Berlin Trip Report (long)
 

Just returned Saturday AM from a 2-week trip to Germany, the second week being spent in Berlin. Also visited Baden-Baden, Dresden and Wiesbaden, and if anyone expresses interest, I could do a quick writeup on those places. But for now, Berlin:

First, a disclaimer. I am *not* a 4-5 Star Traveller. So, those looking for tips on the most luxurious accomodations, meals and shopping can stop reading right here.
But neither am I a hosteler. I’m a bit too old for the noise and crowding that hosteling typically means – I feel I can’t enjoy a place unless I can count on restful nights, a hot shower whenever I need it, and a good start at breakfast to the day.

That said, I did treat myself to business-class flights on Continental between Seattle and Frankfurt, with a layover each way in Newark. Continental’s business-first came reasonably priced (though, of course, for much more than a coach seat for the same flights), with excellent service. Some might think it an extravagance, but it’s 12-14 hours of flying, and I had the luxury of a little extra cash available to spare myself the agony of a coach seat for so long. It will likely be the only time I do so – but I do advise anyone else who can to do themselves that favor. The only bad part about the actual flying portion of the trip for me was Newark itself. I found it to be a most annoying airport!

Within Germany, I used my 4-trip Eurail pass to ride Deutsche Bahn. I heartily recommend DB, as the trains are uniformly swift, comfortable and clean. Every train I took ran exactly on schedule, and connected easily to other DB trains, as well as modes of transportation within every city.

I arrived in Berlin late on a Friday afternoon, purchased a 7-day transit ticket (at around 24 Euros, a bargain), and made my way on the U-Bahn to my 2-star Pension in Prenzlauer Berg, a place called “Schall und Rauch” (Smoke and Noise). “PrenzelBerg” is a gentrifying, almost trendy, neighborhood, the latest ‘in’ area for Yuppie families, and Gay and Lesbian Germans. S&R is ostensibly a Gay Pension, but during my stay both the residents and the customers in the restaurant ran the gamut of age and (apparent) orientation. My smallish single room was quiet, cozy, tidy, imaginatively decorated, and inexpensive at 35 Euros per night. At its worst, breakfast was quite adequate and fresh, and on the weekend amazingly lavish, with a huge buffet set out in the first-floor restaurant which was made available to pension residents at no extra charge.

P-Berg has its charms, but it is definitely not smack-dab in the center of things. Anyone who objects to a little ‘commute’ before starting to enjoy the city should look for a more central area.

As to the sights: I had been in Berlin for 3 days the previous summer, so had then already visited most of the places recommended in the average tour guide – Museum Island, the Cathredral, Brandenburg Gate, Portsdamer Platz and so forth. This trip, I wanted to explore other areas, so took in the Gemaelde Galerie (splendid!), Sans Soucci in Potsdam (a disappointment), Charlottenburger Schloss (most interesting), the Gruenewald (green, spacious, quiet, cool, full of songbirds), the Haeckishe Hoefe (starting to get a little cheesy). Mostly, I just wanted to hang out with the Berliners, more or less pretend to be one of them for a short time, and really try to get under the skin of the city, a place for which I feel a true affection.

You can find extensive descriptions of any of these attractions in almost any guidebook, and decide which of them might be to your taste. Bear in mind that the most-mentioned are likely to be very crowded. No, not just crowded -- swarmed, overrun, clogged. Knowing this in advance may help you cope. If it gets to you (as it did to me more than once), drop out of the throng, have a beer or a cup of coffee, and let the passing mob just pass for a while.

For this forum of experienced travellers, I’ll share my own lessons-learned and perhaps a couple recommendations.

1. Berliners are among the most German of Germans. That is, for a relatively minimal investment of politeness and respect, you can expect in return excellent service, helpful attitudes and a friendly smile. If you attempt to bully a Berliner into any of these things, you’ll get an earful of sarcastic Berliner “Schnauze” in return. So, learn some basic German courtesy expressions (Hello, Good Morning, Thank You, etc.), and you’ll really enjoy their company. Especially among the younger folk, English-speakers are common. But they really seem to appreciate your starting the conversation in German, if you can.

2. Do *not* attempt to plan your day around walking from one point of interest to the other. You will exhaust yourself. Berlin is immense, distances can be deceptive on maps, and you will really get to appreciate being able to hop on a bus, S- or U-Bahn train to go the 5-6 blocks to the next event or place to visit.

3. Try to schedule attending a concert into your stay. There are any number of performing groups in almost any genre (my focus is on classical music), and the variety of venues is wide. You’ll really remember sitting in an audience with Berliners – they are both enthusiastic and appreciative. If you speak or understand German, at least consider seeing a movie in a Berlin theatre some evening during your visit.

4. I have concluded it must be impossible to eat a bad meal in Berlin. Pick any restaurant, offering any cuisine, at any price point, and you’ll get excellent value. You may not get a sophisticated meal every time, but it will be quite tasty, and served with panache. Berliners love to eat well, and bad restaurants evidently don’t last. An average dinner (eaten late, as Berliners are apt to do) typically cost around 12-15 Euros, including a glass of beer or wine, an entrée, and sometimes a light dessert.

5. Beware the bicycles! The streets are loaded with bicycle riders. Just because there are no cars coming as you start to cross the street doesn’t mean you’re not in danger of being clobbered by a wheeled vehicle. Better yet, rent a bike, and join the pedaling mobs.

6. Try not to be too sad about the amount of graffiti everywhere. I found it dispiriting, and I hope some way is ultimately found to clean up that mess and keep it from returning.

7. If you can, also make room in your schedule for relaxing any of the vast and numerous green spaces in, and on the fringes of, the city. There is a part of the soul of Berlin in these places, and you’ll appreciate the break from the concrete and noise. Pick up a sandwich and something to drink in any of the dozens of places which sell them, and give yourself the gift of a picnic lunch among the trees.

I plan to return to Berlin, many times if I’m lucky. I consider it to be one of the great cities of the world, and it can only get better.

Hope this was helpful.

Fritzrl

Thanks for your report. Berlin is considered on of the most "hip" places to visit in Europe right now. It's on my list of things to see.

Thanks for the report. I appreciate any good budget accommodation recommendation in particular. I definitely want to get back to Berlin.

Thank you for the report. Berlin is indeed a great vibrant city. Germany is not expensive compared to Italy or France. That´s a good thing too. And about everything works well. I like that. The weather is not the best, but in the summer it´s usually nice.

For hotels I recommend using Priceline. You can get great prices in Germany and Berlin too. Check out www. biddingfortravel.com for tips and what others have paid.

Wow! Thank you for taking the time to share your trip with us. I will be in Berlin on July 2-6 so I really enjoyed reading your lesson learned!

Fritzrl:

Thanks for the report. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who goes to Berlin and doesn't feel compelled 'to stay in Mitte' and glad you enjoyed your trip.

very neat trip report on berlin.took many notes as i will be going there later this summer

was a bit concerned about the description: swarmed, overrun, clogged.

which attractions are clogged or are you referring to the ubahn? does the clogging follow a daily pattern? thanks

Thanks for an interesting trip report, fritz - the more interesting as I visited Berlin myself for the first time a month ago, and loved it. I would now rather go back there than Paris.

Agree about not having had a bad meal, although we did have some bad wine (also some good wine, good beer & good martinis !).

I don't remember anywhere being too crowded except the Pergamon Museum which we visited when it was raining heavily and there were lots of school groups there.

The one thing that surprised & annoyed me was the prevalance on bikes *on the pavement* ! If it's OK to use a positive stereotype, I would have thought that German people would be too law-abiding for that, but no.

Great that folks found this useful.

Chevy: the crowding was worst around the 'must-see' places that are recommended in every guidebook to Berlin I've read -- B-burg gate, Potsdamer Platz, Museum Island, Berliner Dom. It may just be the time of year I was there, right during a major school break. If you've ever been to a state fair in the Midwestern US, it was that clogged; people shoulder-to-shoulder sorta shuffling along at the same slow pace. Annoys the heck outta me, but it may just be me.

Caroline: yeah, bikes on the pedestrain paths. Luckily, the riders all seem to be skilled enough to avoid colliding with walkers. Again, annoying, but not so much as to spoil the city for me.

Fritzrl

wow, that was such a helpful report, fritzrl. thanks! my fiancee and i will be in berlin june 27-30. it's our first stop in our 3-week honeymoon. =)

how was it staying at the mitte? we're booked at the circus (rosen-luxemburg), also within the area.

please tell us about Dresden. much thanks!

Smash: I can't imagine a more fascinating place to honeymoon than Berlin. Hope you and your bride-to-be have a wonderful time, and I'm sure you will.

Actually, I didn't stay in the "Mitte" neighborhood at all, though I certainly spent many hours there. Mitte is where a number of the key sights of the city are, including the not-to-be-missed Pergamon Museum (Go early to avoid the lines and crowds -- think it opens at 10 AM, but validate on the web).

Mitte offers a seemingly endless selection of decent places for a meal or just a coffee break. My favorite memory from that area this trip is an hour spent in a small park not far from the Berliner Dom, sitting in the shade of a tree with a bottle of lemonade, watching the cruise boats drift by on the river.

If time is short, you can I think safely skip a jaunt to Alexander Platz. I know it's famous, but the reality is pretty grim. It's a sun-blasted acre of concrete, surrounded by construction projects and the butt-ugliest collection of DDR-era buildings I've ever seen. Perhaps in 4-5 years it'll be worth a visit, but I spent all of 5 minutes there before racing back down the stairs of the U-bahn station to go elsewhere.

You'll have a jam-packed 3 days, I can guarantee it!

OK -- I'll do up a quick Dresden report, and post it later.

Fritzrl

smashtour, we stayed in the Mitte district a few weeks ago, and found it very convenient. Here's a link to my trip report, in case it's useful - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34614269 - it doesn't seem to show up when searching on "Berlin" :-(

fritzrl: will wait for dresden report. =)

caroline: read your link. thanks for that tip on the 72-hr pass. =)

Hi
Thanks for you excellent report on Berlin. we are planning to go there in sept. for a week and then drive to Dresden and around the area. What is it about San Souci that made it a disappointment? We've decided to treat ourselves while in Berlin and stay at the Bovenpick Berlin. Any comments on it would be appreciated.
Thanks again for your report.
alan

aeiger- I too was at first unimpressed with San Souci. It is certainly not as "grand" as some of the other palaces in Europe. It is quite small and the interior is almost spartan, but this infact mirrors Frederick's philosophy. We were first there shortly after his body was re-intered after being returned from his ancestral home and I was intrigued by the several tiny grave sites surrounding his. I learned that they were the graves of his beloved Italian Greyhounds. I became even more intrigued by this man and the next day travelled to Kopenick to visit his boyhood home and where his plot to "escape" to England was discovered. Though San Souci might not be impressive as a grand palace, the gardens and other structures in Potsdam make it a must see.

aeiger - I stayed at the Movenpick last July, and I thought it was great. It's very modern & the rooms are "quirky" - the shower had nozzles in three different spots, so that you could get a full body shower. Breakfast is amazing (it was included in my rate) - anything and everything you'd ever want. It's located about an 8 minute walk from the Potsdamer Platz, or 1 stop on the S-Bahn (a fire destroyed the station a few months ago - only northbound trains stop there for now). One thing - if it's really really hot, I wouldn't recommend a room on the top floor - that's where I was, and the "AC" only did a mediocre job (luckily it wasn't that hot when I was there).