Berlin City Trip 2019

We haven't been on a city trip to Berlin for 4 years. We were 2015 the last time in one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. Only one is more beautiful than Berlin

Vaduz in the Principality of Liechtenstein 🙂 But jokes aside, because we set off on a wonderful Wednesday morning for Zurich to visit Etja and Yeji in Berlin.

Arrival ZRH – TXL

The train journey was more than an adventure. In principle, you can't go far wrong if you're traveling from Chur to Zurich Airport. Change trains once at Zurich main station, and it's only another 10 minutes to check-in. Unless you take the train to Geneva Airport. Then you first travel for a whole hour to Bern. There, you have to change trains back to Zurich, and then the game starts all over again. Time lost: 2.5 hours, but a great route with beautiful nature.

Finally arrived at Zurich Airport, we didn't have to wait too long at least. After a delicious lunch, we were off to Berlin.

This time we're in Prenzlauer Berg, in an apartment with an industrial style. Pretty cool, with concrete floors and walls, where the bricks peek through now and then. It looks great, not entirely child-friendly, but we felt comfortable.

This time, we didn't do the typical sightseeing route. But I still want to share a few highlights with you.

Prenzlauer Berg

This area is great for families. There are traffic-calmed zones and tons of playgrounds. Here, you can always give your kids a break from the otherwise strict sightseeing and shopping routine.
First and foremost, there's a casual children's café called „The Playroom.“ In secure areas, kids can let off steam while parents can comfortably chat over a cup of coffee.

On Saturdays, we went to the weekly market at Kollwitzplatz, where we ate a delicious Berlin currywurst from a stand that's been at this market for almost 20 years. I find Berlin currywurst especially tasty because it's usually served without a casing. Right next door, there's another big playground. Convenient!

DDR Museum

After my birthday, October 14th. 141080.com) in a Georgian restaurant had a healthy and delicious brunch, we headed to DDR Museum. This is located near the Reichstag and is definitely one of the top tourist attractions.

True to the motto „History to touch,“ you can actually hold and examine everyday objects here. For example, magazines and periodicals from the GDR, or you can sit in a Trabant and test the driving experience in a computer game. There is also a kindergarten room available for your kids to play in. The toys there are mostly made of wood, absolutely robust, and therefore indestructible. Of particular interest are the children's daily schedules, which are meticulously planned in fifteen-minute intervals.

Additionally, there is a fully furnished panel building apartment. You can open the cabinets there and marvel at many everyday items. The DDR Museum is the largest DDR collection and exhibition in Berlin. It is not a military exhibition; this part is explained almost „in passing.“ The main focus is on life in the GDR.

The prices are very moderate and fair. Check Google for it and visit the DDR Museum on your next trip to Berlin.

Market Hall Nine

The Market Hall 9 is a hip and large market hall in Kreuzberg. There are countless stalls offering various delicacies. Apart from the supermarket in the center of the hall, you'll find local products here, from fruits and vegetables to homemade ice cream, sushi, and Moroccan coffee... Hold on. That's enough about enjoying local delicacies. Culinary-wise, Markthalle Neun is top-notch, and you should plan a detour to Kreuzberg. It's worth it.

Berlin Zoo

This was one of the highlights. The Berlin Zoo It's certainly not the biggest zoo in Germany. However, with almost 1300 animal species, it's the most species-rich in the whole world. Top tip: You don't have to walk much and you'll see a lot of different animals. So let's go.

We chose a Sunday with absolutely fantastic weather. The ideal day so you won't be alone at the zoo 🙂

So we stood in line for a while, but then thanks to a nice employee, we were able to bypass the long queue and buy our tickets at the service center. Thank you! That saved us time.

The zoo itself is meticulously maintained. We saw a huge number of animals and, of course, visited the famous pandas. They are unique in Germany. They recently had offspring, but unfortunately, we couldn't see them. The enormous aquarium completed our visit to the zoo, ensuring that not only our kids had an exciting and interesting day of exploration.

Travel Tip for Berlin City Break: Welcome Card

A tip that I only found out by chance through asking questions. There's a Berlin Welcome Card that gives you discounted entry to museums and attractions in Berlin and Potsdam. You can buy the card for one day up to several days. Furthermore, all public transport (bus, tram, subway) is included, and even travel to and from the airports (except BER). *g“
This way you save real money and it's also much easier. You can buy the card directly from the railway company and at various kiosks around Alexanderplatz.

Among other things, we used the Berlin Card for that, which allowed us to ride the Ringbahn around Berlin what felt like 20 times. This way, we saw quite a lot of the city in a short amount of time.

Conclusion

We had another fantastic stay in Berlin, including shopping on the Ku'damm. Thanks to Etja and Yeji, who took great care of us. We had the best tour guides by our side 🙂 We were positively impressed by the friendliness of the people in Berlin. Since people there are generally more open, we quickly struck up conversations with some of them. People were happy to help us, and on the subway, people even stood up for us.

Thanks to the many climate demos in Berlin, we had the opportunity to take a leisurely look around some places, and the city trip turned into an amusing and at times very exciting experience.