Travel. Western Europe. Germany.

How a Solo Trip to Berlin Led me to Gain Friends From Around the World

A cosmopolitan city full of history and culture

Disclaimer — I’ve kept the original humour and story structure from when I wrote this article in my notes. The trip was taken in May 2017.

First of all, let’s start with the fact that you don’t want to be booking an early morning flight from Stansted Airport on a weekday. Just don’t.

I arrived at Liverpool Street station at 3.30 am and (believe me, it wasn’t just me!) found out it would be over an hour until the trains ran. Clearly, Monday and Friday did not mean Monday to Friday. Oh well, I managed to shave £6 by getting the National Express which didn’t take that long.

The bliss of London roads in the early morning…

Day One — Meeting Canadians and Walking

The rest of the journey wasn’t as exciting, though the flight itself was pretty quick. It only took an hour and a half, and I arrived by 9.30 am. I was staying at Wombats hostel (definitely recommended), but my check-in was at 2 pm.

Being the confident and charming individual that I am, however, I came across two Canadians heading in the same direction. Together, we boarded the train and managed to get to Berlin city within 30 mins. (the Germans were undoubtedly efficient with their public infrastructure)

While on the train, we spoke about the two most important things to do that day. Burgermeister (for lunch, of course) and a free walking tour. Of course, being Canadians, they couldn’t resist screaming ‘Burgermeister!’ so that’s where we went, and it is true that Germany does some of the best burgers.

As for the walking tour, it took three hours, but it was worth seeing all the main sites, including the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, and of course, the Brandenburg Gate.

The tour guide was from Sandyman Tours, a bizarre name for a walking tour in Berlin, but who was I to question it? (It wasn’t until later that I realised they were a global walking tour company)

After checking in, I then met my roommates, who were from around the world. Argentina, Israel, Spain, and Arizona. (It’s more fun than saying the USA). Of course, I would only settle for the best, and this place had a rooftop terrace as well as a pool table, so what’s not to like?

Day Two — Cycling to an Abandoned Airport

Better get onto my first proper day, though, right? Well, here’s the fun part. So, after seeing all the city’s main sites by walking, why not go further out on a bike?

My Argentinian roommate, Agustin, wanted to visit Tiergarten park (which is enormous!), so I suggested renting a bike. (a measly €12 for 24 hours) Google Maps was a saviour, though riding a bike and checking your phone at every junction isn’t ideal. We spent about two hours cycling around the park (yep, told you it was big), had lunch, and then decided to go to an abandoned airport.

It wasn’t illegal, I promise. Tempelhof Airport is a pre-WW2 airport that closed and became a public park, and it was a sight to behold. Google Maps lied to me, saying it would take twenty-five minutes on a bike, but it actually took 45 minutes instead. (Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I had to stop every thirty seconds to check the map)

When we got there, it was every airport fanatics dream. We raced along the runway and did a little exploring, but by this point, it was 7 pm, and dark clouds were forming. Driven by a desire to keep our clothes dry and return to the safety of a toilet, we dashed to outrun the clouds.

Unfortunately, the rain caught up with us just at the end. On the topic of cycling, though, Berlin is a fantastic place to ride a bike. The large roads and the fact that the population is relatively small for such a big city mean the roads (and pavements) are perfect for cycling.

Day Three — Visiting Museum Island

As one random Italian girl said to the bike man the previous day, ‘Yay, you’re not a scammer, it’s actually a full 24 hours!’ we did indeed have the bikes for another half day. So in the spirit of maxing out our precious €12, Augustin and I cycled to the Jewish museum.

We spent a lot of time there, and there were many thought-provoking areas such as the Holocaust tower, the garden of exile, and a memory void. (Promise I’m not talking about a new game) The memory void, in particular, was very interesting since it was designed to have 10,000 steel faces representing victims of violence and war. As you step and walk over them and hear the clanging sounds of metal, you can’t help but have a sense of sorrow and despair as you look at all the different faces below your feet.

Soon after, we had to return our bikes (forever miss you bike number 8000 or whatever number you were) and then visited the Jewish memorial (which was designed almost like a maze)

Onto brighter things, however, one fantastic area was the infamous Museum Island. I spent the rest of the day there, taking in all the European history at the Bode Museum. Then learning about the ancient Assyrian capital of Ashur and Babylon’s fourteen metres tall Ishtar gate (yep, you read that figure right) and finally revelling at the sight of giant Persian rugs at the Pergamon museum.

Of course, I won’t forget the Neus museum with its vast display of ancient Egyptian artefacts, including a pristine coloured Nefertiti bust from 1345 BC! (You can tell I’m a bit of a history nerd). I wasn’t done with Berlin yet, though, as I wanted to visit the Fernsehturm. (or TV tower in English) It’s similar to the Shard in London but much cheaper to visit.

Being afraid of heights, an Australian just had to make it worse by talking about a glass lift somewhere in Chicago where she had to sit down and close her eyes while she was going up. Well, surprisingly, this lift wasn’t so bad. Travelling at six metres a second, it didn’t take long to reach the 203m observation deck.

This was where the refined Germans spent their time. (Don’t worry, I didn’t let my arrogance meter get too high) I came at the perfect time, being able to see the sunset and the city below slowly turn to darkness… (with lights here and there obviously, it’s just cooler to say it turned to darkness)

Of course, there’s always more to a story. In this case, it was the people that made the trip so memorable. Not only Augustin but also ‘The Irish Guy,’ ‘The Toronto Hordes,’ ‘Loud Leon’ from Manchester, and ‘Maxwell, the German.’

A solo trip should never feel lonely. It’s how you interact with others, how you navigate the streets, and how you feel about creating new experiences that really make solo trips worth doing.

If you’re still on the fence and unsure about what city to visit, Berlin won’t disappoint. Whether it’s the city’s history, the hipster nature of its eastern half, or just the vibrancy offered to solo travellers, Berlin is both an accessible and fun travel destination.

If you enjoyed reading this, check out my other travel stories:

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