8 Days in Berlin — August 2026
My Berlin trip from 8/15/2026 - 8/22/2026.
Berlin was the 2nd stop on my solo trip around Europe. I took the DB train from Frankfurt, a straightforward 4-hour ride, and settled into Singer109, a pod hostel, for the week.
Singer109
This is the hostel where I stayed during the trip. Overall it's nice and clean — everyone has a pod to sleep in. No internet once you close the pod door.
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Architecture
| Philological Library
Norman Foster's library at Freie Universität Berlin, nicknamed "the Berlin Brain" for its domed, brain-like shape. The lattice skin filters daylight down through the reading rooms.
To get in, you have to put your backpack in a locker. I'm not a student there, so I don't have access to a lock — I just left mine unlocked.
| Ludwig-Erhard-Haus
Berlin's Chamber of Commerce building, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw — nicknamed "the armadillo" for its arched steel exoskeleton.
The building has two sections with similar-looking elevators. One isn't open to the public — I was about to leave, but ended up finding the second one at the last minute.
| Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Berlin's State Library, designed by Hans Scharoun. A library you have to visit in Berlin — skylights above the tiered reading room wash it in warm, filtered light, almost like sitting inside an amphitheater.
I actually failed to get in the first time — you need to apply for a library card before entering, and to get one they check your physical passport ID. I forgot to bring mine that time, so I stopped by again another day. Ended up with this cute library card that expires in a year.
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Museums & Exhibitions
| Braun-Sammlung Ettel Museum für Design
The museum is privately owned by an old guy, and his collection is really amazing — more than what I saw back in Frankfurt. He was really kind too; the whole museum is free.
The owner invited me to check out my favorite piece, the Wall Hi-Fi System — a TG 60 tape recorder, TS 45 Amplifier & Radio, and L 450 speaker. Hard to believe the system is nearly 60 years old. The music it plays is still remarkably clear.
| Neues Museum
Home to the Egyptian collection, including the Nefertiti bust — David Chipperfield's renovation deliberately left the war damage visible instead of restoring the building to look new.
| New National Gallery
Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, completed in 1968 — his last building, a pure glass-and-steel pavilion with a massive flat roof floating on eight columns and no interior supports. It reopened in 2021 after a six-year renovation by David Chipperfield.
| Kraftwerk Berlin
A former East German power plant turned event and exhibition space in Mitte. There was an exhibition called A Quiet Space when I was there — free entry, by donation, with one rule: stay quiet. The space is really tall and mysterious, and makes you feel small inside it. Some people came to play chess or read quietly. If I lived here, I'd definitely stop by often.
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Meals & Bar
| Oggis Gemüsekebab
A food stand a friend recommended. There's a line even on rainy days. I got a chicken döner and the toppings were overwhelming — but really good.
| Julius Ernst
A fine dining restaurant — a lovely place with great food and a daily-changing menu.
I had the grilled eggplant and cucumber with buttermilk sauce. The eggplant is served cold — with the sauce, the whole dish is refreshing.
The grilled pointed cabbage amazed me. It was grilled perfectly, with a little salt on the skin, and a light dashi sauce underneath that gave the whole dish layers. Highly recommend.
| Onette
An American-style breakfast restaurant — they serve pancakes and sandwiches. I only ordered a seasonal peach pie, fresh orange juice, and hash browns.
This spicy sauce is good.
| Gemello
A pizza restaurant. They were playing house/techno music. The waiters looked like they'd just walked out of a club. I was there when they opened, and 30 minutes later the outdoor tables were full.
I ordered the Sunday, a carbonara-style pizza with a lot of cheese and an egg yolk sauce on top. The pizza blew my mind — I've never seen a pizza pop like this. Highly recommend.
For dessert, I ordered a pistachio tiramisu — also really good. The pistachio flavor is really fragrant.
| Ramen Bone 3
A ramen shop opening its 3rd location in Berlin — the 1st and 2nd are in Japan.
The noodles are firm and thick. They add cheese to the ramen for another layer of flavor.
| Migas
A listening bar focused on music — the interior uses a lot of cork texture. Some nights they bring in a DJ; on regular nights, they play vinyl from start to finish without skipping a track, so you can really enjoy the entire album.
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Café & Bakery
| Father Carpenter
A breakfast restaurant set in a courtyard. Good coffee.
| Silo Coffee
A breakfast restaurant — their signature dish is The Silo, and their housemade ketchup is really good, kind of like a mix of BBQ sauce and ketchup.
| Kolo
A coffee shop with great pour-over. I wanted to bring their beans home but didn't have room in my bag.
| Café Tiergarten
This café is located next to Tiergarten park. Pretty chill, with a nice selection of furniture.
| Acid Mitte
This café/bakery has a sister shop called Acid P-Berg. The one I visited is the bakery. I ordered a pour-over, a canelé, and a cinnamon roll — all great.
| Café Odor
This one is a Korean café in a really old house. I ordered a cheesecake, pistachio chocolate cookie, and a flat white. The pistachio chocolate cookie is really good — like Dubai chocolate.
| Sofi
The bakery is really crowded, even on a rainy day. I ended up ordering to-go since there were no tables. I got a vanilla pudding bread and a flat white — the pudding bread has a texture like the inside of a canelé, moist and puddingy. Thumbs up.
| Bonanza Coffee Heroes
A café near the VOO store — you pass by a stable on the way. Pretty cool space and nice coffee.
| AKKURAT Café
A café right next to Standart's showroom. I ordered a flat white — good coffee, and the cup'll give you a smile after you finish the whole thing.
| Annelies
A coffee shop with good vibes and good coffee. I really love how they turned an old space into a lovely café just by adding some designer furniture, like the PH5.
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Shops
| VOO Store
This store is recommended by everyone when you visit Berlin. They have some books and a good selection of brands like Loewe, Satisfy, Our Legacy, Lemaire... They seem to update the display pretty often — it looked different both times I visited on this trip.
A coffee shop is inside the store — I didn't have a chance to taste it.
| MAAP
MAAP is a bicycle brand based in Australia. They design good apparel for biking or even for casual wear.
I spotted two Standart bikes in the store — one for display, one belonging to the staff. First time seeing them; I'll talk more about the bikes later.
| Our Legacy
Swedish fashion label. A brand I really love.
| Andreas Murkudis
Concept store on Potsdamer Straße, set inside a former printing house.
| Dark Lands
No pictures allowed inside — they have a large collection of black apparel in every texture you can think of.
They also have a pair of Ojas speakers in the store. (I secretly took this picture.)
| Standart
A showroom for Standart, a bike label based in Berlin. They have really cool and premium bike frames. All their bikes are built behind the showroom.
| Motto
Independent bookstore and distributor specializing in artist books and zines. I was really interested in the cassette tapes they have. The owner is really nice — he let me listen to whatever caught my eye, from a French rapper to a Japanese monk's ceremony. I ended up getting two cool tapes from him.
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Photoautomat booth
Walking around Berlin, you'll spot vintage black-and-white analog photo booths scattered around the city. It's a nice bit of nostalgia — after you take the photo, you wait five minutes for it to drop out, and the print still feels a little wet.
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Berlin Wall
| Berlin Wall Memorial
A preserved stretch of the wall along Bernauer Straße, where the border once split the street.
| East Side Gallery
A 1.3km stretch of the wall painted by artists from around the world in 1990, right after reunification.
| Checkpoint Charlie
The best-known Allied crossing point between East and West Berlin. Two large portraits by artist Frank Thiel mark the spot today — an American soldier facing one side, a Soviet soldier facing the other.
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Brandenburg Gate
The goddess of Victory driving a four-horse chariot was looted by Napoleon in 1806 and returned after his defeat. During the Cold War it sat right in the death strip between East and West Berlin, closed off for decades until it became the symbol of reunification in 1989.
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Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Designed by Peter Eisenman and opened in 2005 — 2,711 concrete slabs of varying heights over undulating ground, with no fixed path or explicit symbolism intended by the architect. An underground Information Center beneath the field documents victims' names and stories.
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Berlin Hauptbahnhof
Europe's largest crossing station — two rail lines cross here on stacked levels under a long glass roof.
The station is huge — travelers passing through everywhere, plus shops and even lounges where people can rest. Feels like an airport.
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Subway Stations
Berlin also has unique subway stations. These are some pictures I took in different stations.
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Around the City
A few shots from wandering around.
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I dropped all these spots into a list below. If you want to visit them yourself — it also has a few places I didn't get a chance to check out this time, so take a look.
Hope you like Berlin! ◡̈
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