Europe on My Mind

Going to Berlin for first time in Germany at end of September for a week and need help/advice. Seems like a huge city with lots to do. Is it safe to wander around on your own? How are the subways? Anyone have any good or bad experiences. What are the things that I shouldn't miss and what are the things that I could miss. Any good places to rent a bike and take a relaxing ride with relatively little traffic, flat road or bike paths? Any neat places to shop (especially flea markets, craft fairs, etc.) Help!

Linda

Berlin is great!!--so much to see and do. There is a long park next to the river on the SE of downtown, which would be nice to bike or walk, around Potsdam is another. The subway is reliable & I felt safe. The Museum at Checkpoint Charlie is very interesting & one of my favorite places. Berlin is full of so much history--from Reichstag to museum with large ancient ruin to Olympic Stadium to Info Box to Templehof Airfield. The shopping & nightlife are good. The people are very friendly. Kerfestendam Strasse has a lot to do and see.

Lee

Berlin is a terrific city. From K-dam strasse to Spandau prison, it has a lot to offer. It reminds of of a "little Paris" in that it has some wild nightlife, lots of sidewalk cafes and many things to see and do. Check out the "Europa Center" shopping mall right downtown and have dinner on the top floor restaurant overlooking the war-damaged church. Check out the Russian cemetary (quite impressive) on the former east side, the various monuments, the zoo which had a panda when I was there and so on. You'll get more detailed info at your hotel. Have fun!

Kristin

We were in Berlin for two days in June -- which wasn't enough time. To add to some of the above posts, we enjoyed the Egyptian Museum where the highlight is the bust of Quenn Nefertiti (sp?). The Kathe Kollwitz Museum was special -- strange to see the work of woman sculptress with subjects that men never seem to sculpt about! If you go there, be sure to ask where the big outdoor stature of hers is. I didn't know there was one so we missed it. The ruined church is great, also the new one right next to it. If you like classical music, try to hear the Berlin Philharmonic. Building and acoustics are great, as is the orchestra. I liked the Berliner Dom very much also. These may not be what you like, if not, I'm sorry.

Henning Rieske

You don´t want to miss a stroll from the Brandenburg Gate down the "Unter den Linden" (Blvd.) to the Berlin Dome and (opposite) the "Palast der Republik", also visit the "Gendarmenmarkt" (one of the most beautiful squares with the french and german domes and the Schauspielhaus inbetween). If you are interested in technical stuff, railroads and the development of whole city districts, visit the Potsdamer Platz (just south of the Brandenburg Gate) for one of the biggest construction site (at least in Europe), where the "Info-Box" offers detailed information and a pretty good view of the area (it´s also free). Hard to imagine that just a decade ago the wall was standing there! <BR>The Zoo is worth a visit, it is one of the biggest worldwide. <BR>Don´t forget to visit some of the Parks, woods and lakes since about 1/3 of the city is "green". The lakes in southwest Berlin are beautiful for walks and relaxing after a tough day in the city. By the way, go to the Glinicker Brücke in southwest Berlin, and walk over to the Potsdam side - just like several spies in the cold war days. <BR>The city itself and the public transport system are pretty safe. If you travel with the S-Bahn especially in former East-Berlin you thould be careful in the evenings and at night. Sad but true, foreign-looking people ("non-whites") might have more problems than others. But to my knowlege nothing serious has happened so far. <BR> <BR>Since the city is quite big and has so much to offer, just e-mail what you are interested in. <BR> <BR>P.S. There is a big flea-market sundays on the "Straße des 17. Juni" (S-Bahn Station "Tiergarten"). <BR>