After our delicious breakfast at Benedict we were ready to explore the city. Since the weather forecast for this weekend is supposed to be dry and sunny, I wanted to show my friend as much Point of Interests as possible before the rainy weather is coming back and we have to spend the days in indoor.
I usually start my tour as a “tour guide” with East Berlin, simply because I live in West Berlin and it’s easier to start from the furthest point and finish the tour somewhere in the middle. To do East & West is possible in one day since Berlin isn’t that big but it would be very ambitious and tiring.
(Below you will find a detailed route how we discovered Berlin more or less in one day. Maybe this might be helpful for some of you for your next Berlin visit if you are on a tight schedule and you want to see as much as possible of the city)
We got off at the metro station U1 Schlesisches Tor and walked from there towards the East Side Gallery…
…Passing through Oberbaum Bridge, which connects the formerly divided districts of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain…
…Before reaching the 1316 metres long section of the Berlin Wall – an “open-air” art gallery
From here we took the S-Bahn from Ostbahnhof to Alexanderplatz, where St. Mary’s Church and the Berlin TV Tower are located.
As well as the nearby Sea Life Berlin, where we made a stop to say “Hello” to Doris and Nemo 😀
We grabbed some ice cream at Bandy Brooks (make sure to make a stop here as well – it’s delicious, one of my favourites after Florida Ice Cream in Spandau) and enjoyed the view of the Berlin Cathedral (with the TV Tower in the background).
What a walk so far and still not finished yet. So much to see in Berlin *hahaha* Have I mentioned that Berlin is really nice during the summer time? 😀 This city is made for this season (not for winter though).
We strolled a bit around the Museum Island…
…before we took the S-Bahn from Hackescher Markt to Hauptbahnhof (main train station), where all the main government buildings are located (aka the “government district”).
German Chancellery, which serves as the name might guess the executive office of the Chancellor of Germany.
Reichstag Building, the parliament, where all the major debates are taken place. The roof terrace can be even visited with advance registration and is free of charge. Places are limited, therefore, I strongly recommend to register early online via here (direct website of the Bundestag).
Unfortunately, all the available time slots during “normal” visiting time (meaning not 8am or 22pm or later) where already booked out this time… 🙁
Brandenburg Gate – the must-see sight in Berlin! is literally around the corner of the Reichstag Building
The Holocaust Memorial is just few metres away (Picture was taken deliberately in black & white since it’s in memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust)
After so much history our legs got tired and our tummy started to crave for food. Well, a look at the watch told us it was time for dinner… 😀
I took my friend to Potsdamer Platz / Sony Center for dinner. Obviously German cuisine 🙂 at Lindenbräu. I have been to this restaurant before. Food is okay but since we were both bit tired from all these walking I didn’t want to take my friend somewhere too far and Potsdamer Platz is less than 10minish walk away.
Plus, Sony Center, with its spectacular roof construction, was on the list of POIs anyway and it’s a people watching place. The Cinema, CineStar is the cinema in Berlin where all the film crews come to introduce their new movie (similar to Odeon Leicester Square in London). So next time if you hear Mr DiCaprio is in Berlin to introduce his new movie, you know where to go now, right? OR the Minions 😉
Anyway, back to the food. I do admit that Lindenbräu is a bit of a touristy place. Their food is bit pricey but the portions are big though. Be prepared with some waiting time (from food to arrive till paying the bill).
Tarte flambée à Lindenbräu style
Grilled Salmon Pasta
After dinner we made our way back home, U2 Potsdamer Platz to U/S-Bahn Zoologischer Garten, where we finished our tour off with a quick glance at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. 
What a day and it’s not even complete yet. I still haven’t shown my friend Checkpoint Charlie, Gendarmenmarkt or the Philharmonic (just to name a few that were missed out on today’s tour). Not to mention all these indoor activities like museum or art galleries. Well, will be added for the next tour part… 😉
Location Details:
Lindenbräu
Bellevuestraße 3, 10785 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 25751280
Website: www.bier-genuss.berlin/en
