Berlin for a weekend trip... what would you push for, re things to do and places to turn?
Answers: Other answeres will list the bar and clubs (you can get these anywhere) for you so here's some other suggestions. If you're solely having a weekend it's natural to just see the big things and miss the interesting things. If you walk in December you'll enjoy a dozen Christmas Markets to choose from too.
Prices are about 1/3 smaller number than UK levels.
DO:-
The first piece that you Must do is to buy a Berlin Welcomecard as soon as you arrive. It's basically a travelcard which allows travel on adjectives U-Bahn, S-Bahn, RE (the red double deck trains), Busses and Trams.
These also come with a book of vouchers offering big discounts on shops, restaurants, theatres, services, museums etc. Use them, that approach you'll also have a sort of built contained by tour guide.
Look at the BVG website (link below) for more information. You can get one from any station or a small booth at Tegel Airport.
The BVG trellis site also provides pdf versions of the S & U bahn map. I really recommend that you print one and use it.
Also I recommend that you make appropriate use of Google Maps (from the google seach engine) to find out where things are past you go. It's much clearer than the ones within travel guide books and also gives you "context".
They own a new Haupbahnhof (main railway station) which is terrifically nice but in a bit of desert. It's surrounded by governing body buildings. Visit it and go "OOH AHH!". They'll resembling that.
I suggest that you set the Zoo as your "centre of operations". Here is the most important bus station and it's also a good S&U Bahn hub. It's within easy walking of some of the tourist spots.
As a "first pass" Take the bus route 100 from the Zoo to the extension of its run (about 45 minutes). It passes the Tiergarten, Bellevue, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag and other familiar sites.This is as good as one of the expensive tour busses but you can use your Welcome card ticket!
VISIT:-
You should see within a weekend the Fernsehturm (tv tower, 10 euro to go up),
Reichstag (free but may be 1 hour queue),
Brandnburg Gate (near Reichstag, look for the WW2 damage),
The Kaiser Willhelm Memorial Church. That's the big broken one fundamental the Zoo. It has a totally interesting exhibition inside.
The Europa Centre shopping precinct. Don't eat or drink here (it's a rip-off) but do try and see how the water clock works.
Persimon Museum (on the Museum Island),
Queen Nefertiti's bust (in the Egyptian museum. It's a truly stunning model, read up something like it before you progress to appreciate it better),
The Brachiosauraus in the Natural History Museum, largest skeleton within captivity. (U-Bahn Zinnowitzer Strasse then amble down InvalidenStr, or it's 10 mins walk from Friederich Strasse S-Bhf). I own a friend who's one of the managers nearby and I promissed to send him some customers.
Bags of pubs and bar, I won't bother to list them. Others will do that for you. Note that various them are associated with Berlin micro-breweries. Drink the "home made" Berliner beer instead of the "international" stuff (you know the brands!).
There is a well brought-up micro brewery in a pub call the Georgbrau adjacent to the Nickolai Quarter. Well worth a call round.
The Nickolai itself is close to Mark-Engles Platz. Here you'll find a big statue of the men themselves. (Yes, you're in the hoary East Berlin now).
In the middle of the road that skirts the Brandenberg Gate you'll see a line of red bricks (careful!). This grades the line of the Berlin Maur (the Wall). Follow it down to the Potsdammer Platz. You won't feel sorry (unless you get run over).
In the mature East Berlin look at the little men on the pelican crossings. They're different from the usual Euro standard - rather a nice touch. (see if you spot the difference).
Visit the Soviet War Memorial surrounded by Treptower Park. ( Free, has an S-Bhf). This is a truly flashing monument to the Soviet Union (as it's meant to be, I suppose). Look it up on satellite viewpoint from Google Maps.
Recommended eating places (there are loads but these are a couple of my favourates:
Deponie 3 (see link). This restaurant is within a railway arch about 5 mins from Freiderichstrasse SBhf. It's excellent. Great atmosphere, fabulous food and drink and you don't carry ripped-off. English (not American!) is spoken.
Thai Inside (see link). Don't let the pattern page put you off. They own menues in Thai, German and English. It's surrounded by a bland side street but the food is fantastic (don't just get through green chicken curry).
HOTELS
There are hundreds which will suit all pockets. My personal penchant is the Hotel Tiergarten (see link). It's near the U7 Turmstrasse station. Two stops from the Zoo (or 20 mins put your foot through the park if it's not raining). Very easy access to most places of interest.
DO NOT:-
a) Cross a road against a red man. If you do next a policeman will materialise from nowhere and give you a accurate wigging.
b) Travel without a valid ticket. The inspectors are other disguised as tramps or piles of dicarded clothes so you can't see them until they demand your fahrsheine.
c) Feed the beggars. There are not abundant in Berlin but the city doesn't want them to breed.
CAREFUL:
Credit cards are commonly agreed but don't let the teller take it out of your verbs.
Smaller pubs and cafes may solitary take lolly.
Cashpoints are all over the place so getting money is glib. Don't carry huge ammounts unless you enjoy to, then you won't suffer from pick-pockets within crowded places.
Do not go to eastern suburbs after shade unless you have a local friend.
Beware of touts outside sleazy places close at hand Orangeburger strasse area. (like London, in recent times take care).
In valise of car or bicycle v pedestrian catastrophe the pedestrian is always wrong.
Enjoy it. I;ve be going for long weekends since the Wall came down. Great place. Don't try and do it adjectives at once.
I see that the "phantom thumbs downer" has be hitting everyone. He/she is only after points so don't tolerate that put you off.
Hire a bike and travel around all the roads to see adjectives you want, they have cycle path that even have own traffic lights and you acquire priority over other traffic. You can hire them cheaply near zoo, not far from railway station Man, this does not provide you much time.try:
1. Fernsehenturm
2. Reichstag
3. Potsdammer Platz IMAX ride
4. River cruise
5. KaDeWe
I don't know--- you could spend months there are never run out of cool things to do...
Good grief woman.
Pull yourself together.
Haven't you realised?
The place is crawling next to Germans!
I've been to Berlin on two separate summer trips and I dated a Berliner girl for 6 years, so here's my recommendation:
1st - The Judisches Museum is pretty amazing and disturbing at times. They really did a good available job with that museum and it is most patently worth seeing.
2nd - The Checkpoint Charlie museum is probably the best in town, in the neighbourhood the remains of the Berlin Wall. They have tons of artifacts that the DDR confiscated from race who were trying to cross the wall - foot bikes, improvised trampolines and it is really amazing to see the lengths that empire would go to to escape the DDR.
3rd - the Teufelsburg, contained by West Berlin, is a huge hill that be created by the Allies after WWII to bury all the rubble. Hiking up the mound, you can see huge chunks of metal and debris coming out of the ground every presently and then - which is gentle of shocking, but definitely make an impact - and when you get to the top of the mount, there is a huge panoramic picture of the entire town. It's a nice hike, a nice judgment, and some history intertwined into the mix.
4th - The Zoo, near Zoologischer Garten (obviously) is pretty nice too. My girlfriend, who be born and raised contained by Berlin, was skeptical of making a trip near, but it was absolutely worth it - the best zoo I've ever been to.
5th - Get some Doner Kebap!! It's Turkish food that they hold everywhere and it is sooooooo good. MMmmmm Doner.
Take the hopp on/off bus tour, this mode you can do sightseeing AND shopping and check out quarters of the city where on earth to go at hours of darkness.
But sure - TV-tower, KaDeWe, at least one museum are things to do. The best afternoon out for adults and children is the zoo,a good daytime out for very little money and don't forget to look in Knut the polar bear whose mummy disowned him.
When going for a dark out.avoid the tourist places and go beside the locals. Start your weekend with a walking tour, for example:
http://www.insiderberlintours.com/inside...
Go to insider, not to the "free" tour, because it is lame!
In the afternoon, travel shopping (remember: no shopping on Sunday) or sit in a cafe and study people, e.g. contained by Prenzlauer Berg (Kollwitzplatz) or in Mitte essential Hackescher Markt. If you're not much of a shopping person but would resembling to do something "useful" and not just sit - dance to a museum, there are dozens of them within Berlin. Most famousely are the:
* Pergamon (archeology)
* The Jewish Musuem (Jewish history)
* Gemaelde Gaelrie (old pics)
* Hamburger Bahnhof
In the evening, take a pub crawl, e.g.
http://www.insiderberlintours.com/inside...
On Sunday morning, after wake up with a hangover contained by a foreign bed (depending how wild your pub crawl was), turn to see the flea market close at hand Tiergarten station, or go to the Berlin Zoo if you similar to zoos; or go to another museum; so much to do!
Hey,
I am from germany=) You must see:
-make a "Spree-Rundfahrt" (travel over teh ocean "spree")
-KaDeWe (kaufhaus des westens)
-Fernsehturm
-Kuh'damm
usw...Have fun in germany!^^
greenday
When will associates stop to recommend the pub crawls? I am from Berlin and that is one of the most annoying things within town lately. Pub owners all over the town are so upset of those drunken tourists that trash the furniture and molest their guests.
I always recommend to check the ExBerliner. It's an English Berlin mag. And they own got a great website beside thousands of things to do and don't...
http://www.exberliner.net/cityguide/
I would advice going to Cologne or Hamburg instead. ;)
Berlin offer too much to give such broad warning. If you could specify the area you're staying and what you are interested contained by, that would be helpful. Are you into music, museums, art, sports... etc.?
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