Berlin is one city where your euros can still pack a punch. And, perhaps even more importantly, it’s also full of art, history, sausage, and free stuff to do.

Here are six of our favorite freebies in the German capital:

The Reichstag

The official seat of the German Parliament, the Reichstag affords you (at no cost!) one of the best views of the city from its famous dome and roof terrace. Wait times can be hefty, so we’ve found it’s best to visit at night (the building stays open until midnight, although the last entry is at 10 PM). Take a quick elevator ride to the top and snap a bunch of photos. A free brochure, available as you enter the building, offers a pictorial guide to the Berlin skyline. (So, that’s the new train station!)

Brandenburg Gate

This majestic gate, called “the trademark of Berlin” by the local authorities, was built by King Wilhelm II in 1788. The Gate has seen a lot. It has survived conquests, bombings, and oppressive regimes. The monument sits at the end of the mighty Unter den Linden, and has recently received a city-sponsored cleaning. We think the best time to view this beauty is at night, when its majesty shines under soft lights.

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie, the name for the passport control for visitors going between East and West Berlin, is today a major tourist draw. There’s no charge for hanging out next to the original booth once manned by Soviet and American soldiers.  Located along busy Friederichstrasse, today guards smile, pose for photos, and answer questions from tourists. Across the street, several creative vendors charge €5 for a “legitimate” stamp for your passport. Ah yes, nostalgia… (Watch out for the Segueways—see photo above.)

The Wall

There are two good spots to see what’s left of the infamous Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery (in Kreuzberg), where artists like Keith Herring have painted over old pieces of the Wall as part of a public exhibit, is the cheerier of the two locations. This part of the Wall bursts with color, celebrates freedom and shows off the graffiti talents of many Berliners and friends of Berliners. For a more somber and realistic take on the Wall, visit the piece that’s still up near the Topography of Terror exhibit (below), in Mitte near Checkpoint Charlie.

Topography of Terror

OK, it sounds ominous (and well, it is), but this exhibit—in Mitte—is one of the most comprehensive one-stop shops for facing the magnitude of World War II, Berlin’s role in it, and the Holocaust. Placards with black and white photos show Hitler’s rise to power, the resurrection of the Wall, and many more key historical moments. Explanations and timelines accompany the photos and follow a clear path that leads you parallel to old S.S. Nazi police baracks. It’s a tad creepy, if you really let your mind go there. But, well worth a visit.

The Holocaust Memorial

The newly-opened “Monument to the Murdered Jews in Europe,” designed by architect Peter Eisenman, opened in 2005 and consists of 2,711 concrete slabs arranged on sloping ground. Walking through the enormous memorial can be somber, disorienting, and dizzying. An underground information center is open daily (except Monday). The outdoor monument is open and free to the public at all times.

Cheap eats

Berlin is full of cheap eats. You can hardly walk down the street without bumping into a bargain-priced doner-kabap. In any case, save a couple of euros for a good currywurst and Beck’s beer at the end of the day. You’ll need a breather after a day of intense sightseeing.

We are unapologetically fond of German cafeteria food. When visiting the German capital, we always stop for a sampling of local cuisine at one of the state-run (and subsidized) Mensa cafeterias, where a nourishing lunch may be enjoyed for just a few euros.

Although Mensa cafeterias are commonly found on campus at German universities and packed with healthy, athletically-inclined students, the dining halls are open to the public, and you’ll often find yourself dining alongside area businessmen and women. For the adventurous tourist, the cafeterias offer a unique and budget-friendly opportunity to get a taste of the real Deutschland.

Cafeteria food is, mildly put, not everyone’s culinary preference. But we enjoy it and embrace it for all of its qualities – healthy portions, light seasonings, regimented serving procedures, and unwavering value.

How the Mensa works

Most Mensa cafeterias require that you purchase a “MensaCard” onto which you can load – and reload – cash. These cards are for sale in the checkout lines for €1.55. Once you have procured a card, take it to the loading machine, where you insert money and load it up. At some cafeterias, you may also pay with cash, but you shouldn’t count on this.

Please note: Do not continue with your Mensa adventure until after you have fully loaded your card. The cashier can’t load up your card for you. Bad and embarrassing things could happen. 

Your card activated, head into the cafeteria. Look for a big sign listing the day’s options (sometimes with illustrations), and note that most cafeterias offer daily options that are vegetarian, vegan, and “bio-essen” (organic). If you don’t speak or read German, it’s a pretty safe bet that you can ask any student around you for translation help. (“Schwein,” by the way, is “pork.” You’ll be seeing that.)

We usually head for the longest line, as it gives us a chance to survey the choices being dished up, and to overhear the ordering and practice our vocabulary. (English will probably not work on the women working behind the serving counter – but a smile and pointed finger usually does the trick.) Once your main entrée and side have been handed to you, slide down to the salad cabinet, and then head to the beverage dispenser. So many wholesome beverages are yours – milk, apple juice, orange juice, vitamin punch (Note: We’re still not quite sure what’s in the vitamin punch, but it does pack one)!

Now that your tray is filled with nourishing vittles, head to a checkout lane and be prepared to hand over your new Mensa card. If you’re a student, show your student ID before the clerk rings you up, as your prices will be markedly lower.

Our favorite Mensa cafeterias in central Berlin

In Mitte:
Mensa Nord
Reinhardtstrasse 30
Editors pick for dining in Mitte, north of Unter den Linden.
Monday – Friday, 9 AM to 3 PM

Near Alexanderplatz:
Mensa Spandaur Strasse
Spandauer Str. 1
Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 3 PM

Near Gendarmenmarkt:
Mensa Charlottenstrasse
Charlottenstrasse 55
Pop into this one when heading south of Unter den Linden or shopping on Friedrichstrasse.
Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 3 PM

Near Nollendorfplatz:
Mensa Kurfurstenstrasse
Kurfürstenstraße 141
Monday through Friday 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM

See also:

List of all Mensa cafeterias
More Mensa information in English, including menus!

It is always worth pondering quite where is the best place to change trains. Many journeys across Europe offer multiple options. No sane Brit ever chooses to change trains at Birmingham New Street—a sort of subterranean Hades somewhere in the English Midlands—and few are ever really forced to do so. For many rail itineraries across England give a plethora of possible points for an hour’s leisure time, to enjoy a coffee and a bit of fresh air while waiting for the next train connection.

This is the case in many other European countries as well. Surely no rational human being ever decided that Warsaw’s eastern station (Warszawa Wschodnia) was the ideal place to mull over the affairs of the world for an hour or two between trains. Generous-hearted souls we may be, but it is difficult to find a good word for Wschodnia – unless you want to catch the pulse of what life was like in much of eastern and central Europe two decades ago. Take a look at this architectural gem and the surrounding cityscape.

And then there are the railway stations where it is an absolute delight to linger between trains, the sort of places where changing trains is a blessing. Dresden Hauptbahnhof is emerging from a protracted reconstruction to become one of those. Cologne’s Hauptbahnhof already is. Ignore the frenzied bustle of its shopping mall (a tribute to poor taste and greasy food) and head instead for the cathedral, a mere thirty-second walk from the station’s main entrance.

It doesn’t take a lot to transform an enforced layover into a memorable travel moment. Brussels Midi is the largest of the rail stations in the Belgian capital, and the area of town in which it is located is nothing to write home about. But we change trains there often and La Table du Midi, an unpretentious café just a stone’s throw from the railway platforms, makes it all worthwhile.

There are some stations which are just fabulous places to arrive and linger, unquestionably good spots to change trains. Among our favourites are Zürich Hauptbahnhof (so well placed for the city centre) and Berlin’s new Hauptbahnhof (a crystal cathedral for transport.)

So check those schedules carefully. You simply don’t want to change trains at Warszawa Wschodnia or Birmingham New Street.

This is the seventh in a series of fortnightly blog posts by the editors of hidden europe.

It’s a sunny Friday here in NYC, but in France and Germany, commuter moods are clouded with continued rail strikes. Here’s the latest:

France

The rail strike entered its third day on Friday. The BBC reports a slight increase in the number of trains and metros running across the country, and a significant decrease in the number of workers participating in the strike.

Only 200 of 700 TGV trains across the country are running.

In Paris, the Metro is running with delays, although two lines are not running at all. One third of the city’s buses are not running.

Rail workers voted to continue the strike over the weekend, although support seems to be thinning.

Germany

On Friday, the second day of passenger rail strikes has affected millions of commuters’ journeys. 3,000 workers have walked out since the strike began.

The BBC reports that suburban and inter-city transportation is hit the hardest, with most intra-city transportation systems running smoothly.

The strike is set to end at 1 AM Saturday morning. The union, however, is threatening to strike again over Christmas and New Years holidays if conditions aren’t met.

We wish our friends and fellow Cheapos in France and Germany good luck with their commutes. See you on Monday!

Even the most seasoned European traveller can be caught unawares by rail schedules changes. Most European rail companies introduce major timetable changes over the second weekend in December, and this year there are some big alterations in the offing.

There is no more civilised way of making a big hop across Europe than on a night train, and the new schedules see a whole raft of new night train services. Take Amsterdam for example. The Dutch city has always featured on Europe’s night train schedules, but for 2008 Amsterdam secures new daily services to Copenhagen, Dresden, Milan, Minsk, Moscow, Prague, and Warsaw.

For the first time for many years Switzerland and Bavaria will benefit from direct overnight trains to Poland and points east, with new direct night sleeper services from Basel SBB and Munich to Warsaw and Moscow. Fixed fares apply for travel on most European night train routes, often with little advantage for railpass holders. A one-way journey in a shared sleeper costs from €69. For those on a budget, couchettes are priced from €49 and a one-way overnight in a reclining seat begins at €29.

The changes are of course not limited to night train services. New for 2008 are a daily direct train from both Vienna and Prague to Stralsund on Germany’s Baltic coast, a very handy new daytime train from Kraków to Budapest (less than nine hours on a beautiful route through the mountains that straddle the Polish-Slovakian border), a new fast direct daytime service from Paris to Munich (just over six hours) to supplement the long-standing Paris-Munich night train, a new direct Berlin to Copenhagen link (where the entire train gets shipped on a ferry between Denmark and Germany), and a new direct once daily train from Geneva Airport to Venice.

Rail travel in Europe can challenge even the most competent travel planner. Web sites like those of the Deutsche Bahn can help. But there is really no substitute for the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable, a gem of a book updated each month. For many savvy European travellers, it is required bedtime reading.

This is the fifth in a series of fortnightly blog posts by the editors of hidden europe.

Photo by FloSchMUC

Berlin’s public transportation system covers a lot of ground across a very spread-out city. Cheapos need never pay full price to use the system, as there are a number of discounts available. For visitors, there is the WelcomeCard, which offers unlimited travel in Berlin, plus a book of coupons for discounts to museums, tours, bike rentals, etc.

The WelcomeCard is available for 48 hours for €16 or for 72 hours for €21. Another good deal: the City tour Card Premium, which is available for €39.90 for 72 hours and offers free entry to museums and other attractions in Berlin, as well as a free trip up the TV tower.

Probably the best deal is the City Tour Card. It’s available for €14.90 for 48 hours or €19.90 for 72 hours, and offering discounts of up to 50 percent off Berlin attractions. Download the list of discount partners from the Berlin public transportation system site and plan ahead.

If you are in a group and you travel as a pack, make sure you take advantage of the small group ticket. This allows up to five people to travel on the same ticket until 3 a.m. the following morning. It costs only €15.40 for zones A and B and can be purchased at automatic ticket machines.

Photo by mompl

State communism may have gone its way in East Berlin, but the workers of the world can still get fed at the Schwarze Pumpe (Black Pump) in Mitte.

The décor, featuring exposed pipes and wooden tables, is stylishly retro-factory canteen. The food is fresh, simple and cheap; the menu features daily specials such as goulash with salad and potatoes for €7—or a delicious cheese spätzle and salad for €6. Stop in anytime from breakfast to dinner and commune with the common man.

Schwarze Pumpe is located at Choriner Strasse 76. Telephone: +49 30 449 69 39.

Photo by Jennifer Sokolowsky

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. For English speakers in Berlin, that would be Hairy Mary’s, which opened last fall in a cellar space near Kollwitzplatz. The bar has the feel of a friend’s living room.

The proprietors, Mark from Glasgow and Laura from Minnesota, offer a warm welcome, well-priced drinks, and occasional live-band nights and special-event parties. Better catch them quickly, though. Hairy Mary’s is a yearlong project for the couple and they will shut its doors in September. Hairy Mary’s is located at Diedenhoferstrasse 5 in Prenzlauer Berg and is open every night (barring Sunday) after 9 p.m.

Photo by Christian Franke BB

Berlin’s expat community is diverse and far-flung. Because the city is so spread out, it can be difficult to find one central point for English speakers. But this is changing with the appearance of the Toytown Germany online community.

A longtime expat fixture in Munich, the Toytown site has expanded over the last year to include Germany’s capital. The site offers online news and forums for English speakers to discuss life in Berlin. Toytown’s weekly Thursday night meetups are especially popular, open to anyone who wants to hang out with fellow English speakers over drinks.

Locations change each week, and the mix of attendees is also variable. Travelers are welcome. These meetups are a great way to get insider tips on the city from people in the know—and maybe even find your own personal tour guide.

Photo by chris_wass

White Trash Fast Food, the notoriously attitude-heavy restaurant/bar/club in Berlin’s Mitte, gets itself all gussied up on Sunday nights for Coconut Grove, a nostalgic nod to the heyday of swing.

While you can still order White Trash favorites such as the Killer Elvis Burger, and the joint’s schizophrenic décor is as much rock n’ roll Chinatown brothel as ever, starched white cloths adorn the tables and the wait staff dress up in period garb to match the mood.

Add candlelight and live swing by Andrej Hermlin & The Swing Dance Orchestra and you’ve got a memorable Sunday night out, all for a mere €3. The band usually starts sometime after 9 p.m. It’s recommended to make reservations or show up earlier to get a good spot. White Trash Fast Food is located at Schönhauser Allee 6/7. Telephone: +49 30 5034 8668.