Think Berlin and the city's creative art scene and world-famous nightclubs are likely the first things that come to mind. Whether you’re visiting East Berlin’s historic neighbourhoods such as Mitte and Friedrichshain, touring the Brandenburg Gate, pausing at the Holocaust Memorial, marvelling at the Reichstag, checking out Museum Island, or dancing at Berghain, the city truly is a traveller's paradise.
Here’s a compilation of some of Berlin’s more offbeat attractions you shouldn’t miss out on.
The Berliner Unterwelten (Subterranean Berlin) offers tours of the city’s underground structures, such as bunkers, abandoned subway stations and air raid shelters dating back to the Second World War and Cold War. Visitors can walk through the vast network of secret tunnels built by the Nazis, with several different themed tours to choose from. For instance, the Dark Worlds tour depicts life during wartime for Berliners while the Under the Berlin Wall tour spotlights attempted escapes via tunnels underneath the Berlin Wall. Objects retrieved from the tunnels and bunkers such as ammunition, grenades and gas masks are on display as well.
The Teufelsberg is a former Cold War-era listening station within the Grunewald forest. The 120m tall hill is an artificial one built from the rubble left behind by the Second World War. The site now houses a large street art exhibition with over 400 works, a far cry from its time as an East German and Soviet listening post tapping into communications from West Berlin and West Germany. A climb to the top will reward you with stunning views of the city. There’s also a ski slope fitted with a ski lift, a ski jump and a toboggan run.
The flea market of Mauerpark captures the spirit of Berliners. Every Sunday, private dealers set up shop to sell a range of wares like old records, household items, clothes, musical instruments and bicycles. Whether you're looking for antique furniture or quirky souvenirs, you're sure to find something interesting here. Live music, tasty snacks and street performers add to the lively atmosphere. Don’t miss the chance to belt out your favourite tunes to a battery-powered karaoke system at 3PM. You are bound to get a huge round of applause no matter your performance.
Berlin’s music scene is eclectic and diverse but Liquidrom takes it one step further. This futuristic spa combines minimalist architecture, light, music and water to create a unique and immersive experience where customers float off on a pool noodle with strains of live electronic music infusing the very waters around them. Whether it's soothing sauna sessions, relaxing massages, relaxing in Liquidrom’s 36°C saltwater pool with underwater music, or a refreshing drink at the bar, time stands still here.
The Tajikistan Tearoom started out as the Tajikistan pavilion during a trade fair in Leipzig in 1974. After the fair ended, the pavilion was donated by the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic to their East German hosts. Relax among the tearoom's ornate sandalwood pillars and pretty murals while sampling delicious Russian delicacies. The tea is brewed in a special samovar which gives it an earthy flavour. From handmade jewellery to home décor, visitors can also purchase unique handicrafts here.
Tempelhofer Feld is a 953-acre airport-turned-public park. Visitors skateboard, in-line skate, cycle, picnic, walk their dogs and barbecue against the backdrop of derelict infrastructure such as the airport terminal, radar stations and grounded aeroplanes which date back to the Cold War. It opened in 1923 but closed in 2008 and is now a thriving urban wilderness with open fields and paths surrounded by tall trees. Tempelhof’s eastern entrance is one of the best places in Berlin to catch the sunset.
