Berlin

Berlin is one of the three city states (Stadtstaaten) in Germany, the others are Hamburg and Bremen.
It is entrenched in History but is also the hip and modern capital of Germany.
Berlin is in northeastern Germany, in an area of low-lying marshy woodlands with a mainly flat topography

The official Tourism Website

Freizeitparks

Foods and Drinks to try

Currywurst
Doner Kebab
Eisbein – pickled pork knuckle that is cooked. (Schweinshaxe is cooked in beer stock and then baked until crisp in the oven)
Berliner Pfannkuchen – not a pancake but a doughnut
Armer Ritter (French Toast)
Berliner Weisse, often served with a tot of Waldmeister or raspberry syrup

Festivals

A list can be found here
The annual Christmas markets

Things to do when it rains

Museums – here is also a list by a blogger – in German
Berlin Dungeon
Madam Tussauds

Things to do with kids

Geheimtipps

Visit Outer Africa South African Pub and shop
Berlin Zoo
Hop on Hop off site seeing tour. -a great way to get a good overview of the city
Pfaueninsel
The German Spy museum
The DDR Museum
The German History museum
The Humboldt Forum – place for culture and science
The Technology museum
The Cherry trees in late April
Having the BVG app makes ticket buying for public transport super easy
Fat tire tours
Berliner Unterwelten Tour
Walking tours
Brewdog Brewery
You can visit museums for free on Sundays
Berlin walking tours – with local guides
Sammlung-Boros – Bunker converted to an art exhibition centre
Berliner Unterwelten – guided tours
The dome of the Bundestag
The former US listening station during the Cold war, it was built on a hill made of rubble, in Grunewald
A great way to spend a couple of hours is to rent a bike in Friedrichshain and cycle down to the East Side Gallery to check out the longest surviving section of the wall (and the streets art), then head east along the river to Treptower Park (checking out the Molecule Man sculpture in the river on the way). Visit the Soviet War Memorial then take a cycle through the Planterwald past the abandoned theme park (not as exciting now they’ve removed the old Ferris wheel!). Stop at Zenner Beer Garden on the river for some refreshment, then head back to Friedrichshain – maybe having a currywurst at Curry 66 near Boxhagener Platz if you need a snack (best currywurst in Berlin…) and browsing all the little stores in the area if you feel like some shopping.
You can also do all of this either walking or by public transport

Restaurants to try

for breakfast – Roamers
coffee shop – Funk you
quick lunch – Beets & Roots
Breakfast at Kadewe
Italian – Petrocelli
Prenzlauer Berg region for best breakfast and brunch spots
For brunch – House of small wonder

South African Businesses in the Area

Outer Africa

Restaurant and shop Here you will find the best of what the amazing and intriguing continent of Africa has to offer – in particular from

Nostalgia S.A.

South African products for those missing SA ! Handmade Aprons (Adult) Aprons are lined, have an adjustable strap and a pocket in authentic South African

Nobunto – for the people

Welcome to nobunto, a South African Fair Trade manufacturer for high quality handcrafted products, like handpainted candles and handpainted ceramics with the utmost attention to