Beautiful Berlin, A travel guide.

Berlin is the capital city of Germany, that dates back to the 13th century and was a crossing of 2 major historic trade routes. Today Berlin is a multicultural city and a very popular tourist destination.

I planned my trip to Berlin back in September, I found cheap flights on Skyscanner with Ryanair from Manchester to Berlin Schoenfeld, this was perfect because I could get a train directly from the airport to the central station. I have been to Berlin 3 times previously and had stayed in the Meiningen hotel, so decided to stay there again as it was in the perfect location, right outside the station, plus I got a 10% discount with my student card.

For travel throughout Berlin, you can purchase a welcome card. I purchased the ABC 72-hour card for 29 euros. The card allows you to use all forms of transport in the city, including to and from the airport. The card also gives you a discount to some attractions, shops, and restaurants such as the TV tower and the Ritter Sport Cafe.

The Reichstag officially the Deutscher Bundestag was constructed to house the Imperial Deit of the German empire. Opened in 1894 and housed the diet until 1933 when it was unfortunately suffered a devastating fire that caused severe damage. The building fell into disuse after ww2.  The building was partially refurbished in the 1960s but an attempt to fully restore was made after the German reunification in October 1990, the refurbishment was completed in 1999, adding a dome, allowing a 360-degree view of Berlin, open to the public and becoming Germanys 2^nd most visited attraction. To avoid disappointment when visiting the Reichstag, you must research to make sure your visit is not during the dome cleaning season, and you must book your visit 3 days in advance by filling out a form, that you can submit online.

Brandenburg gate, reachable from the central station via Brandenburger tor tram. Brandenburg gate was a beautiful attraction see. The gate was built on the site of a former city gate, that marked the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an der Havel, that use to be the capital of Margaviate of Brandenburg. Construction was started in 1788 and finished in 1791. Today Brandenburg gate is one of the most well-known attractions in Germany. The gate is located in the western part of the city, just north of the Reichstag.

The TV tower or Fernsehtrum is located in central Berlin, close to Alexander Platz. The tower was constructed by the GDR between 1965 and 1969 as a symbol of Berlin and communist power. The tower stands 368m tall and is the tallest structure in Germany and the second tallest in the European Union. For a price of about 13 euros, you can travel to the top of the tower and look out at the city below. If you are interested in the attraction, you could be waiting up to 2 hours to get in during peak times.

Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the west to the best-known wall crossing between the east and west Berlin. The checkpoint was removed in June 1990 and now on display at an open-air museum.  The guardhouse copy was later built and has been replaced several times over the years.

 When in Berlin, you need to try Currywurst, an iconic food, created in Berlin in 1949 by Herta Heuwer. If you wish to learn more about this Berliner favourite, you can visit the currywurst museum, not far from Checkpoint Charlie.

On our first night in Berlin, we ended up at this small Brau Haus called Marcus Brau, close to Alexanderplatz, it was the best German food I have ever had (and this is my 7^th time in Germany) warm potato salad, schnitzel, huge pork knuckles and their own brewed beer. We loved it so much, we went back again on the 3^rd night, this place is what I love about Berlin and the Berliners, so welcoming, friendly and the best food. Marcus Brau, a well-recommended place to go if you plan on visiting Berlin anytime soon.