We are considering this apartment for a trip in October. I have never had this difficult of a time trying to figure out where to stay.

There are 3 adults: my traveling best friend, my adult son, and me. We have all traveled together internationally before and have stayed in apartments but I just can't seem to make up my mind on Berlin.

I realize Berlin is not Paris, but that was my vision ...restaurants close by for a leisure dinner and drinks, walking distance to some interesting areas and close transportation. I don't think this is possible in Berlin.

We need at least 2 bedrooms and prefer not over $150 per night.

What do you think about this apartment and the area?

http://goo.gl/EMx87

Sorry, I can't help with the specific apartment. Hopefully one of the experts can chime in.

I, too, like to have lots of dining options near by. However, in doing some research for Berlin I found places all over from West Berlin to Prenzlauerberg and inbetween (I'm sure there are places further afield as well).

So, we ended up with more "destination" meals than I normally do. It worked out fine. We ate well and the public transport was easy to use.

My TR: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-with-kids.cfm

The apt . is too far east for me ;Berlin has a great public transit ..., but
I would keep looking.

Thanks danon. Would you suggest only staying in the Mitte area?

Indy_dad, great trip report. I will bookmark it for future info once I get my apartments booked. Berlin is the first stop.

mitte, tiergarten.. these are also nice areas.

yes,
Mitte is a big area ,
as close as you can get to the Museum Island

Is this one any better location?

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p754395

"Very close" to Tiergarten means little when you don't really know the area.

I will continue to try for something in the museum area.

Thanks for the help.

If it helps, I usually stay not too far from the intersection of Unter Den Linden and Friedrichstraße

Hi Itr,

Berlin is a very spread-out city. However, you will be able to reach almost all attractions using the U-Bahn(German Subway). Even late at night, you can usually catch the trains without any problem, specially on weekends.

I have stayed in Berlin a few times, and last time I went there I was looking after apartments for a 4-week rental. I came across the following blog, which I assume I was not very confident at first, since I could not find any reviews, however my stay was excellent and the land lord (Arian Kwee) is a very trustworthy person.

Here is the link for the apartments: http://berlin-apartment.blogspot.com.br/

Feel free to PM me if u have any other questions.

Cheers

The first one is too far east, and the second is too far west and north.

Mitte is the area to be. If you think of the Friedrichstrasse Train/U-Bahn station is the mid point you will be about as central as you can get. From Friedrichstrasse station you can walk within 15 -20 minutes to Museum Island, Gendarmenmarkt, the Reichstag, Brandenburg gate, Berliner Dom, etc., Checkpoint Charlie, etc. That is the best bang for you walking buck you will get in Berlin. For the former West Berlin and outlying East Berlin sites the public transit from Friedrichstrasse is excellent.

Anything in this area would be a good central location; (hope this works)

http://goo.gl/maps/LV8RO

and the closer to Friedrichstrasse the better. There are some apartments just north of it across the river and some over near Hackescher Markt (just east of Museum Island)

I think I am getting closer thanks to all of you. Franco, I will check out the apartments on the link you sent.

I could not find any apartments on VRBO/Home Away, Tripadvisor or Oh Berlin exactly in the area you mentioned, but did find this one.

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p517561

It appears to be on the very south edge of the target area and very close to transportation.

If there are other websites I should be checking, please let me know. Those are the only ones (besides Franco's) that have been recommended.

excellent central location ..!
I would take it, if everything else is what you are looking for.

If you could find anything a little farther north, closer to the river, that would be even better. The area around Hackescher Markt is east of the core zone I linked to, but personally, I would rather be a little "east" more than south.

booking.com allows you to select apartments as your preferred form of accommodation but they don't show a lot in the central area.

Did you try just Googling "Berlin apartment rental" and sifting through the results to find other sites?

I tried Googling other sites and was just not getting any place so I booked this place.

Not exactly what we were looking for but we are not living there, just visiting. It is right next door to the Hilton Gendarmenmarkt.

Now that I have that handled, I will start on the fun stuff!

I can read Indy-dad's trip report and get some ideas.

We are all interested in the typical touristy things,but also some more obscure items as well.Someone mentioned stolpersteines on another thread and I am checking to see if Gunter Demnig is doing any dedications in Berlin or other parts of Germany while we are there. I would be interested in supporting this cause.

Thank you everyone for all the help so far.

Gendarmenmart is one of the nicest spots in Berlin...
How long are you staying?

Just 4 days this trip, so we will just be able to see highlights and hope for a longer stay when we go to Prague.

This trip is a little spread out because...it just happened that way LOL.

Flying into Berlin
4 days Not including arrival day in Berlin
Drive to Schmalkalden for one night
Drive to Rhine for 4 days
Train to Avignon and pick up new rental car for 5 days
Travel home from Nice.

Sounds like an interesting trip.
There is so much to see in Berlin if you are interested in the WW2 and the
Cold War history.
Also, some of the best museums and art galleries in Europe.
I enjoyed the tour of Reichstag and the famous Cupola very much.
It is free, but you have to book ahead of time.

Oh my goodness, enjoy Schmalkalden.

We were there about 8 years ago and loved it. This time, I want to do a little bit of genealogy research on my husband's side at the church so we will only be there one day.

Danon, thanks for the info on Reichstag and the Cupola. I will add it to the list to research.

Thuringia is one of Germany's less-traveled gems. I love it in the Thuringian Forest area.