Berlin Itinerary
Apr 26th, 2015, 04:27 PM
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Berlin Itinerary
Hello! Our trip to Germany is getting closer and we are narrowing down/deciding what to see in Berlin. I do have a map, and have a general idea of where things are, but haven't actually figured out what to see on what day yet. I was hoping for some feedback on our list of things to do and see if anyone had any recommendations on something major I might have missed. I also had some questions on buying passes, towards the bottom of this massively long thread. 
June 17-20 is when we will be in Berlin. We'll probably arrive around 2:30 via the train, and hopefully by 3:30 be able to do some site seeing. The 20th is a day trip to Wittenberg. We are staying somewhat close to the Brandenburg Gate, on Behrenstr street.
Thanks so much for all the help!
Our Top Site to See:
German History Museum
Brandenburg Gate
Pergamon Museum
Memorial to the Murdered Jews
Berlin Wall Memorial
Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie
Neues Museum
Gendermenmarkt--specifically the chocolate store, possibly the two cathedrals?
Topography of Terror
Gemaldegalerie
Reichstag (this should be a top priority to see, right?)
Berlin Cathedral (Dom)
Possible other sites...not totally sure
DDR Museum--from what I've read, I'm not sure if this is totally worth doing, if it came on a pass for "free" we'd be up for it.
Checkpoint Charlie--sounds pretty touristy, the museum sounded good, but not sure about the rest of it.
Jewish Museum Berlin--just not sure if we'd be interested enough to see this, any recommendations?
German Resistance memorial--if we were close to it
musical instruments museum--again if it came on a pass
book burning memorial--we really want to see this actually, but probably not if it's not in the general flow of our site seeing day.
We also want to do and Underground Tour--probably Tour 1:
http://berliner-unterwelten.de/guided-tours.3.1.html
Has anyone done these, recommend one over another? I think we were debating between Tour 1 and Tour M.
We'd probably love to see/hear a concert if we had time. Any free or inexpensive ones? I think maybe the Berlin Cathedral has organ concerts, but I'm not sure the June schedule is out yet.
My sister and I always love to see author/musician houses. Are there any in Berlin that would be worth seeing?
Any other sites or events that would be a top highlight for us to see or do?
Any inexpensive restaurants/types of food you'd recommend us trying while in Berlin?
I also had a few questions on passes.
A Museum Pass Berlin (is there a way to know what it is all covered on this?)
or Berlin Pass
Welcome Card (transport)
Where to buy these? Any issues getting in? I think I read an article somewhere where someone had trouble with the museum pass? I'm suspecting the Museum pass is better than the Berlin Pass, is this correct? The museum pass would be purchased in Germany, not here in the US, correct?
June 17-20 is when we will be in Berlin. We'll probably arrive around 2:30 via the train, and hopefully by 3:30 be able to do some site seeing. The 20th is a day trip to Wittenberg. We are staying somewhat close to the Brandenburg Gate, on Behrenstr street.
Thanks so much for all the help!
Our Top Site to See:
German History Museum
Brandenburg Gate
Pergamon Museum
Memorial to the Murdered Jews
Berlin Wall Memorial
Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie
Neues Museum
Gendermenmarkt--specifically the chocolate store, possibly the two cathedrals?
Topography of Terror
Gemaldegalerie
Reichstag (this should be a top priority to see, right?)
Berlin Cathedral (Dom)
Possible other sites...not totally sure
DDR Museum--from what I've read, I'm not sure if this is totally worth doing, if it came on a pass for "free" we'd be up for it.
Checkpoint Charlie--sounds pretty touristy, the museum sounded good, but not sure about the rest of it.
Jewish Museum Berlin--just not sure if we'd be interested enough to see this, any recommendations?
German Resistance memorial--if we were close to it
musical instruments museum--again if it came on a pass
book burning memorial--we really want to see this actually, but probably not if it's not in the general flow of our site seeing day.
We also want to do and Underground Tour--probably Tour 1:
http://berliner-unterwelten.de/guided-tours.3.1.html
Has anyone done these, recommend one over another? I think we were debating between Tour 1 and Tour M.
We'd probably love to see/hear a concert if we had time. Any free or inexpensive ones? I think maybe the Berlin Cathedral has organ concerts, but I'm not sure the June schedule is out yet.
My sister and I always love to see author/musician houses. Are there any in Berlin that would be worth seeing?
Any other sites or events that would be a top highlight for us to see or do?
Any inexpensive restaurants/types of food you'd recommend us trying while in Berlin?
I also had a few questions on passes.
A Museum Pass Berlin (is there a way to know what it is all covered on this?)
or Berlin Pass
Welcome Card (transport)
Where to buy these? Any issues getting in? I think I read an article somewhere where someone had trouble with the museum pass? I'm suspecting the Museum pass is better than the Berlin Pass, is this correct? The museum pass would be purchased in Germany, not here in the US, correct?
Apr 27th, 2015, 12:22 AM
#3
We visited Berlin as a family in 2013, and here are some excerpts from our trip report that may be useful.
Berlin Transportation. For us, the Berlin Welcome Card was perfect. Five days of unlimited public transportation in Zones A,B,C (to include Potsdam, although ultimately we decided to drive that day) plus discounts at various museums. On our sixth, and final day, we purchased a Tageskarte (day transit pass) for each of the adults (DS is 17, DD is 12 (free)). The pass, easy to purchase at any station (with cash or Bankomat), easily paid for itself. The “Berlin Welcome Card” booklet, though, was not so easy to collect. Many shopkeepers were reluctant to hand over the (free) book for some odd reason.
Berlin Sightseeing. I had prepared and printed a half-dozen GoogleMaps with various thematic routes for our holiday (Berlin Mitte, Cold War History, Potsdam, etc.) Each map also included a few restaurants of differing cuisines, to help avoid the arguments that ensue when we become hungry, as well. Though we deviated as interests were piqued, the little maps, tucked securely into our outdated guidebook from a previous visit in 2002 offered options wherever we wandered. This little trick was my genius move.
Some of our collective highlights:
The Reichstag. Another genius move to reserve morning entrances. The queue was non-existent; the dome was quiet; and as luck would have it, the morning sun made for gorgeous photos. As we were leaving, not so much.
The VW bug at the Checkpoint Charlie Museum that helped 500 people escape from East to West. Also in the museum were columns of donated DDR passports, tokens of a time not worth remembering, but a time that will never be forgotten. We unfortunately arrived just as one of the HOHO buses disgorged a pile of rude camera-clickers (those who did not spring for the €2 photo pass, instead snapping away with their iPhones against the rules.)
Quite possibly one of our top museum experiences of the holiday, the hour or so spent at the DDR Museum. More than just exhibits of "Ostalgia," the museum offered real, and sometimes interactive glimpses into life behind the wall. We all came away more informed, and humbled. (I took an interactive quiz in the museum to determine if I could rise in the "Young Pioneer" ranks. Let's just say my Levis-wearing, smuggled-Nivea-cream-from-friends-in-the-West-self would not have been promoted.)
As for “Berlin’s Top Museums,” we spent a morning at the Pergamon Museum (again, we arrived early and were thankful that we had.) An afternoon at the Hamburger Hauptbahnhof’s modern art museum amused all of us; another afternoon at the Gemaldegallerie, less so. The arrangement of the art in the latter just didn’t make sense to us; we wished we had gone to the National Museum instead.
Time spent walking the entire length of the East Side Gallery (Berlin Wall) and a fabulous American tailgate food lunch at nearby Ankerklause!
Berlin’s Currywurst Museum. Discounted with the Berlin Welcome Card, this brief diversion was welcome in the midst of so much history. Informative and fun, and with currywurst samples at the end. What’s not to like?
As for our food scene:
DD became an expert on currywurst, Berlin's signature street food. (Even I, a certified ketchup hater, had to admit that the marriage of the tomato-y sauce with curry spices, slathered over a grilled bratwurst was top-rate street eats.) And when paired with perfectly crispy fried potatoes and a Berliner Pilsner at the cozy Treffpunkt Alt Berliner it became a rather civilized street food.
Throughout the week DH and DS enjoyed simple but satisfying plates of Buletten, basically a large seasoned meatball served with a heaping side of potato salad. Lots of meat, lots of potato. Just as they like it. Their favorite happened to be at Treffpunkt Alt Berliner.
One evening we dined at the KaDaWe oyster bar, with a round of slippery Scottish bivalves to toast DS’s college acceptance, followed by a pricey but delicious supper of kabeljaus gratin (cod gratin). Vienna does not have a department store like the KaDaWe, so my evening there was a shopping highlight of the holiday.
On one afternoon our rumbling tummies were drawn to the Restaurant Shi-Mai, hidden in a food court-like setting near the Berlin SeaLife Aquarium. DH and DS rated their crispy duck with noodles "gut geschmeckt," and DD and I declared our chicken and pumpkin curry the most savory and spicy and delicious curry we've eaten in a restaurant since moving across the pond. (Vienna does not really embrace spicy food well.)
On another afternoon we wandered into a tiny and homey tavern (AltBerliner Weissbeirstube) near the Berliner Dom for lunch, wherein I stopped reading the menu at “cabbage roll in bacon sauce,” the house specialty. My selfish-self offered no one at the table a taste. Everyone else pronounced their meals equally as satisfactory.
Berlin Transportation. For us, the Berlin Welcome Card was perfect. Five days of unlimited public transportation in Zones A,B,C (to include Potsdam, although ultimately we decided to drive that day) plus discounts at various museums. On our sixth, and final day, we purchased a Tageskarte (day transit pass) for each of the adults (DS is 17, DD is 12 (free)). The pass, easy to purchase at any station (with cash or Bankomat), easily paid for itself. The “Berlin Welcome Card” booklet, though, was not so easy to collect. Many shopkeepers were reluctant to hand over the (free) book for some odd reason.
Berlin Sightseeing. I had prepared and printed a half-dozen GoogleMaps with various thematic routes for our holiday (Berlin Mitte, Cold War History, Potsdam, etc.) Each map also included a few restaurants of differing cuisines, to help avoid the arguments that ensue when we become hungry, as well. Though we deviated as interests were piqued, the little maps, tucked securely into our outdated guidebook from a previous visit in 2002 offered options wherever we wandered. This little trick was my genius move.
Some of our collective highlights:
The Reichstag. Another genius move to reserve morning entrances. The queue was non-existent; the dome was quiet; and as luck would have it, the morning sun made for gorgeous photos. As we were leaving, not so much.
The VW bug at the Checkpoint Charlie Museum that helped 500 people escape from East to West. Also in the museum were columns of donated DDR passports, tokens of a time not worth remembering, but a time that will never be forgotten. We unfortunately arrived just as one of the HOHO buses disgorged a pile of rude camera-clickers (those who did not spring for the €2 photo pass, instead snapping away with their iPhones against the rules.)
Quite possibly one of our top museum experiences of the holiday, the hour or so spent at the DDR Museum. More than just exhibits of "Ostalgia," the museum offered real, and sometimes interactive glimpses into life behind the wall. We all came away more informed, and humbled. (I took an interactive quiz in the museum to determine if I could rise in the "Young Pioneer" ranks. Let's just say my Levis-wearing, smuggled-Nivea-cream-from-friends-in-the-West-self would not have been promoted.)
As for “Berlin’s Top Museums,” we spent a morning at the Pergamon Museum (again, we arrived early and were thankful that we had.) An afternoon at the Hamburger Hauptbahnhof’s modern art museum amused all of us; another afternoon at the Gemaldegallerie, less so. The arrangement of the art in the latter just didn’t make sense to us; we wished we had gone to the National Museum instead.
Time spent walking the entire length of the East Side Gallery (Berlin Wall) and a fabulous American tailgate food lunch at nearby Ankerklause!
Berlin’s Currywurst Museum. Discounted with the Berlin Welcome Card, this brief diversion was welcome in the midst of so much history. Informative and fun, and with currywurst samples at the end. What’s not to like?
As for our food scene:
DD became an expert on currywurst, Berlin's signature street food. (Even I, a certified ketchup hater, had to admit that the marriage of the tomato-y sauce with curry spices, slathered over a grilled bratwurst was top-rate street eats.) And when paired with perfectly crispy fried potatoes and a Berliner Pilsner at the cozy Treffpunkt Alt Berliner it became a rather civilized street food.
Throughout the week DH and DS enjoyed simple but satisfying plates of Buletten, basically a large seasoned meatball served with a heaping side of potato salad. Lots of meat, lots of potato. Just as they like it. Their favorite happened to be at Treffpunkt Alt Berliner.
One evening we dined at the KaDaWe oyster bar, with a round of slippery Scottish bivalves to toast DS’s college acceptance, followed by a pricey but delicious supper of kabeljaus gratin (cod gratin). Vienna does not have a department store like the KaDaWe, so my evening there was a shopping highlight of the holiday.
On one afternoon our rumbling tummies were drawn to the Restaurant Shi-Mai, hidden in a food court-like setting near the Berlin SeaLife Aquarium. DH and DS rated their crispy duck with noodles "gut geschmeckt," and DD and I declared our chicken and pumpkin curry the most savory and spicy and delicious curry we've eaten in a restaurant since moving across the pond. (Vienna does not really embrace spicy food well.)
On another afternoon we wandered into a tiny and homey tavern (AltBerliner Weissbeirstube) near the Berliner Dom for lunch, wherein I stopped reading the menu at “cabbage roll in bacon sauce,” the house specialty. My selfish-self offered no one at the table a taste. Everyone else pronounced their meals equally as satisfactory.
Jun 26th, 2015, 07:15 AM
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JAustenFan, Thanks for your report! We'll be in Berlin for 2 1/2 days in September, as part of a visit to a few other capitals. Being such a large city, and having only a short time, your suggestions are very helpful. There doesn't seem to be very much info on Berlin on Fodor's. Guidebooks are valuable, but having insight from another traveler is appreciated. Thanks so much!
Jun 30th, 2015, 05:55 AM
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Tomarkot, that trip report wasn't actually mine. It was fourfortravel's. We did enjoy Berlin a lot though! Depending on the age of those traveling with you...I'd pass on the DDR museum though. The Berlin Dom and the German History Museum were excellent!
Jun 30th, 2015, 06:22 AM
#7
From my memory of several stays in Berlin (some of which have been filled with little more than hanging around during the day and doing opera performances and other unmentionables at night do take what I say for what it may be worth):
Pergamon Museum: the last time we went we also went early and are glad we did; the place is popular and while we waited in line a whole bunch of tour buses arrived and discharged visitors like ourselves. If you can get tickets ahead of time I would do that.
Checkpoint Charlie Museum: enjoyed the museum and seeing the various means some of the people used to escape from the East
B-burg Gate..easy to see and the Jewish Memorial is close by as I recall.
If the Topography of Terror is that ruins of the Gestapo Hq then be aware..it is a ruins with interesting signage.
Bookburning Memorial? All I recall is a glass plate over an older sidewalk near the opera house saying this is the location of one of the piles of books.
Reichstag: very enjoyable, mainly the dome.
KaDeWe: the food hall is legendary and for good reason. Also not cheap.
Getting around: we usually stay in a hotel in the Potsdamer Platz area and always use public transport. Make sure any of those "cards" or "passes" you might buy are going to get USED enough to make their cost worthwhile. The U/S-Bahn system is massive and it is easy to buy tickets from the machines.
Berliner Dom: attended several concerts there in the past; wonderfully decorated inside.
Consider seeing the Kaiser Wilhem church and perhaps the Charlottenburg Palace; are you going out to Potsdam at all for either the Nieuw Palace or the Sans Souci?
Pergamon Museum: the last time we went we also went early and are glad we did; the place is popular and while we waited in line a whole bunch of tour buses arrived and discharged visitors like ourselves. If you can get tickets ahead of time I would do that.
Checkpoint Charlie Museum: enjoyed the museum and seeing the various means some of the people used to escape from the East
B-burg Gate..easy to see and the Jewish Memorial is close by as I recall.
If the Topography of Terror is that ruins of the Gestapo Hq then be aware..it is a ruins with interesting signage.
Bookburning Memorial? All I recall is a glass plate over an older sidewalk near the opera house saying this is the location of one of the piles of books.
Reichstag: very enjoyable, mainly the dome.
KaDeWe: the food hall is legendary and for good reason. Also not cheap.
Getting around: we usually stay in a hotel in the Potsdamer Platz area and always use public transport. Make sure any of those "cards" or "passes" you might buy are going to get USED enough to make their cost worthwhile. The U/S-Bahn system is massive and it is easy to buy tickets from the machines.
Berliner Dom: attended several concerts there in the past; wonderfully decorated inside.
Consider seeing the Kaiser Wilhem church and perhaps the Charlottenburg Palace; are you going out to Potsdam at all for either the Nieuw Palace or the Sans Souci?
Jun 30th, 2015, 07:20 AM
#8
we also liked Charlottenburg, and you can get a boat back which takes you past many interesting buildings in central Berlin, including the Reichstag. there's also a boat trip on the Spree that just goes around the centre which takes about an hour - you probably don't want to do both.
I can also recommend the German Historical museum:
https://www.dhm.de/en/ausstellungen/
we found the exhibitions very interesting and all the info is in english as well as german. [oops - (1 see that JAustenFan has said the same thing - sorry!]
I can also recommend the German Historical museum:
https://www.dhm.de/en/ausstellungen/
we found the exhibitions very interesting and all the info is in english as well as german. [oops - (1 see that JAustenFan has said the same thing - sorry!]
Jun 30th, 2015, 12:27 PM
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First of all, apologies to fourfortravel for not properly acknowledging you as the author of the report excerpts on Berlin. And thanks, JAustenFan, for pointing out the proper author and adding some ideas. It was, no doubt, a case of "haste makes waste". Glad you had a good time in Berlin. To you both, thanks!
Dukey 1 and annhig, thank you for chiming in with your good ideas and "tips". We appreciate all the helpful info.
Dukey 1 and annhig, thank you for chiming in with your good ideas and "tips". We appreciate all the helpful info.
Jul 1st, 2015, 06:32 AM
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I was in Berlin for a week in late May 2015. What to do really depends on your interests.
The highlights for me (because I'm fascinated by 20th century history) were the German History Museum and The Topography of Terrors. Though I'm not an art lover (with certain exceptions), I also enjoyed the Gemaldegarie. Well curated and a gorgeous building with natural light.
I had some excellent walking tours with Context Travel. In addition to WWI/WWII focused tours, I also did a Walk the Wall tour with Context that was terrific. The East Side Gallery (and street art generally) don't appeal to me, but the docent (who lived in East Berlin until she was 10), had tremendous insights.
I've heard good things about Brewer's Walks, though they are long. I can't speak to whether other walking companies are good. People seem to like them, but the big group walks I've done have not been worthwhile I like Context because they provide in-depth analysis and walks are limited to 6 people. More importantly, their guides are truly experts in their fields. I won't spend my time on the walk hearing anectodes about how many mistresses some prince or king had, for instance. (We can assume they all had manymistresses or lovers.) But Context isn't cheap, let alone "free."
I thought the Holocaust Memorial and Memorial to the Sinta and Roma were particularly moving (though I wanted to strangle parents who thought it fine to let children run around in the former - attractive because of its labyrinth qualities).
In contrast, I found the Memorial to the Homosexuals Persecuted by Nazism to be offensive to their memory. Hidden away, you have to look through a tiny peephole to see a video of men kissing. Stereotypes and stigmatism abound.
You have to decide if the Pergamon is worth your time without the altar, especially since the museum charges the same entry fee. If there's a museum pass that allows you to pop in here and there strategically, it might well be worth it. Hotel friends said they enjoyed the Pergamon anyway. They also went to an afternoon Philharmonic concert that they loved.
To each his own of course. I know I'm in the very small minority, but I found the city necessary, but ugly (architecturally, it's a train wreck). I went out to Potsdam for a respite. It was quite pleasant, but I don't think you'd have the time.
The highlights for me (because I'm fascinated by 20th century history) were the German History Museum and The Topography of Terrors. Though I'm not an art lover (with certain exceptions), I also enjoyed the Gemaldegarie. Well curated and a gorgeous building with natural light.
I had some excellent walking tours with Context Travel. In addition to WWI/WWII focused tours, I also did a Walk the Wall tour with Context that was terrific. The East Side Gallery (and street art generally) don't appeal to me, but the docent (who lived in East Berlin until she was 10), had tremendous insights.
I've heard good things about Brewer's Walks, though they are long. I can't speak to whether other walking companies are good. People seem to like them, but the big group walks I've done have not been worthwhile I like Context because they provide in-depth analysis and walks are limited to 6 people. More importantly, their guides are truly experts in their fields. I won't spend my time on the walk hearing anectodes about how many mistresses some prince or king had, for instance. (We can assume they all had manymistresses or lovers.) But Context isn't cheap, let alone "free."
I thought the Holocaust Memorial and Memorial to the Sinta and Roma were particularly moving (though I wanted to strangle parents who thought it fine to let children run around in the former - attractive because of its labyrinth qualities).
In contrast, I found the Memorial to the Homosexuals Persecuted by Nazism to be offensive to their memory. Hidden away, you have to look through a tiny peephole to see a video of men kissing. Stereotypes and stigmatism abound.
You have to decide if the Pergamon is worth your time without the altar, especially since the museum charges the same entry fee. If there's a museum pass that allows you to pop in here and there strategically, it might well be worth it. Hotel friends said they enjoyed the Pergamon anyway. They also went to an afternoon Philharmonic concert that they loved.
To each his own of course. I know I'm in the very small minority, but I found the city necessary, but ugly (architecturally, it's a train wreck). I went out to Potsdam for a respite. It was quite pleasant, but I don't think you'd have the time.
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May 17th, 2014 05:37 AM
