Kreuzberg Kottbusser Tor Insider Tipps

Kreuzberg has become the place to be in Berlin. I've been living here since i arrived in town 6 years ago and i still love it, although it has changed very much. In the last months and years especially the area around Kottbusser Tor, which used to be a rather shady place with society's outsiders and drug addicts in the streets has become really attractive to tourists.
I love the international flair and the relaxed atmosphere in my neighbourhood, the dresscode is still "wear what you like", although the number of people that dress up is remarquably increasing. 

One of the obvious places to go to is the Admiralbrücke, where people sit and drink and talk and listen to music. The light is wonderful at dawn. Great Pizzas at "Casolare", very crowded, i recommend to take it with you and hang out on the bridge or along the canal.
The "Turkish" market on tuesdays and fridays at Maybachufer, cheap fruits and vegetables and more.

Food everywhere, where to go for eating? Here's my list of the best Snacks in Kreuzberg under 4.- € (and you can trust me, i've tried them all, the following are the masters in their category!)


Köfte at Gel Gör Inegöl Köfteci, Kottbusser Damm 80. (open 24 hours 365 days a year!)
Schawarma at Maroush, Adalbertstraße 93
Falafel at King of Falafel, Graefestrasse 9
Dürüm Döner at Doyum Restaurant Admiralstrasse 36     

Museums:
Check out the Berlinische Galerie, specialised in Modern Art, Photography and Architecture.
Every 1st Monday of the month entry at half the normal price (4 Euro)
Kunsthaus Kreuzberg Bethanien at Mariannenplatz 2 is an interesting exhibition space for contemporary art with a focus on current social and cultural issues., located in a former hospital

Shopping: some nice little shops at Oranienstrasse but shopping is still something you better do somewhere else like Mitte or Prenzlauer Berg.



Nightlife: A good place amongst others to go clubbing is Soju Bar at Skalitzer Strasse with great boogie music and positive party energy.
Südblock has a great variety of concerts, parties and events, very popular especially in the queer/gay scene.

Relax: Have a break at the wonderful Engelbecken, a small artificial lake located on the former frontier between east and west Berlin.

Accomodation:
Stop being a tourist, stay with locals. 9flats.com connects travellers with people all over the world who live locally and offer their accommodation for temporary stays. Get more insider tipps from your host!
Here's a nice appartment with view over "Kotti"

Stuttgart

Stuttgart is the capital of the Land Baden Württemberg in the south of Germany.

It is mostly known for his automobile Industry with Porsche and Mercedes Benz having their seat there. You will notice all these expensive cars and the corporate symbols, especially the Mercedes Benz Star, are omnipresent. Next to the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Bad Cannstadt they built an impressive Museum dedicated to the traditional car brand.





The interior looks like straight out of a science fiction-movie, the cold and sobre architecture with the fancy elevators and the hight  makes it a cathedral of the 21st century. You can visit the interior with the impressive entrance hall for free which is really worth visiting and if you're interested in great cars and the history of the brand you can pay to see the actual exhibition.

 

 

The second higlight of the city, if you are interested in modern achitecture like me, is Weissenhof Siedlung on Killesberg. This area (Siedlung) was built in 1927 for the exhibition of the Werksbund under the direction of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Leading architectures of the Bauhaus and international icons like Le Corbusier and Hans Scharoun were given the chance to show their vision of urban future.
Most of the houses are inhabited but you can visit the interior of the house built by Pierre Jeanneret & Le Corbusier which is now the Weissenhof-Museum.

 

 

In the City centre if you want to avoid the crowded main street Königstrasse have a look at the Scheunenviertel, the old town of Stuttgart with its tiny streets, pretty little shops and the red light district Leonhardstrasse.

Stuttgart is not known to be the sexiest town in Germany, you won't find the international flair and the excentric people of Berlin, but it's a cosy town, safe, clean, calm and it has a beautiful rural countryside. You will most certainly get a decent job there. And the car that goes with it.

Looking for an affordable accomodation?  Stay in an appartment of a local with 9flats.com.

Haus Der Kulturen der Welt Berlin

One of my favourite buildings in Berlin, if not my favourite, is the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, formerly known as Kongresshalle, in the Tiergarten.

It was built by Hugh Stubbins as american contribution to the "Interbau"1957, the famous Building and urbanism Exhibition where the best western Architects showed their vision of future architecture in West Berlin.


I just love the shape of this building, there is a lot of light coming in which makes the ambience change during the day, and it's so timelessly modern.

There is always something going on: art exhibitions, concerts, discussions, movies, theatre.. The atmosphere of the house is very open, people can just walk through and visit, and the programme often aims to make the visitor think about the world he lives in, problems of globalisation, sustainability and other moral and ethical issues.

The Haus der Kulturen der Welt organizes several festivals that take place every year, like the Transmediale, Wassermusik, Worldtronics and the Youth Section of the "Berlinale" Film Festival.

There is a beautiful terrace with a wonderful view over the river Spree and the Kanzleramt.

The Restaurant "Auster"(referring to the surname of the Congress Hall "pregnant Oyster" because of its shape) at the river Spree is also always worth a visit

My special Tipp: On mondays the Entrance to the exhibition is free!

If you are looking for cheap accomodations in Berlin, try staying with locals in their appartments with 9flats.com.

Auditorium

upper Restaurant

Photos © Jules Valeron

Istanbul

2 weeks ago a dream came true, i finally visited one of the world's most exciting cities: Istanbul.

And it's true what they say: it is an incredible mixture between Europe and Asia, as a European you don't feel like a complete stranger, but you are taken to another level. You have an oriental flair with the omnipresent, beautiful Mosques, the smell and sounds of the Bazar.

There are streets where you feel there is something missing and you realize there is hardly any women, and then you have streets in Beyoglu where you feel that you are in a hipster-part of a western metropole, with beautiful young people celebrating life in cafes, art-spaces and avantgarde-boutiques.

Istanbul is huge and the population is estimated to up to 17 million inhabitants. The streets and the people are busy but you can always feel some laid-back atmosphere. Life is cheap, even compared to Berlin.
Personally i enjoyed getting up at dusk and walk through the empty streets, getting lost and enjoying the morning light over the Golden Horn. I discovered a beautiful spot, the Cafe Halic in Süleymaniye where you have a breathtaking view over the Golden Horn. I also loved the asian part of the town, a cheap ferry takes you there, you will find lovely shops and charming residential areas, and less tourists. A beautiful spot is the Cafe Halic in Süleymaniye where you have a breathtaking view over the Golden Horn.

 

The best place to stay is with locals: You can rent a room or appartment with 9flats.com: you will get some great insider tips from people that know the place, meet interesting people and save some money on accomodation!

All Photos © Jules Valeron