Berlin is an European powerhouse and an epic city to visit, take a look at these 3 steals, 2 spends and a splurge for inspiration

3 Steals

Sleep: Die Fabrik

Like in many European captials, cheap sleep is hard to come by and unless you’re content to stay in a hostel (a perfectly acceptable choice) the chances are you’ll have to cough up a fair bit. Die Fabrik (The Factory) is a renovated factory in a lively end of Berlin, ideal for on-the-go travelers and adventurers. Rooms are cozy and well priced and there’s an abundance of restaurants, cafes and bars nearby as well as local attractions to keep you entertained. Despite it lacking in certain areas (there’s no phone or TV in the bedrooms) the hotel has a charming vibe, a perfect cross between turn of the century Berlin charm and hipster refurbishment. If it’s a place to stay you’re after you need look no further.

Eat: Barcomi’s Deli

Opened in 1994 and run by Cynthia Barcomi a native New Yorker this coffee house is a little slice of New York right in the middle of Berlin. With their own ground coffee and homemade cakes and treats (including a typically American apple pie) it’s a great alternative to the Starbucks’ and other coffee chains that encroach on the city. In summer you can sit outside in the beautiful courtyard.

 

Shop: Manufactum

The John Lewis of Germany, okay things can be on the pricey side but with such a wide range of top quality clothing, accessories and household objects. The x factor is their huge range of ‘Goods from Monasteries’ a range of food, drink, soaps, perfumes and other items including some clothing and furniture. These are items created and produced in over 300 monasteries around Europe and are the perfect gift for anyone.

2 Spends

 

Eat: Cafe Einstein

It doesn’t take a genius to work out why this cafe is one of the most popular Viennese style coffee houses in Berlin. Very traditional and very chic, Cafe Einstein is famed for their coffee and apple strudel but it’s worth spending longer there and settling down for brunch or lunch.

Shop: Adidas Originals Store

Brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler founded sporting giants Adidas and Puma respectively, and Berlin is the home of the first Adidas Originals Store. Even if you’re not a fan of trainers and sportswear, splashing out on a pair of trainers adorned with the classic three stripes from the flagship store is something you’ll just have to do in Berlin!

1 Splurge

Sleep: Hotel Adlon

Close to the Brandenburg Gate, this luxury hotel was built in 1907 in order to rival similar hotels in London and Paris. And it sure did, celebrities of the era would flock to Adlon people like Einstein, Charlie Chaplin and even Kaiser Wilhelm II who preferred it to his own palace. So splurging on this hotel is worth it alone with the knowledge that an imperial palace plays second fiddle to it.