Easter in Berlin: hop on a bike!

During the Easter period, Germany’s capital city is a treasure trove of cultural events, including spring festivals, bonfires on Easter Saturday or the popular markets with their giant chocolate eggs (check them out here).

However, if you are looking for a gentle jaunt to complement this hectic spring agenda, grab a bicycle at the Hotel Gat Point Charlie and set off to explore the city and its surroundings at your own pace.

Landwehrkanal, Kreuzberg


@culturetrip
The picturesque Landwehrkanal is less than a 10-minute ride from the hotel and passes through the beautiful Kreuzberg and Maybachufer neighbourhoods. Enjoy the picnic areas set alongside the canal and in Görlitzer Park, which is also a great place for a barbecue on a sunny day.

The Berlin Wall

@visitberlin
If alternative activities are more your thing, but you don’t want to leave the city, why not ride the 159 km Berlin Wall trail? If you are short for time, choose the most artistic stretch which goes from the East Side Gallery to Bernauer Strasse via Potsdamer Platz.

For anyone keen to go a little further afield:
Glienicker Brücke

@visitberlin.de
This bridge crosses the Havel river, which connects two lakes–Groß Glienicker See and Jungfernsee–and separates the city of Berlin from Brandenburg. Apart from the spectacular beauty of the landscape, the area’s rich history also makes it an iconic attraction. You’ll pass the castle on your way to the bridge, and you’ll be tempted to have a quick dip in the lakes on a warm spring day.

The banks of the river Dahme


@visitberlin.de

This itinerary begins at the East Side Gallery, just a few metres from the hotel. Enjoy the idyllic landscape as soon as you start to follow this tributary of the River Spree and discover the localities of Grünau and Müggelheim or the famous Müggelturm observation tower. When you think you’ve explored enough, simply follow the river back to the city!

Travel Smart in Berlin: Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf

The neighbourhoods of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf merged in 2001 to form Berlin’s fourth borough. Located in the western part of the city, it is a peaceful and sophisticated corner during the day, but at night, the museums, emblematic buildings, magnificent parks and boutiques close their doors to make way for an endless offering of alternative entertainment.
You can embark on this itinerary directly from our hotel with one of our bicycles or by jumping on the metro to Zoologischer Garten, the stop nearest to Berlin Zoo.

Act 1, daytime.
After passing through the ruins of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche church, we find ourselves at the recently-opened Bikini Berlin, which is Germany’s first concept shopping mall and houses showrooms, boutiques and pop-up boxes instead of big brand stores. Take yourself up to the roof and enjoy great panoramic views over the city while you grab a bite at Neni or Monkey Bar.

@top10berlin
Art and history buffs will take a while to make it to Charlottenburg Palace, as you will pass the modern Deutsche Oper Berlin opera house, the Berggruen Museum with its modern art collection and the Bröhan-Museum of art and design along the way.
Get your camera ready at Teufelsberg. This former U.S. listening station is sat on the top of a man-made hill created using debris and offers spectacular views over the city.

@visitberlin
Following this slightly out-of-the-way, alternative itinerary, it is well worth making a stop at Berliner Waldbühne amphitheatre, which is one of the most spectacular open-air theatres in Europe.

Act II, night-time.
The Bar jeder Vernunft is a mirrored tent with a Modernist, intimate feel and is the stage for the crème de la crème of international small-stage entertainment.

@visitberlin
For those of you who prefer jazz, the A-Trane jazz club is where you need to be: the line-up here includes some of the biggest names in the jazz scene and they offer late-night jam sessions on Saturdays starting at midnight.

Saint Travel Lovers’ Day!

This month, Gatrooms wants to celebrate Travel Lovers’ Day! To mark our alternative event, we have a gift for all the intrepid explorers who long to discover the lesser-known delights of Lisbon and Berlin: the Gatrooms travel guide.

It is a bible for anyone who, like the travellers we welcome at the Gat Point Charlie or Gat Rossio hotels, is on the lookout for alternative adventures and out-of-the-way corners to explore; enjoys experiencing culture beyond museum walls; loves to read or eat in extraordinary venues and settings; and opts for the most sustainable form of transport wherever they go.

If this sounds like you, download your guide to Berlin or Lisbon here: https://whereis.gatrooms.com/ebooks-smart-travel/

In this guide you’ll find…
A paradise for bibliophiles in our broad selection of alternative bookshops in Berlin, such as Shakespeare and Sons, where you can eat a delicious bagel while you read to your heart’s content.

@shakespeareandsons

Lisbon’s best-kept secrets, such as the smallest bookshop in the world, which is nestled in the Mouraria neighbourhood.

@fodorstravel

Unusual and sometimes bizarre venues in Berlin, some of which are enough to make your jaw drop, including Madame Claude, the bar in Kreuzberg that flips the world on its head.

@myguideberlin

The best places for enjoying a mind-blowing culinary experience, such as The Food Temple in Lisbon. In the summer, eating on the steps outside will make you feel as if you are at a street party!

@bestguide

We also reveal a large selection of fado music houses, with enough for you to visit a different one on every night of your stay in Lisbon: Mesa de Frades for Monday, Parreirinha de Alfama for Tuesday, Casa do Jaime for Wednesday…the list goes on!

 

@Eltenedor

Stories that shaped history, such as the invention of the bretzel by the Celts to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Wherever you decide to travel this Saint Valentine’s Day, make sure you travel SMART.

Travel Smart in Berlin: Friedichshain-Kreuzberg

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Friedichshain-Kreuzberg is one of the most artistic districts in Berlin, and some of its residents have opted for a refreshingly different way of life. As you stroll through its streets, you’ll spot artists’ workshops in gardens behind houses, allotments in Prinzessinnengärten park and buskers and street musicians on Oberbaumbrücke, the bridge that unites the Friedichshain neighbourhood with Kreuzberg.
Our itinerary begins at the Hotel Gat Point Charlie, where our Gat Bikes are waiting for us.

Friedrichstraße
Our hotel is named after Checkpoint Charlie, the former border crossing between East and West Berlin.

The Kreuzberg
Located in Viktoriapark, this hill rises 66 metres above the city and is near a roaring waterfall.

Curry 36
This place is a shrine to the currywurst! Make sure you stop here to try the best in the city.

Biergarten Golgatha
From April to October, this is the place to enjoy pre-lunch drinks in the beautiful outdoors.

Markthalle Neun


@visitberlin

This historical market is truly chameleonic. It transforms from “Thursday Market” to “Breakfast Market” or to “Naschmarkt” (Nibbles Market) depending on the day of the week.

English Theatre Berlin
The only theatre in Berlin with English as the working language.

Maybachufer
This market selling Turkish delicacies makes it impossible to cycle by without taking a look.

Oberbaumbrücke

@visitberlin
Jump off your bike and enjoy the greatest sunset and street art in the city.

Babylon Kino
A vintage art house cinema that screens independent flicks.

Prinzessinnengärten
This park is a creative space that has something for everyone.

Friedichshain-Kreuzberg is famous for its museums, such as the Berlinische Galerie, the Martin-Gropius-Bau and the Jewish Museum, along with its green spaces–such as Friedrichshain Volkspark and Park am Gleisdreieck, which are ideal for picnics–and also its fantastic night life.
To get a first-hand taste of what goes on after dark, head over to Warschauer Straße, Frankfurter Allee and Schlesische Tor. But first, come and leave your bike at the hotel just in case your evening is longer than planned…
Enjoy your Gat Tour!

Gat’s Film Tour: Berlin in glorious Technicolor

Berlin has been the backdrop to some major events in recent history and several notable box office movies have been set here, too. The streets and squares reflect the drama and glamour of Berlin’s long film history.

Celia Martínez, the founder of Berlin & Film*, has designed a walking tour through the city’s streets on behalf of Hotel Gat Point Charlie. This exclusive itinerary recounts Berlin’s modern history through cinema.

As Martínez, who holds a doctorate in Music and Cinema Studies, explains, “For Berlin, cinema is almost everything.”

The seventh art has allowed us to get a feel for the history of 20th century Berlin, which coincided with the birth and boom of the industry, through films on Nazism, the cabaret or the underground world of espionage before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“The Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, played a key role in the attempt to restore cultural and cinematic activity after the Second World War.” Martínez also points out that, along with the Museum of Film and Television, the Berlinale headquarters have been established on Potsdamer Platz, one of the city’s squares most portrayed in cinema history.

The walking tour has been designed with the aim of giving participants an understanding of how and where the events we have seen on the big screen took place, and includes visits to film locations and sets, old theatres and cabaret venues. “Most of all, we talk about cinema,” says Martínez, who also recommends it to anyone who wants to “discover the city in a unique, elegant way.”

To download the route click here, and for more information, visit www.berlinfilm.es, contact info@berlinfilm.es, check out Facebook or call +49 157 34715848.

Enjoy your Gat Tour!

*Berlin & Film is a platform for the diffusion of content on Berlin and its film industry: historical tours through the city, guided visits to the Museum of Film and Television, lectures, cultural activities and publications.

‘Weihnachten’ in Berlin: Christmas Markets

Berlin’s Christmas markets reflect the passion with which the city celebrates the Yuletide festivities. Stalls and stands loaded with traditional treats, soul-warming hot drinks and twinkling lights and decorations will fill you with Christmas spirit and make you forget the harsh winter temperatures.
There are more than a hundred Christmas markets in Berlin. Here is a selection of the ones we think everyone exploring this beautiful city at this time of year should make sure they visit, and they are all just a stone’s throw from Gat Point Charlie in the Mitte district.

The best: Gendarmenmarkt

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When: Every day from 26 November – 31 December (including 24 and 25 December), 11:00 – 22:00.
On 24 December, open 11:00 – 18:00.
Where: Leipziger Strasse 65
Insider tip: Discover incredible arts and crafts and savour festive culinary delights such as a warm cup of hot white chocolate or fried apples.

The highest: Klunkerkranich

@Klunkerkranich

When: Every weekend from 26 November to 23 December.
Where: Karl-Marx-Str. 66
Insider tip: This is the highest Christmas market and has the best views over the city, so don’t forget your camera!

The greenest: Eco Christmas Market

@inyourpocket
When: The first 4 weekends in December. Saturdays 12:00 – 20:00 and Sundays 11:00 – 19:00.
Where: Sophienstraße
Insider tip: Check out the organic and fair trade products while you enjoy bratwurst, cakes, waffles or vegan dishes.

The coldest: Lucia Christmas Market

@luciachristmasmarket

When: 26 November to 23 December. Monday to Friday 15:00 – 22:00; Saturday and Sunday 13:00 – 22:00.
Where: Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36.
Insider tip: This market, named after the Nordic goddess of light, offers Christmas treats from Scandinavia. Revel in the festive enchantment of traditional Swedish fire logs and Nordic music!