Learning to love Berlin: 18 reasons it’s now my favourite city

From October 2021 to October 2022, I visited Berlin ten times and got to know the city pretty well. I’d visited once before as a teenager and I remember thinking it was boring and overrated. But I’m the first to admit that I was so very wrong. Berlin didn’t blow me away instantly. No, it took time to grow my interest in the city and even longer to realize that I loved it. So much that I even consider it my favourite city now.

It just so happened that the more time I spent in the city, the more I started feeling at home there. It’s truly baffling to me as I’m such a country girl and usually dislike cities. But Berlin is just different.

It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what it is I love about Berlin. But I’ve attempted to in this post! I’ve listed 18 things about the city that made me go from a Berlin hater to a passionate Berlin lover!

1. The city is full of awesome abandoned places

My favourite thing about cities is when they have abandoned places to explore, and Berlin has so many that there’s even a dedicated website for them! I haven’t seen them all, not even close, but that just means there’s plenty for me to explore in the future!

One of my favourite abandoned sites is Spreepark, an amusement park that shut down in 2001. Many of the attractions lay deserted in the overgrown landscape, making it a truly exciting place to explore. Unfortunately, this is only possible with a tour guide, but at just 5 euros for a 1,5-hour tour, I’d say it’s very worth it. There are plans of restoring the park and opening it up to the public, but until that happens, the tour is your best bet (and don’t try to sneak in – I tried and had to run out when I spotted security guards!).

2. Teufelsberg is a graffiti paradise

Teufelsberg is perhaps my favourite place in all of Berlin.

When I first went up there, I was hoping for a great view over the city. What I didn’t realize was that I was about to enter a time machine taking me back to the uncertain decades of the past century.

The “mountain”, which was built of 26.000.000 m3 rubble from demolished buildings, was once home to an unfinished Nazi military-technical college, and later used as a secret US listening post during the Cold War. It was since abandoned and left to decay, but is now open for visitors to roam for a small entrance fee. Today, Teufelsberg is a mecca for graffiti artists, and it’s this combination of abandoned buildings and graffiti that makes it one of the most awesome places in the city!

3. Tempelhof is the most amazing park in existence

Another one of my favourite places in Berlin is Tempelhof, a huge abandoned airport in the middle of the city!

While the deserted airport buildings require a tour (which is so worth it!) to explore, the runway is open for the public as the largest inner-city park in Berlin! It’s so huge that you could literally spend the whole day walking or biking and still not see it all. There are often events going on in the park, and you’ll always find random people entertaining for the fun of it. I can’t recommend visiting Tempelhof enough!

And if you’re interested in abandoned places, this tour of the buildings is an absolute must!

4. Berlin is literal heaven for vegans

In all the years I’ve been vegan, I’ve never been spoiled as much as I was in Berlin. Everywhere in Berlin has vegan food, and for the most part, it is absolutely delicious. Actually, the only disappointing meal I’ve had was a falafel wrap with wayyyy too much cabbage – and I’ve eaten out A LOT in Berlin. All the other meals were divine. The food is actually what I miss most about the city!

So while most restaurants and cafés serve delicious vegan food and it’s hard to go wrong, I do have a favourite; Phantasia in Kreuzberg. This place will always hold a special place in my heart for introducing me to mock duck. And it was an immediate obsession! Now I go to Phantasia religiously every time I’m in Berlin!

5. Berlin is brimming with flea markets and thrift shops

I think I’ve visited every single Humana in Berlin – and I don’t even want to know how much money I’ve spent there! Berlin is one of the best cities in the world for thrift shopping, and while Humana is great (although not inexpensive), I really recommend hitting up some of the city’s many flea markets. If you search long enough, you can find just about anything – from the most precious antiques to unique items for your wardrobe! Some are cheap, some more expensive, but I guarantee a visit to any market will be worth your time!

For a list of all flea markets in Berlin, click here!

6. Berlin even has a medieval quarter

Berlin is not the obvious choice if looking for the famous medieval charm of many European cities, but you might be surprised to learn that Berlin does in fact have a medieval quarter, albeit tiny.

With its narrow cobblestone streets, a church from the early 13th century and restored medieval houses, Nikolaiviertel feels like a small town. If you’re able to block out the noise of the big city, you might even forget for a while that you’re in Berlin. Nikolaiviertel is Berlin’s oldest residential quarter, and despite being largely destroyed in the Second World War, they have done a great job at restoring its old charm!

7. The view from Viktoriapark is gorgeous

The first place that made me truly appreciate Berlin was Viktoriapark in Kreuzberg, as this was the first time I realized the city has hills… Yes, it’s easy to be blinded by the high-rises!

On the top of the hill is a cast iron monument from 1815, dedicated to King Frederick William III of Prussia. This is my favourite spot in the park as the view is incredible. You can see most of the central and southern parts of the city from there! It’s a magnificent sight both during the day and at night when the city is lit up!

8. Another amazing view is found atop the Victory Column

Another view of Berlin that I love is from the top of the Victory Column, a 67 m high bronze sculpture of the Roman goddess of victory, designed in 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Second Schleswig War (over my home country…!).

Not quite as central as Viktoriapark, the view from the Victory Column offers a different perspective of the city from above. For 4 euros, you can climb the 285 steps to the top to see the gorgeous view over Tiergarten with the cityscape in the backdrop!

9. Oberbaumbrücke is perhaps the prettiest bridge in the world

The double-deck bridge, Oberbaumbrücke, is one of my favourite architectural wonders in Berlin. The bridge was built in 1896 and designed to resemble a castle of the former Mark Brandenburg region.

It crosses the River Spree and links the two neighbourhoods of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg that were divided by the Berlin Wall during the Cold War. The bridge is therefore not just a pretty sight, it’s also an important symbol of the city’s unity!

10. East Side Gallery is a site for inspiration and contemplation

No visit to Berlin is complete without diving into its Cold War history. The best place to do that is the East Side Gallery, a 1,3-kilometre stretch of the Berlin Wall which has been turned into the largest open-air gallery in the world.

Street artists started decorating the remnants of the wall after it fell in 1989, after 28 years of division. While the former grey wall was a symbol of the divide between East and West, it has transformed into a colourful monument to the freedom of expression.

11. Gendarmenmarkt hosts one of the coziest Christmas markets in Germany

Germany is well-known for its festive Christmas markets, and I have had the privilege to visit many of them throughout my life. There’s little I love more than Christmas markets, so of course I also had to visit all the markets in Berlin!

My favourite in the city – by far – was the one at Gendarmenmarkt, a cozy square flanked by two cathedrals that dates back to the end of the 17th century. Although most of the buildings surrounding the square were damaged during World War II and subsequently restored, the square has maintained its old-timey charm and, much like Nikolaiviertel, doesn’t really feel like Berlin. Especially at Christmas time, I felt like I had been transported back in time to a small town in medieval Germany!

12. Cube Berlin is the most beautiful modern building I know

Berlin is home to a wealth of interesting modern architecture, but my favourite from the get-go was Cube Berlin, a cube-shaped office building from 2020. Located right outside Berlin Central Station, it was one of the first things I saw in the city, and I walked past it almost every day since.

I don’t know why it intrigues me so much; there’s just something about it! And I’m not someone who easily gets impressed by modern architecture!

13. Holzmarkt is like a mini-Christiania

There are many places in Berlin that remind me of Christiania, the freetown of Copenhagen which is one of my favourite spots in the Danish capital. Of all the Christiania-esque places I’ve explored in Berlin, Holzmarkt was my favourite.

Holzmarkt is a new creative area that has been built in a former wasteland. The vision was to create a place that feels like a village inside the city, complete with a market square, food courts, living and business spaces, and creative spaces. It’s constantly under development with new projects emerging and live music taking place, making it an interesting place to visit and revisit!

14. Berlin i home to the perhaps most boring UNESCO site ever but I still found it fascinating

As a cultural heritage enthusiast, I love visiting UNESCO sites when I travel – I even collect them – but sometimes I get confused as to why a site made it onto the list. The fact that the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates, made up of six dull estates spread out across the city, made it to the list, was perplexing to me until I delved into their history and realized that sites don’t have to be aesthetically pleasing or ancient to be of significant cultural value. The value of these estates, built between 1910 and 1933, lies in their innovation at the time; they are considered outstanding examples of the building reform movement that contributed to improved housing and living conditions for people with low incomes. They did so through innovative approaches to town planning, architecture and garden design. And these projects were not just significant for their time; they influenced the development of housing around the world!

During my time in Berlin, I managed to visit all six sites; Siedlung Schillerpark, Weiße Stadt, Großsiedlung Siemensstadt, Gartenstadt Falkenberg, Hufeisensiedlung (shaped like a horseshoe!), and Wohnstadt Carl Legien. Gartenstadt Falkenberg was my personal favourite as the architecture is very colourful and it looked like a lovely community to live in. It’s located quite far out of the centre of Berlin, but it’s well worth the trip – also if you don’t collect UNESCO sites!

15. Berlin has the coolest ruined church

Breitscheidplatz is home to one of the coolest sights in the city; a ruined church from the 1890s. It was damaged in a bombing raid during World War II, and it was decided to preserve the church in its ruined state as a memorial against war. It goes by the nickname “Der Hohle Zahn”, which means “the Hollow Tooth”!

The square turns into a cozy Christmas market every year, and this was my second-favourite after the one at Gendarmenmarkt – especially because of the backdrop of the ruined church!

16. Charlottenburg Palace has the most beautiful gardens

I love palaces and especially beautiful palace gardens, and Berlin has a wonderful example of such. The baroque Charlottenburg Palace was built at the end of the 17th century, and is surrounded by a large garden with woodlands, lakes, a beautiful belvedere, a mausoleum, a theatre and a pavilion.

The gardens are one of the most peaceful places in Berlin to take a stroll, and it is especially gorgeous at sunset!

17. The castle complexes of Potsdam are only an S-bahn ride away

45 minutes on the S-bahn from the centre of Berlin and you’ll reach Potsdam, a small city that is FULL of castles – and I mean full!

The city was a residence of Prussian kings and the German Emperor until 1918, and they created a baroque paradise consisting of 150 majestic buildings, including 17 castles, built from 1730 to 1916. They are dotted around the hills and lakeshores that surround the city. The entire city is a UNESCO site, and it is well worth spending several days there to explore it all – trust me, Potsdam is not seen in a single day!

Some of the more popular places include the Sanssouci Palace, Lindstedt Palace, the Orangery Palace and the Cecilienhof Palace, but my favourite place was actually not a palace, but instead the collection of Russian wooden houses at Russiche Kolonie Alexandrowka!

18. Busy cities are my idea of hell but Berlin is a wonderfully chaotic hell

As I stated in the beginning of this post, I am very much not a city girl, so for me to fall for Berlin was not written in the stars. I loathe busy city centres, but for some weird unexplainable reason, I thrive at Alexanderplatz, the very heart of Berlin.

No other city is as diverse as Berlin, the food is the best in the world, and the architecture is a wonderful mix of downright ugly and absolutely stunning.

Berlin is a chaotic mess and I love it so much for it!

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to return to Berlin since October 2022, but you’d be surprised by how often I yearn to go back. I’m thinking I’ll have to make a trip there next year – not least to introduce Minnie to the greatest city on earth!

Thank you, Berlin – und bis später!