Berlin City Break by Train
The nice thing about living in Mainland Europe is I can get most places by train. Living in London was great but there weren’t many places I could travel to living on an island. Ok yes Paris was just a short train ride away but I most likely wouldn’t have taken a train to Berlin.
My husband and I tried for 4 ½ years to get ourselves to Berlin but it never worked out, so when a job became available in Frankfurt we took it. Frankfurt is by no means Berlin, but the upside of now living in Frankfurt is I can get to Berlin in 3 ½ or so hours by train! This is a major perk as I consider Berlin the best city in the world. I literally feel alive when I am there. It’s so full of life, culture, fashion, music and techno and on and on and on. So any chance I get to hop on over to Berlin I take it. Now a quick side note, Berlin is a great place for both a family getaway and a party getaway. I will try to hit on both.
A few months ago I met up with my friend Sally in Berlin. She flew over from London so we could hit up some of the amazing flomarkts there. Now Sally is a very stylish women and I wanted to make sure I took her to some cool places in Berlin. So I sat down one afternoon and put together some ideas . Now I can’t say we actually went to all of them as we partied like Berliners and didn’t get home until 8am Saturday morning, but my God was it a fun weekend.
Things to do in Berlin
I wanted to share with you some of my favourite places to hit up when visiting this amazing city. As you probably know the city is full of amazing restaurants, bars, fashion boutiques, book shops and clubs. I’m sharing only the places I went to on this last trip and also including a few places my family visited when we all went together.
Garments Vintage– Vintage Clothing
I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this store. I go everytime I’m in town. Luckily my brother-in-law lives right across the street. They have two locations now. One on Linienstrasse and one on Stargarder Strasse. I’ve only been to their Linienstrasse store and each time I’ve been I have always come away with a beautiful vintage piece. I unfortunately left one dress behind the last time I was there and I’m still thinking about it. Sigh…
Woah what a store. Properly high-end but full of inspiration and pieces you hope to have hanging in your closet one day. The Store is beautifully curated with only the finest, it also has a coffee shop so you can enjoy your trendy surroundings.
Quadrat– Polish Designer Clothing Boutique
I first discovered Quadrat last year while attending Berlin Fashion Week. I was surprised to discover so many amazing Polish designers. Quadrat showcases many of the Polish Designers that I discovered during fashion week. I pop in everytime I’m in Berlin.
Arkonaplatz– Flea market
I was given a long list of flea markets to check out while in Berlin and I have to say Akronplatz was by far the best. Located in Prenzlauer Berg, it’s full of very cool stalls, loads of amazing vintage and the clientele is trendy and cool. There are also lovely cafes and coffee shops around.
Where to Eat and Drink in Berlin
Khawn– food
Located on Revaler Street. This Thai restaurant is a modern twist on traditional Thai cuisine. The space is what you would expect from a Berlin restaurant, cool with a bit of an edge. The staff are super friendly and more than willing to strike up a chat and make a recommendation.
Ora– Bar
Stepping into Ora is like stepping back in time. It’s chic with a bit of a speakeasy feel. I recommend sitting at the bar so you can watch the mixologist wor their magic. A definite place to hit up.
Yafo– lunch
I absolutely loved Yafo. They describe it as Tel-Aviv in Berlin. The décor is umassuming but cool and the food is very good. We had roasted cauliflower and boy what a scrumptious and a huge portion it was. Their hummus and bread is amazing too. I definitely recommend this place for lunch.
House of Small Wonder– Brunch
I first discovered this little gem last year. I was intrigued by their Japanese- American cuisine and the interior from the pictures looked absolutely divine. So I took myself there for my birthday brunch. I went by myself and enjoyed the scrumptious food, daring atmosphere and lovely staff. Menus are in English. I highly recommend the Homemade Biscuit Benedict.
BRLO Brewhouse– Brewery
For all you beer lovers out there, this place is for you. With a lenghty variety on tap, you can order a sampler platter or just try them out one by one. They have a very impressive garden in the back. Perfect for large groups or just meeting up with a friend.
Pratergarten– Beer garden
My husband and I have been a fan of Pratergarten for years. It’s the perfect beer garden to meet friends with kids. We know we can go here let Edith run around and we can sit happily and drink a beer. It’s a win win situation. They also have a food bar where you can order sausages and potato salad.
Limonadier– bar
Want a really great cocktail??? Then definately hit up Limonadier. They have an amazing happy hour too.
I hope you find this list useful on your next trip to Berlin. I could go on and on and on. I’ll keep updating this list every time I visit. And if you have any questions please write me. I am always happy to make suggestions.
Berlin Clubbing
Sisyphos– club
I had heard of Sisyphos many times, but I never seemed to make it over there. But this last time we did!!! We arrived at about 3am and stayed until about 6:30am. We walked right in and didn’t have to cue, it wasn’t too crowded and the music was great. I highly recommend hitting up this club.
Bar Zum schmutzigen Hobby – club
After eating the best meal over at Khawn we headed here. To be honest, at the time I had no idea where we were at, but the music was super fun, the crowd was chatty and we made some friends!
About Blank– club
I had never heard of About Blank until some friends from the USA came to visit me last weekend and he mentioned there was a big festival happening there. So we went and properly enjoyed ourselves. The major bonus of this famous club is the garden area. It’s big and full of interesting lights. It’s like walking into Alice in the Wonderland. The soundsystem was below average but the music was great so in the end this didn’t matter. No pictures are allowed here so they put a sticker on your camera to respect everyones privacy.
For other city break ideas check out our Getaways section
