Budget Berlin: Free Sights
“I would love to travel, but I just don’t have the money!” Have you heard that excuse lately? Travel blogs, Instagram channels full of enviable travel pics, and our widely travelled friends’ Facebook feed not only make for heaps of wanderlust, they also bring up the question: How on earth can they afford that? The answer is fairly easy: Travelling doesn’t have to be expansive! On the contrary, the best experiences are often the ones that money can’t buy. At Industriepalast Hostel Berlin we offer you a comfortable stay in a great atmosphere at a really low price, but we also want to make sure that you can get the best out of your trip to Berlin without spending too much. And this is where our newest series Budget Berlin comes into play. In multiple episodes we provide you with some tips and tricks regarding awesome experiences in the German capital that will set you back no more than a few bucks. We’ve already introduced you to the popular Free Walking Tours and a free city tour by bus.This week we show you how to discover the attractions of Berlin without spending a single cent, with the city’s free sights.
History is free
Strolling through the streets of Berlin is to stroll through the history of Germany. And as long as you don’t need to see every single building from the inside, checking out the historic attractions of Berlin won’t cost you a thing. Although – some of the most famous sights are free anyway. Like Reichstag, the seat of the German parliament and well-known landmark of Berlin. You can even follow debates and speeches live, most people come for the remarkable glass dome though, designed by British architect Norman Foster. Spectacular views across the government district and the entire capital await you, and your visit is completely free, as long as you sign up in advance. The darkest chapter of German history left its marks on the city, too, and you can follow these traces without having to spend any money. Holocaust Memorial and its museum, the documentation site Topography of Terror, as well as concentration camp site Sachsenhausen are all free. The Berlin Wall, that used to stand between the two halfs of the city for almost three decades, is still visible in many places. East Side Gallery, the longest remaining part of it, is open to the public, just like the infamous former border crossing at Checkpoint Charlie. Without admission fee you can also visit the Berlin Wall Memorial and Tränenpalast on Friedrichstraße.
Free museums
Admission to the many interesting museums in Berlin is comparably affordable anyway, still you can save a buck here and there. Some museums are actually entirely free, like Willy-Brandt-Haus, the Architecture Museum at TU, Haus am Lützowplatz, the Winckelmann Institut Collection, or the Tieranatomisches Museum at Charité. Other museums have special free days, among them some real highlights: film and tv museum deutsche Kinemathek (Thursdays after 4 pm), Märkisches Museum (first Wednesday of every month), Akademie der Künste (Tuesdays after 3 pm), as well as Keramikmuseum (last Monday every month). Another very interesting option is a guided tour at the ARD TV studios (every Wednesday & Saturday at 3 pm), free of charge of course.
The green lung
One of the things that make Berlin extraordinarily amazing are the many parks and gardens of the capital. They’re usually free and open around the clock, so you can breathe freely, go for a walk, chill and picnic, and barbecue there whenever you feel like it. During the warmer months this is a good way to blend in with the locals, too, as the average Berliner spends the better part of their spare time in the borough’s public park. Each and every one of these communal gardens has some unique feature or quality that is worth exploring; for instance the baroque splendour of Charlottenburg Palace Garden, eye-opening views from the top of Viktoriapark’s Kreuzberg, street performers at Görlitzer Park, or Sunday flea market at Mauerpark. An impressive insider’s tip full of mysterious, abandoned places is Südgelände in Schöneberg.
A Berlin-based newspaper has created a handy subway map featuring 50 free-of-charge attractions and activities in the capital. Downloadable as PDF right here (German only).
Our team at Industriepalast Hostel Berlin is more than happy to assist you with more recommendations concerning free or at least cheap activities throughout the city. Simply ask as at the reception and explore Berlin on a shoestring.
Simon
Blogger @IndustriepalastHostel
Bildquelle: Datei: #128652166 | Urheber: pure-life-pictures – fotolia
