Harvard Student Agencies - Lets Go Budget Berlin. The Student Travel Guide

Contents

So youve decided to visit Berlin. Congratulations. Your pretentious friends went to Paris. Your haughty friends went to London. And your lost friends went to Belarus. But you decided on Berlin. Youve probably heard that Berlin is the coolest city in the world, or that it has one of the best clubs in Europe, or that it sleeps when the sun comes up. Well, dont believe the hype. Its not the coolest city in the world; its several of the coolest cities in the world. It doesnt have one of the best clubs in Europe; it has 10. To top it off, Berlin never sleeps.

Berlins rise began with some normal history, taken to epic heights. King Friedrich II and his identically named progeny ruled from canal-lined boulevards, built palaces like middle-fingers to all the haters, and developed Prussia into an Enlightened European powerhouse, with Berlin at the helm. But after centuries of captaining Europe, Berlin went crazy in the 20th. As the seat of Hitlers terror, and with WWII drama in its streets, Berlin rebooted in the 50s, only to become a physical manifestation of Cold War divisions. The Wall rose in 61, slicing the city and fostering the enmity of a radical student and punk population. Ten years after the Wall crumbled in 89, the German government decided to relocate from Bonn to Berlin. And from there, Berlin became todays European champion of cool.

Sorry about your friends.

Welcome to the land of Cheap and Awesome. Stick to the inexpensive restaurants and food stands in Friedrichsain, Kreuzberg, and Prenzlauerberg, and you just might save enough to buy a coffee and pretend to be rich in the posh cafes in Charlottenburg, Schneberg, and Wilmersdorf. And while theres plenty of wurst and schnitzel to be had for travelers on a budget, Berlins ethnic cuisine is some of the tastiest and cheapest on offer. So dive into that falafel, or make your way to the corner Thai or Vietnamese placeyou wont be disappointed, and your wallet will thank you.

: Mustafas flavorful drm is a little Turkish miracle. At just 4, its undoubtedly the best fast food in town.

: Vietnamese restaurants are among the most common cheap, sit-down lunch places in Berlin, but Monsieur Vuong beats them all with a constantly changing menu of its own tasty creations.

: This 24hr. cafe serves food at any hour, so plan on washing down an omelette with absinthe at 3:34am on a Sunday.

: The weekend morning brunch buffet (9.50) has such an extensive selection of breakfast staples that it blows away competing slim hostel breakfast buffets.

: Made to look like a 50s American diner, this burger joints mostly vegetarian menu lists refreshing takes on greasy, meaty German cuisine.

: Pick up a WelcomeCard for 17 at any tourist office to get unlimited Metro travel for 48hr. and discounts at 130 sights.

: This walking tour covers Berlins major sightsfor free. Use it to get acquainted with the city when you first arrive.

: Make The Weinerei in Prenzlauer Berg your first nightlife stop. Pay 2, drink as much as you can, and then pay what you think you owe before you leave.

: Berlins annual Bierfestival is free to enter. Sample hundreds of beers from around the world.

: Need a quick refuel? Wander through the Turkish Market in Kreuzberg and fill up on free fruit.

From zany themes to hostel bars to rooftop patios to institutional places that cost next to nothing and impose crazy curfewsyou name it, Berlins got it.

: All the fun of a circus, minus the creepy clowns. The only thing bigger than the huge, colorful rooms is the extensive breakfast buffet.

: A tremendous brick building with a cathedralsized common room holds chapelsized rooms and a hip and helpful staff.

: Refreshing hostel humor, a window-lined common room, and a long outdoor patio overlooking a busy square make this a light and bright hostel experience.

: Freaky murals featuring icons in American nerd culture line the way to a comfy bunk in a quiet, spacious, and clean dorm.

: Located remotely far to the southwest in the whispering Grnewald, JetPak channels your favorite childhood summer camp memories with a grassy compound filled with fun and games and a main building that feels like a mountain lodge.

Fortunately for the budget traveler, many of Berlins best sights are free to see, if not necessarily to enter or climb. Students will have a particularly easy time of sightseeing on a budget, thanks to the 50% student discount at most sights and museums.

: This free museum, which opened in May 2010, tracks the origins, development, and deployment of Nazi terror.

: This bombed-out department store has become a living, breathing street-art metropolis. Chances are youll never again experience anything like it. The best part? Its completely free.

: Climb to the Reichstag roof to marvel at the openness of German government, symbolized by the glass ceiling. A stunning view of the Berlin skyline awaits.

, feature impressive historical artifacts among the sunbathers and joggers.

Berlins Cold War history is all around. While you could spend a fortune on entry to certain tourist traps (ahem,