photos by sandra juto.

josh and i are going to berlin for a vacation at the end of march! we have a few friends there and it’s a short trip, so my plan is to not plan a lot. i have some articles printed out from the NY times and the design*sponge berlin guide. and our friends will recommend places to go and eat. but if anyone has a suggestion for us– please leave a comment! it’s our first trip without eli, so we don’t need kid-related tips. my favorite kind of vacation is exploring a city… can’t wait.

 

 

16 thoughts on “

  1. you are most welcome to stop by the Atelier Schmidt (in the area of Neukölln), have a coffee and a chat. if there are any questions ore whatever comes up. send me an email. besides that, enjoy your trip & the old lady berlin!

  2. I hope that you’ll love Berlin! If you’re around Kreuzberg for the weekend, you can grab a snack at Markthalle 9 ( http://www.markthalleneun.de/ ), it’s a nice way to spend a Saturday morning. But my favourite thing to do there is to just pick a neighbourhood, walk around, and have a cortado somewhere cozy. :•)

    Have fun!

  3. make a reservation to visit the boros collection. it’s worth the effort…they have limited spots with english tours. otherwise, just wander. enjoy.

  4. Dear Lena,
    in Augusstraße 41 (Mitte) you can find a very nice little shop called WOLFEN (www.wolfengermany.com)- I think you could like it!
    Jule

  5. Walk and have a rest In a park or nice café (It’s so easy to find one of these In Berlin). Enjoy.

  6. Hi Lena. We love Berlin and have been there several times. My best (and also a little bit secret) suggestions are:
    Sammlung Hoffmann is a fantastic private collection of modern and contemporary art. You can only go there on Saturdays and you’ll have to book a guided tour via the website: http://www.sammlung-hoffmann.de/index.php?/site/sammlung/en
    Make sure to book a tour in English, otherwise it will be in German. This is such a great experience since you actually walk through the private (and very beautiful!) rooms of the collectors. The groups are very small, and last time we visited Erika Hoffmann actually came out to say hello and answer our questions. There is a nice little café in the same courtyard as the entrance to the sammlung.
    Sunday evening you must go to the Spiegelsaal (The Mirror Hall) for a classic concert. It’s a very special place – all worn out but very beautiful: http://www.spiegelsaal-berlin.de/
    Se programme here: http://www.sonntagskonzerte.de/
    Among better known places of interest ia of course Hamburger Bahnhof – a fantastic art museum with great exhibitions situated in an old railway station.
    Wish you a good trip!

  7. Hi Lena – I was working there last year and nearby were two antique jewelry and decorative arts shops, almost everything was from before 1940, with a lot of 19th century jewelry. They are located very close to the Friedrichstrasse U-Bahn station:
    Gunther Nebelsieck and Antik & Kunst Herbert Ernst GmbH & Co.
    Georgenstrasse 194-195, Berlin
    Berlin has really great museums, my favorite is the Neues Museum on the museum island. It was destroyed during the war and left in ruins for many decades. In the 1990s it was restored, beautifully, by David Chipperfield. I think it really symbolizes the city of Berlin! Have a great time.

  8. Hello –

    Sammlung-boros and Neues Museum are both must-sees. They are both totally unique, like so many things in this city.

    The Russian memorial in Treptower is pretty incredible, for some brutal, Soviet pomp. Very pretty park as well, and nice to walk/cycle along the Spree afterwards. You can walk East along the river to the the ‘Insel der Jugend’, with it’s beautiful arched foot bridge.

    Templehof airfield is also very special. Top of my list of a sunny day. Great for whizzing your bikes along, and just reveling in such an odd, open space. It’s where the Berlin airlifts took off from. You could walk around the Bergmanstrasse ‘kiez’ afterwards, and get coffee at Chapter1, which is really nice.

    Foodwise – all really nice recommendations: ‘Omoni’ (Japanese), Cafe Jacques (Morrocan), Renger Patzsch (Bavarian) Bars: Sameheads (such a sweet operation, run by three brothers), Natalja&Heinrich (lovely and cosy)

    Hope you have fun! Daisy

  9. Hi Lena

    Berlin is such a great city and I am sure your local friends will have great recommendations. I always loved to go

    Museum
    Jewish Museum designd by Libeskind is incredible
    Hamburger Bahnhof museum
    C/O museum before it closes down soon (also make sure to go to Tacheles a run down artspace, cafe)

    Food
    Kuchi
    Monsieur Voung

    Shopping:
    Please try and go to Manufaktum, its a great shop with sort of old/new classic things check out their website to get an idea
    Also try to check out some stores such as the great sock store Falke..they make really amazing socks (sounds funny I know but its true) or Schiesser (amazing underwear especially their revival collection is nice, there is a shop in Mitte) Also I think you might like COS which is known for its minimalistic scandinavian design (super cute kids stuff, too)
    Mulackstrasse is great with lots of good shops such as RSVP, Lala Berlin, APD and small shops to browse along..also Auguststrasse is great

    Cafe
    Bonanza Coffee Heroes
    The Barn
    Barcomis

    Fleamarket/market
    Arkonaplatz
    Mauerpark
    Tuerkish Market

    Also check out http://unlike.net/berlin/

    Apart from that, walk walk walk walk 🙂 and enjoy