This was a group trip in which each person was asked to organize a meal or activity ahead of time and then people could sign up for whichever meals/activities they wanted to join. Each person chose where to stay, although most ended up staying at one of two hotels. We had a Google doc on which everyone could sign up for activities they wanted to organize (a meal, a tour, a bike ride etc), where people indicated what they wanted to attend (so the organizer could make reservations, buy tickets, organize a guide etc.), and a couple of Zooms ahead of time to discuss all the logistics and details.  


The guide we used was Stephan (stalbrechtberlin@aol.com.), who was terrific. He can be arranged for any type of activity as he is amazingly knowledgable of Berlin/Germany/European history. When a bus for transport is needed he can also arrange for that. 


Hotel: Many stayed at the Hotel de Rome (got a deal many months ahead of time), as well as at the Hotel Luc. Both had terrific locations, walkable to Museum Island, the Brandenberg Gate and more.


Sunday, Day 1: 


Morning:

Everyone arrives. 


Afternoon:

Recent History walking tour (with Stephan) 1-5pm. 

Brandenburg Gate including Embassies, Rebuild Adlon and Bank Buildings

Holocaust Memorial (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) and surrounding areas.

Sinti and Roma Memorial

Unter den Linden



Dinner:

Katz Orange – located in an old brewery with a quaint courtyard. Recommend. 


Monday, Day 2: City Tour Day


Berlin Highlights – City tour by bus 10:30-2:30. Included:


Ended the days tour at the famous KaDeWe department store that has a huge food hall on the top floor where we grabbed a late lunch. 


3pm on: free 


Dinner: 

Bless – Modern Asian food which was busy and good (and loud!) – walking distance from hotel



Tuesday, Day 3: Museum Day


Morning:

Pergamon Panorama. (As the Pergamon Museum is closed for the next 10 years (!) or so, we started with a visit to the panorama which is a terrific exhibit! Really worth a visit!!!! 


We had bought the 3-day Berlin Museum Pass ahead of time. This gets you into almost every museum in the city and is super handy. Many of the museums are located on ‘Museum Island’. There are additional museums elsewhere in the city. The museums we visited amongst us included:


Alte Galerie (Museum Island)

Jewish Museum – History of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages until present day. Super interesting.

Topography of Terror, and the ‘wall historical timeline of the war’ outside next to it


Lunch: Some went to the Old Jewish Quarter


2:15-5: Tour of Neue Galerie with Stephan, focusing on their amazing Equyptian collection.


Dinner: Casual on own


Evening: 

Falling in Love Jean Paul Gautier Show. It’s a bit like Circe de Soliel. The second half is much better than the first (some chose to leave after the first half). Those who stayed really enjoyed it.


Wednesday, Day 4: Gallery Morning, Bike Tour Afternoon


Morning:

Curator Tour of the Boros Collection – this was set up ahead of time. 


Lunch:

Casual pizza slices at Pizza Nostra across the street from where bike tour starts. 


Afternoon 2-5pm:

Bike Tour with Berlin on Bike. You can join a group tour or arrange for a private tour. 

We chose the ‘graffiti/street art/alternative Berlin’ private tour and our guide Sasha was terrific! We went through a lot of the city we hadn’t seen yet. We stopped and even did one of the ‘telediscos’ where you choose a song and have a private disco inside what looks like a phone booth!  Super fun afternoon and great way to see the city. Set up ahead of time.


Evening:

Some went to Cookies Cream (fancy Michelin-starred dinner) and others to Grill Royal (busy, popular steak house – pretty $$ though. For meat lovers.)


Thursday, Day 5: Potsdam


Stephan arranged a bus to Potsdam, an area of many castles and history.  Of the many attractions/castles, we visited:

‘Bridge of Spies’ (Gleinicke Bridge- where Russian and American spies were exchanged in ‘secret’)

Sanssouci  Palace

Cecilienhof Palace (where Turman, Stali, and Churchill met to divide up Europe)


And had a nice lunch on the water.


Dinner: On own


Evening:

Berlin Philharmonic performance. Tickets were bought far in advance.


Friday, Day 6: Leave Berlin


Everyone moved on to next locations (included Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, and other spots in Germany)



Our trip was not shopping focused, but below are recommendations provided to us by a number of fashionable and ‘in the know’ people.


Shopping:



Berlin shopping: the city’s coolest stores


Andreas Murkudis – Berlin’s best designer fashion store, in the back of a courtyard. 


Manufactum: Funky, eclectic department store 


Hackersher Market


Maryam Keyhani– If Salvador Dali was a milliner, he would be the lovely Maryam Keyhani. She opens whenever she feels like it (or by appointment) usually during the day on Sunday, and keeps it open as long as it attracts a curious group of people, which it never fails to do. 


Suarezstraße – For vintage finds; very old school and worth a visit 


The New Black – for vintage


Marsano – A flower shop with a vintage store 


Hardt is the best for designer consignment. They get new items every week; expect lots of Acne, Jil Sander, Helmut Lang and newer brands like Aimé Leon Dore. —


The Sunday flea market at Arkonaplatz or Straße des 17. Juni


The Store Berlin – In the ground floor of the Soho House—a great place for clothes, presents, books and food.


Amore is an Italian grocery store that also carries a gorgeous selection of Alessi kitchen gadgets, plus their in-store merch (scarves, tops, sweatshirts) is a great souvenir to bring back from Berlin.


Modulor Berlin – The best art, stationery and handicraft store in the world! 


Korbinian Ludwig Heß – Amazing shoes, both bespoke and RTW. 


James Whitfield Bespoke –  a Savile Row-trained tailor. 


Burg & Schild and dc4 for Japanese denim. 


Dussmann–  a huge book and music paradise 


Hacking Gutenberg Workshop/coffee-letterpress (P98) – Workshop and letterpress studio of world-famous font designer Erik Spiekermann, including a nice cafe.






Stayed in a hip hotel in what is formerly East Germany called Hotel Orania in the trendy Kreuzberg area.


Friday:

Started at Brandenburg Gate, an 18th-century neoclassical building that is one of the most well known landmarks in Germany.Then walked over to the imposing Reichstag, which houses German parliament. Ate at Kafer Restaurant in the Reichstag (make reservations).Climbed dome after meal and took in the views. Bring ID!Visited Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe and Berlin Wall MemorialDinner at trendy Cookies and Cream. The restaurant is hidden and basically unmarked, but adds to the coolness of this vegetarian restaurant.


Saturday:

Spent afternoon touring Museum Island and the Pergamon Museum.(Gates of Ishtar is not to be missed) and Neues Museum (which houses the breathtaking Neferteti bust)We then walked along the stately Unter den Linde. And then walked to the stately Gendarmenmarkt, which has Prussian and French roots in its architecture and design.We did not make KaDeWe Berlin’s historic Kaufhaus des Westens (known as KaDeWe) is Berlin’s version of Harvey Nichols which has a great seventh floor café (with great views of the City)Dinner at wonderful Alpenstück, a fresh look on Austrian and south German classics.Sunday:Spent morning at the fabulous art museum Gemaldegalerie, which has as impressive array of European works (Rembrandt, Vermeer, Reubens, Durer, etc).Spent afternoon morning walking around eclectic Kreuzberg. With a history of radical squatters and a multicultural present day, Kreuzberg offers amazing graffit art throughout the neighborhood. There is a great Turkish covered street market where we ate for lunch.Also visited Checkpoint Charlie which is touristy and fun.Sad to leave this great city so soon.

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