First up, the area where we stayed - Theodor-Heuss-Platz.
Our hotel was only a two minute walk from the U-Bahn stop, which made reaching the centre of Berlin really easy. The public transport in Berlin is really good, and tickets are valid on most of the underground and bus services, so finding somewhere to stay shouldn't be difficult as the city is very well interconnected. The underground is also a lot less crowded than London, so if you're used to that, travelling through Berlin is a doddle.
We stayed in the Ivbergs Hotel Berlin Messe, not much to look at from the outside but lovely inside, with a buffet breakfast that had a variety of hot and cold options - definitely got our money's worth here, we barely needed to eat for the rest of the day!
When we did get hungry though, there is a 'Wurst & Doner Ecke' nearby which does pretty damn good kebabs (probably still just as unhealthy as over here in England but a lot tastier!) and Berlin's famous currywurst - definitely worth a try! Don't worry, there are healthy options in Berlin too, such as loads of sushi places.
Theodor-Heuss-Platz is just outside the Charlottenburg neighbourhood, where the Schloss Charlottenburg can be found.
Towards the centre of Berlin is Potsdamer Platz, a chance to see both the old and new of this area. Wandering around Berlin it's hard to believe how different and divided this city was just over 20 years ago - there's still plenty of construction going on as proof it's a work in progress but the atmosphere is one of openness, fun and modernity.
After you've left the U-Bahn station, you are just a short distance from the Sony centre, along with a collection of cinemas and restaurants.
We treated ourselves to a meal at Josty's, a restaurant inside the Sony Centre complex serving delicious German food. I had the goulash followed by apple strudel, both beautifully presented and tasting as good as they look.
Even though the Sony Centre is very modern, you don't have to go far to discover Berlin's history: a few remnants of the Berlin Wall are around this area. We took a short walk to Topographie des Terrors, which also has a stretch of the wall and a very interesting free exhibition on top of what used to be the Gestapo headquarters. The Kulturforum, containing five art museums, is also around Potsdamer Platz.
After exploring Potsdamer Platz we wandered through the Tiergarten towards the Brandenburger Tor. For most of the week we had lovely sunny days so could really appreciate the green parts of Berlin. The Tiergarten is huge so we only saw the east part of it (just another excuse to revisit Berlin!).
After walking through the Tiergarten we came to Pariser Platz, the square where the Brandenburg Gate is. Being quite a tourist hotspot, there's usually people dressed up in military gear for photographs and other street entertainment such as dancers. There is also souvenir and coffee shops so you can sit outside and enjoy the view. This is possibly my favourite part of Berlin; the gate is truly stunning and the square is usually bustling but not crowded.
The Reichstag is just behind the gate along with other government buildings and is again a very impressive sight. We popped back to these at night as well which I recommend if you can. They're lit up and the River Spree runs past the Reichstag; very peaceful at night.
Following Unter den Linden brings you to sights such as the Berliner Dom, the Humboldt Box exhibit and eventually to Alexanderplatz. The Fernsehturm (TV tower) is located here, where Berlin can be observed from the highest point in the city. We tried to visit on a Saturday afternoon initially; bad idea as the queues were massive so we waited until the Monday morning and pretty much walked straight in. Planning your visit here is essential unless you don't mind waiting around for a while.
Alexanderplatz has a pretty big shopping centre, and is usually one of the busiest parts of Berlin; however from a tourist point of view I didn't find much that interesting round here, in comparison to the rest of the city.
Friedrichstrasse runs perpendicular to Unter den Linden, and seems to be the 'Oxford Street of Berlin' i.e. designer shops such as Louis Vuitton. Following the road south brings you to Checkpoint Charlie and associated exhibits. There's also paving slabs that mark the path of Berlin Wall which are quite obvious around here.
If you fancy a change from the not so pretty side of Berlin's history, I recommend a visit to the Currywurst museum, which is around here too. Yep, a museum dedicated to Berliner's favourite food, including a wurst-shaped couch, a chance to make currywurst electronically, and a sample of the sausage in lightly spiced tomato sauce at the end of the visit. A fun way to spend some time which kids will probably love (I'm just a big kid at heart!).
Sunday was spent mainly in Prenzlauer Berg, where they have a decent flea market on during the day full of handmade jewellery, food and general nik naks. After exploring the market we wandered to a nearby cafe for 'Kaffee und Kuchen' - any tradition that involves cake should definitely be acted upon in my opinion.
Towards the end of the holiday, we checked out the East Side Gallery, which is the longest stretch of the Berlin Wall remaining, and covered in different artists' work. It was repainted recently in 2009 so the artwork can still be enjoyed at it's best.
My fiancé is also a fan of ice hockey, and there happened to be a play-off game on at the 02 World arena between the Eisbären Berlin and the Kölner Haie. Not that into ice hockey myself but the atmosphere was brilliant, and they go all out with introducing the Berlin team, complete with fireworks!
Potsdam is just outside of Berlin, roughly 40 minutes from the centre by train or tube. We spent the best part of a day here, seeing the many different palaces here, including the extravagant Schloss Sanssouci and the Neus Palais.
The whole area is absolutely beautiful, surrounded by forest and rivers. There's also a small town centre with cafes and shops, perfect for a day trip to contrast with the bustle of Berlin.
Ich Liebe Berlin!
