With a little time and some good shoes you should walk around the city to get the feeling for some of the Berlin’s neighborhoods. All the parts of city are really like little towns themselves.

I am not great with hotel tips in any town, since I either had my own place or always stayed with friends (highly recommended!), but here’s a Hotel I did recommended a friend and she loved it. And they have a piano in the reception room and put great concerts on (this is Scott Matthew, took the pic from their blog! thx!) HOTEL MICHELBERGER. http://www.michelbergerhotel.com/

Let’s start out with Breakfast in Mitte at Strandbad Mitte http://www.strandbad-mitte.de/kontakt.html in the Kleine Hamburger Straße – just of Auguststrasse. Be advised to always take cash with you. Many places do not accept cards and especially in Mitte it is a drag to find an ATM, and once you found one they might charge 5 Euros. And don’t be surprised it waiters are rude by the way. Uhhh and for later, right next to Strandbad Mitte there is an amazing Ice Cream shop! The Eis Manufaktur! http://www.eismanufaktur-berlin.de/index-Dateien/Page352.htm I like the area around Auguststrasse, plenty of galleries and some nice shops. Right across from Strandbad, on Auguststrasse, you can see Clärchen’s Ballhaus. Great in Summer to have drink outside, or really just great to look at/inside.

Auguststrasse to the West leads you to Oranienburgerstrasse where you will find some nice buildings: The former Royal Postoffice “Altes Postfuhramt” http://www.postfuhramt.de/ on the corner or Oranienburger and Tucholsky street – it also hosts CO Berlin, a Gallery for Photography http://www.co-berlin.info/contact.html?Itemid=710 – and, further down the road on Oranienburgerstrasse, The New Synagoge which is absolutely gorgeous: http://www.centrumjudaicum.de/ I like to then take a right on Monbijoustreet and walk up to the river where you get a nice view of the “Museumsinsel” (Museumisland). As you can imagine, there are museums on that island. Go and see some of them!

Auguststrasse to the East leads to Rosenthalerstreet. On the way you will pass a pricey but insanely good Italian Restaurant called Al Contadino Sotto Le Stelle http://www.alcontadino.eu/restaurant/index.php?sez=co&ln=en. They also have a wonderful wine bar with a smaller menu just around the corner on Gormannstrasse 10: http://www.alcontadinoweinbar.de/

If you feel like sandwiches, walk all the way to Rosenthalerstraße where you will find Luigi Zuckermann Gourmet Deli: http://www.luigizuckermann.com/ This place can be an absolute lifesaver as it is open 24/7! Especially if you ended up at Delicious Doughnut just across the street – you don’t go there, you end up there. http://www.delicious-doughnuts.de/

If you walk up North, across Rosenthaler Platz, Rosenthalter Straße becomes Brunnenstraße, which also has some nice shop windows to look at. You will pass Volkspark am Weinbergsweg. Nola’s am Weinberg http://www.nola.de/htdocs_redaxo/index.php?article_id=17 is great for some a swiss snack or just for a view over the park and is located in the middle it. If you walk up Veteranenstrasse you will find Acud Kino http://www.acud.de/ on the left for some good independent movies and concerts. If you walk further up on the corner of Fehrberliner Straße there is Weinerei (Veteranenstraße 14) http://www.weinerei.com/weinerei/. A place I like for their wines and concept! You only pay for the glass and at the end of the night you just pay what you think you drank. It seems to work out! Only in Berlin I guess!

There are some shops along Rosenthaler Street towards the TV Tower (opposite direction of the Volkspark) and you will pass a Jazz Bar called B-flat. http://www.b-flat-berlin.de/ I played there a couple of times! You will also notice it getting more and more commercial the deeper you advance into the part of Berlin called ‘Mitte’. If you want, take a left on Weinmeisterstraße (where Berlin’s first, or second – depends if Kurfurstendamm opens first – Urban Outfitters will open soon) and then take another left on Alte Schönhauser Straße. If you know me a little, you know that my 2010 online mini album was called Alte Schönhauser – the producers and me, we all used to live on that street and it was where the idea to it was born! On Alte Schönhauser you will find the famous Vietnamese Imbiss (snack bar) Monsieur Vuong – hated by some, loved by many – http://www.monsieurvuong.de/location_en.html for great soup. The Mädchenitalierner, Alte Schönhauser Straße 12, is great for a nice dinner night out with some sparkling rose, the Ponybar http://www.pony-bar.de/ is for simply hanging out with a beer, berlin style, and there is also a secret bar on the street. Can’t tell you where, it’s secret!

You will find some great shops like Claudia Skoda’s Shop http://www.claudiaskoda.com/html/content-english/collections/2010th.html (on the pic above I am wearing one of her dresses!) and Herr von Eden http://www.herrvoneden.com/site/#/en/home they make amazing tailored jackets and suits. And of course there is the Klavieretage http://www.klavieretage.de/, which is my dear friend Carsten’s Piano Shop, he was the one who put the piano on the street for the concert!

There is a low key but perfect restaurant which is called: Blaues Band. It’s not hip, chic or anything, but anyone who lives on this street will be there minimum once a day. The Roast-beef Sandwich is super yummy, the soup with sausages is great and cheap! and the breakfast is very down to earth and german. I like that place. It’s great for meetings too. http://www.blauesband.com/index_start_1.php

Hundt Hammer Stein, still on Alte Schönhauser, has great books, also in english! I always stay for a long chat with the owner Kurt and carry out kilos of paper every time! http://www.hundthammerstein.de/

Walk back to Münzstraße and take a left (shops!) and then a right on Rochstraße. On No. 4 you will find WOOD WOOD http://woodwood.dk/stores and on No 2 Lebensmittel in Mitte, a restaurant/deli with yummy stuff from the south of germany. Just around the corner to the left on Dircksenstraße you will find Atama, a Tapas bar – oh my god it’s good! http://www.atame-tapasbar.de/

The other direction Alte Schönhauser Straße becomes Schönhauser Allee where you can find WHITE TRASH http://www.whitetrashfastfood.com/ for great burgers, sometimes also good concerts and a great atmosphere. And a little further, on the same side of the road there is Due Forni, which has great Pizza and also a really cool atmosphere, especially in summer when the terrace is open! http://maps.google.com/maps/place?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=due+forni+berlin&fb=1&gl=de&hq=due+forni&hnear=0x47a84e373f035901:0x42120465b5e3b70,Berlin&cid=1648353131429338669 Even further up, if you keep straight you will find yourself on Kollwitzstrasse, Meierei, another yummy deli has some more goods from the alps: http://www.meierei.net/ and you will get to Prenzlauer Berg.

Or you decide to take a left at the crossing and walk down Torstrasse, which has good shops – Torstrasse even has a nailpolish color from USLU called Tor (only sold in the shops on Torstrasse). I won’t list all the shops, just walk down the street, you’ll figure out yourself. I probably should mention the one you can see here, No 74. http://www.no74-berlin.com/ They have the polish.

There is a good bar on Torstrasse called Neue Odessa bar. For some reason I have never been but my friends have and said it was good. Check it out: http://www.neueodessabar.de/ Also close is SCHOKOLADEN http://www.schokoladen-mitte.de/ a great alternative little place for music, it’s really nice there. But it might be gone before you even get to Berlin, due to gentrification I think. I hope it’s still there.

The whole area is really about walking around and taking lefts and rights whenever you feel like it. The street plan is the opposite of a grid plan, so have fun getting lost! You might find this other great Italian place where you only pay the wine you drank, even if you ordered a bottle: Muret la barba http://www.muretlabarba.de/ Good food, clean chic. I like it! Also great if you need to get a good bottle of wine to bring to a dinner or possibly as a thank you for your hosts!

Now: Prenzlauer Berg!

Need a coffee? Go here, it’s THE BEST: http://www.bonanzacoffee.de/ on Oderberger Straße, also a nice street in general to stroll. If you are lucky and it’s Sunday – DO THIS: After the coffee, check out the Flea market in Mauerpark http://www.mauerparkmarkt.de/ Maybe before you also want to check out this other smaller, more delicate little flea market at Arkonaplace: http://www.troedelmarkt-arkonaplatz.de . Then walk through the Park, exit at Ystader Straße and walk up (wave to Rainer Robben, who has his amazing studio http://www.audiocue.de/ just up this road. I recorded my debut album there!) and take a right onto Kopenhagener Straße.

There are a couple of nice shops, like the one you see on the pic http://www.kolor.de/, and if you continue and cross the big street, Schönhauser Allee, the street becomes Stargarder Straße with lots of antique shops to look at and walk in.

Once you’re past all that you can take a left on Lychener Straße and stop at Sasaya if you feel like Japanese Food http://sasaya-berlin-en.tumblr.com/ . A little further down the road you will see Helmholzplatz, a lovely little park with cafés all around it! Like Wohnzimmer on Lettestraße or a great ice cream place called Eisclub on the same street: Lettestr. 6a.

There is so much here! Just walk straight on for example on Lychener Straße, which once you cross the big becomes Knaackstraße, and you will see the Kulturbrauerei: An old brwery, good for concerts! Then take a left on Sredzkistraße, Café Anna Blume (remember Kollwitzstraße from before? This is where it leads!) is nice for Breakfast, carry on and cross Prenzlauer Allee, take a right on it and a then left on Marienburger Straße and there you have burgers again at http://www.marienburger-berlin.de/ Other food wanted? Italian: Femminamorta on Winsstraße 30 and Herr Rossi on Winsstraße 11 – I have never been to that one, but always wanted to go. Only heard good things of it!

 If you liked the whole antique thing, there’s another great big big antiques/flea market on weekends: http://www.berliner-troedelmarkt.de/contact.html Definitely worth it if you have the time!

Let’s change the part of town! Kreuzberg!

On my little road trip we started our night with “Flammküch” at CHEZ GINO at Sorauer Straße 31. AMAZING! GO! After that we took a little walk to MYSELWISKA at Schlesische Straße 35 – one of the oldest bars in Kreuzberg, dancing happens later in the evening. Very Berlin. A recommendation from the Chez Gino Staff!

LIDO is just opposite and it’s great for concerts. http://www.lido-berlin.de/

In the summer you should definitely go to the CLUB DER VISIONÄRE http://clubdervisionaere.com/ which is just down the road.

A little further down the road is TREPTOWER Park, I like this park for for the view you have when you sit by the river side and see the Molecule Man sculpture. Urban.

If you decide to walk the other direction you will hit Skalitzer Straße. Walk down till Oranienstraße – there are many many bars, just pick one, like the famous SO 36 http://so36.de/location/ for concerts (if you haven’t hear of it until now it’s probably nothing for you) or LUZIA Bar http://www.luzia.tc/ for drinks on Oranienstrasse 34. I like it. I heard it’s ‘out’, but who cares: They have a piano!

On the same street you will also find good burgersss: KREUZBURGER http://www.kreuzburger.de/or

Oranienstreet to the other side, cross Skalitzer Straße, becomes Wiener Straße along which you will find another park which can be nice in summer. Görlitzer Park. It’s particularly fun on May 1st. So is Oranienstreet by the way. On Skalitzer Straße 36 you will find the Korean BBQ Place Kimchi Princess http://kimchiprincess.com/indexhibit2/index.php?/contact/ and the connected Soju Bar http://www.soju-bar.com/.

Also on this side of Skalitzer Street, closer to the waterfront of Paul-Linke Ufer to the south, you will find a great little restaurant called La Raclette http://www.la-raclette.de/ serving … Raclette!

About the nightlife, it is always changing! Here are some Evergreens in the area:

The world famous Berghain. http://berghain.de/ No questions asked, you have to go. GO! Panorama Bar is within Berghain, in case you were wondering.

Watergate is close http://www.water-gate.de/, maybe go before. The night really depends on the DJ, I guess as everywhere, but I like it for the view over the water and of the Oberbaumbrücke. That’s a bridge and I imagine Johnny Depp living in it with a funny hat and a funny accent and maybe a witch too.

Also in the area is KATER HOLZIG, the new location of the Bar25 People http://www.katerholzig.de/ You can also have dinner there! I preferred Bar 25, but since it’s gone I have to get used to this I guess.

That’s not nearly it, but it I think it will keep you busy! I know I left out a lot of the West. Let me quickly give some tips. Quasimodo http://www.quasimodo.de/ is a good venue for live music, A-trane http://www.a-trane.de/ is for jazz. They are both in Charlottenburg, West Berlin! There you go!

Have a good trip!