Favorite places on Planet Berlin | Planet Berlin - The global tourist guide for Germanyʼs booming capital | DW | 20.05.2019

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Planet Berlin

Favorite places on Planet Berlin

We asked the people whose ideas have helped shape the city about their favorite places in Berlin. From a night out to shopping and green oases, here's their insider tips for the most exciting city in Germany.

  • Elsenbrücke over the Spree river at sunset with people on bikes (picture-alliance/Geisler-Fotopress)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Elsenbrücke

    "My favorite place is the bank of the Spree near Elsenbrücke on the Friedrichshain side - it’s the best place in Berlin to watch the sun go down," says Sharon Schael, who sells Venezuelan street food from her food truck.

  • Flak Tower in Humboldthain Park with blue sky (Imago/Schöning)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Flak Tower in Humboldthain Park

    "I like to visit the flak towers from the Second World War in Humboldthain Park - Berlin has such an interesting history," says Simon Ellery from Australia, also known as the Sausage Man Never Sleeps.

  • Radfahrer und die U-Bahn fahren über die Oberbaumbrücke. (Imago images/V. Hohlfeld)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Oberbaumbrücke

    "My favorite place is Oberbaumbrücke, which once served as the border between East and West. Today it is full of life. I love vibrant streets, and the bridge itself is beautiful, too," says Aglaen Rodríguez, owner of the handicraft shop, Rincón México.

  • the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park (Imago Images/J. Ritter)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Soviet War Memorial

    "My favorite place is the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park. I love the atmosphere there in autumn - It reminds me a little of my old hometown," says Vladislav Gachyn from Goldies chip shop.

  • The Ferris wheel in Spreepark (Imago Images/Le Pictorium/O. Donnars)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Spreepark

    "My favorite place is Spreepark, a deserted former amusement park. It has such a mystical, romantic atmosphere," says Austrian Stefanie Drobits from Fräulein Brösels Schnapserwachen.


  • Elsenbrücke over the Spree river at sunset with people on bikes (picture-alliance/Geisler-Fotopress)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Elsenbrücke

    "My favorite place is the bank of the Spree near Elsenbrücke on the Friedrichshain side - it’s the best place in Berlin to watch the sun go down," says Sharon Schael, who sells Venezuelan street food from her food truck.

  • Flak Tower in Humboldthain Park with blue sky (Imago/Schöning)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Flak Tower in Humboldthain Park

    "I like to visit the flak towers from the Second World War in Humboldthain Park - Berlin has such an interesting history," says Simon Ellery from Australia, also known as the Sausage Man Never Sleeps.

  • Radfahrer und die U-Bahn fahren über die Oberbaumbrücke. (Imago images/V. Hohlfeld)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Oberbaumbrücke

    "My favorite place is Oberbaumbrücke, which once served as the border between East and West. Today it is full of life. I love vibrant streets, and the bridge itself is beautiful, too," says Aglaen Rodríguez, owner of the handicraft shop, Rincón México.

  • the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park (Imago Images/J. Ritter)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Soviet War Memorial

    "My favorite place is the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park. I love the atmosphere there in autumn - It reminds me a little of my old hometown," says Vladislav Gachyn from Goldies chip shop.

  • The Ferris wheel in Spreepark (Imago Images/Le Pictorium/O. Donnars)

    Favorite sightseeing places

    Spreepark

    "My favorite place is Spreepark, a deserted former amusement park. It has such a mystical, romantic atmosphere," says Austrian Stefanie Drobits from Fräulein Brösels Schnapserwachen.


  

  • Arminius Market Hall from outside (Stijn Nieuwendijk/flickr.com CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

    Favorite places to shop

    Arminius Market Hall

    Michelle Casciolo from the United States of America likes to frequent the Arminius Market Hall. This indoor market was built in 1891 and its wide-ranging culinary offerings unite both traditional and modern tastes.

  • Bartleby & Co. from inside (Romhy Alexandra Cubas)

    Favorite places to shop

    Bartleby & Co.

    The three Spanish restaurant owners of vegan Tapas bar Alaska like Bartleby & Co. The bookstore and lending library hosts events catering to Berlin’s Spanish community and is home to a café with a bar.

  • Mall of Berlin exterior (Imago/E. Contini)

    Favorite places to shop

    Mall of Berlin

    "My favorite place is the Mall of Berlin – there are lots of free events there, particularly in summer. There are photography workshops and people meet there to go jogging," says Colombian Fernando Zapata from dance studio Zapata.

  • Kadó inside (Ilse Böge)

    Favorite places to shop

    Kadó licorice

    Jesper Jensen loves Danish salt licorice. He buys the savory treat at Kadó, a licorice store specializing in Scandinavian varieties.


  • Restaurant Altes Europa from outside (Vincent Desjardin flickr.com.com CC BY 2.0)

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Altes Europa

    "One of my favorite places is the restaurant Altes Europa. It's a very vibrant, social place. I'm there all the time – I love the familiar atmosphere", raves Mario Lombardo from Atelier Oblique.

  • Seats outside Café am Neuen See (Oh Berlin/flickr.com CC BY 2.0)

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Café am Neuen See

    Paula Gouveia from Portugal loves taking a boat out onto the Neuen See. In the summer, you can rent boats from the café located directly adjacent to the Berlin Zoo.

  • covered tables with wine glasses at Café Einstein (picture-alliance/M. C. Hurek)

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Café Einstein

    "The main branch of the Einstein is a Berlin institution - it’s a coffee house where I can just relax," says hatmaker Fiona Bennett from Britain. "In the evening I like to treat myself to artichokes and a glass of champagne."

  • Set tables in Clarchen's Ballhaus. (picture-alliance/dpa/O. Spata)

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Clärchens Ballhaus

    Chilean Cecilia Fuentes Ibarburu, owner of the South Embassy, is drawn to a Berlin institution after work: "My favorite place is Clärchens Ballhaus, because I love the diversity. This is where young and old, East and West all come to dance."

  • La Bretagne exterior with tables and chairs (Charles Cordialement)

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    La Bretagne

    Chinese Yanwu Yuan’s favorite place is the Crêperie Le Bretagne which offers specialities such as Breton galettes. She eats breakfast there every morning after taking her son to kindergarten.

  • a cocktail poured through a sieve (Martin Finke/Courtesy of Geist im Glas)

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Geist im Glas

    Fashion label founder Jade Helene Shimmin from South Africa likes to meet her friends at Neukölln cocktail institution Geist im Glas, which is famous for its unconventional gin and whiskey creations.

  • Deckter Holztisch mit vier Holzstühlen und einer Sitzbank (Foto: Katja Zimmermann).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Herz & Niere

    Bin Lee-Zauner and José Miranda Morillo of the restaurant Kochu Karu like the restaurant Herz und Niere, where they can enjoy meat with a clear conscience. All the products are local, and the restaurant always uses the entire animal.

  • Outside the I Due Forni pizzeria with red wall (Foto: Alicja Khatchikian).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    I Due Forni

    "I love the pizzeria I Due Forni in Prenzlauer Berg," Lázsló Baksa, owner of the Hungarian delicatessen, Borsó. "They make the best pizza in Berlin."

  • White-blue patterned porcelain bowl with Asian soup (Foto: Christopher Bennett).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Khwan

    Jeniffer Mulinde-Schmid likes to eat at Khwan, where you can watch chefs prepare their Nouvelle Thai dishes in the restaurant’s open kitchen.

  • Les Valseuses from the inside with two tables, empty wine glasses and a blackboard on the wall (Foto: Lena Ganssmann).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Les Valseuses

    Frenchman Romain Dumond enjoys the Bistro Les Valseuses and its French specialities.

  • A dish is served on a plate in the Long March Canteen. (Carolin Weinkopf/Long March Canteen)

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Long March Canteen

    Mirza Music-Zander of the Unique Factory enjoys the menu at the Chinese restaurant Long March Canteen.

  • Panke bar from the outside with painted and stickered wall and red light (Foto: Denis Vejas/instagram.com/denisvejas).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Panke Bar

    Ruta Sluskaite-Dittmann likes to frequent the Panke-Bar, a relaxed locale with cocktails and vegetarian meals in her home district of Humboldthain.

  • Hand pouring water from a black pot into a coffee filter (Foto: Laura Drosse 2018).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Röststätte Berlin

    Vietnamese Nam Cao Hoai recommends Röststätte, which offers a great selection of fine coffees as well as workshops for up-and-coming baristas.

  • Gray round dish with roasted vegetables (Foto: Marko Seifert/Art Director, Thamar Ette)

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Nobelhart & Schmutzig

    "Nobelhart & Schmutzig is leading the way in the future of fine dining, with an honest, courageous menu made from local and seasonal products," says Dalad Kambhu. The Thai chef knows what she's talking about, having earned a Michelin Star for her restaurant, Kin Dee.

  • Black bar counter with black and silver bar chairs (Foto: Patrick Hellmann/Schlosshotel).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Schlosshotel

    Menswear designer Albert Haziza likes to go for a drink or two at the bar of the elegant Schlosshotel. Albert Haziza knows the owner, Patrick Hellmann, and his father, Alfred, from back in Morocco.

  • Outdoor shot of Café Silo with simple wooden benches and tables (Foto: timothyandmoore).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Silo Coffee

    Stacy Kent often enjoys breakfast at Australian café Silo Coffee, a popular brunch spot in Berlin Friedrichshain.

  • Empty bar counter with red bar stools (Foto: Patrick Roddelkopf).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Soda Club

    "My favorite place is Soda Club in the Kulturbrauerei," says John Al Haddad, a Syrian who imports and sells laurel soaps in Schöneberg. "The people are nice, and I love dancing salsa there."

  • Red illuminated sign reading Tadim (Foto: Lena Ganssmann).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Tadim

    Jazz nightclub owner Sedal Sardan from Turkey likes to head to Turkish restaurant Tadim at Kottbusser Tor for a döner, Berlin’s own fast food specialty that is made from 100% veal.

  • On a white wall a black board with a big hole in it, under which VOIMA is written in capital letters (Foto: Lena Ganssmann).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Voima Bar

    "Every once in a while, I visit other bars in Berlin. My favorite is the Voima Bar," says Rik Lusing, the Dutchman who recently opened Beavis Bar, adding that Voima "offers classic cocktails mixed with Finnish ingredients."

  • Metal round plate with small bowls, in it different sauces and dips (Foto: W – Der Imbiss).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    W - Der Imbiss

    Kristian Moldskret enjoys the vegan fusion dishes at W – Der Imbiss. The meals combine elements from Indian, Mexican, Californian and Italian traditions.

  • Restaurant with three covered tables, on the wall a wine rack (Foto: Brand Design sSolution/Maik Hirsch 2019).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Weinerei

    Sanjay Shihora enjoys the Weinerei wine bar with its understated flair. The bar offers an international selection as well as bottles from its own winery. Shihora has been running the Kookaburra Comedy Club nearby for many years.

  • Schwarz-weiß-Foto einer Biertheke, dahinter zapft ein älterer Mann ein Bier (Foto: Schultheiss).

    Favorite places to eat and drink

    Zum Biermichel

    "I like to hang out at Biermichel at the corner of Rheinsberger Strasse and Brunnenstrasse," says Dietmar Arnold, founder of the Berliner Unterwelten. "It's a refuge for smokers. I know the people who live around there and sometimes we even make a little music together.


  • Techno club Berghain from outside (picture-alliance/dpa/J. Carstensen)

    Favorite cultural places

    Berghain

    "My favorite place is the temple of contemporary electronic dance music – Berghain," says Maciek Tyszecki from Concept Store Quadrat Shop.

  • Kino Babylon from outside (Imago/IPON)

    Favorite cultural places

    Kino Babylon

    Belgian and beer bar owner Bart Neirynck likes to catch a film at Kino Babylon in Mitte. It's the only communally owned cinema in Berlin and boasts a beautiful theater built according to the plans of famous architect Hans Poelzig.

  • dinosaur skeleton at the museum of natural history (sporst flickr.com CC BY 2.0)

    Favorite cultural places

    Museum of natural history

    Mensud Bjelosevic from Bosnia-Herzegovina and co-founder of Unique Factory likes visiting the museum of natural history with his children.


  • a street scene in the Graefekiez (picture-alliance/dpa/J. Kalaene)

    Favorite places in the neighborhood

    Graefekiez

    Walid Kacem and his wife Julia of Berberlin love the Graefekiez district in Kreuzberg. The neighborhood has a whole host of small boutiques, as well as lovely cafés, shops and playgrounds.

  • A ships passes the Nikolaiviertel on the Spree. (Imago Images/R. Zöllner)

    Favorite places in the neighborhood

    Nikolaiviertel

    Peruvian Diego Velazquez of Restaurant Nauta likes to visit Nikolaiviertel, Berlin's oldest settlement and a listed historical landmark. It reminds him of a miniature city.

  • weekend market at Kollwitzplatz (Imago/Robertharding)

    Favorite places in the neighborhood

    Kollwitzplatz

    Mongolian Saranzul Bazarvaani likes Kollwitzplatz, where the weekly outdoor market has become a tourist attraction in its own right: "I like the mix of commerce and nature here."

  • Winterfeldtplatz' busy outdoor market. (Imago/Müller-Stauffenberg)

    Favorite places in the neighborhood

    Winterfeldtplatz

    Melion Abraha’s favorite place is Winterfeldtplatz, an area with many bars and restaurants as well as Berlin’s largest outdoor market. "I lived around here for a long time," says the founder of Cocoon Hairshop from Eritrea.


  • The Allmende Kontor Urban Gardening Projekt at Tempelhofer Feld (Tony Webster/flickr.com CC BY 2.0)

    Favorite nature places

    Allmende Kontor

    Viivi Haussala-Seppo of restaurant Palsta is a big fan of the nearby urban gardening project, Allmende Kontor, whose famous raised garden beds extend almost to her front door on the edge of Tempelhofer Feld.

  • people sitting outside next to beach volleyball courts (Foto: Beach 61).

    Favorite nature places

    Beach 61

    Bastien Slovinski of La Käserie loves playing beach volleyball at Beach 61 in Park am Gleisdreieck.

  • the Tropical Gallery of the Botanical Gardens (picture-alliance/Arco Images)

    Favorite nature places

    Botanischer Garten

    "My favorite place in Berlin is the Tropical Gallery of the Botanical Gardens. The vegetation, the colors, and the atmosphere all remind me of home," says Handoyo Oedi, owner of the Indonesian restaurant, Handoyo's Sate & Coffee.

  • A Dutch windmill in a park with a blue sky (Imago/NBL Bildarchiv)

    Favorite nature places

    Britzer Garten

    Georgios Chrissides from Greece and owner of Restaurants Z enjoys taking his family on trips to Britzer Garten, one of Berlin’s most beautiful garden parks with its themed areas and special flower shows.

  • a golfer hits a ball down a fairway (Foto: Imago/Sebastian Wells).

    Favorite nature places

    Golf- und Land-Club Wannsee

    Adid Harb of the Harb Lebanese deli likes to spend his time at the Golf- und Land-Club Berlin Wannsee, where members can take on the 9-hole course.

  • Green forest with a white in the background (luisawhr/stock.adobe.com)

    Favorite nature places

    Grunewald

    Russian Ilja Kaplan, owner of Datscha restaurant, loves Grunewald, the 3000-hectare forest located on the Havel river in Western Berlin. He is known to take lengthy walks there.

  • The double kayaks paddel down a canal (Foto: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Stache).

    Favorite nature places

    Paddling on the Landwehr Canal

    "I like paddling along the Landwehr Canal In Kreuzberg on mild summer evenings," says Sweden's Sten Rasmussenthen, owner of Scandinavian Objects furniture shop. Kayaks and canoes are available to rent from Kayak Berlin Tours and other companies.

  • A lake with tree trunks falling into the water (Foto: michaelstephan/stock.adobe.com).

    Favorite nature places

    Liepnitzsee

    "I like Berlin’s natural areas, particularly the city’s many lakes," says Piotrek Ksiazek from concept store, Quadrat Shop.

  • A dock on a large lake (Foto: picture-alliance/imageBROKER)

    Favorite nature places

    Müggelsee

    "My favorite place is Lake Müggelsee," says Barbara Saltmann from Jamaica. "You are walking through the forest and all of a sudden there is this huge lake. I probably like it so much because I love the ocean and it feels so free there." Saltmann runs the Ya-Man Caribbean restaurant.

  • purple rhododendrons in Tiergarten (Foto: Imago Images/Hohlfeld).

    Favorite nature places

    Rhododendrons in Tiergarten

    Kyla Boyle from Café Aunt Benny loves the rhododendron grove at Tiergarten Park. The bushes can grow up to four meters tall and the flowers bloom in pink and purple each May.

  • A waterfall running through a forested park (Foto: Imago/Schöning).

    Favorite nature places

    Viktoria Park

    The Italian owners of Cento Passi wine bar, Francesca Balisteri and Fabrizio Frau, love Viktoria Park in Kreuzberg. At the park’s summit – the highest point in the center of Berlin – stands the cast iron Prussian National Monument designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

  • statue silhouette in a park (Foto: Robert Agthe/flickr.com CC BY 2.0).

    Favorite nature places

    Volkspark Rehberge

    One of Markus Shimizu's favorite places is Volkspark Rehberge. The inviting park features an open-air cinema, an animal enclosure, and multiple playgrounds. The half Japanese is the founder of Mimi Ferments.

  • an iron bridge spans a mass of water during the day (Foto: Imago/Chromorange)

    Favorite nature places

    Wannsee

    "I like to go for walks at Lake Wannsee," says the Bulgarian Denitsa Popova. "I find the view inspiring because I come from the coast and often find myself missing the sea." Popova runs Perelic Woolen Goods.

  • a fountain sprouts in the middle of a lake (Imago/Schöning)

    Favorite nature places

    Weisser See

    Fabricio and Krithika do Canto, owners of the Meta Mate Bar, like to sit on the banks of the Weisser See with a mate in hand. The popular resort area has its own beach and a historic café, the Milchhäuschen.


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