Update 2015: Back in 2013 our roving reporter Lucy gave us this review of Berlin. Largely based on the fact that it was a weekend of clubbing and street food. Later this week we will be looking at how to experience Berlin from a more elegant perspective……..in the meantime here’s a ‘younger’ person’s guide to Berlin, EU Access City winner 2013 plus a swift guide of Prague
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Summer’s finally arrived and of course holidays are paramount in everyone’s mind. Mine started with a trip to Berlin & Prague.
First was – Berlin – we did a previous review of Berlin, EU Access City 2013 (including where to stay) and now I can give you a first hand report. (BTW we’re doing a series of these reports on EU Access Cities and the ones with special mentions, which includes Avila, see previous review, Salzburg, Barcelona, Nantes , Stockholm and many more. Look out for them during the coming months and if anyone wants to send us their experiences of European cities please get in touch, we offer prizes for the best reviews!! )
Berlin is a great city, very big and very clean – they’ve got their transport right! Boris take note on how they do it in Berlin! Aside from the great and reliable travel – which was accessible to all! The city is interesting with masses of history and the night life is awesome! I wouldn’t say it was the most relaxing holiday, there is so much to see and do in Berlin we were constantly on the go! But enjoyed every minute other than the plane and train delays actually getting there!
The first nightclub we went to in Berlin we stumbled on by chance, we were talking to a few people in the bar of the hostel ONE8o (was more of a hotel than a hostel – I recommend it and they have wheelchair accessible rooms with walk in showers, brilliant!!), they were going to a club just round the corner. So we go, we don’t really know what to expect – we arrive at Weekend and it looks like an abandoned office block… Up to the 15th floor we go, up another 2 flights of stairs and what do you see? The most beautiful panoramic view of Berlin!! This club was gorgeous, they played techno/dance music all night long but outside on the decking there was a lovely chilled atmosphere and view to go with it.
Weekend was flat inside and there was a lift to get you upstairs but I don’t know if that lift went all the way to the roof top – so might want to have some friends to carry you up there, definitely worth it! I didn’t see a disabled toilet and I was looking…
Next up was the Berlin Wall – something I think everyone should go and see!! Such a simple thing that changed history, truly mind blowing when you’re standing next to it. So we were walking along the East Side Gallery (as they call it) and we could hear some music so we walked over to this little corner just behind the wall and there was a beach! This bar was so cool and so random it was called Yaam! They were recording a music video whilst we were there, again random, good song but when you hear it back to back for a few hours it gets a bit much… People of all ages chilling at the bar and on the sand listening to some great reggae music (once they’d stopped filming). Again didn’t see a disabled toilet and the other toilets were in a tiny little cupboard-like-building and the sand might be a challenge but around the edge of the sand was grass which you could probably get past to go to the bar that was on a decking and once on there you should be alright!
We had plenty of pit stops on our way around Berlin but unfortunately I can’t remember the names of all the cafes we stopped in… But a lot of them had outside seating which makes things a bit easier as the pavements in Berlin are all very wide and very flat (much flatter and less bumpy than they are over here!). One bar I do remember the name of is White Trash! We got there and they had a live band from San Francisco and all their music reminded me of the Pulp Fiction theme tune and after talking to the lead singer I was informed that was deliberate – they were called Insect Surfers. We spent a long time in this bar, it’s also a restaurant but we didn’t eat there. The doorway is flat but quite small, once inside there are steps up and down to toilets and other sections of the bar but the main area is accessible and flat! I recommend White Trash, possibly my favourite place! (Please note from previous reviews of Clubs in Berlin many of the places have disabled toilets up stairs and when talking to them the staff are always expecting to help you get around).
We were going to go to Berghain which we have previously reviewed but a friend of mine was on a guest list at a club called Renate so we went there instead! Very, very cool club! It’s basically a house but it’s described as a labyrinth, there are many different rooms, with different music and you have to go through them all to get to the main one (or just the one you like the most). The ceiling is decorated with photo frames and they had The Big Lebowski being projected onto the wall, in one room was a bed, another had salsa music playing ?! Was all a bit improbable but was a great club! There were stairs to go up but a flat entrance through a garden area. A few of the doorways were quite small and some had slight bumps in them and it was pretty busy in the main rooms! I’m sure you could get in and around but it wouldn’t be a piece of cake…
After Renate we hit Magnet – more of a rock music club, much more our scene than the techno/dance music or whatever it is called. They played the Artic Monkeys, Pulp, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Joy Division, The Smiths and a lot of other 80s rock bands! There were steps up to the club, totally flat inside – I didn’t see a disabled toilet but the other toilets were quite big.
We did go to restaurants in Berlin but the food was pretty hit and miss…(however there are some good ones if you’re not on a budget, such as The Grill Royal see here). My top tips don’t order a schnitzel they are pretty much a Bernard Mathew’s chicken fillet (thankfully I didn’t waste my money on one), the other interesting bit of food was a currywurst AKA sausage and curry sauce served with chips… Neither of those are really for me so I just ate pasta while we were there – so nothing worth reviewing on the restaurant front I’m afraid.
And then we went on to Prague…
Just a tip for anyone planning to get a train in Europe – make sure you reserve seats, it costs more but it’s much better than being sat on a floor for 6 hours surrounded by luggage and people when it’s really hot because your train has been delayed by 3 hours…
Moving on!
Prague – one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been!! Amazing city, really small and the best atmosphere; everyone is so friendly and happy to help! There’s a silly amount of cafes and restaurants to go to and about 90% of them have out-door dinning which is just what you want when you are in such beautiful, unique surroundings! Most the café’s had flat entrances and were quite small inside but all of them had lovely food and a great atmosphere!
Unfortunately, I didn’t make it out clubbing in Prague I managed to get ill half way through the trip but I did go to plenty of bars and café’s including: Alfredo, The Yellow Submarine, O’che’s, Pension U Lilie, Cafe Bar Nad Čertovkou, Blatnice to name only a few. We stopped at some many places I literally lost track. The Yellow Submarine is a tribute pub to John Lennon next to the ‘John Lennon Wall’ – interesting decoration! As for O’che’s that place was a life saver, getting a cider in Prague is like get red wine out of a white carpet – hard work and pretty much impossible, until we discovered O’che’s. An Irish bar with Che Guevara on the wall… Interesting mix!
The best bit about Prague is the exploring, the aimlessly walking around and finding lovely places to sit and eat and seeing some breath-taking views. The streets are all cobbled so if you are planning a trip here, be prepared for a bumpy ride & stick users beware! There are lots of trams in the town that you might be able to get on in order to explore Prague. Rather than try get around the very uneven roads; I tripped up more times than I care to admit. I do suggest a trip up hill to the cathedral but for that you will need some sort of transport – lots of steps up and down but worth it if you can find a way up there. I saw lots of vintage cars that you could hire by the hour and have someone show you around the city – that might be a good and stylish option!?
The food in Prague was much nicer than my experience of food in Berlin! In Blatnice the food was amazing – me and the girls got some rabbit, goulash, pasta and all of it was delicious! As for snacks in Prague you could buy these interesting cone-like-doughnuts and crisps on a stick – I enjoyed them both! Every cafe/bar we ate in had good food, unfortunately I have just lost track of names… But let’s face it if there is a busy cafe in a famous tourist sight the food is going to have to be good, isn’t it?!
There didn’t appear to be many accessible toilets so I think it’s a place to visit if you like a challenge! This site gives some information on Barrier- Free Prague and this link maps out accessible routes with the availability of disabled loos. It’s a small place so being near your hotel should help with emergencies!!! With accessible rooms I would suggest staying at the larger (also more expensive hotels), such as the Kempinski or the less expensive Yasmin which both assured me have disabled rooms with walk in showers. The smaller hotels and some of the larger such as the Alchymist either don’t have such rooms or say they have but on close questioning the rooms don’t have the appropriate bathrooms.
