A couple of days in Berlin
 

We could have 3- 5 days in Berlin in late November. Steves says that in one day you can do Pergamon Museum and Neues in the morning (I know tht you need a timed ticket) and then in the afternoon Topograph of Terror, Wall at Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Wall Memorial, and Jewish Museum. That seems like a lot to me. He talks about the audio tour at Pergamon only taking 30 minutes.Does that mean 30 minutes is enough for this museum. HOw realistic is this itinerary. What is an approximate time to spend at the museums and Topograph of Terror? I know that everyone is different in their time spent but approximate is fine with me to judge if this is a doable day.
Then on another day he suggests the Hop on-HOp off bus, Reichstage (reservation needed) Brandenburg Gate and German History Museum. What are your thoughts of this day???
I would also like to visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and do the Berlin Underground Walk. Would it be good to put those two together in a day or combine them with something mentioned above in a 3rd day. Any real highlights that you think we should not miss? We may or may not do the Gemaldegalerie.

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.