A weekend is not enough to get intimate with Berlin, a city thought by many as the hedonistic capital of Europe. But if a weekend is all you've got, here are five ways to taste a bit of the best it has to offer.
Eat & Drink in Berlin’s Hippest Area
Unpolished, unpretentious and utterly chill, the neighbourhood of Neukölln is a good place to discover Berlin’s trendsetting food scene. Here you’ll find what hipster truly means before the brick-walled cafes of London and New York started emulating this subculture scene.
Dine in reimagined restaurant spaces like the Lavanderia Vecchia. What was once a backyard laundry shop is now famous for its fixed menu of Italian gastronomy from antipasti, primi, secondi to dolci, plus half a litre of wine, water and coffee or a digestif at a good value of 60 euros.
credit: lavanderiavecchia.wordpress.com
Visit one of the Contemporary Art Galleries
Art lover or not, you must visit one of Berlin’s 440 art galleries if only to get a glimpse of the city’s incredible imagination and restless energy. The Contemporary Fine Arts, or CFA, in Charlottenburg exhibits world class cutting edge art.
If you’re not the art gallery type, fine. Just look up and you won’t miss the multitude of street art all over the city. Find one of El Bocho’s iconic Little Lucy inspired by the 70’s Czech TV series. El Bocho found the series too boring and made a twist by creating street art where Lucy kills her cat in all sorts of imaginative ways.
credit: Stefan Hints
Sample Some Street Food
Head to the corner of Warscahuer and Revaler streets for an authentic taste of Berlin’s most popular street food, the curry wurst, at a food stand called Curry Fritze. Since it’s right next to one of the city's busiest train stations, the Warschauer Strabbe, you’ll enjoy people watching and trend-spotting for cutting edge fashion before they hit the streets of New York and Paris.
credit: andBerlin
Dance all Night
Berlin is famous for its legendary clubs and avant-garde music scene. Put on your I’m-not-trying-hard look and try your luck to get past the doors of the Berghain or Watergate and experience the unique sound and vibe of Berlin.
Local clubbers who avoid tourists arrive on Sunday morning and don't leave till the next day. Why sleep when you can dance all night and not work on Monday?
credit: water-gate.de
Shop for Something Unique
Arguably Berlin has the highest population of artists per square mile in the world and it doesn’t come as a surprise that many unique concept stores and independent fashion labels have opened up here.
Don't miss Wald in Mitte for some extraordinary pieces won’t find anywhere. If you’re into fashion labels with an edgy touch, you'll love VooStore (Oranienstraße 24) in Friedrichshain where you'll find Jil Sander, Alexander Wang and stuff from Swedish label Acne.
For vintage finds, Sometimes Coloured (Grünberger Str. 90) has a good selection of pre-loved clothes and collectible sneaker finds.
credit: Facebook l Sometimes Coloured