Are you tired of museums and clubs but you still want to enjoy Berlin? Try out these 10 places instead

People sometimes ask me which my favorite places in Berlin are.

This seems to be a very easy and innocent question, but it isn't.

It's difficult to only give one answer since one of the things that I love most about Berlin is that it is unruhig, unsettled. 

Streets and places change fast, restaurants open and close fast, clubs shine and die fast. Shops renovate and move fast to a new district. Trends come and go fast. 

Everything changes, the city changes, people change. And yet the atmosphere is quite the same.

By walking on the streets, you get the impression that the city is living fast and that everything is possible. Not only for the city itself but also for you. Being part of it is magical.

[The Turkish bath in the Schokofabrik

Image source: Hamam at the Schokoladenfabrik]

I decided to list ten of my favorite places in Berlin anyway, but since on the internet you can already find plenty of tips about museums, cool sights, theaters, art exhibitions, and clubs, this is another kind of list. The numbers do not represent a ranking, however.

#1. 
The 8 beautiful courtyards called Hackeschen Höfe (Rosenthalerstraße 40/41 and Sophienstraße 6, Mitte), with cafés, shops, movie theaters (also in Rosenthalerstraße 39) and a Starbucks coffeehouse.

#2.
The best place to eat burritos in Berlin: just call it Dolores, even if the official name is Dolores Gourmet Burritos (Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 7, Mitte / Bayreuther Straße 36, Schöneberg). Guacamole with fresh avocados is the word.

#3. 
The Café Morgenrot (Kastanienallee 85, Prenzlauer Berg), with its delicious Vegan and vegetarian brunch on Sunday and a good musical selection each day of the week.

#4. 
The colorful and kitschig second-hand shops Garage (Ahornstraße 2, Schöneberg) and Colours (Bergmannstraße 102, Kreuzberg) for clothes, jeans, hats, and shoes. Happy hour with even more sales discounts on Wednesday.

#5. 
The classy billiard room Pool & Cigars at the Kulturbrauerei (Schönhauser Allee 36, Prenzlauer Berg) offering 14 billiard tables and an elegant bar.

#6. 
The enormous park Tiergarten (Straße des 17. Juni, Mitte), one of the three biggest parks in Germany, considered the green heart of the city, hosting the big monument Siegessäule with the golden lady named "Goldelse" by the Berliners.

#7. 
The flea markets you can visit on Sunday at Mauerpark (Berlin Mauerpark Flohmarkt, Bernauer Straße 63-64, Prenzlauer Berg), at Boxhagener Platz (id., Friedrichshain) and at Treptow (Hallentrödelmarkt Treptow, Eichenstrasse 4): each one unique, special and funny. Karaoke is included.

#8. 
The international bookstore Dussmann - KulturKaufhaus (Friedrichstraße 90, Mitte/Kreuzberg),  where it's possible to not only find books in German, English, Spanish, Italian, French and other languages, but also DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, posters, calendars, and games.

#9.
The Turkish bath Hamam at the Schokoladenfabrik (Mariannenstraße 6, Kreuzberg), peaceful oasis with sauna, massages, and infrared cabin. For women only.

#10. 
The wonderful and exotic Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Dahlem (Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, Steglitz), with three greenhouses, a small lake, and an Italian garden.

What about your favorite places?

Tags: Berlin, Germany, Hackeschen Höfe, Dolores burritos, Café Morgenrot, second-hand, Kulturbrauerei, Tiergarten, Mauerpark, flea-market, Dussmann, Hamam in Berlin, Botanic Garden, Boxhagener Platz, Treptow indoor flea-market

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