Interpol in Berlin! One night only!

November 2, 2007 5:16 AM

I'm going to Berlin to see the band Interpol later this month (yay!) but only for one night (boo!). What should I see/do/eat/drink/experience in such a short time? And should I stay out all night long and skip out on lodging?

I'm young and fancy-free, but I don't speak a lick of German (yet!) and I'd want to keep the budget on this side of sensible.

I'll probably be by myself, though there's an outside chance I'll be with a friend from work. I'm flying in from Riga, Latvia and arriving at Schoenefeld airport at 14:00 on Saturday, November 17, so no jet lag to speak of, hopefully. The concert, at Columbiahalle near Tempelhof airport, starts at 20:00, presumably ends a few hours later, and my flight out is at 12:30 the next day, again from Schoenefeld.

Because I'm only going for a night, I'm not convinced I'll have any luggage aside from a camera, a map, and a transit pass of some kind, so I'll be mobile enough to scoot around a lot, if that matters. On this trip, I'll be putting a higher value on seeing a lot of cool stuff in a short time than having Deep and Meaningful Experiences for hours and hours in one particular place.

In essence, it's tough to tell where to concentrate my time on such a short visit. The dome of the Reichstag by night, or by day, or not at all, or some other dome? Exploring Turkish neighborhoods in Kreuzberg, or avant-garde art and theatre in squatter-filled blocks of flats? Or all of those places? Or none of them?

Thanks!

posted by mdonley to travel & transportation (19 comments total)

You don't need to speak German in Berlin. Get a phrasebook for basic things like "I don't understand."

I highly recommend kolophon's bar in Neukölln.

See the Hauptbahnhof. It's cool.
posted by grouse at 5:46 AM on November 2, 2007

Hmmm. Most things are gonna be closed at night. You can check out the impressive holocaust memorial but you can't walk among the pillars after dark. So definately check that out before dusk.

I suggest staying up all night and partying. Maria is cool. Roter Salon is also interesting. Those are just 2 that I enjoyed. There are a hundred other clubs in Berlin that are worth checking out.

I always find it helpful to go into a hostel and ask what's going on that night. If you have time to catch some dinner and you dig Vietnamese, try Monsieur Vuong.

Try to pick up a copy of ExBerliner and look in it for club/restaraunt tips. It can be found at most hostels.

Or try some urban exploring
posted by chillmost at 5:59 AM on November 2, 2007

You must will eat Curry-Wurst. Trust me on this one.
posted by Jofus at 6:07 AM on November 2, 2007

You can't even try to speak German in Berlin. If you launch into German they usually will "practice their English" on you right away.

Have a Berliner Weiss mit Schuss, or any other drink that is a combination of soda and beer. Do not, under any circumstances, drink Berliner Kindl beer.
posted by Ironmouth at 6:10 AM on November 2, 2007

I love the Columbiahalle! Its a good old venue.
posted by Ironmouth at 6:11 AM on November 2, 2007

I've been told that Berghain is the shit. Never been there, I'm too old. It really gets going around 4 in the morning I guess. The website tells you how to get there under "kontakt".

I wouldn't go to the Reichstag at night. In the daytime, if you go there, there'll be lost of interesting-looking buildings, if that kind of stuff gets you off than go for it. Postdamer Platz has other interesting-looking buildings. Also the new Jewish monument is between the Reichstag (the area is called Regierungsviertel) and Potsdamer Platz.

I'm gonna have to say that I found the Jewish Museum disapointing. The building is impressive but the collection is just full of old stuff, just everyday objects and documents and shit. If you like museums, the German Historical Museum is nice; at least, their permanent collection is interesting.

If you want to see the Turkish neighborhoods, you can go to Kottbusser Tor and walk down to Hermanplatz. The Turks live in peaceful coexistence with punks and junkies, actually. I've got photos of Kottbusser Tor and the rest of Kreuzberg here.

Also, Oranien Str./Wiener Str. runs close by Kottbusser Tor, it's full of bars and clubs; it's really the central drag for Kreuzberger nightlife.

I don't think there are "squatter-filled blocks" anymore.
posted by creasy boy at 6:32 AM on November 2, 2007

You'll be fine without German. I can't tell you how many times I began a conversation in stilted German, and was answered in perfect English.

If you only need a few hours of sleep, you don't need to pay for lodging. I've spent a night in the Ostbahnhof (second- or third-busiest train station) and the security guards were pretty tolerant. They only woke me up before the business commuters came through at 5:00 or so.

Don't plan on anything at all being open - except clubs, of course, so that may be your only option. Otherwise you can wander around and look at famous buildings.

The last time I went to Berlin for a concert, the best part of my trip was drinking beer with punk teenagers at the gates before and after the show. Why not get on a forum and arrange something with Interpol fans, or just do your darndest to make friends at the show? They can hook you up with something to do. You can hook them up with cool stories and lyric translations.
posted by Sfving at 6:57 AM on November 2, 2007

The avant garde-squatter-art house that is worth seeing is Tacheles. At U-bahn Oranienburger Tor.

Also, second the Currywurst recommendation ... you can get one anywhere, but there's a popular place near comumbiahalle on Mehringdamm called "curry 36". It's right outside the U-Bahn Mehringdamm.
posted by cotterpin at 6:59 AM on November 2, 2007

Oh - don't forget CouchSurfing.org. Send a few messages looking for a late-night tour guide. And look into whether the U-Bahn closes at night.
posted by Sfving at 7:05 AM on November 2, 2007

In addition to the Currywurst, you should also try a Döner.
posted by chillmost at 7:12 AM on November 2, 2007

yes, Berghain is the place to stay up and party through the night.
And I would recommend exploring Kreuzberg too, although it's not all peaceful coexistence these days. More demonstrations by by kurdish groups were announced for this weekend, so it could get a bit rough there.
posted by kolophon at 7:19 AM on November 2, 2007

Cotterpin: I don't know when you last saw Tacheles...but it gets more touristy every year. It's actually an official stop on some tours because of its squatter/avant-garde history. Doesn't mean it's not worth seeing though.
posted by creasy boy at 7:37 AM on November 2, 2007

Here are some suggestions I made in a previous post:

Suggestions and follow-up.

I did the day-trip to Prague with no lodging and, while I was pretty tired late in the night, it was definitely worth it. So much of Berlin is 24 hours, you shouldn't have a real problem with it.

Also, the Reichstag dome is beautiful, as is Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
posted by atomly at 8:51 AM on November 2, 2007

Ok, this place isn't Deutsch food, but it is damn good.

Monsieur Vuong Indochina Cafe
posted by bitterkitten at 9:38 AM on November 2, 2007

I have to disagree with creasy boy about the Jewish museum. I liked the architecture, but I also found the exhibition to be very interesting and enjoyable. We spent three or four hours there a few years ago without getting bored. The museum covers the whole Jewish history in Germany, not just during the Third Reich.

But if you're only in Berlin for a day and a night, you might want to do other things and skip museums anyway, unless the weather is horrible.
posted by amf at 10:09 AM on November 2, 2007

The Stasi Museum. Perfect accompaniment to Interpol.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:34 AM on November 2, 2007

The Checkpoint Charlie museum is fantastic and small enough to see properly in a short amount of time. The Jewish Museum is also amazing but will take quite a bit longer to get through.

You could also use your few hours to take one of those tourist buses and see all the sites around the city. Berlin is a very big city and it's a good way to see a lot in a short period of time.
posted by triggerfinger at 1:54 PM on November 2, 2007

I saw Tacheles in September, and while there may be tourists wandering around, it's not like the place is full of them. There are still artists there giving exhibitions, and the physical space still feels and looks like a squat. It still seemed a bit off the beaten path to me, and I agree that none of this affects the recommendation to visit. In fact, Since the OP was interested in squatter-tourism, I think Tacheles is pretty much what he would like to see.
posted by cotterpin at 4:22 PM on November 2, 2007

nthing kolophon's bar. It's a good bar with a great vibe. Really the vibe that first attracted me to Berlin, one of unselfconscious open-ness.

And you could comfortably stay in Kreuz-Koeln (the area north of Columbiahalle) the whole time and not feel you've missed out too badly.

I went up in the FunkTurm one year and that was quite something, just go for a drink, maybe around sun-down (4pm-ish): Its a real time capsule of East German-itude. Further down Karl Marx Allee, actually, there are a few good bars, as well as the whole Allee being something to see, architecturally - it's some serious, no-holds-barred Stalinist Architecture.

The Reichstag/ Memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe/ Unten den Linden/ Meuseum Insel are all worth the effort, though only during the day.

There's good pizza at the top of Volkspark Weinberg (I forget the name of the place it's at the corner of Fehrbelliner and Veteranen). And for Curry-Wurst I think 69 Hohenzollerndamm is the place to go. (In Kreuzberg). Breakfast, if you end up in Friedrichshain there are some brunch places around Boxhagner Platz that aren't bad (and a good flea market on the week-ends).

I presonally like Berliner Kindl, and/or Berliner Pilsner.

Have fun!
posted by From Bklyn at 1:38 PM on November 3, 2007