Berlin is one of the most water-rich capitals in Europe: around 15% of the city is made up of rivers, lakes and canals, so in some neighbourhoods you find yourself crossing more bridges and walking more riverbanks than actual streets.
I visited Berlin in February 2022 with three friends, celebrating one of our birthdays. It’s a city that’s almost impossible to feel neutral about: vast, layered, steeped in history — and yet, at times, overwhelming.
Honestly, it’s not a city I fell in love with. I find it very “metropolitan” — intense and at times chaotic. But at the same time, you simply cannot deny its historical and cultural weight. Berlin is one of those places where the history of the twentieth century is still visible everywhere, almost without a filter.
Berlin was at the centre of some of the most defining moments in twentieth-century Europe: the Second World War, the East-West divide during the Cold War, and then the fall of the Wall in 1989. All of these have left marks that are still deeply visible today.
Walk around the city and you’re constantly stumbling across traces of this past — the Holocaust Memorial, the remains of the Wall transformed into open-air galleries like the East Side Gallery, and small fragments scattered across different neighbourhoods.
Beyond the well-known areas like Mitte or Alexanderplatz, Berlin changes character completely as soon as you head into its less central districts.
One of the most interesting is Kreuzberg, which has a fiercely multicultural soul. Different communities, Turkish markets, street art and a very lively alternative scene all coexist here in a way that feels entirely its own.
Right next to Kreuzberg is Neukölln, highly international and constantly reinventing itself. Prenzlauer Berg, by contrast, is quieter and more orderly, with beautifully restored buildings and small independent cafés. Wedding is lesser known but hugely representative of the real Berlin: working-class, multicultural and unpolished in the best possible way.
Berlin’s food scene is a direct reflection of its multicultural history. The most iconic dish is currywurst — sliced sausage smothered in curry sauce and ketchup, born as post-war street food and still everywhere today. Alongside it, the kebab plays an absolutely central role: Berlin is one of the European cities where Turkish culture has had the deepest impact.
Berlin is a complex, shifting city — it changes from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and refuses to be pinned down. That fragmentation is precisely what makes it fascinating: every part of the city tells a different story.