Weekend in Berlin

Travel throughout most of Europe is as simple as traveling from state to state in the US. You don't need to go through customs each time you cross a border, and in most you don't need a visa. Studying in Europe for a semester presents you with many opportunities to travel throughout the Schengen area. Berlin is a great place to see with many things to do.

Travel
Getting to Berlin is simple! From Dortmund you should take a train. It is approximately a 3 hour train ride and will cost between 30 and 45 euros.

Accommodation
When traveling on a budget, hostels are a great place to stay. They are not only cheap, but you will meet many other travelers your age. There are many hostels in Berlin. From experience, I know that it is best to stay near the city center. Hostelworld is a great resource to use. When booking hostels, be sure to check the ratings along with the price. It is best to stay in a hostel with 8.0 or greater for location. Here are some good options:
Baxpax Downtown Hostel
ONE80 Hostel Alexanderplatz
City Hostel Berlin
EastSeven Berlin Hostel

Transportation
Berlin is a walkable city. They have above ground railways as well as the bus system if you don't want to walk.

What to do
If you only have a few days, you may not be able to see everything that you want to see. Take a free walking tour to maximize your sights. The free walking tours are great because the tour guides actually like what they are doing, and they have to be charismatic since they work for tips. The walking tour in Berlin will take you by portions of the Berlin Wall, the Holocaust memorial, Brandenburg Gate, and tell immense amounts of history about the city. The tour will take you by many of the things you will want to see. The holocaust museum is free of charge, and is a good stop. After your tour, take a bus to the iconic portion of the Berlin Wall with all of the graffiti.

Take a day to go to Poland to see a concentration camps. Most hostels will have brochures about these, and some will even let you book through them. This tour can cost anywhere from 30-60 euros, but will include transportation to and from!

There are some open air markets in Berlin as well. It is a very "hipster" city, and you can wonder around it endlessly.

Eating
Berlin has great restaurants as well. You can find any kind of food that you can imagine there.
Here are a few suggestions for places to eat:
Burrito Dolores- Burritos
Curry 36- Asain
Burgermeister- Hamburgers
Konnopke Imbiss- German snack foods (fries, sausage, etc.)


Itinerary
Day 1: Walking tour 12-3pm.
            Berlin Wall graffiti portion.
Day 2: Concentration camp visit.
Day 3: Holocaust Museum
            Open air market