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What are the "Mitte" and "Prenzlauer Berg" districts like?
I know Berlin has a deep appreciation for it's subcultures and as a result it is the nexus of Germany's punk, goth, hipster, reggae, creative types/artist community.
How much would it cost to rent a loft/apartment for 2 months? What is the standard of living there like? Amenities? Social activities? Transit?
What are the "Mitte" and "Prenzlauer Berg" districts like?
I know Berlin has a deep appreciation for it's subcultures and as a result it is the nexus of Germany's punk, goth, hipster, reggae, creative types/artist community.
How much would it cost to rent a loft/apartment for 2 months? What is the standard of living there like? Amenities? Social activities? Transit?
The more important question is: How much can you spend? Anything is possible from the battered 60sq.m flat in Wedding (ca. €250/month), to the 270sq.m apartment in Wannsee or loft in Mitte (ca. €5,000/ month).
Same with standard of living... despite some areas which you should better avoid in general, most central districts offer poor and luxurious apartments quite close to each other, best examples being Kreuzberg or Mitte.
Mitte district: Very central, lots of nightlife, bars, etc., more recent buildings, "government district", you might find a more luxurious apartment here (if not more luxurious, but more expensive at least)
Waaay to many infos to post them here. Better take a tour through the various districts, let a realtor show you some apartments... and get a glimpse of the lifestyle.
I lived in Berlin for a couple of weeks, but decided to move back to Nordrhein-Westfalen.
Berlin is a great place to visit, but for years I couldn't imagine myself living there.
I've been to Berlin countless times. It's one of the greatest cities in the world. But it's also very different from the rest of Germany. Living costs are obscene. Good luck getting a well-paying, legit. job.
Real estate is dirt cheap in Berlin compared to Paris and London.
I haven't been there, but have a few friends who have and have looked into it quite a bit. I get the impression that, yes, it is an exciting, affordable city that is attracting a lot of artists from Europe and North America, but it is a very difficult city to develop a career and feel financially secure in. NYC and London may be more expensive, but they offer more career potential than Berlin. I'd go for it if I was still in my early twenties or had a nice job waiting for me, but I imagine I would not be too happy with my choice after a year or two if I was barely earning enough to survive, working a job that doesn't offer much, if any, advancement opportunities (waiting tables, bar-tending). I also like diversity and I imagine Berlin is still very much a German city aside from the artist and hipster transplants and Turkish.
I haven't been there, but have a few friends who have and have looked into it quite a bit. I get the impression that, yes, it is an exciting, affordable city that is attracting a lot of artists from Europe and North America, but it is a very difficult city to develop a career and feel financially secure in. NYC and London may be more expensive, but they offer more career potential than Berlin. I'd go for it if I was still in my early twenties or had a nice job waiting for me, but I imagine I would not be too happy with my choice after a year or two if I was barely earning enough to survive, working a job that doesn't offer much, if any, advancement opportunities (waiting tables, bar-tending). I also like diversity and I imagine Berlin is still very much a German city aside from the artist and hipster transplants and Turkish.
No its not that German anymore. Central Berlin is full of American, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Israeli etc. yuppies and tourists and most of the former West-Berlin boroughs have a German population of under 60%. Only former East-Berlin is still very (East-) German. It was a very "German" and "white" city when i first visited it back in the early 1990s, however, it has changed drastically. I rarely hear German when i'm on the bus or underground on my way to work. I've also noticed a significant number of mixed-race people and couples. Although, it hasn't reached the 'diversity-degree' of Toronto yet, I would consider it as the 4th most international/multicultural city in Europe after London, Paris and Amsterdam.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neutre
lived in Berlin for a couple of weeks, but decided to move back to Nordrhein-Westfalen.
Berlin is a great place to visit, but for years I couldn't imagine myself living there.
Where was your residence? In which borough? Because people seem to associate Berlin only with "yuppie/hipster and gentrification" areas even though there are also plenty of residentail/posh or bouirgeois localities.
Where was your residence? In which borough? Because people seem to associate Berlin only with "yuppie/hipster and gentrification" areas even though there are also plenty of residentail/posh or bouirgeois localities.
I lived in Wedding, maybe the least German next to Kreuzberg, and my work was in Dahlem (FU college) which was obviously one of the posh or bourgeois boroughs you mentioned. So I would've gotten the chance to live in both worlds.
Yet as soon as got an admission from Bonn I moved back there. It was a good decision for me personally.
I've been to Berlin pretty often before and after I lived there, and it's amazing how much the city has to offer. It's basically a conglomerate of towns which can be vastly different from one another.
Are you from the EU? Because you can't just pick up and move there! There's a good deal of visa paperwork you need.
Personally, I don't care for Berlin. Very skeevy.
My niece just picked up and moved there after graduating from college. She was fluent in German, and found a job right away. She's been there over two years now, and after being there 3 years, she'll be able to get permanent resident status. As it is now, she has to renew her visa a couple of times a year, and her employer helps with that. After she gets that, she'll be able to apply for better jobs.
She says German men in West Berlin aren't as friendly as those in West Germany (others she's spoken to have confirmed this), so dating hasn't really happened. But she's been able to travel all over Europe on short vacations and is enjoying herself. West Berlin has a lot of cultural events happening, so there's always something interesting to do.
No its not that German anymore. Central Berlin is full of American, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Israeli etc. yuppies and tourists and most of the former West-Berlin boroughs have a German population of under 60%. Only former East-Berlin is still very (East-) German. It was a very "German" and "white" city when i first visited it back in the early 1990s, however, it has changed drastically. I rarely hear German when i'm on the bus or underground on my way to work. I've also noticed a significant number of mixed-race people and couples. Although, it hasn't reached the 'diversity-degree' of Toronto yet, I would consider it as the 4th most international/multicultural city in Europe after London, Paris and Amsterdam.
You're Canadian? You can't be for real..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neutre
I lived in Wedding, maybe the least German next to Kreuzberg, and my work was in Dahlem (FU college) which was obviously one of the posh or bourgeois boroughs you mentioned. So I would've gotten the chance to live in both worlds.
Yet as soon as got an admission from Bonn I moved back there. It was a good decision for me personally.
I've been to Berlin pretty often before and after I lived there, and it's amazing how much the city has to offer. It's basically a conglomerate of towns which can be vastly different from one another.
How do you define "German" ? You're not even German yourself.
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Berlin
I've also noticed a significant number of mixed-race people and couples. Although, it hasn't reached the 'diversity-degree' of Toronto yet, I would consider it as the 4th most international/multicultural city in Europe after London, Paris and Amsterdam. 
