Berlin: readers’ travel tips

Winning tip: Dorotheenstadt cemetery

A beautiful ancient cemetery with wonderful trees and plants, this place offers a tour of German intellectual history. We found the graves of Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel, Heinrich Mann, Herbert Marcuse, Georg Hegel and Johann Fichte. This is a very special place and, astonishingly, the highlight of our five days in Berlin.
stadtentwicklung.berlin.de
JoAnnR69

Sammlung Boros

Christian Boros’ private modern art collection is housed in a hugely atmospheric bunker in Mitte, built in 1942 as an air raid shelter. It was subsequently used as a tropical fruit warehouse and even as a location for techno and fetish parties. It can be visited only on a tour, which must be booked in advance. The collection includes pieces by Ai Weiwei and Olafur Eliasson, but the space itself is just as much of a draw, all labyrinthine corridors and raw, scuffed walls.
sammlung-boros.de, tour €12
Sandracirera

Clärchens Ballhaus

When “little Clara’s” dance hall opened in 1913, the first-floor ballroom was exclusive to Prussian nobility, who abused it by duelling and leaving bullet holes in its mirrored walls. The deep beer garden was created when Allied bombs blasted away the street frontage of the courtyard block. Come back on a Friday or Saturday to the Schwoof club night, when a mix of cheap drinks and cheap admission draw a demographic chaos of students, pensioners and all ages in between. Hits from every era are played by DJs and live bands.
ballhaus.de
talkyfish

Piano Salon Christophori

The concert room is a large operational piano workshop, stacked, racked and hung throughout with pianos – we had to pick our way through them to our seats. A chamber trio was playing violin, viola and cello. Acoustically, the room is very good thanks to the angled industrial ceiling, beams and hanging items. Atmospherically, it is unique and we enjoyed the music with a good-natured crowd of mainly locals.
konzertfluegel.com
PieroSerra

Nowkölln flea market

Held on the first and last Sunday of the month, the market follows a canal along Maybachufer and is a far more languid affair than the famous Mauerpark market – with students selling all their worldly belongings. Join the locals grabbing a beer from the shop and enjoying the canalside.
nowkoelln.de
eatthebeat123

Hohenschönhausen

This once-notorious Stasi prison is now open as a memorial. It is well-preserved, with the interrogation rooms providing an unsettling chill on entering. An intense, eye-opening experience.
stiftung-hsh.de
Lilon Roberts

Leibhaftig

We had a fantastic evening at this brewery restaurant, owned by Marcus and Ilona Wanke. We had planned to have a night on the town, but the constant stream of their Wanke Bräu beer and Bavarian-style tapas was so amazing we couldn’t leave. Marcus was a wonderful host and, with a surge of microbeer restaurants opening up around Prenzlauerberg, this is a cut above the rest.
leibhaftig.com
Ian Patmore

Preussen Park, Charlottenburg

Out on the lush grass, you’ll find extraordinary freshly cooked Thai food at great prices. Very popular with locals. The green papaya salad is superb and they’ll sell you a beer to wash it all down.
berlinfoodstories.com, Fehrbellinerplatz Ubahn station
Cheezman

Burgermeister

Located under the U-Bahn’s elevated tracks, this ex-public toilet is now a burger joint serving juicy patties and perfect chilli cheese fries. The meisterburger is the go-to choice (lots of bacon included). Expect to queue at lunch time. We resisted the urge to dive into an empty cafe nearby and just soaked up the Berlin atmosphere while waiting for our order. It’s the perfect people-watching spot.
burger-meister.de
Helen Mulhern

Chalet

Next to a petrol station in Kreuzberg, Berlin’s trendiest district, stands a dilapidated mansion that is home to one of the cities hippest clubs. Chalet has a stylish and gritty atmosphere, with once-lavish decor and many poky rooms. The garden is a charming chill-out zone with bonfires and ample seating. House music rules and the door policy can be strict. Research who’s playing before you arrive and remember to say bitte.
Tues-Sun from midnight, chalet-berlin.de
ID6766701