Surprising Things a New Yorker Found Visiting Berlin

The flight from NYC to Berlin took eight hours. When I booked my ticket, I selected the cheapest non-stop option: a red-eye with Norse Airways, a budget airline I’d never heard of.

I booked the lowest-tier ticket, economy light, for $88. There was also a $20 airport check-in fee. I couldn’t believe it was possible to fly across the Atlantic for around $100.

Since the airfare was less expensive than I thought it would be, I paid an additional $75 to select my seat ahead of time, for a total of $183.

As a New Yorker, I’m no stranger to living in small spaces. So, when I travel, I book tiny home stays hoping they’ll give me some clever storage and furniture arrangement ideas.

When I went to Berlin, I spent two nights at a tiny home hotel outside the city for $140. The tiniest home I’ve booked in the US was 250 square feet, so I was stunned when I found that my accommodation was two stories tall and just 100 square feet.

I was also fascinated by how efficiently the space inside was used. The cylindrical home had a sitting area, a full bathroom, and a ladder leading to the upstairs bedroom.

I’m accustomed to taking the subway, so I knew I wanted to use public transit to get around Berlin. But I was nervous because I didn’t know the city well or speak the primary language.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I found that Berlin’s subway system, the U-Bahn, was a breeze to navigate as a foreigner. The platforms had plenty of signage, and I used an app to book tickets and plan trips.

I’ll never forget strolling the canal-side Statthaus Böckler Park, with its shady spots created by weeping willow trees. It’s one of thousands of parks in Berlin. I was surprised to see so many of them in an urban metropolis.

While New York has many green spaces like Central Park, Berlin has more. Per Visit Berlin, the city’s tourism website, about 30% of Berlin is green space. According to the New York City Council, parks comprise 14% of the city.

I saw plants growing over many houses, apartments, and other buildings all around Berlin. With so many trees surrounding the homes, I thought this made the structures match the natural setting nicely.

In NYC, I mostly see people rush past street performers. But in Berlin, some people sat and watched intently while others enjoyed it as background music for their conversations. Watching art be appreciated by the community made the city feel wholesome, too.

The Berlin Wall was once a concrete barrier built to divide East and West Berlin. After the wall fell, artists began using it as a canvas.

During my trip, I visited the East Side Gallery, a portion of the Berlin Wall dedicated to artists.

I wasn’t expecting history and art to be melded together so much on this famous landmark. Walking down the street, I saw many different art styles on the wall.

The gallery combined the historical experience I expected from Berlin with the artistic side I didn’t see coming. It was the perfect way to end my trip to the German capital.