We visited in mid-September. It was a lovely autumn season with sunny, calm weather around 22°C. However, the weather might be even nicer in April-May. July will be warmer and more crowded. There’s a chance of encountering rainy days in the fall. If you plan to visit the Christmas markets in winter, I’d recommend bringing warm clothing. 

We stayed for three nights, which I think is the minimum to fully enjoy the experience. You could stay longer if you like, but three nights are enough to explore Berlin’s key landmarks and try its famous flavors. 

Looking at a map of Berlin, the Mitte district, which can be considered the city center, is one of the most popular areas for accommodation. We stayed at the Premiere Inn Berlin Alexanderplatz hotel in Mitte because most historical sites and museums are within this district, and it offers numerous dining and shopping options. We had a room with breakfast included. Among the hotels in Mitte, it was one of the most affordable. The room and bathroom were spacious enough, and it was a clean and pleasant hotel. The breakfast was also sufficient and satisfying within the European breakfast concept.

Alternatively, you could consider staying in Kreuzberg, which has a high Turkish population and is not too far from Mitte, although it has a very diverse immigrant population and didn’t feel particularly safe to us. Neukölln and Friedrichshain are also popular options, with more affordable hotels as they are farther from the center.

Brandenburg Gate: The symbol of Berlin. After a quick photo here, you can head straight to the nearby parliament building.

Reichstag: As you continue from Brandenburg Gate, you'll reach the Reichstag, the parliament building. Although entry is free, you need an appointment, which you can book online. Inside, there are explanations about the building’s history, but since our time was limited, we only walked around the outside, took a quick photo, and moved on.

Alexanderplatz: A central square that resembles Istanbul’s Taksim Square, with stops for all transportation (tram (M line), metro (U-Bahn), tram (S-Bahn), and RE tram lines). Since our hotel was here, we walked through the square frequently. It has a large area with shops of familiar brands, the Alexa mall, and stalls selling food and souvenirs. Compared to Taksim, we found this square safe to walk around at different times of the day. We didn’t shop here, though, opting instead for the Mall of Berlin, which you can reach by taking the S or U lines and getting off at Friedrichstadt station.

Museum Island: A 10-15 minute walk from Alexanderplatz brings you to Museum Island and Berlin Cathedral. Museum Island hosts multiple museums, each with an entrance fee. If you buy a Berlin Welcome Card, you can get discounts on some of these museums and certain restaurants, though we didn’t buy one. Having already visited archaeology museums in our own country with artifacts in their original excavation sites, we didn’t feel the need to visit these museums, as some of the artifacts were brought in from other countries. Touring all museums would have taken too long and didn’t fit with our plan to explore Berlin, though we did pay to visit the DDR Museum. This museum provides an interactive look at life in former East Germany and vividly depicts life after the Berlin Wall was built, highlighting the contrasts between East and West Germany. It was an informative museum, showing a critical view of East German governance of the time. To avoid crowds, we went in the morning, but by the time we were leaving, there was a long line of students, so we recommend visiting early.

On Museum Island, you can also tour the interior of Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) for a fee. From the outside, it’s a grand, impressive cathedral, which we only photographed from the outside.

Nikolaiviertel: Unlike the bustling Alexanderplatz, Nikolaiviertel, which is near our hotel and Museum Island, has a medieval village feel. This area is along the Spree River, and the old-style buildings house boutique shops and cafes. You can also photograph St. Nicholas Church, which has a museum.

Checkpoint Charlie: We visited this simply because it’s on the list of must-see spots, though there isn’t much to see. At this spot, you’ll find signboards explaining its history during the Cold War. Nearby is Charlie’s Beach, a beach-style area with imported sand, good music, and self-service food stalls offering fish and chips, sausages, and drinks. We stopped here to relax and recommend it.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial): This is a memorial for Jews who lost their lives in Berlin, consisting of concrete blocks of varying heights. The blocks are said to display inscriptions from Jewish ceremonies, civil laws, and legends. If you’d like to visit, it’s located right next to the Brandenburg Gate.

East Side Gallery: We recommend adding this spot to your itinerary. It’s located on the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, originally built to prevent educated, wealthy East Berliners from escaping to West Berlin. Despite the wall’s demolition in 1989, artworks by various artists are still displayed on the preserved sections. Along this long stretch of the wall, the mural of presidents kissing, symbolizing peace, is a popular photo stop. For less crowded photos, it’s best to visit in the morning. From Alexanderplatz, take the S-Bahn and get off at Ostbahnhof; it’s a 5-minute walk to the wall’s starting point. Along the wall, you’ll find information panels explaining the historical process from the wall’s construction to its demolition. On your way back, you can stop by Holzmarkt 25 for a break. This unique park area overlooks the Spree River, with small stalls offering various food and drink options and a bohemian atmosphere. In the morning, only a few coffee and pastry stalls are open, providing a quiet spot to enjoy a warm coffee with a beautiful view. When we returned in the evening, it was so popular there was no seating available.

Tiergarten: A large, lush park in Berlin. Inside Tiergarten, there’s a zoo and aquarium, which require an additional fee. We found the prices high, so we just walked around the park. You can reach it by taking the U-Bahn or S-Bahn and getting off at the Tiergarten station. If you get off at the next stop, Tiergarten-Zoologischer Garten, you can also see the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. This church, with its wartime damage intentionally left unrepaired, has a part of its structure missing and earned its name from this history. Entry is free. Afterward, you can walk 15-20 minutes to enter Tiergarten. The park is extensive, with multiple entry points throughout the city, so you may want to use a maps app for navigation.

Victory Column: If you enter Tiergarten near the zoo, you’ll find the Victory Column (Siegessäule) nearby. You can access it via underpasses. There’s an extra fee to go to the top, though we didn’t go up.

Berlin doesn’t have a unique, rich cuisine of its own. Instead, you’ll find restaurants and cafes offering cuisines from countries like Italy, Mexico, Vietnam, Turkey, and more. One of Berlin’s most famous aspects is its "Biergartens," beer gardens that brew their own unique beers. We wanted to experience several Biergartens during our trip.

Our first stop was Hofbräu Wirtshaus Berlin, which combines the feel of both a Biergarten and a traditional German restaurant. It’s a spacious place with both indoor and outdoor seating, and since the weather was nice, everyone was seated outside. We tried two of their beers and sampled their schnitzel and sausages. We enjoyed everything we tried, making it one of our favorite restaurants in Berlin.

For our second outing, we stopped by Augustiner auf Bötzow / Wirtshaus und Biergarten on the way back to Alexanderplatz from the Prenzlauer Berg area. It’s another Biergarten with ample seating where you can order food and drinks self-service. In general, whether at a self-service or waiter-served establishment in Berlin, the card machine prompts you to decide on a tip amount before completing your payment. While Biergartens are typically self-service, they aren’t necessarily cheap. We didn’t enjoy the unique beer we tried here as much.

Our third Biergarten experience was Cafe am Neuen See in Tiergarten. This spot has an a la carte restaurant and a Biergarten by the lake with self-service. We sat by the lake and ordered a potato dish, pizza, beer, and wine. Aperol cocktails are also widely available on Berlin menus. We liked this Biergarten for both its natural setting and the quality of the food and drinks.

For dinner, we wanted to try Mexican food and chose Cantina Mexicana Que Pasa. The menu is available on their website. The staff was friendly, and the portions were large and tasty, with reasonable prices. We tried tacos, nachos, churros, and margaritas, though the large portions made it hard to finish everything. We recommend it for Mexican food lovers.

Additionally, we wanted to try Berlin’s well-known Gemüse Döner. There are many options for this Turkish-inspired kebab, which is available at various stalls, many of them operated by Turks. Instead of waiting in line at the more popular places, we opted for T'unas Gemüse Kebap in Kreuzberg, an immigrant district with a large Turkish population. The kebab was a substantial sandwich with grilled vegetables, potatoes, salad, chicken, and crumbled cheese in fresh, crispy bread. You can add any sauce you like. It was filling and delicious.

To try schnitzel, we found a spot called Scheers Schnitzel, which specializes exclusively in different schnitzel varieties. It’s a walkable distance from the East Side Gallery. We liked this place a lot; you scan a QR code to access the menu, customize your order, and are given a number, which appears on a digital display when your order is ready. The food, served on plastic plates, was tasty, and we’d recommend it.

In Berlin, craft beer is popular, so we tried a bar/pub called Kaschk one evening. However, we didn’t particularly enjoy the beers we tried and didn’t seek out any other craft beer spots.

To satisfy our curiosity about Italian bars, we visited Sorsi e Morsi one evening. It’s a small, cozy spot with a limited seating area on the sidewalk but high demand. Later in the evening, when seating ran out, people sat on cushions on the apartment steps nearby. This bar caters primarily to an under-30 crowd. They offer three sizes of antipasti plates: small, medium, and large, with items like cheese, roasted peppers, olives, pickled artichoke hearts, and asparagus. While we didn’t love everything, the food was generally good. We also enjoyed the red and white wines, which were both intense and smooth. The Aperol spritz, a popular cocktail, was also very good. The prices were very reasonable, and the staff was friendly. The place had a lively, almost party-like atmosphere with groups of friends, making it quite noisy in the limited space.

We also tried Berlin’s take on the typical Irish pub, stopping at Murphy’s Irish Pub by the river. In the autumn evenings, it can get chilly, but the view is lovely. We only tried drinks, as we weren’t hungry, and ordered peanuts, which came in a generous portion. We enjoyed the wines and beers. The staff was attentive, and service was quick. You can reach this pub by taking the S or U train and getting off at Friedrichstraße station, followed by a short walk.

We also explored two different supermarkets for snacks and drinks. One was a small store near our hotel called Netto Marken-Discount, which has several locations. We primarily bought drinking water here. In Berlin, bottled water comes in different versions, distinguished by the label colors. Look for “Natural” water for the closest match to the still water you’re used to in Turkey. The second supermarket was ALDI Nord, also with multiple branches. We visited the location in the Mall of Berlin and enjoyed the chocolate and chips we purchased. Unlike Turkey, plastic bags are not available for purchase in these stores, so bringing a bag is recommended, or you can buy a non-plastic bag at the store.