beyond.

It may be difficult to believe it today, but anywhere you’re standing in the Potsdamer Platz area—now home to the Sony Center and numerous other highrise developments—was once entirely empty, fully contained within the Berlin Wall complex.

In other sections of Berlin, the Wall perimeter wasn’t marked with the cobblestone line. The Wall border followed the sector boundaries between West and East Berlin (which typically followed the borough or Bezirk boundaries which even today divide the city into its various districts), which is why one of the city’s most important stretches can be found in the Bernauer Str., the boundary between the districts of Mitte (East) and Wedding (West).

The truly dedicated can study this map carefully in order to understand whether they are in West or East Berlin at any given moment. If you’ve found a boundary but aren’t sure which side you’re on, you can safely guess that the side closest to the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) on Alexanderplatz is probably the “East.”

5. Cross between East and West Berlin at Friedrichstrasse station

If you find yourself confused and lost by the complicated design of the Friedrichstrasse train station, this is not without reason. One of the city’s transportation hubs, the station was redesigned to maintain separate passenger flows for eastern and western travelers after it became an essential border crossing between East and West Berlin following the Wall’s construction. You can see a giant model of this elaborate system in the bright blue Tränenpalast, or Palace of Tears, just outside the station next to the Spree canal.

It was here that many West Berliners exited the GDR; the name refers to the tears that were shed as families affected by German division were forced to say their goodbyes. The building now houses an excellent historical exhibition on border crossings, with eyewitness accounts from those who left East Germany legally and illegally, those who visited and passed through rigorous controls, those who smuggled, and those performing the controls.

Grenzerfahrungen – Tränenpalast at Bahnhof Friedrichstr., Reichstagufer 17. Open 9 AM to 7 PM weekdays (closed Mondays), 10 AM to 6 PM weekends and holidays, free admission.

6. Look away from Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie remains, however, the most infamous of all Berlin crossing points. The third of three around the city nicknamed by Allied soldiers after the first letters of the military’s phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie), Charlie was reserved for foreigners and military personnel entering East Berlin and thus played a role in nearly every East-West spy novel or movie set during this period.

To gain an accurate picture of the crossing, don’t gawk at the replica booth flanked with sandbags and men in costume uniforms; stand instead with your back to the spectacle and stare down Friedrichstr. This entire intersection—everything between the Zimmerstr. to where the highrise buildings begin—made up the historical checkpoint; you’ll note this is an area far larger than the tiny booth would lead you to believe. Today, much of this area is surrounded by fencing covered in an informational historical exhibit which is worth reading further.

Checkpoint Charlie, corner of Zimmerstr. and Friedrichstr. Accessible all hours, no admission. U6-Kochstr.

7. Visit an East German apartment

Traveling on the U5 subway line eastward from Alexanderplatz, you will find yourself driving into the deepest heart of GDR Berlin: through the districts of Lichtenberg and Marzahn, buildings take on the characteristic heights and pre-fab construction styles once (and still) ubiquitous across the GDR. Your ride ends in Hellersdorf, at U-Cottbusser Platz, where one of Berlin’s housing management companies has maintained an original—once highly coveted—three-room apartment with authentic furnishings.

The apartment was typical for the area; more than half of the 42,000 apartments built in Hellersdorf, developed quickly to meet the needs of young families with small children, were perfectly identical to the one on display.

Museumswohnung in der Platte, Hellersdorferstr. 179. Open Sundays from 2-4 PM (other times by arrangement), free admission. U5-Cottbusser Platz.

8. Consider everyday life

Through traditional and multimedia displays, including original media and recent interviews with former GDR citizens, a museum in the Kulturbrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg highlights the chasm between the Socialist utopia promoted by the GDR government and the everyday realities of life for those on the ground, with a special focus on the way the government exerted control over its citizens. The display includes a large collection of original GDR-designed products, including, of course, a pristine Trabi automobile.

Alltag in der DDR – Museum in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97. Open 10 AM to 6 PM (to 8 PM Thursdays), closed Mondays, free admission. U2-Eberswalder Str.

9. Study the Stasi files

To understand the degree to which the GDR exploited its own citizens in the maintenance of control and the methods used to repress and monitor suspected dissidents, you may appreciate the informative exhibition on the state security apparatus known as the Stasi, housed near Checkpoint Charlie. The information center at BStU-Bildungszentrum is curated by the state agency which maintains the Stasi file archive; here historians, researchers, and citizens can request access to the information painstakingly collected and documented by the SED apparatus.

Stasi Exhibition – Bildungszentrum BStU, Zimmerstr. 90. Open daily 10 AM to 6 PM, free admission. U6-Kochstr.

10. Take a guided tour of the Berlin Wall

Rent Mauerguide, a GPS-guided audio tour providing comprehensive information on the Berlin Wall and nearly every location discussed in this article. €10/day (€8/4 hours), students receive €3 discount. Pick up/drop off at Bernauer Str., Brandenburg Gate, or Checkpoint Charlie.

Berliner Unterwelten e.V. offers a two-hour Under the Berlin Wall (M) underground walking tour for €13/€10. Starts near S-Gesundbrunnen at 3 PM on Fridays and Sundays, with tours every weekday at 3 PM during the summer.

Fat Tire Bikes offers a five-hour Berlin Wall and Cold War tour for €24. Starts from S-/U-Alexanderplatz at 10:30 AM on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays (summer).

Berlin on Bike offers Berlin Wall or Wall Eyewitness tours—the former €19, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 11 AM; the latter €25, Saturdays at 10 AM Both 3.5-hour tours start at the Kulturbrauerei (U2-Eberswalder Str.).

The post 10 ways to explore the history of the Berlin Wall appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

EuroCheapo is teaming up with airberlin and visitBerlin to offer this unique “Fall of the Wall” trip giveaway. Join the country in celebrating the end of a political division and the beginning of a peaceful reunification.

Spend the weekend of November 7-9 visiting artistic exhibits, touring the former Wall, taking in some theater, and experiencing the illuminated helium balloon installation along the former Wall’s border. And those are just a few of the festivities you could partake in. Read about many more here.

One lucky winner will receive:

• Two round-trip tickets on airberlin from the US to Berlin in November 2014.

• Complimentary accommodation for three nights in central Berlin, courtesy of visitBerlin.

How to enter

To enter to win, simply fill in the form below. By entering this contest, you will also be subscribing to EuroCheapo’s “Weekly Cheapo” newsletter.

On July 16th, we’ll randomly draw the name of one lucky winner. It’s that simple. Hopefully, you can join the party this November in Berlin. Good luck!

Sorry, this contest has now ended.

Contest rules

• Winner will be randomly chosen on July 16 and contacted by email. Winner will be given 24 hours to respond to the notification email. If no response is received within 24 hours, this entry will be voided and EuroCheapo will draw another winner.

• Winner receives two Economy Class seats on airberlin from any airberlin US departure airport to Berlin Tegel, valid for November 2014 travel.

• Three nights accommodation will be provided in a Berlin hotel or hostel (private room with bath).

• Participants must be at least 18 years old at date of entry. Other rules and restrictions apply. Contest is open to the public.

• By entering this contest, you are also subscribing to EuroCheapo’s “Weekly Cheapo” newsletter.

• Only one entry will be permitted per person.

• Current EuroCheapo newsletter subscribers and past contest participants are not automatically entered into the contest, and must fill out the form above to be entered into this contest.

The post Enter to win 2 tickets to Berlin this November to celebrate the fall of the Wall! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

1. Berlinale Film Festival

The city rolls out its red carpets in February for the annual Berlinale film festival. With multiple venues centered around the Potsdamer Platz area, the festival is one of Europe’s most publicly accessible and relatively affordable. Showings run the gamut of documentaries, classics, and well-publicized European premieres of recent Hollywood films, replete with star-studded attendance (bring your camera!). Ticket information for this year has just been released, and prices range from around a very reasonable €9 to €13.

2. Ai Weiwei Blockbuster art show

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei opens a show at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in April, exhibiting both new works and others never before seen in Germany. The exhibition “Evidence” runs through July 7th. Tickets: €11/€8, available online or at ticket counters. Open daily 10 AM-7 PM, closed Tuesdays.

3. Football final at Olympic Stadium

Before football (soccer) fever reaches its peak in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup this June and July, visitors to Germany’s capital can catch many of the country’s top national players in this year’s German Football League (DFB) final, held May 17th at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. Tickets will go on sale following the quarter finals in mid-February; keep an eye out for updates here.

4. Berlin Biennale

The Berlin Biennale is back in 2014, with events and exhibitions running from the end of May to the beginning of August. This year’s focus should be of special interest to history buffs and those interested in historical appropriation of modern urban space and the built environment. For more information, updates and a look back at past Biennales, check out their blog.

5. 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall

It’s hard to believe that 1989 was 25 years ago, but 2014 marks an important anniversary—the fall of the Berlin Wall. This momentous event that arrives on November 9th will capture the attention of the entire world. Expect numerous happenings all over the city marking this seminal date in German history, including a breathtaking illuminated balloon display lighting the entire length of the former division that separated East from West. We’ll be sure to update you with more details about this event as plans develop later this year, and you can also check out visitBerlin’s page for more info.

For more details on the cool city of Berlin, browse through EuroCheapo’s city guide for details on budget tips, getting around and booking low-cost hotels.

The post Berlin in 2014: Book your ticket for these 5 can’t-miss events appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Dark tourism

Berlin is a standard stop-off point on Europe’s dark tourism circuit, the city’s peculiar topography of terror encompassing a double dose of totalitarianism. It’s not often you can cover Hitler and Stalin in the same weekend. True, there are all sorts of other reasons for visiting Berlin, but the various memorials to the city’s troubled history still exert a strong pull on first-time visitors.

The Chapel of Reconciliation

One wall, many stories

Most folk who don’t know Berlin come to the Wall with a murky mixture of misunderstandings, but the various exhibits and memorials about the Wall are, at their best, very educational — and at their worst rather problematic. The issue is one of emphasis. In trying to map the history of a divided Berlin, what story does one tell?

Does one go back to the currency crisis of June 1948? Should one emphasize the provocative posturing of the western Allies who occupied Berlin? Or should one look at the poor performance of the economy of the German Democratic Republic in 1960 and the first months of 1961, which some say impelled the East Berlin authorities to build the Wall to stem the tide of emigration?

A memorial cross on the death strip

The truth is that most visitors accept whatever explanation of the Wall is presented in the guidebooks they read and museums they visit. Most surely approach the topic with reverence, and those who do the rounds of Wall sights are united in thinking that “this should never have happened and this must never happen again.”

Bernauer Strasse memorial

The best spot by far for Berlin Wall tourists is the memorial installation just north of the city center along the south side of Bernauer Strasse. It is easy to reach, just three stops north of Alexanderplatz on the U8 subway route. From the station, it is an easy ten-minute walk downhill along the route of the former Wall to the Nordbahnhof train station.

But what a walk! Ten minutes on foot through a superbly planned memorial that maps several decades of Cold War history. Twice last month we took guests to the Bernauer Strasse site, and twice we left feeling we had gleaned just a fraction of what the entire ensemble has to offer.

Inside the Chapel of Reconciliation

There is a viewing tower, where visitors can peer over the Wall from the West into East Berlin — just as so many Westberliners did a half-century ago. There are two indoor exhibition areas, full of reportage, short films and artifacts that record the impact of the Wall on the everyday lives of Berliners.

Back in the open air, visitors can explore remaining stretches of the Wall, see the other deterrents that backed up the Wall, and listen to oral histories of those who tried to flee, failed in their attempted flight or had the job of protecting the borders of the German Democratic Republic. There is a deeply moving Chapel of Reconciliation — an absolute oasis of calm and peace in a busy part of Berlin.

The best free museum in Berlin

Take time, linger and ponder on the peculiar artifact of European history that once divided a city. You’ll pay not a cent to visit any part of the Bernauer Strasse memorial complex. Everything is free.

The outdoor facilities can be viewed during daylight hours. The indoor visitor center, the documentation center, the Chapel of Reconciliation and the viewing tower are generally open daily except Mondays from 09.30 until 18.00 (or 19.00 from April to October inclusive).

The Reconciliation sculpture by Josefina da Vasconcellos

Everyday life in a divided city

From the lower end of the memorial complex at Nordbahnhof, S-Bahn trains run every five minutes direct to the city center, all stopping at Friedrichstrasse, Brandenburger Tor and Potsdamer Platz.

But before you leave, take a look at the display at the station showing how public transport around Berlin was disrupted in the decades when Berlin was divided. It’s a nice reminder of how Berliners learned to cope with everyday life in a divided city — a place that was a mere pawn in superpower politics.

East Side Gallery and more

No other memorial to the Wall in Berlin comes even close to matching the Bernauer complex. The East Side Gallery (on Mühlenstrasse between Ostbahnhof and the River Spree) is home to an important international artists’ initiative, but the area surrounding the wall is tacky in the extreme.

The strongly editorialized and distinctly biased exhibit at Haus am Checkpoint Charlie remains popular with US and Japanese tourists. It is outrageously overpriced with an admission charge of €12.50 that strongly deters some would-be visitors.

Those who skip it miss nothing. For years, the local Berlin government has been tussling with the owners of the Checkpoint Charlie museum, trying to curb their worst excesses, but the latter have stuck to their guns. The entire place lacks any dignity. Derided by the Berlin media for its tacky Disneyesque quality and grubby commercialism, it continues to be a source of wonder to many local politicians that anyone ventures near the place.

Perhaps those politicians are right for once. Our feeling is there is nothing at Checkpoint Charlie which is not handled very much better at the Bernauer Strasse memorial. So save your euros and head north to Bernauer Strasse for a truly thought-provoking Berlin experience.

The post Berlin: Memorializing the Wall appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Some look back now and have misgivings about how events unfolded. Many commentators suggest that East Germany disappeared too quickly and that the life experiences of an entire generation were dismissed as worthless.

Dismantling the Berlin Wall

Another memorial along the Berlin Wall Trail

History is made up of individuals and not merely the schemes of governments. And August 31, 1990 was a day of personal tragedy in the community in which we live on the outskirts of Berlin. The Wall has now long gone, but in summer 1990 local kids were busy chipping away at the structure. Where once the Wall stood, now there is a beautiful cycle route that tracks round the outer edges of Berlin. Susan Buzzelli highlighted the merits of that bike path in a posting earlier this month here on EuroCheapo.

A tragic accident

On August 31, 1990, 14-year-old Christoph-Manuel Bramböck from Lichterfelde (Berlin) became the victim of a terrible accident. He was chipping away at the bottom of the Wall, keen to get some fragments of the fast disappearing structure. He did not notice that his efforts had loosened a slab of concrete higher up the Wall. The block crashed down on Christoph-Manuel’s head, killing him instantly. He was the last victim of the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall trail

The Berlin Mauerweg cycle route has many memorials along its route, recalling episodes connected with the Wall that for almost three decades divided Berlin. Among them is the memorial to Christoph-Manuel. who would have celebrated his 35th birthday this October. The Berlin Wall trail is an engaging tour of Cold War history and a reminder of the human dimension of international politics.

The post Berlin: Remembering the Berlin Wall appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Mayday across Europe

This year more than 140,000 well-behaved protesters marched in the streets of Istanbul, while over a million marched in Russian cities. While many protesters highlighted grievances over wages and working conditions, traditional Communists were out in force too, reminding the world that peace and socialism still deserve a place in the global agenda.

Mayday in Berlin

Our home city of Berlin has a fine history of Mayday protests on both sides of the old Wall. Participants represent the full gamut of the political spectrum—and many are of no fixed political opinions but merely enjoy the opportunity to taunt the police, burn a few cars and drink copious quantities of alcohol.

Rose-tinted views

“But it is not like the old days,” said one of our neighbors, recalling the mighty Mayday parades in Berlin of yesteryear. “Then the streets of Berlin’s central district were full of the party faithful, and I was proud to be there.”

Scratch the surface of Berlin life, and you’ll still run across outbreaks of nostalgia for the good old days of the German Democratic Republic. A time when life was altogether simpler. For many older Berliners who grew up in East Germany, the new order is associated with uncertainty in the labor market, consumerism and rising prices, and many look back with evident affection on some aspects of life in East Germany. Not all of course, and films like Das Leben der Anderen (“The Lives of Others”) act as a sharp reminder that life wasn’t always quite so rosy in East Germany.

The German word for this phenomenon—”Ostalgie” (“EASTalgia”)—nicely captures this peculiarly eastern fad, in which some folk look back wistfully on their lives in a country that had fabulous gherkins, no bananas, some of the most ghastly wallpaper in the world and lots of engagingly old-fashioned trains. Berlin even has a hotel that picks up the EASTalgia theme. Perhaps East Germany just disappeared too quickly for its citizens to mourn its passing.

Susanne and Nicky run a Berlin-based editorial bureau that supplies text and images to media across Europe. Together they edit hidden europe magazine. You can read more of their writing in their regular e-brief and in the Notes section on their website.

The post Mayday Reflections: In Berlin and beyond appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are some great ways to spend a Cheapo-friendly afternoon in Friedrichshain.

Open-air Art: The East Side Gallery

From the Ostbahnhof S-bahn station, stroll alongside Friedrichshain’s best-known attraction: the free-of-charge East Side Gallery (Mühlen Str., between the Ostbahnhof train station and Warschauer Str.) Reputed to be the continent’s largest open-air gallery, it’s a great way to pay tribute to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The .8-mile-long stretch of Wall bordering the Spree river is a concrete canvas for some 100 graffiti-style artworks. The two most famous images: Birgit Kinder’s painting of a Trabant, the iconic East German car, bursting through the Wall and Dmitri Vrubel’s rendering of a passionate kiss between the Soviet Union’s Leonid Brezhnev and East Germany’s Erich Honecker. If you need a break, spread out on the recently revamped Spree river banks, tucked away just behind the Wall.

A Bridge with a View

Once you’ve reached the end of Mühlen Str., the historic, red brick Oberbaumbrücke bridge, which links Friedrichshain to Kreuzberg, is impossible to miss.

Originally built in the 18th century, the two-story structure with a 21st-century addition by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, offers sweeping views of eastern Berlin. Look east to see the shimmering silver Molecule Man sculpture rising from the river. Look west to spot the ubiquitous Fernsehturm (TV tower).

Music fans should check out the patterned brick-and-glass Universal Records building, where the company’s European headquarters is located, adjacent to the bridge.

Lunch in a shabby-chic hood

Continue north on Warschauer Strasse to reach the heart of the Boxhaganer Kiez, a shabby-chic hood between Boxhagener Strasse and Revaler Strasse. A gathering place for stylish students, wannabe musicians, and other low-earning Berliners, this colorful corner boasts plenty of eateries serving low-budget food with flair. The best spots serve portions so large that a party of two could fill their bellies for less than €10.

Organic burger joints and vegan eateries are the restaurants du jour in this trend-conscious foodie zone. Since you probably didn’t travel all the way to Berlin to sample diner-style cheeseburgers (or veggie burgers) and fries, you should skip places like Kreuzburger (Grünberger Str. 52-53), Green Burger (Grünberger Str. 38), and Burgeramt/Frühstucksclub (Krossener Str. 22).

If you can’t resist the urge, head to the best of the bunch, Frittiersalon (Boxhagener Str. 104). Reminiscent of a 1950’s diner, the organic burgers served in this greasy spoon are big and tasty. Not to be missed are the house-made potato chips and the diverse, house-made sauces. Vegetarian Wurst is also on the menu.

Meatless meals

Vegans and the green-minded are well served well by another set of Friedrichshain faves that specialize in politically-responsible dishes. The popular Yoyo Foodworld (Gärtner Str. 27) is dedicated to providing strict vegans with dishes that are usually verboten from their diets: Käsespätzle (cheese-covered egg noodles), gyros, schnitzels, burgers, and even banana splits. And the price is right: a vegan hot chili cheeseburger with fries and a salad is €6.99.

A few blocks away, Vöner (Boxhagener Str. 56) draws the vegan masses with its P.C. version of the city’s most beloved meat-centric snack: the Döner kebab. The Imbisse (snack stand) also turns out a mean veggie burger and a meaty bio burger.

A Soviet-era Avenue: Karl Marx Allee

After lunching, wrap up your tour of Friedrichshain with a visit to the Stalinist-era Karl Marx Allee (at the northern end of Warschauer Str., between Alexanderplatz and Frankfurter Allee).

A showcase of monumental Communist architecture, including eight-story, “wedding cake” apartment buildings sheathed in creamy white tiles, the wide boulevard was built by the Soviets shortly after World War II to impress the west. In addition to hosting government-sanctioned marches, it also hosted a brutally-put down demonstration by workers on June 17, 1953.

After staring up at the 2,620-feet-high, neo-classical towers marking the Allee’s eastern end, meander west, past chipping, graffiti-covered facades, funky movie theaters, and retro store fronts, some of which still bear their funky 1950’s shop signs. The apartment buildings west of the Weberwiese U-bahn stop are the most impressive as they’ve been wonderfully restored to their Stalinist/neoclassical glory.

When you’ve had enough, rest your feet and grab a coffee at the historic Café Sybille (Karl Marx Allee 72), which includes an exhibit about the Berlin Wall. A hipper option across the street, Ehrenburg Café (Karl Marx Allee 103) is named after Ilya Ehrenburg, a Soviet-Jewish journalist.

The post Berlin: Afternoon in Friedrichshain—Berlin Wall, Cheap Eats, Soviet Stroll appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.