You're right that the tram network is much older than 1950. Berlin had one of the densest tram systems in the world by the early 1900s, with lines crisscrossing both halves of the city. After the war, West Berlin made a deliberate shift away from trams, removing most tracks by the late 1960s in favor of buses and the expanding U-Bahn, partly because trams were seen as old-fashioned and blocking car traffic. East Berlin kept the trams running because they were reliable and didn't rely on imported fuel, plus the GDR government couldn't afford to rip them out and replace everything. You can still see remnants of the old West Berlin network if you look closely, like the tracks embedded in the street on Zossener Strasse in Kreuzberg.

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One bit of history worth mentioning: the tram was actually dismantled in West Berlin partly because of the car lobby and the Senate's vision of an "autogerechte Stadt" (a city built for cars). The U-Bahn was seen as the proper modern backbone, with buses filling in the gaps. The last West Berlin tram line ran from Zehlendorf to Dahlem and shut down in 1967. If you walk around Steglitz or Neukölln now, you can still spot sections of old track peeking through the asphalt on side streets.

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The tram system actually predates the division by quite a bit. Berlin had one of the earliest electric tram networks in the world, starting in the 1880s, and by the 1920s it covered most of the city. What you're seeing now is the result of a deliberate policy shift in the West after the war. The Senate decided trams were old-fashioned and blocked traffic, so they ripped out about 300 kilometers of track between the 1950s and 1960s, replacing them with buses and expanding the U-Bahn. The East kept theirs because it was practical and cheap, and they even added new lines to connect the big housing estates like Marzahn and Hellersdorf in the 1970s and 80s.

If you want to see a remnant of the old network, walk down Potsdamer Straße in Schöneberg. You can still spot the ghost tracks embedded in the asphalt near the intersection with Bülowstraße. They were never fully removed, just paved over.

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yeah the guide's got the main stuff down, one thing i'd add is that the späti culture is legit for saving money but specifically the ones in kreuzberg near kottbusser tor have the cheapest beers, like 0.80 eur for a can of sterni. also if you're doing the sunday museum thing, skip the pergamon queue and go to the hamburger bahnhof instead, it's way less crowded and has cool contemporary art plus the building itself is a converted train station so it's a vibe

for food, i'd say the best budget move is not the döner but the falafel at yafa on sonnenallee, 4 eur for a massive plate and it's open till late. and tbh the reichstag booking is a pain but if you miss it, the rooftop at the kollhoff tower near potsdamer platz is like 4 eur and gives you a solid view without the hassle

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solid write-up, one thing i'd add is that the 7-day ticket is actually 41 eur for AB but you can get a 4-trip ticket for 12 eur if you're only here a couple days and it works out cheaper than single trips. also the museum sunday freebie is great but it gets packed, like at the pergamon you'll be queuing for 30 mins minimum. for a quieter free option, try the brücke museum in grunewald on a weekday afternoon, it's small but has killer expressionist art and no crowds. oh and for a cheap meal, hit up mustafa's gemüse kebab at mehringdamm, that line is long but it's worth the 5 eur for the hype tbh

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honestly the cash tip is huge, a lot of tourists don't realize how many places are still cash only here. something the guide missed is that you can get a really cheap coffee at most bakeries for like 1.50 eur if you stand at the counter instead of sitting down, way cheaper than the hipster cafes. also if you're near a späti grab a beer for like 1 eur, way cheaper than bars obviously

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