Berlin - what it's like to live there

Hi people,

I have had a nice job offer from a woman in Berlin. I’ve never been there, but from what I can tell it’s just really big. I really liked how Munich was sort of smallish, and you always ran in to friends.

Anyways feedback would be nice, is Berlin just a massive city? Help me with my decision here. And if it helps, I don’t like Paris, too fast, and too dangerous and too many freaking tourist. Is Berlin like that?

I lived there for 6 months in Tegal, very handy for the airport, lots of cheap deals from there too. Finding an apartment was a nightmare as many were not clean or the bed fell out of a cupboard and that one was advertised as a luxury apartment!
Shopping is fantastic, I liked" Ka de we "or however you spell it, I could have spent all day in that one shop. Can't remember the names of pubs but it is a very lively city and I'm sure you'll like it.
Remember and go to check point Charlie museum, well worth a visit.

Berlin kicks ass - if you like clubs of all kinds, and bars of all kinds...just go. And yeah, Ka de We (Kaufhof des Westens or something) is one BIG shop...

berlin is depressing. everyone is unemployed. it looks poor, it feels poor, and it is even colder than munich. and the accent is annoying. and it is miles away from both montains and sea. and it is well scruffy.

but cheap

I moved from Munich to Berlin years ago. I like Berlin much better, because in Munich I met only nutcases (I'm German). But it's of course a big city and a lot of dirty places. Finding an apartment is not easy, but I had less problems than in Munich. Avoid Neukölln and the eastern parts. There are a lot of different nationalities there. If you want to go out, party in the evening, I'd say Berlin is *the* city in Germany.

I've heard that from more people, that Berlin is better than Munich...hmm...I should check out the city sometimes...

I was only in Berlin for a very short time, but I very much liked it. There was tonnes to do in an evening, from your schikimikki (spelling Nazi, pls help here) stuff, through to your former east night clubs where everybody was clearly unemployed and this was THE big night out (Tip: Don't wear expensive Western clothes if u may end up in one of these places), with proper clubs in between. Saw Armand van Helden at Club Sage which is a converted U-Bahn stop - fabulous place.

I lived in Berlin for a year and go back there as much as possible, it is an absolutley fantastic place and I love it to bits. Yes, it's got scruffy and filthy parts, but they just add to the charm. It's so much more vibrant than Munich. There's nowt like a good night out in a squat. And nobody looks you up and down to see what you're wearing on the U-Bahn, like they do here. True, it's not near the sea, but the city is full of lakes and the Spreewald nearby is gorgeous, plus it's easy to travel to Scandinavia. I'd be there like a shot if the unemployment rates weren't so low.

lived in berlin for nearly 5 years and the place is so *ALIVE*.
makes munich seem sometimes like a fuckin dorf...(which it is)
but there you go munich is cleaner,safer,greener and more space to breathe..i ended up here to clean my act up i reckon..(FAILED MISERABLY)
berlin can be so fuckin seedy, vibrant, decadent...sort of place you can just disappear for a few days and really get back to basics..
i especially enjoyed checking out the east...much more my bag than the in your face capitalistic west..
the clubs/pub culture basically shit on munich's too...but then again i've had enough of staying out on one for days on end..
its an ideal base to travel from whether further east or scandanavia as already mentioned..
i found berliners as people fine...much like your old usual miserable old bayer really...a mixed bag..ups and downs..good and bad sorts..
basically i can only recommend it...but obviously it depends what you're looking for..r u looking to large it or pipe&slippers approach to life?

anyway buena suerte.

@ flogger
That’skind of why I like Munich, It’s the only place where I have no fear about walking around alone at 4:30 am (which I’ve done on numerous occasions for some reason) Munich is a nice place to be a girl, there seems to be no crime.. not to mention a fucking paradise compared to tampa

@ don yeah I checked out that website already, thanks. This was much easier loads of offers ( I lived in town, so it made it easier because people could meet me first) also I want to go back to Germany, to practice German, (it will help me in school, since I already started) Lived in France (hated it, before any one gets pissed off.. I’m french I can say that) as for the beer, you would be surprised at the weird shit people put in beer (did you know Guiness wasn’t vegetarian) think about that for a second

@jordigo Thanks man I’m going to go kill my self now… actually thanks for being honest (how do the english say it?? I dont think berlin is my bag

Go and see 'Herr Lehmann'

And don't forget to check out the KitKatKlub! http://www.kitkatclub.de/

I was in Berlin once, and found the people to be very energetic.

The townspeople had this one strange habit that consisted of cramming into the streets with funky clothes and dyed hair and dancing to really fast music on top of lampposts. I just keep thinking that it must get cold doing that in the wintertime...

That'll have been the "love Parade", a fantastic party with some hair-raising sights, If I'd been younger I would have joined in.

You have to see this to believe it, some are naked, some are not, it doesn't matter what your sexual preference is, all are welcome. I think it's an annual event and I know that they travel from far and wide to attend. Maybe you should give it a try?
I'm sure there's a web site, probably Keydeck will be able to give you more info.

I've never actually been there for it, but from what I know you've summed it up pretty well.

Try this site for info http://www.loveparade.net

Ah, but you see Keydeck, I knew that even though you might not have been there, you would either know someone who has been or you would find out. You strike me as someone with a thirst for knowledge, surely not a bad trait at all?

I've been living in Berlin for 5 years, I've just moved out recently to the outskirts, can't compare it to Munich though, cuz I've never been there, but it's bound to be a lot cheaper than München.

Berlin is one of the greenest Cities in Germany (if not the greenest), there are quite a few nice spots in Berlin, party Life and concerts are quite good.

There's a fwe areas i would try to avoid moving to, though. What part of berlin would you be moving to?

EDIT:

Ooops, just noticed this thread is ancient, probably much to late for my answer...

Is there a lot of anger and aggression amongst the unemployed East Berliners over there? Sounds combustible...

I heard Berlin is on the cutting-edge and very exciting these days.

Other say it is a rather ugly sprawling city with loads of shady characters trying to sell you junk on every corner.

Can someone tell me more about Berlin and the best neighborhoods to live in that have that "European" ambience? (cafes, bars, pubs, all outside your apartment)

Berlin is definitely the in place as far as European Cities are concerned.

With regards to shady characters on street corners this is somewhat of an exageration. Occassionaly you might see someone displaying a board selling TV and Videos but not on every corner. Generally speaking the people here are extremely friendly and the streets are much safer than any major city back in the UK.
The best places to visit if your into Cafes and Bars is Mitte and Kreuzberg, 2 former East Berlin areas which have seen a massive change in the last 10 years.

You can normally go into the Cafes, order a coffee and read a book for four hours, unlike the UK they will never get fed up of your lack of spending.
From what I understand Berlin is 1 of only a few or if not the only City that has no licensing laws in Germany. So drinking is pretty much 24 hours here.

Hope that helps a little.

Hm, Berlin the "in place".. ? Not if you want to find a job - 20% unemployment.

I lived there for seven years in the 90s, before moving to western Germany - due to the problems in working in my profession there - (IT). There just arent the jobs there.

But from the point of view of arty, alternative and way-out activities, then yes it can be quite exciting. Certainly lots going on. Yes its a big sprawling city, the size of Greater London (actually a bit bigger) in terms of square km, but half the population - 3,5 million.

Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain are the most "in" areas. I should know, I lived in both the last two! :-) Disagree about Kreuzberg though, it was once "in", back in the Wall days, and for the early years of the reunification, but less so these days. The east is on the up and up.

As to whether people are "extremely friendly". I disagree here, Ive lived in many parts of Germany as well as Berlin, east west north and south, I find the west and south friendlier. Berlin also has a lot more homeless, beggars and "loonies" on the streets - particularly in the above mentioned districts, than probably anywhere else in Germany. Fav trick is to "bomb" a u-Bahn carriage - go through the carriage whilst the audience is captive between stations with an accordian, guitar, homeless persons magazine (of which there are no less than three (3) different publications - indication of the problems in Berlin, when you have three different "Big Issues" competing with each other - or else simply with a hat, a dog and a whiney voice. I had seven years of it there, each day on the way to and from work.

The Berliner "Schnauze" thing quite hard going, the way of talking and behaving in Berlin - its a mainly proletarian native Berlin thing anyway, which outsiders, least of all non-germans cant really penetrate - even if they should want to. Brusqueness, bluntness, and sometimes just plain rudery, its a hard thing to deal with, even though it can be funny at times. But it makes Berlin`s "service economy" (if it has such a thing at all) a bit of a joke.

Berlin also has one of Germany`s worst districts of all for social problems - Neukölln - which is in western Berlin, said to have the highest percentage of social security, alcoholism, violence, single mothers etc etc in the whole country. I nearly took a permanent tenancy there once, (it down due to the type of person who had lived in it before me (an old schizophrenic alcoholic who was found dead drunk on the street one night, his apartment was found to be full of knives, sledgehammers, baseball bats and other weaponry. Had to be fumigated). Didnt fancy moving into a place with such a legacy..

I chose Prenzlauer Berg instead - which also has its fair share of loonies, but not as bad as NK, which is definitely not on the "cool" map. I had umpteen cafes and bars right on my doorstep. Only problem is, cigarette smoking is big here, the germans are a good 10 or more years behind the UK on this. I only rarely went out in the evenings because of this, unless I could find somewhere where you could sit outside in the fresh air. Im not really into nightlife though - past that age - I prefer the outdoor life and sport. Berlins great for that, lots of lakes, plenty of forest, cycle paths, fresh air, thick countryside all around.

Yes, there are plenty of cafes and bars, particularly in FH, PB and KB, but as for sitting there for 4 hours: you can do that anywhere in Germany, assuming its a cafe and not a bakery.

I travel back to Berlin once or twice a year (been away 7 years now), to keep in touch with friends, but I have to say Im always glad to return to the "sanity" (?+?) of western Germany after the "madness" of Berlin. Theres the famous saying (M.Dietrich song, I think) "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin..".

Warts and all, "ich fahr mal auch wieder mal hin..."

Rick

Rick

I would just like to raise one or two things here and firstly referring back to Slackmacks' opening statement, "I heard Berlin is on the cutting-edge and very exciting these days".

You lived in Berlin throughout the 90's and left in 1998, Slackmack posted his question on 14 March 2005, he was asking for information on todays life in Berlin not asking for a History Lesson.

With regards to a comparison of size in terms of Square Metre and miles, London is 620sqm/1610sqkm and Berlin 341sqm/833sqkm. Now, I am trying to work out at which point Berlin is bigger than London in terms of sqkm.

Slackmack, as for Clubs in Berlin, the nightlife runs around the clock, and there's plenty to do at any time. There are at least three magazines that list happenings in the city. There's a monthly magazine in English called "Checkpoint Berlin", it is available free at hotel reception desks and tourist offices,(not sure how good this is though) also sold at news kiosks. The most detailed listings are found in zitty, published every other week in German.

As for the websites we never have to search for these as you normally here through word of mouth what's happening.
In the early days we would be drinking and "SMOKING IN A BAR" and just talk to the girls for info on what's happening, this is where they are helpful. Quite often you are invited on and they introduce us to clubs etc.

SPB

Thanks for the insight.

The schnauze reputation did put me off a bit, but then I heard from others who said they had the time of their lives there. Maybe it depends on the type of person you are and the crowd you run with.

I would imagine there must be plenty of single young professional types to meet outside of the loonies, beggars, and homeless in Berlin?

I plan to live in Mitte as I heard that's very central to the nightlife.

Bomboa

Mitte is definitely a good choice.

If you want to look at some apartments in the Area search "immobilienscout24.de" this is all in German but fairly easy to navigate and they have a large selection of places.

If you are unsure of the Boroughs of Berlin then copy and paste this link.
www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Boroughs-of-Berlin

Concentrate on the areas around Mitte. Careful with parts of Wedding and Schönerberg going towards Steglitz. Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf are like the equivalent of Chelsea, Fulham and Battersea as a comparison to London. These are West Berlin Boroughs and demand high rent in most places.

Generally speaking if you stick to to the above then you are in easy walking distance or short Tram or train ride to most good places.

Transportation is good and some if not most services run 24 hours.

Not really interested into the previous discussions on this thread but I will be in Berlin for a few days starting the following week. I am curious in what is a good bar to check out. Not really concerned in finding an expat bar but not against it either. Just curious what bar/pub in Berlin has good music, service, peeps, and selection of beer.