Famous Places to Visit in Berlin as a Newcomer
It was August 2016 when I arrived in this beautiful city of Berlin. And today I’m going to share with you my favorite places to visit in Berlin as a newcomer to the area. Read on for ideas as you plan your visit!
Update: This post was written and published by the previous owner of this website. As the new owner of this site, I made some minor edits and changes to match my own writing and publishing style, in May 2023. However, I have left the information mostly in it’s original form. – Amy
As soon as the plane took off from Istanbul, I could already hear people speaking in German. I could already feel the ‘‘Germany,” that’s it, the reality was finally sinking in. My travel partner was a fellow nurse, who is also from the Philippines. We were tired after a long flight and two stopovers, but that time I didn’t mind it.
We arrived at the now closed Tegel Airport, which was located in West Berlin and was the main international airport of the city. We were fetched by the owner of the agency where we directly applied to be nurses. Then we were brought to a locality called Wannsee, an area located in the Southwestern part of Berlin.
Arriving there, I met someone I knew, and the first thing I heard was her complaints. It was summer, but it was raining! Well, I didn’t let myself be affected by it. I already liked the area Wannsee. It is so quiet, with beautiful houses plus there are lakes in the area.
For people who don’t like this quiet corner, they could live in the heart of the city or in the Mitte. In the German language, that means center.
Places to Visit in Berlin? Alexanderplatz
One of the famous public squares in the heart of Berlin is the Alexanderplatz, some locals call it Alex.
Within this area, you could see and visit the Fernsehturm and the World Time Clock. People use these landmarks as a meeting place.
You couldn’t leave Berlin without visiting Alexanderplatz or taking a photo of the World Time Clock. The word ‘‘Fersehturm” means television tower which has served both as a symbol of Communist power and of Berlin. It is the tallest structure in the city that could be seen in some suburban districts.
If you want to experience going to the sphere of the tower within 40 seconds using a lift, you need to pay for an entrance fee, which costs 12 Euro if I am not mistaken. It was 2017 when I went to the tower as I celebrated my first anniversary in the city. What makes this tower more interesting for tourists is this rotating restaurant. It rotates once every 30 minutes, and you couldn’t even notice it sometimes.
If you want to know more about the amazing Fersehturm Revolving Restaurant Sphere in the Berlin TV Tower, just try to visit the site to see the updated menu and prices and how to book your dinner reservation at the World Time Clock television tower. Yes, you have to book well in advance. About 1,500 people want to visit the restaurant every day out of 5,000 visitors to the said tower. The Berlin TV Tower restaurant also serves breakfast – even a breakfast buffet on one Sunday a month.
Kreuzberg is a Definite Place to Visit in Berlin
Berlin is such a colorful city from people, cultures, streets and to buildings. Out of 3.5 million population, estimated last 2016, 30% of it is foreign-born inhabitants and this was estimated ten years ago. If you’re planning to move to the city or visit Berlin and thought you couldn’t survive here without learning the language, you’re mistaken.
Almost all people here speak English especially if you go to districts where tourists swamped for clubs and parties like Kreuzberg, where you could see this street art and graffiti, and the East Side Gallery, a famous landmark in which the longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall is located and is now converted to an open-air art gallery.
So if you intend to have a sniff of the city for a couple of days, you don’t have to worry if you don’t speak the city’s language or fear of getting lost.
When I was still new here, I always brought along the official map of Berlin with me, but sometimes there are locations that are hard to find especially if you are still new. I was in one of the stations with a map in my hand, trying to figure out which direction I should take when an elderly woman approached me and offered help. Yeah, there is a 99% chance that somebody will approach you and offer help even without asking for it!
Even now, almost three years after that incident, when I go to some areas in the city which I am not familiar with, I don’t have to be anxious about getting lost. As long as I have a phone with an internet connection, a Google map (although I am not really good at reading map) and courage to ask locals for direction, it isn’t a problem anymore.
However, I always look for these signs anywhere I go – a huge S and U sign. Whenever I see one of them it calms me. S stands for S-Bahn or schnellbahn, which means a rapid transit railway train in Berlin, and the U means underground train or subway.
There are many places to visit in Berlin that are filled with history, self-expression and art, and beauty. These are just some of the reasons why Berlin is such a wonderful city! The locals say, sometimes sarcastically, Berlin, du bist wunderbar.
But everyone is entitled to his own opinion.
More Posts About Germany
How I Studied German in 7 Months
When I Decided to Learn German
Things to Know Before Moving to Germany
Differences Between Philippines and Germany
