Berlin, Germany

Europe: Round-the-World Travel Destinations

Budget Scale: 1-5

1-least expensive; 5-most expensive
4- As a large city in western Europe, costs for traveling in Berlin will be pretty high. You can offset them by using the usual backpacker tips – staying in hostels, cooking your own food, etc. – but expect to spend a bit of money if you choose to add Berlin to your RTW trip.

Indie Travel Scale: 1-5

1-not a good Indie Travel destination; 5-a great Indie Travel destination
3- There are plenty of indie travel opportunities in Berlin as you will see below.
Indie Travel Tips
Follow these tips to have a great indie travel experience in Berlin.

Stroll around the city and check out the architecture. Though much of the city was destroyed in WWII and the years following, they have done a tremendous job building the city back up. For some more off the beaten paths buildings to explore, check out the following
- The Chapel of Reconciliation
- Am Kupfergraben 10
- The Nordic Embassies
There are a lot of great museums in Berlin, but they can be pricey. Look into the three day Museum Pass to save a few bucks.
If you don’t fancy spending a lot of dough on museums, then check out all the private art galleries. You can see some more modern stuff, for free, and get the chance to interact with local artists.
Instead of paying for one of those expensive walking tours, get out your guidebook and plan one of your own independently. It’s a great way to see the sites on your own pace, and there are plenty of book stores and resources you can use to learn about what you’re seeing.
Check out one of the many parks Berlin has:
- Tiergarten is the largest park in the city, and if you want to hand out with the locals, come on the weekends as it will be packed with Germans having barbecues.
- Viktoriapark has some great views of south Berlin.
- If you want to check out Charlottenburg Palace but don’t want to pay, see it from Schlossgarten Charlottenburg inside the Palace walls.

Why you should add Berlin to your RTW travel list

See where the Berlin Wall used to be
Walk through the Brandenburg Gate
Watch how East and West still mix and mingle and collide
See wartime history in a modern, bustling city
Easy to hit the rest of Germany from here
Yep, beer still comes in big steins
Berliners can teach you how to really live it up
Checkpoint Charlie, Checkpoint Charlie!
The public transportation system is excellent.
Eating out is much less expensive than most western European cities of the same size, so take advantage.