This is my fifth year living and studying in Berlin and I think it’s about time I put together a short list of gorgeous places worth visiting that you won’t find in a typical tour guide. These hidden gems will make your stay in Berlin much more unique, I promise. Of course, make sure to also visit the Brandenburger Gate, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Ku’Damm or the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz when you come to Berlin, but I hope you will find something more personal here. If you are a local, I am sure you’ve heard of most of these, my intention is to reach tourists who are looking for something extra. Because isn’t it what Berlin is all about?
1. Cherry Blossom Trees along Bornholmer Straße
These beautiful cherry blossom trees were gifted from Japan to Berlin to celebrate the German reunification after the wall came down in 1989. If you visit Berlin around April, do not miss the chance to admire these blooming pink trees along the route where the Berlin Wall once stood. Oh and unless you wake up early, prepare to be surrounded by loads of instagrammers trying to get that perfect shot. (I might be guilty of being one of them.)
2. Freischwimmer Restaurant in Kreuzberg
Warschauerstarße is a popular “party” area and it’s also the train station you want to get to if you want to see the famous Oberbaum Brücke or the East Side Gallery. So I accidentaly discovered this gorgeous resturant/bar when I was in tourist mode and crossed the bridge with my fiancè last summer. How dreamy are these wooden little buildings along the riverside? Oh and what’s more colorful than this place are the people there! 100% recommend if the weather allows it.
3. Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz
I am sure you are planning to pay a visit to Potsdamer Platz where remains of the Berlin Wall can be seen. If you are there, look for the Sony Center building. Its extraordinary circular rooftop covers busy nightlife opportunities, but just the sight is worth a visit alone. If you can, go when it’s dark to see the beautiful lights! You can also catch a movie in English at the Cinestar Original while you are there.
4. Parrot Corner at Kurfürstendamm
I am sure you have already heard of the amazing Zoo in the heart of Berlin, which alone is worth a visit), but when you hear “Zoo”, don’t automatically think of a closed park with animals, the locals use this word for the area surroinding the “Zoologischer Garten”. So there are many shopping malls and restaurants around Zoo and Kurfürstendamm and in the middle of a large building complex there is a huge cage with parrots and other birds freely flying around. It’s called the „Kranzler Eck Berlin“. It is so out of the place and so absurd, you don’t want to miss it. It’s completely free and it’s also totally hidden.
5. Dahlem Dorf and the Freie Universität
Okay, so if you study in Berlin this place is far from being unknown, but as a tourist I would highly recommend going to Dahlem. With its old villas and green parks, this village-like part of Berlin looks far different from the busy city center. And if you worry it’s too far from other tourist attractions, let me reassure you that the subway line U3 takes you practically anywhere within Berlin from Dahlem. You can also check out the Botanical Garden while you are here.
