by Mia Hodgens

In the latest addition to our travel bucket list, Mia Hodgens gives us the lowdown on Europe’s coolest city.

According to former mayor Klaus Wowereit, “Berlin is poor, but sexy”. From its depiction in Netflix’s Sense8 to its reputation as a cultural hub with amazing nightlife, Berlin has a firm grip on the popular psyche. This was what influenced me to book my first post-high school trip there, the first I had ever organised myself. And I’m so glad that I did. It lived up to all my expectations, radiating both an innate coolness and a sense of liveability.

Of course, I had to check off all the classic tourist activities, but I also went slightly off the beaten track to get a picture of the “real” Berlin by exploring its many neighbourhoods. I can’t profess to be an expert on the city by any means – I’m not naïve enough to think I looked like anything but a tourist to the Berliners – but I wanted to share the best parts of the trip, particularly my favourite parts of the East Side of Berlin. Everything I did was free or relatively cheap, so will appeal to the budget traveller, and Berlin proved to be a city where it was possible to have a truly immersive experience at a low cost.

Berlin Wall

This is a fairly obvious “must see” attraction, but a walk along the East Side gallery on a sunny day is an unforgettable experience that you can’t miss. Be prepared to have to wait to take unobstructed photos of certain artworks on the wall - the most popular ones will have lines of tourists all waiting to take their own photos.

YAAM

The highlight of the trip for me was discovering YAAM, a laid-back beach bar on the riverside of Spree. Much bigger than it looks from the outside, YAAM has an outdoor bar with a sand-covered floor, a DJ and concert area and basketball and volleyball courts. To enter you have to give a donation of between €1-10 and you have to have an ID.

Walking past the main bar, there are walls covered in cool graffiti that add to the overall atmosphere. YAAM gives you the opportunity to treat yourself to a well-earned swing on their hammocks, which you can pair with a drink for a session of chilled-out relaxation. My friend and I went at midday when it wasn’t too busy, but make sure to check it out in the evening too for its well-known night club.

Berghain

One of the most famous nightclubs in the world, and notoriously impossible to get into as a tourist, we decided to go see it during the day as a joke to see what all the fuss was about. It took a while to find it, but the walk led us through different neighbourhoods in the East Side which gave us a real appreciation of the city outside of the “touristy” areas. All in all, even if it’s just for a brief look at the most talked about nightclub in the world, it can still be a really funny highlight of the trip.

Raw Complex

This is a cool thing to do if you want to just walk around and take in all the street art that East Side is renowned for. The Raw Complex is a cultural centre of sorts which is easy to lose yourself in while you look at all the buildings covered in colourful graffiti. In addition to the amazing art, it also has the advantage of being a completely free activity. To top it all off, there are old photo booths scattered around the place which could make for really unique souvenirs for a memento of your trip.

Though I focused on the East Side of Berlin there is easily just as must to do on the West. Being a melting pot of history and culture, Berlin is a city that can accommodate all types of tourists. I was there for only four days and know that I missed out on so much more that could be explored. I hope to return one day and will always recommend Berlin as a must-see destination for the Wanderlist.