Berlin On A Budget With Teens

At the East Side Gallery 

Berlin is a tapestry of history, culture, architecture food and energy. There is so much to see and do in this city. The issue really is how do you narrow it down, where do you start and what do you do with teens and how do you do it on a budget?
We assume flights are taken care of already with points, hopefully, if you read my blog often.
So let's move onto hotels. I always check awardmapper.com to see the hotel brands in the city and the points needed to book award nights.
There are plenty of options in Berlin and they are not expensive. We opted to pay for a room at the Sheraton Berlin Grande Hotel Esplanade. Sometimes it is worth it to pay for the room. In this case, we paid because the room only cost $81 per night so it didn't seem worth it to burn 7,000 Starwood points per night. We charged the room to my Starwood Business Credit Card so we could get access to the club. The club provides complimentary breakfast and happy hour.
For a family of 5, this is a huge savings.
We paid for the second room as well and charged it to the Barclays Arrival Card. (See past posts about this great travel card) Then I redeemed bonus points to cover the cost of the room.

Inside the bunker

So now what to see in Berlin? The first place we headed was to the Underground Tunnel Tour. This is a surpisingly great tour that is off the beaten path. It's so off the beaten path that you can't buy advance tickets, they only take cash and you have to just show up day of and hope they have space. We were there at the peak of tourist season and we showed up about an hour before the tour we wanted and there was space. The tour sold out about 15 minutes before the start. They offer tours in English and other various languages.
The tour is a 3 hour walking tour through one of the bunkers used during World War 2 by German citizens. It is a fascinating history lesson through the eyes of the citizens of Berlin.

Doner Kebap restaurant

If you are looking for cheap eats in Berlin, check out the many Doner Kebap stands and restaurants.

Brandenburg Gate

Holocaust Memorial 

Murals on the East Side Gallery 

The Brandenburg Gate, The Holocaust Memorial, The Jewish Museum and the DDR Museum are must sees and your teens will enjoy them . Checkpoint Charlie and the outside display located there are also must sees. But then be sure to check out the East Side Gallery.

The Jewish Museum 

Checkpoint Charlie 

Trabi sitting by Checkpoint Charlie 

Another tour worth booking in advance is a visit to the Reichstag-Bundestag. You need to book a time and submit names of everyone in your party at least 90 days in advance. You will need to bring passports when you visit. The tour is free and they will provide you with audio guides. 

Top of the Reichstag-Bundestag

The last piece of advice for travelling to Berlin is to check out passes for the bus and trolley system. If you are spending a few days, you will save money and the convenience is worth it. Two good passes that include transportation and museums are the Berlin Museum pass. and the Berlin Welcome Card. Depending on how many and which museums, you plan to visit, it may be worth it.