This is one of those grand European architectural locations. Once you get anywhere near this area,…read morewhat you will find are great cathedrals, beautiful buildings, and a very large square. The center point of this area is the large square. My suggestion is that you go and stand in the center of it, look around, and study its true uniqueness. What you will experience is one of the best places to view the grandeur of historic Berlin. Around this very large square, what you will find, (occasionally), is that they will have marketplaces. These marketplaces are usually seasonally orientated. Meaning, if it's Christmas season, you will find a great selection of Christmas orientated items. The main reason you come here is not so much simply to go shopping or dining, of which there are a lot of places to check out around the surrounding area, but to go inside some of the structures, and truly bask in the architectural glory of the statues, the way the buildings were constructed, and all of that kind of stuff. This isn't really a highly-touristy Berlin location. Which, is a good thing. Meaning, you can come here and really bask in a historic Berlin, which is deeply rooted in history. It will provide you with the true flavor and culture of Berlin. Overall, I would suggest that you do go here. You just need to know what to expect. There's not necessarily a lot to do, unless you truly appreciate the finer elements of architecture. But, it's a great place to visit.

One visits Gendarmenmarkt to take in the local flavor. There are beautiful buildings and sculptures…read moreto view and appreciate. People come here to hang out with their families and loved ones. I especially enjoyed looking at the expressions on the faces of the sculptures within the gates of the church. The artist truly captures a feeling. I walked here from the hotel I was staying at and enjoyed lunch in the immediate vicinity. It is a place to visit when in Berlin.

Use to be an amazing part of Berlin. Now, it's just full of old people and tourist. It's like "spot…read morethe Berlin'er" - you won't find any.

Whenever you're in Berlin, you have to get a photoautomat picture. It is a must. I recommend doing…read moreit after you've enjoyed yourself on Warschauer Straße!

If you're in Berlin, this is something you totally have to do. Preferably if you are a bit drunk,…read morewith random people and have €2 to spare.

Lovin' the name!…read more Meet up plaza for the walking tours here. One can see the TV tower and Berlin Cathedral at an eye's view while being able to sit on the grass or side benches provided. A pretty relaxing spot and central to most of the monuments around!

Nice little garden the surround by different landmark buildings of Berlin. Because of this is…read moreactually one of the garden the most people took pictures of. In the sunny day, the beautiful Berliner Dom right next to it, made this really a great place just sit down and chat with your mates. When you want to do some cultural adventures, the Altes Museum is right there or you can visit others which in the museums island. There are also many cool shops and restaurants around. When you are hungry, simply go around, sure you will find something great. Well, when you are reading and just enjoying your time (whatever you are doing) in this park, don't get annoy by people who taking pictures. Well, it's going to be lot of them, whether tourists or locals, come and go, so why not just help up time to time and enjoy this beautiful place.

This will be short. Right near each other you can go here and see the old apartment building where…read moreDavid Bowie had an apartment while living in Berlin recording his Berlin trilogy - Low, The Lodger, and Heroes - and then you can walk over and see the outside of the studio where he recorded those albums. You can't go in the apartment - it's still apartments rented out, but there is a small memorial to David outside including a drawing and plaque where people leave flowers. You also can't just walk into the studio nearby because it's still a working music studio, but a sign in the window says you can pay for a tour through certain companies. They at least have some cool Bowie photos filling the windows. If you love Bowie why wouldn't you go? It is free and you can take a picture and it takes a second.

Heckmann Höfe is the small shopping and dining area right in the heart of Berlin. It is one of…read morethose locations that if you do not know about it, you may very well walk right past it, as you must go through a passageway to get inside. Once inside the area, what you will find are a few shops and a couple of dining establishments. The shops that operate here are of the boutique nature. Meaning, they only sell unique, vintage, or one of a kind items. Which makes this place an interesting place to shop. This internal area is surround by buildings, so you really feel enclosed once you are inside. It's kind of claustrophobic. The thing that I find a bit stage about this very small area is that cars will actually dive inside, as there are a few parking spaces. When one is trying to get in, or get out, as there is very little any room for them to do, don't try to walk in or out of the facility when a car is in motion as it could turn out to be a problem. Overall, an interesting and known only to locals place to check out in Berlin.

No credit card, but it only costs $4.50 Euros per person. It's worth the visit!…read more The Golden Angel. Depending upon where you are in Berlin, you can access it from four different points. From where I was staying, I walked up to it from behind. It's basically smack dab in the middle of a traffic circle, so pedestrians access it from an underground tunnel that gets you to the Siegessaule. From a distance, it looks like a monument. It's not until I saw people walking around in it that I realized I could go inside. Once I walked through the doorway, I saw the ticket booth. Once you walk through the ground floor museum of monuments in different countries, the signs lead you to the stairs that take you to the beautiful mosaic artwork. However, when I saw the spiral staircase that leads right up to the Golden Angel, and saw tourists walking towards me, I booked it up that spiral staircase! No elevator. Oh boy, it was quite the workout. So worth it though. The top of the staircase leads you outdoors, right below the Golden Angel. Spectacular views all around. I don't recommend it if you are afraid of heights. I walked all around, but held onto the side of the building the entire time. When I was done enjoying the view from the top, I walked down to view the mosaic artwork. Beautiful. Luckily the walk down is never as bad as the walk up. If you are in Berlin, I highly recommend the full experience of walking all the way to the top.

This is one of those cultural historic sites in Berlin. Yeah sure, it's a little bit touristy. But,…read moreif you've traveled to Berlin, you've got to go here and make the climb. And, climb you will. This architectural site can be seen from far away. It's located in Tiergarten Park and several trails and roads will lead you to it. Once in the area, you make your final trek to get to it by underground passageways. You don't want to try to cross the street, as the traffic in the traffic circle that surrounds it, is crazy. Once in the center, you wander around the site or go directly inside. There, you will be charged to see the minor museum area they have on the lower level devoted to this, "Victory Column." Then, comes the climb. It's a long steep challenging one. But, for those of us who like to work out, it's a lot of fun. To discuss the climb. What you do is to go up a long spiral staircase inside of the structure. The thing you need to know about this, if you come here on off-days, you may have no problem. I have been there when my wife and I were the only ones who made it to the top. Most people are nice, and let other easily pass. Some people are rude, however. And, they just push their way by or completely block people, on the very small staircase. Just keep that in mind. Overall, at the top, you step outside and have a nice view of Berlin. Again, this is a historic site and a fun place to visit in Berlin. Plus, you get a good workout by climbing to the top.

Friedrichshain is named after Volkspark Friedrichshain. The district was created in 1920. In the…read moreNazi times it was called Horst-Wessel-Stadt. It's going through severe gentrification, but the community does its best to preserve F-stain unique vibe. Children friendly, pets friendly, vegan friendly, my Kiez forever!

What a great area in Berlin. I'm glad we spent most of our time here while our hotel was…read morecity-center. Great train access, cheap meals, loads of interesting graffiti and a craft fair. There was a crowd of art, music, sports fans and an outdoor cocktail stand. Amazing.