Berlin in October
 

we are going to Berlin for a week in October. Where is a charming hotel that doesnt cost a lot and what should we be seeing and should we take side trips by car.
Should we see Hamburg?

I stayed at the Hotel Askanischer Hof last September. It was very central (located on the Ku'damm), an easy walk to the Bahnhof Zoo and many tourist attractions. It was a charming smallish hotel with HUGE rooms. I think it was about 130 euro/night. When I go back, I'll probably look to stay at Propeller Island (very funky, not for everyone, the website will leave you shaking your head) http://www.propeller-island.com/room...l/11/index.php.

I thought the Berlin Walks Intro to Berlin tour was good. It includes the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, the new, controversial, Holocaust memorial, museum island, and an extensive history lesson. I enjoyed it very much.

I'd also recommend Checkpoint Charlie and it's museum (lots of stories about the human spirit), a tour of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp (Berlin Walks also gives a walking tour here, very sobering but significant), the Pergamon museum (it's two main exhibits speak for themselves), and Potzdammer Platz.

Definitely a lot to see and do. Berlin is a great cultural and historical experiene.

I would add the possibility of the short trip to Potsdam to tour either or both the Sans Souci and Nieuw Palace.

If you are into shopping at all make a stop in the Ka-De-We department store.

If you indeed have a week assigned for Berlin and if the weather is nice, I would support the idea of at least a daytrip to Hamburg (I may be biased as I live there).
This would also depend on your interests - if your focus is on museums, Hamburg might not be the obvious choice. However, Hamburg is increasingly popular with German and European tourists - largely due to a vibrant and worldly atmosphere, I presume. The thriving port is an integral part of the city - and it does have lots of charm, despite being an industrial area, but then where can you see ocean going ships in the city center and where would you be able to let your thoughts drift along with the parting ships?
The Inner and Outer Alster Lakes provide for a magnificent recreation area right in downtown and the restaurant scene is among Germany's best. A visit to the Hamburg ballet directed by American John Neumeier might be worth a consideration if you are in town overnight - and they happen to have a performance that night.

For a charming hotel in Berlin you might also want to take a look into the Hotel Bleibtreu. It is located in Western Berlin, in a side street off Kurfuerstendamm. It's housed in an art deco building and sports modern design interiors. It usually gets more than decent reviews (I haven't stayed there personally), even though friends of mine thought the furniture resembled a bit the IKEA style. But then - that needs not to be bad, does it?

Forgot to add on the Hamburg portion of my suggestion, that Hamburg might be a good choice if you are interested in architecture. There is a huge redevelopment district in a vast former port district resembling the London docklands (Hafen City) with a lot of old warehouses being changed into offices and apartments, new buildings being erected etc. Other interesting pieces of architecture have been erected alongside the river near the famous Fish Market in Altona / Oevelgoenne.
A model of how the Hafen City is going to look like can be viewed at the Kesselhaus right near the old Speicherstadt (warehouse district).

http://www.hafencity.com/index.php?s...age=ueberblick

At least half a day to visit the Wall, especially the museum near the Church of the Reconciliation and the church itself. Better to do this without a tour party as you'll want some time alone with your thoughts. The TV tower near Alexanderplatz gives a good ariel view of the city. Definitely visit Sachsenhausen, but again don't go with a tour party. It's about an hour by train from Berlin, then about a two mile walk or taxi ride. Even if you don't like shopping, the food hall on the top floor of Ka De We department store will blow your mind. The climb up inside the roof of the REichstag is very popular, but even in October you need to either go very early or wait for hours to get in. Cutlure - any and all of the museums on museum island. Music - check what's on at the main concert halls, and if you fancy it, turn up about an hour before and you might get a ticket at knock down price. If you're really keen (and wealthy), pay the full price. There's enough to keep you busy in Berlin without needing to go too far from the city - visit Hamburg or wherever if you want to, not because you've run out of things to do in Berlin. You won't need a car to travel around Berlin as the public transport system is excellent (once you get the hang of it) and cheap.

bookmarking for trip! Thanks!