Cheapie-travel.com presents...
BERLIN.
Berlin |
Berlin is a city for
the young and restless, despite its old, rich history. The crowd is
young, the streets ar clean, and this is a great city be be friendly!
Find out how to mingle more with your bucks with
this penny-pinching guide... FIND OUT MORE...
Introduction |
Berlin, Germany’s
capital and cultural center, is known for its art scene, nightlife and modern
architecture, and rich history. It's home to the graffitied remains
of the Berlin Wall, the beautiful Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and
the Reichstag Building, among others.
Budget |
Your Berlin budget is
one that is surprisingly CHEAPER than in other large cities in the European
Union countries. Your Euro will last a bit longer here than in more
crowded French or Italian counterparts (counterparts being capitol cities in
this instance). A shoestring budget, which I define as $50.00 per day,
can be achieved in Berlin with relative ease. Berlin is a city which has
many free historical sights to see, and in fact, no money was spent on sight-seeing
in Berlin because of it's free landmarks such as remnants of the Berlin Wall
(as seen in the photo to the left).
Shoestring Budget
Allocation |
- $0.00 on breakfast (eat
breakfast at the Hostel)
- $10.00 on the U-Bahn (the
Metro/Subway system in Berlin)
- $10.00 on lunch
- $10.00 on dinner
- $0.00 on a free (yes they have
free) walking tours in Berlin that are very entertaining and
informational).
- $5.00 on hydration
- $5.00 on snacks
- $10.00 miscellaneous (gifts,
drinks, food, transportation)
*A shoestring budget
does not include lodging expenses, which, in theory, a traveler would have
already paid for in the initial travel expenses such as flight, transportation
and loss wages from being on vacation. Your travel budget is separate
from the initial travel expenses as described above. For these two
reasons, travelers are able to travel on a travel shoestring budget of $50.00
USD per day.
Backpacking Hostels |
Backpacking (aka youth)
hostels are very prevalent in Berlin, and they remain such a good option for
CHEAPIE-TRAVEL that regular hotels are not reviewed in this blog.
Berlin hostels are for
the most part very clean and updated dormatory style lodging. Reviews for
hostels can be found on sites such as Hostelz.com
Hostels are very cheap,
and range from $30 to $50 USD. Here, the hostels seem to allow for a
simpler payment process (easier than some hostels in Paris where they require a
down payment and additional payment of the balance upon check-in).
The dormatory style room
which I rented (Meininger Hostel) had approximately 8
bunk beds, with an in-suite restroom and shower. This is a plus in a
hostel. A restroom down the hallway makes using the restroom in the
middle of the night that much more of a chore.
Of all of the hostels
that I have stayed in, this Meininger was the absolute best. I met
friends from all over the globe there, that some I still stay in contact with.
It was clean, and modern, and I enjoyed my stay there.
Weather |
Summer weather in Berlin
is about in the 80s with medium humidity. Berlin in the winter is cold
and snowy. Bring gloves and quality boots, jacket and pants for winter or
early spring visits to Berlin. During March, snow is frozen to the
ground.
Food |
This being a
CHEAPIE-TRAVEL blog, fine dining is not discussed. In Germany, you won't
find as many foreign street food vendors as you would in a large city such as
Paris. In Germany, and particularly in Berlin, you will find many western
style foods abundant in downtown urban areas. Of course, local Germany
cuisine can be found, but I would still classify that as fine dining, since the
CHEAPIE-TRAVEL budget allocation above calls for only $20.00 in meals per day!
Maximizing your budget may require you to not be able to experience fine
German cuisine, but you may still get to indulge in low-cost German food from
grocery stores, street vendors, bakeries, or other delicatessen.
Vitals |
Passport:
Before you travel outside of the United States, you will need a Passport. For more information, visit:
The U.S. Department of State
Before you travel outside of the United States, you will need a Passport. For more information, visit:
The U.S. Department of State
Vaccinations:
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and you should not take any medical information in this blog as medical advice. Always seek medical advice from a doctor. That being said, there are no required vaccinations to travel to Croatia that I was required to have. However, you may want to seek the advice from a medical professional.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and you should not take any medical information in this blog as medical advice. Always seek medical advice from a doctor. That being said, there are no required vaccinations to travel to Croatia that I was required to have. However, you may want to seek the advice from a medical professional.
Flights |
Flights range anywhere
from $900.00 to $1,500-$2,000.00. The flights range in price greatly.
My advice is to do your research, plan months in advance, purchase your
tickets months in advance, and use your flyer miles (if you are able to redeem
and use them).
Travel |
Travel inside of
Berlin is accomplished easily and CHEAPLY. The U-Bahn is Berlin's
subway/metro system, and has many perks to using it:
- Operation of 24 hours per day
- Inexpensive fare
- clean train cars
- low crime
Travel inside of
Berlin using taxicab is CHEAPER than in other European cities. Most taxis
in Germany are Mercedes Benz, BMW or Volkswagon, and are in very clean
condition. Travel with a taxicab on a shoestring budget is not feasible.
Prepare Yourself |
- FOR BERLIN'S HISTORY
- FOR BERLIN'S LANDMARKS
- FOR WALLET SAVING THINGS TO DO
IN BERLIN (INCLUDING FREE WALKING TOURS)
- FOR THE COLD WINTER WEATHER
- FOR CHEAPER PRICES THAN OTHER
LARGE EUROPEAN CITIES
- FOR GREAT NIGHTLIFE
- FOR GREAT MASS TRANSPORTATION
- FOR NICE LOCALS
- FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING LOCALS
- FOR EMOTIONS THAT MAY COME
WHILE VISITING HISTORICAL SITES
- FOR LOW CRIME
- FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST CITIES
ON THE PLANET
Excursions |
Berlin is a city of
free or very CHEAP things to do while travelling there.
Free Excursions:
- free guided walking tour (they
do accept donations, but they don't push for them)
- free self-guided walking tours
- bar-hops / pub-crawl / bar tour
(at night time)
- free landmarks such as
Brandenburg Gate, Hitler's
bunker, Reichstag’s dome, Holocaust
Memorial, concentration camp memorial and scattered remnants of the
Berlin Wall, among others.
Tip |
*Out of all of the
cities that I've been to, Berlin is a city that I would want to travel to a
second time because of the amount of stuff to do that I didn't get to do the
first time.
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