Berlin
 

Hello. I'm going to Berlin in January 2011. Have any suggestions for non tourist neighborhoods for lodging. My first ime out.

The "tourist" neighbourhoods are near the sights most people want to see. Exactly how far away from all of them would you like to be.

Or do you just want to consider yourself something other than a tourist?

about 4 or 5 train stops away from city center and has local pubs and hangouts. i've never been so please work with me.

We stayed in Prenzlauer. It was about 4-5 train stops from city center. It was definitely non-touristy. It was in a local neighborhood where there were shops and a few pubs.
Also very easy to to navigate as all of Berlin is easy to navigate.
What type of areas are you interested in being in? pubs, artsy, quiet??

Berlin has definitely no "touristy" neighbourhoods. It a metropolis with lots of local people (which are often more colourful than tourists), business and government people. Tourists occupy just 10% of hotel capacity in Berlin. Especially in January you won't see many tourists.

Why would an obvious "tourist' want to stay in a so-called "non-tourist" area? So they can be easily identified?

Oh, for heaven's sake. It is hardly abnormal to want to visit a city and get a feel for day to day life. Many people visit New York City for the first time and specifically look to be out of the tourist hotspots. Ditto San Francisco, Paris, Rome, London and many other places where better restaurants and a better vibe exist away from the tourist attractions.

Berlin has wonderful public transportation. If you want to get to know a corner of it most tourists don't, that sound like intelligent planning to me.

Young and hip: Prenzlauer Berg
Old and posh: Wilmersdorf
Town in town: Spandau
"True" Berlin: Köpenick, Pankow
Quiet and nice: Dahlem
Multicultural: Kreuzberg
Villages: Marienfelde, Lichtenrade, Kladow
Recreational: Friedrichshagen, Schmöckwitz

The only slightly touristy neighbourhood is Prenzlauer Berg.

I would not describe Prenzlauer Berg as touristy. In fact it is a pretty sought after residential area these days and I am not aware of too many hotels in the area.

A large concentration of hotels is to be found in Mitte, which these days probably attracts the most tourists. Another large congregation of hotels can be found around the Eastern end of Ku'(rfuersten)damm in West Berlin. These would be attributable to either Charlottenburg or Wilmersdorf.

For non-touristy, but still central locations I would look still look into precisely these areas. In the case of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf look into off-Ku'damm locations - and even as central as e.g. Savignyplatz should not be too touristy as lots of locals live in the area. For Prenzlauer Berg somewhere around Kollwitzplatz could be good.

For younger, still central neighbourhoods also look into Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.

I would discount Dahlem, Koepenick, Spandau and other outlying areas as Berlin is quite large and commuting to sights could take a while from there. Plus Berlin is large enough to have enough locals living in central locations so it never feels too touristy unless in certain parts of MItte.

With the merger of the Berlin districts, the old district names like "Mitte" often get used by hotels or apartments in the not so fashionable parts of the new bigger districts (to make tourists think that they are located right next to Brandenburg Gate). So always check the street on Google maps or similar to know the exact location.

"Tourist locations" are the central part of Mitte (zip code 10117 and 10178). 10117 gets a bit dead after dark but has most sights within walking distance. 10178 is around the Hackescher Markt with (nowadays mostly) upscale shopping and "I try hard to be cool" restaurants or bars. More for the A&F crowd, pseudo-edgy folks that still drink Caipirinha.

Another tourist area is the Kurfürstendamm (zip codes 10625, 10629, 10785). Not as dead as 10117 but not quite sure if it's already hip again. Lots of shopping opportunities, but not that great to stay IMO. Also not bad.

For laid-back Berlin lifestyle, i.e. breakfast at 11, street markets, clubs, bars, pubs of any shade, all night eateries, cultural venues, the "old" Prenzlauer Berg district is a good choice. Also a very multi-lingual neighborhood where English is spoken widely. Zip codes would be any 104xx (with the possible exception of 10407). You will find many apartments to rent in those areas, but fewer hotels.