I will be staying a week in at the Adina Hackescher Berlin by myself before meeting up with my companions in Munich. I’m not into the club or bar scene but I’d rather not stay in every night. I’m in my mid 40s and am interested in history/plays/art.
I’ve already made my reservation for touring the Reichstag dome in the morning.
Heather, good question. There are concerts at night at the Kaiser Wilhelm church that are reasonably priced. Also, the Berlin Philharmonic is one of the world's greatest orchestras.
I spent a week in Berlin solo and did something most nights. Here are some of the things that I did:
1) Visited the DDR Museum; it is open until 10 on Saturdays and 8 on other nights.
2) Went to see a movie at this cinema. It had a number of films in the original language with German subtitles:
http://www.hoefekino.de/content/english
3) The museums on the Museum Island are open late one night a week
4) Went to see the Berlin Philharmonic one night
5) I had a couple of leisurely dinners.
What time of year will you be there? If the weather is decent, it is nice to walk along Unter den Linden in the evening. The Brandenburg Gate is lit up.
Things I've done in Berlin or are on my list for my 10 days there in May this year:
-Berlin Philharmonic at the Philharmonie
-Chamber Orchestra at the Philharmonie
-Konzerthaus Orchester at Konzerthaus Berlin
-Austrian Band at Privatclub
-Poetry Reading at Curious Fox English Bookstore
-English Comedy Show at Cosmic Comedy Berlin
-Dinner at the TV tower as the sun goes down
-Wandering around the Brandenburg Gate area
-DDR Museum as noted by Laura
-Show at English Theater Berlin
-Dinner at Nocti Vagus, a restaurant where dinner is served in a completely dark room by visually-impaired servers
-Sunset and street music at Oberbaumbrücke
For theater and plays, it would help to know how much German you understand.
There is a nice little theater called the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm that has programs almost every night, oftentimes with notable (German) actors. Obviously, that doesn't make much sense for you though if you don't understand German.
The dark restaurant is a great recommendation. I think there's two of them in Berlin, and I have been to one before too. It's a very special experience. I think you need reservations though.
You will usually find a bunch of brochures on display at every hotel with that kind of information, phone numbers and everything.
Thanks so much Laura and Dave for the suggestions. The movie theater is nearby and the DDR museum sounds great. I’m traveling in March, how far a walk is it from Hackescher Markt to Brandenburg Gate at night? Or is the subway a better bet?
While visiting the Brandenburg Gate, don't miss a visit to the 'Silent Room' in the Northern gatehouse. What a contrast to the traffic and tourist bustle on the outside! http://www.berlin-hidden-places.de/yuba_web3/regional_en/mitte/mit_stille_en.htm
Brandenburg Gate is about a 25-30 minute walk from your hotel, but it is a very nice walk across Museum Island and down Unter den Linden. You could take the S back, if you wish, from the Brandenburger Tor station to Hackescher Markt (with a transfer at the Friedrichstraße station).
Berlin stages often have US musicals, being performed in German. If you know the show, you can follow it despite the language difference. I've seen Cabaret and Rent there, and I just missed Urinetown (who can resist seeing a show called Pinkelstadt?). I also saw The Threepenny Opera in Berlin, but of course that's German to begin with.
Similarly, I saw Sweeney Todd at the Staatsoper. If operas or musicals interests you, see what's on while you're there.
