The guides are full of what to do. The best museums, favorite restaurants and
desirable shopping streets. But which of these traditional attractions aren’t worth the time and energy? The city is full of the wonderfully unusual, there’s no need to bother with the top 10 things NOT to do when visiting Berlin.
If you missed the first 5, go to part 1 of 10 things NOT to do when visiting Berlin.
Pieces of the berlin wall
Just a mud footprint during the time of the Berlin Wall, Potsdamer Platz has become a business hub in the middle of Times Square. Neon lights, a megaplex, wild architecture and, yes, pieces of the wall. Dragged here for tourists, you will always see groups making peace signs and taking photos against these concrete slabs of history.
However, this is not the place to observe the true history of the Berlin Wall. Right after the fall of the wall there was a push to remove this symbol of division. The wall was being torn down by individuals before realizing that an example of the wall should be kept for posterity. Some large sections are preserved, with small pieces appearing around the city. You can’t really appreciate the scale and history of the wall with these freestanding pieces.
Alternative : two sites offer a much better idea of the reality of the wall than these scattered pieces.
- Bernauer Strasse Wall Memorial is a sprawling open-air museum displaying a large-scale replica of the watchtowers, two walls, and various defenses employed with the wall, as well as an excellent museum and walking tour.
- The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining section of the wall that was reinvented shortly after reunification to be a gallery for peace.
Let me add another “don’ts” here. While you may see people scribbling your name on the East Side Gallery or even cutting out pieces, this behavior is not acceptable. Don’t be that guy, please.
Hitler’s bunker
People roam the streets around Gertrud-Kolmar-Strasse – guide in hand – looking for signs of the infamous Führer . His death in a bunker below the city only garnered an information board in an attempt to prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage point for neo-Nazis. It’s almost always a disappointment, perhaps rightly so.
Alternative: Spend less time thinking about Hitler and more time considering his 6 million victims. The nearby Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe is the best place to start, with the Monument to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism and the Monument to the Sinti and Roma of Europe within easy reach.
Skip the queue at Berghain
Berlin is legendary for its club scene. Several clubs top the list as the most desirable in the world. Berghain is one of them. With its whimsical door policies, there is no chamber rule and infamous “dark room” – this is the big league.
A large number of visitors line up in front of the club every day, and only a few do so during peak hours (midnight to 4:00 Thursday through Sunday, or when a great DJ is in town). If you know your electronic music scene, you can speak a little German and can mingle with the locals you might get to.
Alternative: … for the rest of us, we should focus a little more. Visitors can take part in Berlin’s famous nightlife on free nights or in clubs like Stattbad, Sisyphos and Chalet. Also, nightlife can pick up at any random bar, depending on the night.
Spend all your time in the west and Mitte
After getting to know the city, I was dismayed to read guides that focused entirely on Mitte (central neighborhood) with some forays into the old west. Berlin is a huge city and each Kiez (neighborhood) has its own personality.
Alternative: Try neighborhoods like Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, and Prenzlauer Berg for a totally different feel.
Think you can conquer the city in a weekend
As I mentioned, the city is huge. And amazing. It’s amazing how many people you talk to who visited on a weekend and never went home. There is simply too much to explore, too many experiences to have.
Alternative: While there is no wrong amount of time you can visit the city, know that the longer you stay, the deeper you can dive into Berlin.
