Berlin pictures and comments
Oct 10th, 2004, 05:04 AM
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Berlin pictures and comments
I just wanted to say thanks to those who gave me some last-minute tips for my trip to Berlin last weekend. In particular thanks to WillTravel who helped with all my questions.
It was a trip I had booked for a while but for one reason and another, my preparation was a bit last minute.
For anyone interested, I have uploaded some pictures at:
http://community.webshots.com/album/198195856yzSkUQ
Some additional comments that may be helpful to others travelling to Berlin:
- I took a "free" walk with New Berlin Tours
http://www.newberlintours.com/free_tour.php
The guide explains you can tip him what you like when the tour is finished. It was about 3 1/2 hours and covered lots of the main sights in that time and was very informative.
- I visited the Reichstag but in order to avoid long queues I arrived at about 8.30 on Sunday morning. The wait was about 20 minutes which by all accounts is pretty good. I think the best advice here is to get there as early as possible. It opens at 8 each day.
- The train journey from Schonefeld Airport to central Berlin was fast, frequent and efficient. I didn't have much luggage but would recommend this as a simple way to get to the city.
- I bought a WelcomeCard at the airport. It costs €21 and is valid for 72 hours from validation on all public transport. It also gives discounts on a number of tourist attractions. More details can be found at
http://www.btm.de/english/unterwegs/...lcomecard.html
If I think of anything else, I'll add it to this message.
It was a trip I had booked for a while but for one reason and another, my preparation was a bit last minute.
For anyone interested, I have uploaded some pictures at:
http://community.webshots.com/album/198195856yzSkUQ
Some additional comments that may be helpful to others travelling to Berlin:
- I took a "free" walk with New Berlin Tours
http://www.newberlintours.com/free_tour.php
The guide explains you can tip him what you like when the tour is finished. It was about 3 1/2 hours and covered lots of the main sights in that time and was very informative.
- I visited the Reichstag but in order to avoid long queues I arrived at about 8.30 on Sunday morning. The wait was about 20 minutes which by all accounts is pretty good. I think the best advice here is to get there as early as possible. It opens at 8 each day.
- The train journey from Schonefeld Airport to central Berlin was fast, frequent and efficient. I didn't have much luggage but would recommend this as a simple way to get to the city.
- I bought a WelcomeCard at the airport. It costs €21 and is valid for 72 hours from validation on all public transport. It also gives discounts on a number of tourist attractions. More details can be found at
http://www.btm.de/english/unterwegs/...lcomecard.html
If I think of anything else, I'll add it to this message.
Oct 10th, 2004, 08:50 AM
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Our tour guide was Aaron (from Wisconsin I think) - he was very knowledgable and clearly had a deep interest in what he was showing us.
I thought the Top Hotel Alsterhof was perfect for our needs. They combined my two Priceline reservations without me asking so no need to check out and back in on the crossover day. They honoured my twin-bed request and Priceline was never mentioned. For £30 per night, this was a steal although I hear even better Berlin bargains are to be had if you drop lucky with some of the other hotels on offer.
The location of the hotel was ideal for us due to its proximity to Augsburger U-Bahn, Witternbergplatz U-Bahn and Zoo U- and S-Bahn stations.
Nowhere in Berlin is going to be a perfect location for everything but I was pleased overall, being close to transport options was the main factor for us. The hotel has free internet access in the lobby which was a plus too. We didn't use the bar or restaurant and so I can't comment on those - too many eating and drinking choices in Berlin as it is!
I thought the Top Hotel Alsterhof was perfect for our needs. They combined my two Priceline reservations without me asking so no need to check out and back in on the crossover day. They honoured my twin-bed request and Priceline was never mentioned. For £30 per night, this was a steal although I hear even better Berlin bargains are to be had if you drop lucky with some of the other hotels on offer.
The location of the hotel was ideal for us due to its proximity to Augsburger U-Bahn, Witternbergplatz U-Bahn and Zoo U- and S-Bahn stations.
Nowhere in Berlin is going to be a perfect location for everything but I was pleased overall, being close to transport options was the main factor for us. The hotel has free internet access in the lobby which was a plus too. We didn't use the bar or restaurant and so I can't comment on those - too many eating and drinking choices in Berlin as it is!
