Ginger

I'll be in Berlin for 5 or 6 days at the beginning of December. Does anyone have suggestions for must-see places of interest plus dining and hotel suggestions. <BR> <BR>I'm looking for medium price central hotel and restaurants and, as I doubt I'll be in Berlin again, places of interest that reflect the history of this city. I've read the guide books but personal suggestions would be welcome. <BR> <BR>Thanks.

top

For Ginger, doing it backwards and in high heels.

Patrick

We loved Hecker's Hotel, right off the K'dam, great area -- super friendly and beautiful small hotel. Check their website at [email protected]. <BR>Are you traveling alone? There were a number of single business type travelers there, male and female. Their breakfast buffet is wonderful, and their small adjoining restaurant is absolutely superb. Also, don't miss eating at the wildly popular 12 Apostles, a short walk away.

Gregory

Ginger, <BR> <BR>Just a few suggestions, <BR>It's been a few years since i have been to Berlin but might go back soon ( British Airways offering £69 flights) <BR>The Brandenberg Gate <BR>The Olympic Stadium ( you can go inside it as long as there are no events on) <BR>Unter der Linden- The old avenue leading east from the Brandenerg Gate <BR> <BR>On a good day, take a trip up the Television tower at Alexanderplazt which offers great views views <BR> <BR>The various museums one of which has the Ishtar gate. <BR> <BR>A trip to Potsdam <BR> <BR>The church just by the Kurfurstendam ( can't recall the name of it just now but will try to find out ) <BR> <BR>Have a grat trip.

Gaia

I stayed in Berlin last August, here are my suggestions. <BR>Take a Double Decker Bus Tour first day. <BR>Find yourself a Hotel in the Eastern Part. <BR>Go to Potsdam by train and have agood look at the new Potsdamer Platz ( this one is in Berlin). Best time is in the evening. <BR>Walk around Kreuzberg a lot of nice restaurants. <BR>A new Jewish museum has opened, it was still closed in summer. I only know about it because I saw it on TV. <BR>If you want to shop, go to the Kurfürstendam, but do not live there.By the way, that is where the church ruins are. <BR>Pity you don't speak German, there are very good theatres, cabarets etc. <BR>

Gaia

Sorry i forgot: use the underground, it is easier than by bus.

Ben Haines

I'm not ure what I can say that isn't in the guide books, but here goes anyway. I shall list these places from west to east, to avoid too much time doubling back and forth. <BR> <BR>The castle at Potsdam <BR>The House of the Wannsee Conference, chilling musum to the Final Solution <BR>Olympia Stadium, great whiff of Adolf Hitler <BR>The Charlottenburg Palace <BR>The museum of Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) next to that palace <BR>A stroll on the Kurfurstendamm <BR>The Topographie des Terrors <BR>The museum at Checkpoint Charlie <BR>Parliament <BR>Potsdamer Platz <BR>Brandenburger Tor <BR>A stroll on Unter den Linden <BR>The Palace of Tears: ask somebody to explain it <BR>The central synagogue on Oranienburgerstrasse <BR>The museums of Museum Island <BR>The statue of Karl Marx <BR>The windows by the staircase in the building on the site of the former Castle (Schloss), the desired image of the east German state <BR>The museum in the offices of the State Police on Normannenstrasse <BR> <BR>Please write if you can't find any of these, or if I can help further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Linda

I love Berlin and you will have a lot to see and do. The Checkpoint Charlie Museum was one of my favorites as well as Templehof Airfield (home of the Berlin Airlifts). The Pergamon Museum has a full ancient ruin and there are a number of nice museums in the city. Potsdam is a nice place. Dresden is just a 2-hour train ride and is interesting. Most of the other places have been mentioned. I did like KaDeWe Department Store on the K'damm, the Info Box (near remaining part of wall and good place to see all the building in the place where the wall used to be), the Reichstag and the memorials near it re people who died trying to escape to the West. The symphony and opera are outstanding and the people so nice. Check nethotels.com for good information regarding hotels and events. Be sure to go to the Christmas Markets and try gluhwein (hot wine), so good.

ellie

I second Patrick's recommendation of Hecker's Hotel. Spent a week there last spring and was delighted with the location and all else he mentioned. <BR>We very much enjoyed a visit to the Bauhaus Archive if you are interested in that groups impact on modern art and design. My husband and son got a big kick out of visiting the large downtown auto showrooms such as that of BMW which happens to be just down the block from Heckers. The 12 Apostel restaurant has two locations - one at Savigny Platz and the other across from the Pergamon Museum - both lively spots featuring great pizza, etc. We adored the zoo-even on a snowy day in March. Also discovered a couple of great weekend open air flea markets (locations and details in most general guide books). Enjoy!

Lauren

I spent almost 2 weeks in Berlin last August and visited many of the "A List" sites. I did some huge reports that our posted on the independenttraveler.com <BR> <BR>Since I was home exchanging, I do not have hotel recommendations, but my trip reports talk about a lot of the sites. When you get to the independenttraveler.com, go to the boards, then Europe, then Germany and you will find my reports under "Maximizing out the Ol' Eurail". There are 8 reports posted with more to come.

ellie

Want to add something to my previous post - the new film museum at the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz is great!

anissa

Ginger, <BR> <BR>You will have so much fun in Berlin. Highly recommend taking the #100 bus - it drives past all the "big" spots like the Ku'damm, the Brandenburg Gate (in fact it goes under it if memory serves), the Memorial Church (the "bombed out" church that everyone was trying to think of the name of), The Reichstag, etc. It will give you a good intro to the city. <BR> <BR>Once you do that, then get off and start hitting the spots. I really enjoyed walking all 200+ steps up a statue that I want to say is something like the Winged Victory (but I don't think that is it) - it is a very large golden statue with Cannons on the pedestal (something like 100 cannons going up the coloum). You get good views up and down the road to the Reichstag. The #100 bus goes right by it. It is also in the Pariser Platz which is very pretty. <BR> <BR>Of course there is the museum at Checkpoint Charlie - must see!! And one of my favorite spots is the Berlin Cathedrial - Berliner Dom. It is the sight of where all the Hohenzollerns were crowned and buried. It also has the second largest organ in the world - when we were there the organist was "practicing" - I tell you, the hair on my arms stood up it was so moving. This church is also very close to the Museum Island - which is where the pergamon is. I am not a huge museum fan, but it was interesting. <BR> <BR>If I think of anything else I will let you know. Berlin is a very interesting and diverse city - enjoy it!!

Gregory

I have just been looking at the British Airways offers and from London to Berlin is £69 between now and March subject to the usual conditions ( availability and Saturday night stay) <BR> <BR>From Edinburgh ( nearest airport) it is £120( last week when i looked it was over £200). Considering most BA flights to London will be around £100 including the taxes this is a good deal so I will be in Berlin from 7th to 10th December.

eva

I spent 5 days in Berlin in July.I'm a museum fan,the best ones are: the new Gemeldegalerie-Old Masters-at the Kulturforum,the museum in Dahlem with richest collection from Africa,the Egyption Museum next to Charlottenburg-Nofretete's famous bust-,and the nearby Berggruen Collection with fantastic paintings from Picasso and Matisse. Buy the 3 days Museum Pass for 16 DEM,the audioguide is everywhere included.On Thu the Pergamon and the Old Masters are open until 10 pm. <BR>From this year not only the bus 100 passes the main sites,but the bus No. 200 as weell,both from Zoo to Alex, the 100 passing Reichstag the 200 Kulturforum and Potsdamer Platz.I took the "Infamous Third Reich" walking tour,it was very interesting.There is a special exhibition on Ku'damm called The Story of Berlin,really superb. <BR>In Potsdam you can buy a combined ticket for 30 Dem, valid for every buiding in Potsdam and Charlottenburg. <BR>For potsdam you need a full day. <BR>I stayed in Hotel Sylterhof-suggested on this forum-good middle class hotel, superb location,the bus no 100 stops in front of the hotel <BR>Enjoy Berlin <BR>Eva <BR> <BR>

Rob McCoist

Some great suggestions here. <BR> <BR>One other trip that you should perhaps consider is to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp located close to the town of Oranienburg (around 50 minutes by S-Bahn from Berlin Ostbahnhof station) <BR> <BR>When we travelled to the camp two years ago we appeared to be the only visitors. What we saw was very humbling and left an impression that will never be forgotten. <BR> <BR>I strongly recommend the trip.

Ginger

I'd like to say a big "thank you" to everyone for all of these wonderful suggestions. I admit after reading the guide book and this thread, I'm beginning to wonder if 6 days is long enough! <BR> <BR>Right! Now to the planning (what fun!!) <BR> <BR>

Ginger

Thanks for all the help I received in planning my Berlin trip.<BR><BR>The Christmas markets had just opened and Kurfurstendam was more brightly decorated each successive night.<BR><BR>Berlin Walks (meet at the taxi rank at Zoo DM 31) has a very good Introduction to Berlin walk that lasts about 3.5 hours (you need to obtain some kind of transport pass before walk or you can buy from guide - if you buy a transport welcome pass before walk you get a 25% discount on walk). Guide very knowledgeable. I bought the 3 day transport pass for DM 32 which I found economic as I did lots of traveling on bus, S and U Bahn (all of which are easy to use). The No. 100 bus suggestion was great. Brandenburg Gate covered in until next Spring. <BR><BR>Pergamon museum was superb (suggest you get the headsets as they give full background to exhibits), Ishtar and Market gates amazing and, if your feet can take it, it's well worth going upstairs to next level (beautifully decorated walls of an excavated Jordanian castle, marvelous carpets and prayer room from Allepo (sp)).<BR><BR>Egyptian museum interesting (a few more English captions would have been nice), Charlottenburg Palace a bit of a disappointment, but grounds, even in winter, delightful. <BR><BR>For me, highlight of trip was the dome of the Reichtag (sweeping double walkways and great views); most moving was the work of the Israeli artist Micha Ullman (work viewed via ground level panel in the square in front of university) - the simplicity of the empty bookshelves at a place where books had been destroyed was extremely poignant. The architecture of the new Jewish museum (a broken star) was superb, "the void" exhibit definitely worth visiting, the poetry (via headphones in Crusader section) utterly beautiful - unfortunately no recordings presently available. There are many more things to see in Berlin, above, for me, were the high and lowlights.<BR><BR>Cost of taxi from Tegel to centre around 30DM <BR><BR>Hope these notes help any other "newy" going to Berlin and thank you fellow Fodorites for helping me. If I can be of any help please ask. <BR><BR>

kate

Reading all of these great posts brings back memories of my trip to the fabulous city of Berlin. It's a fascinating place, full of "ghosts" of both the Nazi era and the Cold War.<BR><BR>All of these suggestions are right on target. I also enjoyed going out the the East Side Gallery, a 1 kilometer stretch where (last time I checked) the wall is intact and artists were invited to paint on the east side of it after the wall came down. Regrettably, I think a lot of the art has been defaced, but if it's still there, it is dramatic seeing that large stretch of wall. Also, right by there is the East side's major department store, and how strikingly different it is from KaDeWe.<BR><BR>The Olympic Stadium is haunting and very easy to get to. Check out the spot on Unter den Linden by the Opera House where the book burning was. There is a really cool memorial there.<BR><BR>History comes alive in this city like few places I have ever been. You will have a wonderful time.<BR><BR>