We only had one day in Berlin and our plans were altered a bit after our flight was delayed + we missed the connection to Copenhagen. As a result, we had to rearrange flights to get to Berlin where we would board the cruise that evening. We stayed the night downtown + had extra time to tour the city since we didn’t have to take the 2 1/2 hour train ride from the cruise ship port to downtown Berlin. Cruise tip: Renting a car from the port – Warnemunde to the city was going to be much cheaper than taking a train. The Hertz drop-off is within walking distance to the cruise ships. I highly suggest looking into that as an option. It’s an easy drive to the city as well. I had some apprehension about driving in a foreign country, but all went really well for us and I’m really glad we saved the time & money.

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Accommodations

We stayed at the Hilton Berlin. It’s located in the city center on the most beautiful historic square – Gendarmenmarkt. TXL is about 20 minutes away & SXF is a 40 minute drive from the hotel. The hotel location is within walking distance of many of the biggest attractions in the city. Our room was spacious and comfortable. We know that Hilton doesn’t disappoint so we have confidence in booking with them + take advantage of their rewards program. Travel tip: Hilton offers a price match for any price you can find better + they give an additional 10% off that price.

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Restaurants

We arrived to the hotel late after a flight fiasco so we opted to eat at one of the hotel bars & restaurants – Listo. All of our meals were great & the drinks helped take the edge off from a very stressful 29 hours of traveling. Seth tried a traditional German Beer and a cheeseburger while I had a martini + delicious nachos. We had breakfast at the hotel buffet so we only had a snack at Has Cafe – our tour lunch stop. I tried a cinnamon roll and Seth opted for some tea + a donut. They were both really good & held us over until dinner that night on the cruise ship. Unfortunately, I can’t find a website for the lunch stop.

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Attractions

For our time in the city, we decided to join a walking tour hosted by Original Berlin Walks for the “Discover Berlin Half-day Walking Tour”. You can book a tour + see their other options here. It’s less than $20 per person for a guided walking tour to the following major attractions in Berlin:

• Brandenburg Gate
• The Berlin Wall
• (stand above) Hitler’s Bunker
• Checkpoint Charlie
• Nazi Air Ministry
• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial)
• The Reichstag (Parliament)
• Museum Island
• Bebelplatz, scene of the Nazi Book burning
• Site of SS and Gestapo HQs (Topography of Terror)
• Unter den Linden
• New Synagogue
• Red Town Hall
• Royal Armoury (Zeughaus)
• Former Soviet Embassy
• Neue Wache (War Memorial)
• TV Tower
• Berlin Cathedral
• Friedrichstrasse (1920s cabaret mile!)
• Humboldt University
• St. Hedwigs Cathedral
• State Opera House
• Gendarmenmarkt
• The Tiergarten

Our tour guide was very knowledgable and gave us an overview of the history of Berlin prior to starting the sight-seeing. We learned so much & were so grateful to hear about the monuments & buildings we were seeing rather than trying to figure it out on our own. He also kept the tour at a great pace – allowing plenty of time for photos. I highly recommend Original Berlin Walks! They were super helpful and worked with us after a change in plans for the day after the flights were delayed.

The rest of our trip details are coming soon!

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…TON VOYAGE!