Jonathan Vandamme

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What to do in Berlin over the weekend?

Saturday, 24 August

Start the day with a brunch outside. As the Berlin summer will soon come to an end, enjoy a meal on the terrace. My suggestion for Mitte is the courtyard of Father Carpenters Coffee.

After breakfast, take a 20 min walk from Father Carpenter Coffee towards Nikolaiviertel. On the route suggested below, you will pass by several Berlin landmarks. For example, when going along Rosenthaler Strasse, you will pass by the famous Hackesher Höfe (Hackesher Courtyards). This is the landmark listed in most guides. What I also want to suggest to you is to visit two other picturesque hidden gems such as Rösenhof and the courtyard of Haus Schwarzenberg.

After, you will pass by the Berliner Dom and the famous Museum Island, and soon after you will reach Nikolaiviertel, which is a reconstructed quarter of the old historical Berlin.

After a stroll in this quarter, which should not take you more than 20 min as it is quite small, I suggest to have a lunch break. For example, “The greens coffee and plants” is a new coffee shop serving lunch that makes you feel like you are in a botanic garden, as you will be surrounded by plants. It is located in the Alte Münze Berlin building.

While you are there, you can check out the new multimedia exhibition in the Alte Münze called “Nineties Berlin”. Designed as a bunker techno club, it will allow you to really plunge deep in the 90s and hear stories from those who witness this time in audio and video.

This exhibition is also part of the museums that take part in the event “Long night of museums Berlin”, taking place later this evening.

In the evening, if the Berlin summer weather still permits, choose a restaurant with outside seating to enjoy the weather. For example, the outside terrace of restaurant Borchardt has a nice vibe on weekends.

After dinner, you can take part in the Berlin Museum Nights, a yearly event. The concept is similar to other cities. With one single ticket of 18 EUR, you will have access to 80 museums and about 800 events. So this Saturday, on 24thof August, you have the chance to see as many museums as you will manage in one night. If it is hard to choose, the website of the event gives you several options how to plan your visits: either by themes, or by routes, or by time, or by museums.

Sunday, 25 August

After a long night of hopping between Museums of Berlin during the Night of Museums, you will probably feel tired, so the great option for a relaxing Sunday would be to visit Vabali Spa.