Cheap Berlin Travel guides

Backpacker travel guides: Travelling to Berlin soon? Then you’ll need a list of mooky things to see and do. Absorb your good self in our list of Berlin hideouts and truly top travel tips…

1. Drinking in Berlin: I am stereotypically English in my desire to locate a decent watering hole. The infamous Paule’s Metal Eck in Friedrichshain is a pretty good place to start. My memory is a little on the hazy side but I have the vague recollection of the following elements: it was very dark, it played a respectable mix of rock and metal, served excellent beer, staffed by lovely people and had amazing graffiti in the toilets.

Address: Krossener Str. 15 (Friedrichshain)

2. Berlin food: Similarly when travelling I have a need to constantly stuff my face. If you are alike in my greed it is worth seeking out Witty’s fast food stall. It is one of the finest purveyors of Berlin’s renowned Currywurst. Currywurst is a very popular take-away and consists of sausage seasoned with a tomato flavoured curry sauce (it tastes much better than it sounds or indeed looks!).

Address: Wittenbergplatz (Schöneberg)

3. To continue my food obsession: Check out Viva Mexico! an excellent Mexican restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Finding it involves a long and rather dull walk and it is slightly intimidating as it is like walking into someone’s living room. However the food is amazing and there is a huge Dia de los Muertos skeleton band in the back. Enough said.

Address: Chausseestraße 36 (Mitte)

5. Now to Berlin culture. Sort of. The Beate-Uhse Erotik Museum. It is the world’s largest erotic museum and is terrifying, fascinating, bizarre and hilarious in equal measure. It is one of your only opportunities to see a preserved tiger stamen (that’s a euphemism) or ancient Chinese pr0nography. A life changing experience (Just watch out for the dirty old guys in raincoats).

Address: Joachimstaler Str. 4 (Charlottenburg)

5. My top recommendation for Berlin culture would be to visit the Kunsthaus Tacheles. It encompasses everything that’s great about Berlin and alternative culture. A relic of the squat scene that was born after the fall of the Wall it contains a gallery, art centre, nightclub, bar and cinema. Fear not its slightly unapproachable exterior it is truly a special and creative environment full of art and life.

Address: Oranienburger Str. 54-56a (Mitte)

5 Top travel tips for Berlin

1. When ordering Currywurst you will be asked if you want it ‘mit darm oder ohne darm’. They will be asking you whether you want your sausage ‘with skin or without’. Order accordingly.

2. On the subject of Currywurst, this phrase may assist you: ‘pommes mit weiss/rot’ = chips with mayo/ketchup. Did I mention my obsession with food?

3. Be your own tour guide. Travelling by foot or U-Bahn (underground) is the best way to get around. Unless you excelled at orienteering at Girl Guides you are guaranteed to get lost but trust me it is worth it to truly immerse yourself in Berlin’s atmosphere and culture. Just try and be safe – I have idiotic tendencies thus walked through some sketchy areas. I was fine but I could have returned with a lot worse than a bunch of funny tales…

4. Love the locals. They are generally kind and helpful even if your German language skills are awful. Love those locals hard.

5. Most importantly: Report back to Mooychick. Anything and everything is helpful, whether you write a new travel article or post tips and links to your photographs. This article is just a small insight into the things I loved about Berlin – there is far too much to list it all. Your experience may be entirely different and I want to hear all about it!