Berlin is easily Germany’s hippest and most socially-progressive city, with its derelicte fashion, high youth unemployment rate and oversexualised culture making it the ideal hobo destination. Because the city never sleeps, it’s literally impossible to get bored here, even if you’re as poor as we are. When the sun is up, take a dip in Badeschiff, the avant-garde swimming pool that floats on the River Spree; pack a picnic and head to the evergreen Tiergarten to perve on the naked sunbakers; attend a burlesque life drawing class on a rooftop or run around a creepy abandoned amusement park. In terms of nightlife, Berlin’s offerings are more diverse than the contents of a late-night döner kebap, with some venues not getting busy until around 6am. If you know where to look, you can sip booze from blood transfusion bags, dance around a fire at a beach bar before cooling off in a luminescent pool and even get gropey with strangers in dark rooms at exclusive sex clubs. Berliners take their food seriously too, with the national afternoon pastime being kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cake). Those who prefer to clog their arteries with fat will be delighted to discover an Imbiss on every street corner. Berlin even has its own form of vegemite – currywurst – which is simply a hotdog drenched in curry powder. We’ll let you decide whether you love or hate it…
As John F Kennedy once said in the midst of the Cold War, “Ich bin ein Berliner!” Only don’t say that, because it translates to I am a jam donut.
Hobo Tips
The Hobo Guide to Getting into Berghain, Berlin’s Most Infamous Club
Berlin. The word alone makes hipsters everywhere cry little glistening tears of either envy or nostalgia. But growing…Berlin: Survival Guide
Transport-wise, the U/S-Bahn maps are super easy to understand, even if you don’t sprechen Deutsch. You have to…
Shit Worth Doing
Berlin: Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
Get There: The camp is actually located just outside of the city. Take the S-bahn Wannsee to Oranienburg…Berlin: Das Hotel Wine Bar
Get There: Mariannenstrasse 26a, Kreuzberg If you’re a hobo and you love wine, cosy candlelight nooks and bartenders…Berlin: Bei Schlawinchen 24-hour Dive Bar
Get There: Schönleinstrasse 34, Kreuzberg 10967 Berlin’s boozy nightlife requires you to maintain the stamina of an athlete…Berlin: Free Walking Tour with Hostel Culture Berlin
Get There: Tours start at the giant granite bowl in Lustgarten in front of the Old Museum in…Berlin: Circus Hostel
Get There: Rosenthaler Straße 1, Mitte – across the road from Rosenthaler Platz U-Bahn station. Cost: From €21…Berlin: KitKatClub
Price: Varies, 10€ or less Get there: Köpenicker Strasse 76, Mitte. Closest Station: Heinrich-Heine-Strasse U-bahn Station Hours: Open from: Fri 11pm, Sat…Berlin: Holocaust Memorial
Address: Georgenstrasse 23, Mitte, 10117 Nearest Station(s): U/S-Brandenburger Tor The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe does…Berlin: Dr Sketchy’s Art Class
Address: Subject to change – check the website. Cost: €6 and 50c drinks. One doesn’t usually expect to…Berlin: Tiergarten
Address: Tiergarten, Mitte Nearest Station(s): S-Tiergarten; S-Bellevue Originally used by Berlin’s rulers of old as a game park,…Berlin: Kleiner Klopfers
Alcohol to Berliners is like oxygen to everyone else – you can consume it everywhere, no one abuses…Berlin: Die Welt Hi-Flyer
Address: Corner of Wilhelmstraße and Zimmerstraße, Mitte, 10117 Nearest Station(s): U-Mohrenstraße; U-Kochstraße Open: November – March daily 11am…Berlin: Rockclimbing
Due to its plethora of steps, Berlin is sometimes sarcastically referred to as the capital of Stairmany rather…Berlin: Flohmarkt Am Boxhagener Platz
Address: Boxhagener Platz, Friedrichshain, 10245 Nearest Station(s): U-Samariterstrasse Open: Sunday 10am – 6pm Bordering an emerald green park…Berlin: Spätzle Express
Address: Wiener Strasse 14a, Kreuzberg 10999 Nearest Station(s): U-Görlitzer Bahnhof Opening Hours: Daily 12pm – 10pm Plonk yourself…Berlin: Last Cathedral
Address: Schönhauser Allee 5, Mitte 10119 Nearest Station(s): U-Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 7pm – late. Cost:…Berlin: Dr Pong
Address: Eberswalder Straße 21, Prenzlauer Berg 10437 Nearest Station(s): U-Eberswalder Strasse Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 8pm –…Berlin: Sisyphos
Address: Hauptstrasse 15, Rummelsburg 10317 Nearest Station(s): S-Ostkreuz; S-Rummelsburg Open: Friday 10pm – Monday 9am Cost: €10 entry…Berlin: Republik Frank Und Frei
Address: Köpenickerstrasse 74, Mitte, 10179 Nearest Station(s): U-Kotbusser Tor Opening Hours: Changes daily, but generally late afternoon –…Berlin: Roller Disco at SO36
Address: Oranienstraße 190, Kreuzberg, 10999 Nearest Station(s): U-Kottbusser Tor Open: First or second Friday of each month from…Berlin: Badeschiff
Get There: Take the u-bahn to Schlesiches Tor and walk to Eichenstraße 4, Treptow-Köpenick 12435. Hours: summer daily…
Shit To Miss
Berlin: Checkpoint Charlie
Address: Friedrichstrasse 43-44, Mitte Nearest Station(s): Kochstrasse Like most tourist traps designed by Americans, Checkpoint Charlie is a…Berlin: Berlinische Galerie
Address: Alte Jakobstraße 124-128, Kreuzberg,10969 Nearest Station/s: S-Ostkreuz Opening Hours: Wednesday – Monday 10am – 6pm Cost: €8/€5/€4/Free…