Mainhattengirl

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.

tidy

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.

danon

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.

easytraveler

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.

LSky

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.

tidy

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?

LSky

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

LSky

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.

danon

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.

danon

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

LSky

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

tidy

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.

danon

You are right, tidy
Hearing others' opinions is what the Forum is all about.
Ther is so much to see in Berlin, it is good to hear all sides.
i