Best Budget Tips in Berlin and Munich (and the rest of Germany)
 

Hello Fodorites! As the Germany editor, I've been a lurker here for a while reading your wonderful advice and entertaining trip reports. I'm coming out of the shadows to ask you for your best budget tips for Berlin, Munich, and everywhere else in Germany. As you know, the dollar is hurting so I’m looking for any recommendations on how to beat the Euro with budget hotels and restaurants in the major cities and the small towns; where to ski without breaking the bank; where the free wine tastings and cheap Rieslings are; the best value beer gardens; free tours or festivals; free days for sightseeing, etc.

I found this thread: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35124863 which has a lot of great tips already on train passes, renting apartments, and finding budget hotels on town websites.

I'd like to include a section of your recommendations in the next edition of our Germany guide. Just like our other Word of Mouth features, if you're quoted you're eligible for a complimentary guide of your choice. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but here’s to searching out a reasonable one, even with the exchange rate!

In Berlin take the FREE walking or biking tour with New Berlin Tours:

http://www.newberlintours.com/nbt/

bookmarking

My husband and I just spent five nights in Berlin and found it to be a very good value destination--particularly if you enjoy art museums. We bought the 3 day Schaulust Museum pass for 19 Euro and saw six museums (including the Pergamon). Entry also included a free audio tour so it really was a bargain.

And we often ate at Turkish doner stands and cafes. When we did this dinner for two cost between 7 to 9 Euros--(and it was always delicious!)

The Soviet War Memorial at Treptow Park was definitely a highlight--and it cost nothing more than subway fare.

This Berlin trip report from Fodorite noe847 has some money-saving tips (such as the Berlin museum pass, and some budget restaurants)
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35113035

The cheapest reataurants in Munich are usually quite easy to find. Of course anything downtown or in Schwabing will be considerably more expensive than in other parts of town such as Sendling or the Westend. However, there are two options that work almost anywhere for good, inexpensive traditional food. One is the Sportverein (sports club), that's basically anywhere you find a bigger soccer field. There always will be a sponsored restaurant that serves traditional food and is open for the public.

The other option is the Kleingarten (Schrebergarten) colony. In it's center you'll frequently find an inexpensive restaurant too.

It's totally o.k. to go to these places as a non member, but you may find all the other customers around you speak nothing but Bavarian ;-)

I find Germany in general, especially in the countryside, to be cheaper than most of the rest of western Europe.

I know you already mentioned this, but we have rented vacation apartments on our last two trips to Germany and have been thrilled with the results. The prices are wonderful; both of our apartments for our recent trip to Germany a few weeks ago were 70 euro a night for two bedrooms. Each apartment had a balcony with wonderful views, a full kitchen and lots of room to relax. It's difficult to find even a one bedroom hotel room for that price unless one is looking at zimmers.

I second the idea of the Turkish doner cafes. We visited two in Germany and the prices were pretty cheap. The takeaway wurst stands are also a great way to save money. We would take our wurst and potato salad and sit outdoors somewhere to enjoy it. The pizzas in Germany are usually quite good and often a good bargain.

Tracy

My standard advice to anyone looking for a meal (or almost anything else) in a tourist hot spot is to walk a few blocks away from the main tourist attractions. Prices of everything, including meals, generally drop the further away one gets from the attractions.

For example, some years ago we were looking for postcards in Venice. Around Piazza San Marco, cards were going for $2.00 or more each. We decided to pass on the opportunity. Later that day we were wandering around just exploring at random, and we came across a little shop on a quiet campo--we had not seen any other tourists for several minutes. Postcards were 3 for a dollar.

Saving money with food and beverage:

- In larger towns and cities go into the main train station buildings; there you usually find a multitude of fast food restaurants and snack bars with a variety of food, some of it even in gourmet quality. Typically you will find: a fish restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant, a juice bar, a salad bar, a sandwich bar, an Asian wok restaurant, a bavarian wurst & pork restaurant, a Turkish Döner Kebab stand, a bakery, a sushi bar etc. In München, Hamburg, Köln, Stuttgart etc. go into the Hauptbahnhof,in Berlin into the Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten, Ostbahnhof or Friedrichstraße. The Hauptbahnhof is somewhat weak on this side.

- You find also a good choice of this type of fast food restaurants on the main shopping streets in towns and cities.

- Bakeries offer a variety of breads, sandwiches, pizza etc.

- Department stores have caféterias which offer low priced lunch menus.

- Buy your beverages in supermarkets, bakeries or at the "Kiosk" (street stand) or in a gas station. (Often you even get chilled bottles.) Have your drink on your hotel room or on a bench in a public park.

- Or even buy some more supplies for picnic and have a picnic in a park (or somewhere else). Be sure to pack plastic glasses, cutlery, corkskrew etc. - maybe even a picnic blanket.

- The cheapest lunch you will get in university restaurants. They are open to the public but you need a plan to locate them (the university's website or ask a student).

Sightseeing in Berlin:

- The public bus no. 100 is the perfect hop on/hop off sightseeing bus. It drives from Alexanderplatz along Unter den Linden to Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten with many attractions on the way. Total driving time is 26 min. If you have the Welcome Card the drive is free, otherwise it costs 2.10 Euros per person.

Major food savings. We stop by the local Bäckerei early in the morning and buy rolls, meats, cheese, wurst for our breakfast and for a lunch we will eat on the road later. Rent a diesel car. Better mileage, performance, and cheaper fuel per liter. We shop at Flohmarkts for items and souvenirs at a very good savings and no VAT. We stay at small hotels, sometimes finding Zimmers as we go.

>and cheaper fuel per liter.
In some places, diesel prices surpassed gas today.

In Munich, we were there for 5 days, so we got a week-long partner pass for public transportation. It worked out to be cheaper than the other options, even though we weren't in town for the entire duration of the pass. We rode all around on public transportation and never had to spent another dime getting around in Munich.

Renting bikes is another nice way to get around that isn't particularly expensive.

Take your picnic lunch to a beer garten. Choose the long tables without table clothes please.
There are so many free festivals and events it may make sense to create a thread just for them. People need to know there is so much more to see and do in Germany than the standards. Be a traveler, not a tourist and save your money.
Balloon Festival in Leipzig, Dresden Music Festival, take a hike in the Alps.
Pick a few central places to stay for 3 to 4 days and day trip from there. I see so many people that move daily to a new location. You can spend too much time as well as money. You have so much time in Germany and if you waste it moving and packing and unpacking that's a shame. I'll stop preaching now. Sorry.
logos999,
That's bad news then. I just left Italy 2 weeks ago and there was still a good difference. Thanks for the update.
I like the bike idea. Never thought of it.

Berlin

It is free to get into to the Reichstag Building and see the glass dome.

For cheap food, there are plenty of places like Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and even German cafes that have chalkboards with specials listed out in front of the restaurant.

One can also find cheap meals at the Foodcourt in the Potsdamer Platz Mall.

The TXL bus from Tegel will deposit you in East Berlin or at the Berlin Haupt Bahnhof. The bus ride is about 2.3 euros.

If you go to Berlin at Christmas, it is free to walk around the Christmas Markets. Gluewein at these Chrismas markets is usually 1 euro per cup. Get drunk on cheap wine, but watch you don't fall into the Spandau with your bag of Christmas Balls.


Thingorjus

In Berlin:

Berlin's State Museums have free admission 4 hours prior to closure each Thursday.
http://www.smb.museum/smb/home/index.php?lang=en

German Guggenheim Museum on Unter den Linden (near Brandenburg Gate) has free admission on Mondays (all day).
http://www.deutsche-guggenheim.de/e/

Most upscale restaurants around Gendarmenmarkt offer heavily discounted (30-50%) lunch menus.

Any pass for public transportation is also good for the several ferries run by BVG, Berlin's Transit Authority. You will get a free 20 minute "cruise" across Lake Wannsee from S-Bahn station Wannsee to the other side of the lake, where you can take an express bus back to the city center.

300 restaurants, bars/clubs, theaters/operas, hotels, etc. are associates of get2card, a two for one card for 20 Euros for 1 week. Unfortunately, the website is in German only, so make sure you understand the terms and exemptions of this offer.
http://www.get2card.de/Touristen.5.0.html

It's the "strong demand for diesel on international markets" so they say...
Taxes are about 20ct/liter less for diesel. I sincerely believe it's the "mafia" again.

Just like they did with milk, it went up by 20% by the end of last year, and 2 weeks ago suddenly down to 56/61ct per liter. This happened EVERYWHERE on the same day.

When I was in Munich for the 2007 Christmas markets it was too cold to eat outside so I would do a hotel picnic by stocking up with sandwiches or bread and cheese at a supermarket along with some dessert or salad and eat in the hotel room. I love supermarkets in other countries and I always stop in to buy things. Some don't have bags though so remember to bring your own or some places will sell you a plastic bag that you can reuse at other stores.

Is it hard to decipher the menu? I met so many Germans that speak excellent English. Would it be safe to assume that the waiters would also speak English?

travelme, the menus aren't too difficult but in the smaller towns in the countryside we did encounter quite a few places where the waiters spoke very little English and the menus were only in German. I just bring a menu translator and hope for the best. Luckily my food is usually consistently good in Germany.

Tracy

bookmarking
thanks!