The streets were filled with experimental theater and art projects. Those in the know frequented hidden, illegal bars and impromptu jazz concerts taking place in the ruins of old factory buildings.

However, such underground hipness is now a thing of the past. Mitte has long since been gentrified and commands some of the highest rents in the city, meaning that, these days, the occupant of a spacious apartment on Rosenthaler Strasse is far more likely to be a media mogul than a starving ceramicist.

A subway stop in Mitte. Photo: Oh-Berlin.com

Located in the center of Berlin (Mitte means “middle” in English), the neighborhood is now also a hotspot for tourists, with many hostels, hotels, and vacation apartments to choose from. If you notice any of the locals grumbling, don’t take it personally. Because of the neighborhood’s popularity, it’s likely they were disturbed yet again at 5 am by the sound of suitcase wheels being dragged across cobblestones on their way to an early morning flight at Schönefeld Airport — a constant complaint of anyone who lives in Mitte.

EuroCheapo’s Mitte budget travel guide

But, all this aside, Mitte is still one of the most fascinating and historic parts of the city and well worth a visit. To help you best explore the neighborhood, we’ve put together a Mitte budget travel guide, comprised of the following tips to save on sleeping, eating and sightseeing.

Stay in the thick of the action in Mitte at Hotel 38.

Sleep for less in Mitte

Staying in Mitte puts you within walking distance of many of the top sightseeing spots, the Museumsinsel (Museum Island), grand buildings (like the Reichstag), and close to public transportation. Because it’s such a popular location, Mitte has lots of great hostels and hotels at a nice price for all you bargain hunters. You can search hotels in Mitte on EuroCheapo for rooms starting as low as $49.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Hotel 38
Nestled right in the heart of Mitte, this 3-star hotel features sleek rooms in a turn-of-the-century building. Layouts vary from tiny to spacious, but all rooms feature flat-screen TVs and come with a free breakfast. Double rooms start at around $90.

art’otel berlin mitte
Blending local art with modern decor, this 4-star hotel doesn’t look like a typical cheapo stay at first glance. However, if you book in advance, you can find “Art Double Rooms” for around $100. Join the diverse crowd of artists, tourists, and musicians for a fun Berlin experience!

Culture on the cheap

No doubt about it, if you’re a museum junkie, Mitte is the place for you. Museum Island alone has five major museums, including the Pergamon Museum. Even if you’re not in the mood for any art or culture, the island is worth a stroll for the views it offers over the Spree River as you cross one of the picturesque bridges.

Other museums here include the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) and Alte National Galerie, as well as the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial), which is free of charge. And don’t forget to visit the Naturkundemuseum (Museum of Natural History), home to the wildly popular T-Rex skeleton named Tristan — and a steal at only €8 for adults and €5 for children and students.

Related: 15 Berlin museums for free or under €10

Tips on how to save on culture

If you’re planning to visit several of the major museums in Mitte, you may want to look into buying the Berlin Museum Pass to save on admission fees.

The neighborhood is also home to several museums free of charge, including Tränenpalast and the Topography of Terror, and many museums with an admission fee of under €10 euros, such as the art museum Berlinische Galerie, Berlin’s city museum Märkisches Museum, and the Museum für Kommunikation, the interactive communications museum which offers plenty of fun for all ages.

Checkpoint Charlie is worth a quick (and free) look. Photo: Craig Nelson

Tourist attractions for less

In Mitte, you’ll also find many of Berlin’s major non-museum tourist attractions. These include:

• the world famous Brandenburg Gate
• the Night of Shame Monument on Bebelplatz, in remembrance of the infamous Nazi book burning ceremonies that once took place there
• Deutscher Dom, Berlin’s largest church,
• Gendarmenmarkt, a square filled with architectural masterpieces designed by the famous German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, among others
• the Reichstag building with its modern glass dome
• the haunting Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, whose columns are easy to get lost in
• and Checkpoint Charlie, the former east-west border checkpoint during the Cold War era

Luckily most of the attractions listed above are free to visit and admire. Although several of the building on Gendarmenmarkt charge admission, as does the Deutscher Dom and the museum at Checkpoint Charlie, in most cases a peek from outside is all you need to get a feel for the place and, of course, won’t cost you a dime.

Shopping in Mitte

Berlin’s major shopping street, Friedrichstrasse, is lined with chain stores like H&M as well as high fashion boutiques by the likes of Gucci, Prada, and so on. You’ll also find several shopping malls and department stores near Potsdamer Platz and Alexanderplatz.

If you’re more in the mood to browse small, fashionable boutiques and design stores, check out Hackescher Markt, Rosenthaler Strasse, and Tor Strasse. Although you’re not likely to find many bargains in any of these areas, they do boast unique shops that are fun to browse. And window shopping is always free!

Tips on how to save on shopping

Avoid the touristy shops on Unter den Linden. You can find all the typical tourist ware and souvenirs at most department stores in Berlin at a slightly lower price.

Germany also still follows two standard yearly sales, Sommerschlussverkauf, the official summer sale, and Winterschlussverkauf, the official winter sale. Although the actual dates can vary year to year, the summer sale is usually for two weeks in July, and the winter sale for two weeks in February. During these sales, you’ll find many deals and discounts at both big box stores as well as little independent shops.

Our tip: Some of the best deals can be found a few weeks after each sale when unsold sale goods are marked down even further.

Cheap food & drink in Mitte

Like many touristy districts around the world, Mitte is not the best place in the city to search for cheap eats. Many of the restaurants and bars are overpriced and mediocre, particularly around the major tourist centers, such as Friedrichstrasse, Potsdamer Platz, and Alexanderplatz. You’ve been warned!

A few cheap eats we recommend are:

• Co Co Banh Mi Deli (Rosenthaler Str. 2), a popular place for Vietnamese sandwiches
• Dada Falafel (Lininenstrasse 132), which makes one of the city’s best falafel sandwiches
• Gaststätte Suppengrün (Inselstrasse 1a), a lunch-only café with many fresh and delicious homemade soups and salads on offer for around €5. Although the café is standing room only, when the weather is good you can take your food to go and enjoy it in the lovely park around the corner near Märkisches Museum, once home to two actual bears housed in a small, outdoor cage.

Tips on how to save on eating out

If you do get hungry in one of the more touristy areas, head for a bakery or German grocery store. Bakeries in Mitte all offer small sandwiches and salads for less than €5 and many grocery stores (located in the basement floor of every mall) also sell pre-packaged snacks and meals, as well as beer.

For less than a euro, you can grab a beer to pop open and sip or gulp down on the go.

Your Mitte tips

Have some tips to add about saving on your trip to Berlin’s Mitte neighborhood? Share with us in the comments section below!

The post A Budget guide to Mitte, the heart of Berlin appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

While a handful of the more established galleries (for example C/O Berlin, Sammlung Boros, and Sammlung Hoffmann) charge admission for the privilege of perusing their high-profile exhibitions, the vast majority of galleries are free to visit. As can be expected, some prestigious spots are as pretentious as they come, but most are casual affairs that you can pop in and out of on a whim, without fretting about your wardrobe or your cheapo bank account.

Touring the galleries of Mitte

Most (but certainly not all) of the city’s art galleries—from the upscale to the funky–roost in the central district of Mitte. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, gallery-owners based in Charlottenburg, the tony district in the western part of town that once dominated the city’s art scene, decamped to the “newer,” edgier side of the city to take advantage of its avant garde spaces, low rents, and international buzz factor.

Start a tour of the district’s gallery scene at the eastern end of Auguststrasse. Since many of the galleries lined up on this quiet street are window-lined, you can check out the artwork on display inside as you stroll past. At the western end of August Strasse, you’ll hit heavily-touristed Oranienburger Strasse, where the famous squatters/art commune (which has occupied a bombed-out department store since the fall of the wall) hovers above the corner of Chausse Strasse. You can explore the graffitied warren of studios and exhibition rooms comprising Kunsthaus Tacheles for free.

To catch a few more galleries, head back east along Linienstrasse, an elegant, café- and boutique-lined street that runs parallel to Auguststrasse. Be sure to admire the costumes on display in Wunderkind Vintage, a gorgeous space on the corner of Tucholskystrasse that is best described as a “gallery to fashion.” Turn right onto Tucholsky, where you’ll find a few more galleries. At Oranienburger Strasse, you can hop on a tram to Rosenthaler Platz.

From this bustling square, head east along gritty Torstrasse for a couple of blocks to check out the handful of innovative galleries and designer boutiques nestled on the southern side of the street. Double back to Rosenthaler Platz and walk north on Brunnenstrasse. (If you need a coffee break first, stop at one of the cafes on Weinbergsweg.) On the stretch of the wide street between Invalidenstrasse and Bernauer Strasse, you’ll find a smattering of youthful and unpretentious galleries. End your tour at the Bernauer Strasse U-bahn station.

Look for openings

As you explore the gallery scene, look out for fliers advertising upcoming openings. Catching a “vernissage” means the opportunity to mix and mingle with Berlin’s multicultural art scenesters, as well as score a free beer or wine.

For a more complete overview of the city’s gallery-filled hoods, download a copy of Kunstmagazin Berlin and check out their map and corresponding list of galleries.

The post Berlin: A free walking tour of Mitte’s art galleries appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Let’s do breakfast!

Berlin-style breakfast is a jackpot for Cheapos, especially on weekends, when cafés roll out all-you-can-eat buffets. Laden with German breakfast basics—cheese, cold cuts, vegetables, fruit, jam, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and crusty rolls—the best spots offer extras like Sekt (sparkling wine), exotic fruit, and homemade spreads. Coffee, tea, and the Berlin favorite, Milchcafé (coffee with milk), usually aren’t inclusive.

We recommend showing up before 11 AM, when the buffet is freshest, the staff is alert, and the crowds are thin. (Most spots serve breakfast from 10 AM to 3 PM) Once you’ve occupied a table, take your time—read a newspaper, people watch, and make plenty of trips to the buffet. Do it right and you won’t be hungry until dinner.

Where to go?

The cozy neighborhood favorite Schwarze Pumpe (Choriner Str. 76, one block east of Kastanienallee) is a Cheapo hit. For €4.90, you can graze the basic but high-quality buffet with great scrambled eggs. Order a Milchcafé, load your plate, and have a seat in the rustic-cozy interior or on the tree-shaded sidewalk. (Breakfast à la carte is available the rest of the week.)

Vegetarians, leftists, and budget travelers are also fans of the vegan-friendly buffet (available Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM) at the grungy café-bar-collective Morgenrot (Kastanienallee, 85). A colorful spread laid out on the bar in this dingy, art-filled space features tofu cream cheese and fruit-studded yoghurt. In keeping with its leftist mission, the café asks for €4¬–8, depending on your income.

If you prefer breakfast à la carte, try the Kiezkantine (Oderberger Str. 50). Operated by a non-profit organization for the mentally challenged, this homey place is beloved for its bargain breakfast. Ample enough for two hungry travelers, the Grosses Frühstück (big breakfast), a composition of cheese, ham, salami, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables, warm rolls, and seed-studded bread, is only €4.20 (students pay a reduced rate of €3.30). Gourmet it isn’t, but filling it is.

Snap up a flea market bargain

Walk off breakfast while exploring two of the city’s best flea markets, which get going around 11 AM. The Mauerpark Flohmarkt (Bernauer Str. 63-64, at the western end of Oderberger Str.), a maze of stalls next to a scrubby park that once bordered the Berlin Wall, is well stocked with chic and cheap souvenirs hand-crafted by local designers. Look for photographs of Berlin, silk-screened T-shirts, glass bead jewelry, and trendy clothing. Pick through the junkier stands to find retro teapots, vintage leather purses, and LPs.

Afterwards, stroll south on Wolliner Strasse to reach the Flohmarkt am Arkonaplatz (Arkonaplatz). It’s small, but the items on display in this picturesque square are more valuable—and more expensive. Expect vintage sunglasses and retro vases in groovy shades.

Check out the Wall

Cap off your tour with a stop at the admission-free Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Str. 111), which is hidden five blocks east of Arkonaplatz (take Anklamer Str., then make a right onto Acker Str.) Study an original stretch of the Berlin Wall up close and from the top of a lookout tower across the street.

From there, pick up a tram on Bernauer Strasse or walk west to the Nordbahnhof S-bahn station to continue your Berlin adventures.

The post Cheapo Morning Out Berlin: Sunday brunch, flea markets, and more appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.