Berlin’s warmer months are when the whole city celebrates its open spaces; if you’re traveling alone, this is when you’ll meet the city’s residents at their most welcoming. Summer. It really is a season that can’t last long enough; here are a few suggestions for making the most of it.

Day 1

Head to Warschauerstrasse station and grab breakfast across the road. The Michelberger Hotel has both a café and restaurant depending on how hungry you are, or try Salomon Bagels if you want something cheap, cheerful and, most importantly, portable.

Walk down to the river, admiring the iconic Oberbaum Bridge and its neon ‘Stone-Paper-Scissors’ installation. Then head north along the East Side Gallery – a strip of the old Berlin Wall famous for its murals. Some of the charm has been lost through restoration, but nevertheless, it’s still a great place to get a feel for what unification meant to the city on the leisurely stroll up to Alexanderplatz.

You’ll want to join an afternoon bike tour at ‘Alex’, so jump on a train at Ostkreuz station if you’re short on time. Try the Fat Tire ‘City Tour’. Cycling is one of the best ways to see the city and Fat Tire tours are up there among the most comprehensive and well curated. They stop at the excellent Schleusenkrug beer garden, which, within the gorgeous confines of Tiergarten, serves some of the city’s best Germanic staples.

Day 2

After all of yesterday’s cycling, you’ll probably want a relaxing start to the day. The Badeschiff is a floating swimming pool in the River Spree converted from the hull of a barge. It’s the perfect place to catch some rays and have a refreshing dip, but arrive as early as you can to avoid the crowds.

Load up on calories at Burgermeister, arguably the city’s first decent burger joint, then head to Treptower Park. If you can, check out the abandoned Spreepark fairground. Tours are only in German, but don’t let that put you off. Even without the commentary, its curious and creepy appeal is such that visitors used to clamber in over the fence and explore for as long as it took to be ejected by security! The tours are also very infrequent, so if the dates don’t work out, go for a wander around the Plänterwald Forest, visit the imposing Soviet Memorial, or try chancing upon an event at the Insel der Jugend (Island of Youth).

The Italian(ish) deli/restaurant Il Sogno is your best bet nearby for dining alone without being stared at. Get there before 8 p.m. for dinner, then head back in the Badeschiff’s direction to make new friends at either Club der Visionӓre or Birgit&Bier. These open-air club-bars are also great locations for a lazy afternoon.

Day 3

Markets in the Kreuzberg district are perfect for soaking up some urban culture while filling your belly. On Tuesdays and Fridays, grab a gӧzleme (fried, filled pastry) and watch the street musicians at the Landwehr Canal’s Turkish Market. Otherwise, check out the rotating schedule of food markets at Markthalle IX.

Afterwards, jump on the U1 line to Mӧckenbrücke station for the Museum of Technology. At €8 for a full-price ticket, this colossal monument to science and engineering may just be better value than Museum Island’s more famous sites. It’s also just around the corner from two of the city’s most renowned take-outs. As the queues will attest, Curry 36 and Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap are both Berlin street-food institutions, serving Currywurst (a sliced sausage served with curry ketchup) and chicken (or vegetable) kebabs respectively. Both will taste better after a few drinks, so tank up to some live jazz at Yorckschlӧsschen or else the punk-rock bar Clash.

Day 4

You’re probably pretty tired by now! Let’s just take it easy and enjoy the summertime vibes. If it’s a weekend, Preussenpark in Wilmersdorf will be home to ‘Thai Park’, where East Asian chefs add plenty of flavor to the great outdoors (weather permitting). Otherwise, stop off at The King of Falafel for, as the name suggests, the best falafel in town. Get it wrapped up so you can chow down at Tempelhofer Park, a repurposed airport that the locals have fought tooth and nail to keep out of the hands of property developers.

Later, watch the sunset from Klunkerkranich above the Neukӧlln Arcaden shopping mall. It boasts an eye-boggling view of the city, but get there with time to spare in case a long line’s worth of people have the same idea. The rooftop bar also serves food should you stay long enough to get hungry again.

Day 5

OK, time to get serious. For all the fun and frolics, let’s not forget that Berlin has been the site of some pretty harrowing atrocities. Right on the northern outskirts of the city, near Oranienburg, the Sachsenhausen concentration camp is probably best left to the last day because, although a must-visit, it’s also a guaranteed buzzkill.

You probably won’t have much of an appetite afterwards so stock up on energy beforehand. Chai Wallahs across from Gӧrlitzer Park is a good choice. Their Indian-inspired naan wraps are deliciously filling, so you’ll be able to wrap half of it up for later, just in case. But if grabbing a bite in Mitte is more convenient, W – der Imbiss offers their own imaginative spin on Indian food.

And if you fancy finishing with some quiet contemplation, where could be better than the Museum of Silence?

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Charlie Pite

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