Potsdam to me was a real highlight not only of Berlin but Germany - one of the world's great palaces - Sans Soucci - the Prussian Versailles set in a vast park with all kinds of neat things in it. Short S-Bahn train ride away.

We did the Pergamon during our week in Berlin this past October. There was a huge line waiting outside before the doors opened and remember, this was in OCTOBER, so plan accordingly.

How long to stay? Good question. The big attraction is the altar, of course, and we ended up spending about an hour total. But we have been to Greece in the past so this wasn't all that unusual for us.

Some folks complain about the Checkpoint Charlie museum but I enjoyed it when I visited several years ago. Berlin is pretty easy to navigate using the U and S-Bahn system but it does take time. Honestly, I think you could do all that you wanted in five days.

What do you think of Steves things to do in one day. Is that too much to do in one day?

The Topographie des Terror requires a certain amount of time if one intends to read the information, and most of the information is to be read--the general visual effect is very bland.

Steves is an idiot to suggest anything of the sort.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews does not take a long time...it is near BG.
All the museums take a long time...several hours at least including getting there, possible line up
etc.
There so much to see in Berlin, if you are interested in art and history, I would not consider a day in
Potsdam( unless palaces are your main interest in Europe. I find them a bore.)
I have been to Berlin 3 time in the last three years and hope to go again this summer.
It is not a beautiful city, but its history makes it fascinating
Last summer I booked a tour ( free) of the Bundestag.....it was really interesting, plus one can see the beautiful Dome .

P.s.
Agree
with Michael about T of Terror.....we bought the book with all the pictures and documents on display at the Museum.
A must read fro those interested in the history oh Nazism.

In you opinon worth is the T of Terrow worth a visit then

yes, absolutely.

I have never taken the 30-minute audio tour of the Pergamon, but 30-minutes to visit the entire Pergamon is an impossibility. I would hazard a guess that the "tour" consists of the four great displays: the Zeus altar, the Gates/Marketplace of Miletus, the Gates of Ishtar and the fourth - which I can't remember right off the bat.

The entire Rick Steves itinerary sounds like a "skim along the surface" type of visit. If you have allotted two days, then the Rick Steves itinerary might work for you.

Otherwise, you could spend an entire day in the Pergamon and not seen it all.

You might want to look into the 3-day Museum Pass or the 2/3-day Welcome Card for your short stay.

I know I need a reservation to visit the dome @ Reichstag,about how long does it take to visit?

Obviously if you read my post and then easytraveler's you can see that how long it takes it totally relative. To IMPLY that someone hasn't had some sort of meaningful experience in a location based on time spent alone speaks for itself.

I think it was an hour or so... Including the security procedures and a walk around the Dome.
one can spend more time looking at the lovely view.


I saw only a few highlights in Preg. - I am not interested in that epoch.

Some people are more tolerant of going from museum to museum, others find it a useless blur.
I cannot take more than two" attractions" in a day ...after 1-2hours in a museum or a gallery I am done.

You know best what interests you and how much you can absorb in a day.

It really depends upon how much you like museums. My husband and I needed at least a week in Berlin. The Jewish Museum took most of the day. The Memorial is one of those places that I will never forget. It was one of the most beautifully orchestrated memorials I've ever seen, and as one walks through it you understand what it means when art talks to you. It took quite a while.

If you have 3-5 days in Berlin, take the 5 days.
Where else are you going?

I would rather really enjoy a good museum then to be thinking of running off to the next one.

Potsdam is only interesting because it's one of those places where everyone has an opinion.

You may be able to "get through" the attractions of Berlin in quick time but getting through Berlin is totally different. It is one of the most vibrant cities I've ever been.

Steeeevees is an idiot. The Pergamon is a fantastic Museum and you need 2 hours at least -more if you're interested in the content. He measures time by tour group time - how fat can yuo run a few people through a place pointing out 1 or 2 famous items. Similarly you need much more time at any of the other places. (Since you name so many museums I assume that you like them. If you don;t you could drop some and rush through others.)

Separately I think any HOHO bus is a waste of time and money. Better to go to the places you want - and learn about the city by exploring on foot.

I have only been to Berlin once - for 6 days - and still had a lot we wanted to see/do. We;re doing a meeting there in Sept and I hope to add 3 or 4 days of sightseeing.

LSky,
I also found the Memorial strangely moving...so different!
The Jewish Museum seemed set up as a" teaching" museum
(in some respect). The Holocaust Tower was a chilling experience.

My favorite Gallery in Berlin is Neue Nationalgalerie.
Often , very interesting exhibits can be found at the Museum of German history
and Martin-Gropius building.

Thanks much. Decision is made. My husband and I will have 6 days and then my daughter who does not enjoy art museums will join us for 3 days. Before I start my accomadation search any opinons on areas to stay and a hotel or B & B idea.

What is your budget for lodging?

The hotels in Berlin are much cheaper than other big European cities. Same goes for apt. rentals.
Like some others here, I stayed at Melia ( twice) and found the location perfect.

You've been getting great advice already.

I would just like to stress that November is not the typical time of year to enjoy perfect weather. A certain degree of flexibility of what to see indoors vs outdoors each day is always good.

On my very subjective list, items like the Reichstag rank more a the bottom. In addition, lining up in cold November weather is not fun.

Besides the permanent exhibitions, there are usually always very interesting temporary exhibitions in museums like:
Martin-Gropius-Bau or
Neue Nationalgallerie or the
Guggenheim.
It does not hurt to keep an eye on the calender of upcoming events and exhibitions of the tourist information
www.visitberlin.com

Aside from the "big ones" of the museums, there is also a number of smaller or less-known (art) museums like the Berlin State Art Gallery, around the corner from the Jewish Museum.
As Berlin has always been the focal point of arts in Germany, its permanent collection of "Art in Berlin 1880-1980" is actually a compact crash course on a dozen or so artistic styles, grouped in a respective number of rooms. You can leisurly stroll through this timeline in an hour.
www.berlinischegalerie.de

If you are into photography check out the ever changing exhibitions of c/o Gallery could interest you:
www.co-berlin.info
IMO, the most interesting exhibitions in all of Germany.

While Checkpoint Charlie does not look anything anymore as in the days of the Cold War, a more realistic impression of what the Wall had been is given at the Wall Memorial. Free admission.
www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de

For a more contemporary approach to Berlin living, you can get the different vibes of the city at different locations (maybe to save it for the time your daughter will join you):

Kreuzberg - from Görlizer Bahnhof subway station from the new mosque up Oranienstr., Istanbul meets hipster

Prenzlauer Berg - around Eberswalder Str. subway station, formerly "hip East Berlin" now gentrified into the mecca of DI2KS (double income, 2 kids) , now with many local designer boutiques and restaurants/cafes rather than the formerly "alternative lifestyle"

Mitte - between Oranienburger Str. S-Bahn station and Rosenthaler Platz subway station. Jewish Berlin with the synagogue, Kosher restaurants and snack bars, upscale shopping around Hackescher Markt.

Prenzlauer Berg is also a good place to look for apartments, if you don't want a hotel. Usually you get much more space for same money.
As for hotels, the aforementioned Melia does put you in walking distance of many sights in the historic Mitte district, so location-wise it's a no brainer.

The New Berliner himself is not on the forefront of the calvinistic working ethics commando, so aside from supermarkets little opens before 10am. In fact, many Germans suspect the Berliners not even to get up before 10am.
If your daughter plans to explore the Berlin club & party scene, you will understand why some won't get up before 10. After all, you need at least 4-5 hrs of sleep.

Museums sometimes start around 9am and often have late opening hours -- which are often a safer bet for the more overrun museums as all tourists and tour buses seem to rush to the morning opening hour.
"To chill" is considered an activity but as November can be somewhat ghastly and chilly (last years it has not been) don't expect too much going on outdoors.

Rather than a Ho-Ho bus tour, do consider going on one of the many high-quality walking tours on offer in Berlin. If only Rick would try some of these instead of flogging some bus tour or an audio guide, he might get an accurate, but also different understanding of the cities he writes about. Do one on your first day to get a good orientation to the city as well as giving you an opportunity to ask the guide questions about local events and other suggestions.

easytraveler, I have not thought about a budget yet mostly because I am not sure how much lodging will be with 3 of us. Generally, I am not interested in spending a great deal if we will be on the go most of the time. So, I guess I would say in a bigger city for 2 of us I would want to be between $125. and 150. So I'm not sure how much that would equate to with 3 of us. Location and clean are important to me, all the frill are less important.

Last summer one could not line up to get into Bundestag/ Reichstag

A reservation had to be made , the time and date confirmed.
The security was high. The official gov. guide provided information on
the history of the building and its role in the past and today.
There are still a few walls from the old building with writings by Russian soldiers on them.

I seldom take tours, but this one was intersting to me for the way it was presented.
The guide made a point of NOT referring to the building as Reichstag and strongly
emphasized the democratic nature of Germany today as contrasted to the past.
The Dome is really a wonderful piece of architecture ...the only other way to see it
was by making a reservation at the restaurant.
I can see why the locals may not find it of particular interest, but it is the second most visited
"attraction"in Germany ( after the Cologne cathedral)

The Wall memorial Cowboy mentioned seemed somehow more
"authentic" than CC. I would recommend a visit if you have time.

I'd suggest that you might want to look into renting an apartment for a week.

Normally, I would not recommend airbnb, but for Germany, I've had nothing but good experiences with them. Use of airbnb means doing a lot of research and having a certain familiarity with the city of Berlin, so you will know where you are staying. Important to notice are how many reviews the person has had and what the cancellation policy is. I also like to be near a metro station. You can get a very nice apartment for your price range.

When you do your search, put in 3 persons instead of 2.

Otherwise, my BIL likes the Art'otel Berlin Mitte, which is running for about $150 plus taxes and fees. He has no complaints but on tripadvisor it looks like the most common complaint is overbooking.

I myself center my place of residence in Berlin around opera, so I have my favorite place,but it's out in Charlottenburg, which may not be central enough for your purposes.

Hopefully, others will chime in with their hotel suggestions.

danon, As a memorial it was one of the best I've ever encountered. It made me think and before I came out on the other side, I realized it had taught me something valuable.
I began to understand exactly what happened and how easily it could happen again with any of us being on either side of it.

The architect Peter Eisenman, deserves recognition. His choice of those exact concrete blocks, perfectly polished was phenomenal. It was so simple going in and before long it was easy to be lost. We spent a good hour there.

Yes, we plan to do the memorial. Thanks, I don't think anyone has mentioned the Gemaldegalerie or the German HIstory Museum. Any thought about either of them?

I wouldn't go or not go to a museum based on someone else's opinion. It's a personal thing. I've driven miles out of my way to see something that might interest me.

Go the the museum's website and look through it. If there are paintings and artists you've yearned to see, don't miss it.

I see that you'll be going to Dresden, personally, I didn't like Dresden. I hope you'll go anyway

I didn't mean to sound brusque but just wanted to convey that if you rely too much on other people's opinion, you'll be taking their trip.

My husband and I adored Charlottenburg, the palace as well as the museums near the palace. (in fact the museums were more memorable to me than the palace as I look back.)It's not big and splashy.


Something else about Dresden; we hiked in the mountains outside of Dresden and it was magical.

I did not have time to go through the German History museum...seemed huge,
Ther are alway exhibits in the building right behind the Museum
- designed by I.M. Pei. I saw three last summer( all related to German history)

My interest is more recent artt...I liked Hamburger Bahnhof ( very contemporary )
As PP said, it is what interests YOU.

On the other hand, I liked Dresden and don't care for palaces, castles, and churches.
See!

danon, so happy to read about the Hamburger Bahnhof. I suppose I should have expected to have my camera out when we arrive.

Of course I will visit what sounds most interesting to me, husband, daughter or who ever I am traveling but opinons are always appreciated; then I can sort through them.