Berlin - The best city ever!

The best things to do in Berlin? There are too many to list, but definitely the first thing you should do is a walking tour of the city (Brewers Walking Tours are the best), which will give you an understanding of the incredible history of Berlin. That done, you can check out all the other great stuff - the Sony Centre (good shops and heaps of cinemas too!), stroll down Unter den Linden (and go skating in the ice rink they set up in winter), and then head down towards Checkpoint Charlie and gaze longingly into all the beautiful designer stores.

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Berlin is a huge, sprawling city with an excellent public transportation system. The U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses are guaranteed to get you anywhere in the city. You should also just wander around the streets and check out the vibe of the city and all the fascinating people that live there. Also, whenever you see an archway in a building, venture inside, as they are filled with shops, pubs and galleries waiting to be discovered.

After spending 3 months traveling around Europe, it was a treat to stay at the Circus Hostel...it's more like a hotel than a hostel. The places (there are two) are in great locations, the staff are great and very helpful, and the rooms are positively luxurious (especially after slumming it in some of Europe's less savoury hostels). The price is definitely worth it, and although there are cheaper hostels in Berlin, it's still very reasonable.

This is a fantastic store for anyone interested in making their own jewellery. They have all the usual basic stuff, plus some really unusual beads, and they have an area set up so you can create your own unique piece then and there (and they are happy to help)! They also have pre-made jewellery - perfect for gifts and other stuff. The best thing about the store is the atmosphere and interior decoration - it's like entering Aladdin's Cave! They also have another store at Rosentaler Str 46/47 - get off the S at Hackescher Markt. For the Kollwitzstr store, get off the U2 (heading to Pankow) at Senefelder Platz.

The Potsdamer Platz Arkaden has most of the main retail stores that can be found throughout Germany, but my favourites are the H&M store with all the great affordable clothes for men, women and kids and the H&M Details store, which is gorgeous and has great, sexy lingerie at really great prices! After 3 months in Europe (and checking out all the shops along the way!) H&M has become my favourite shop, especially the Details store in Berlin. They have great clothes, and the prices are great too - I found an adorable little red tweed coat for only 70 euros (would have paid way more at another store) and a gorgeous underwear set for only 25 euros.

Definitely worth a couple of hours (especially the Details lingerie store - spent several hours there trying everything on - great changing rooms too!)

A visit to Berlin is not complete without a visit to the East Side Gallery - the 1.3km stretch of the Berlin Wall that was decorated with graffiti after East and West were united (prior to this, it was impossible for people to even get remotely close to the wall). Now the wall represents part of Berlin's fantastic culture and history, with artwork by some famous artists like Keith Haring as well as plenty of talented unknowns. For me, this was one of the coolest things in the city, as it seems to epitomise the city as it is now - a mish-mash of old and new, trying to rebuild a city and still maintain its history. Best of all, it's free!

The tour guides are the best part of this tour - they are informed, interesting and fun. Terry Brewer is a legendary tour guide in Europe! The full-day tour is a very full day - we left at 10am and finished at 7:30 in the evening - and covers all the major sights in the city, plus other stuff that you would definitely miss if you were to do it all on your own. Despite the long day and (very) fast pace, it was the best tour I've ever done, and I would definitely recommend it to everyone! The best 10 euros you could spend in Berlin.