We are leaving in about a week for a trip starting and ending in Berlin. My BF has a work-related conference there, but then we're tacking on some days for us to explore. The itinerary is:
5 nights Hilton Gendarmnmarkt Berlin
3 nights Red Lion Prague
1 night Radisson Gewandhaus Dresden
2 nights Alexander Plaza Berlin (hope to take a day trip to Potsdam)

a few questions...
Any comments on our hotel choices?
Any suggestions for a good restaurant in Dresden? It happens to be my BF's birthday that day, so I'd like to do something special.
Any suggestions for things to do by myself in Berlin while he's at the conference for 2 days? A bike tour is one thought I have in mind, but I'd love some other ideas.
We'll expect to be jet-lagged the day we arrive; any suggestions for some good activities to do in Berlin when feeling a bit tired?
I'd like to give ourselves flexibility about when we'll leave each place to go to the next location, so I haven't yet bought train tickets. Should I buy before I go, or wait to get there?

Thanks for any help you can provide. We're looking forward to a great trip.

I love Berlin but have always stayed with friends (in Berlin and Dresden), so I can't comment on the hotels. I can however recommend that you check out the New Berlin Tours. They are FREE - tips are welcomed, and by the end of the tour, you'd actually want to tip them since they are excellent:

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

Have a great time.

If jet lag and being tired means that you want something that lets you relax, I would take one of the rikshaws from Gendarmenmarkt and go to the Radisson SAS hotel. Catch a river cruise there and see many sights already from the water.

There is also a stop of the usual hop on hop off city tour buses right where the Hilton is.

For a sundowner, you can spend some time on the river beaches between Reichstag and the new central station, or opposite of the Museum Island.


To give you some ideas what you could do during those days you will be on your own, it may be good to know what your interests are.

Hi,

You may find some good Berlin tour guides here.
http://www.viamigo.com/place/3094/berlin
So you can check it out for yourself on Viamigo.
Hope this helps!!

Hello ms:

For a special restaurant in Dresden, I would suggest Bean & Beluga.

http://www.bean-and-beluga.de/

You probably should contact the restaurant immediately to reserve because it has become quite popular since opening a little over a year ago. It's a 15 minute cab ride from the old city. If you go, please report your experience; ours was terrific.
Good luck. Gradyghost

Some would prefer a location more in the city center. You do have to go uphill to get to the place, so if you have any concerns about that at the end of a day of exploring, you might want to consider checking out other accomodations. Other than that, it's an OK place. Gets mixed reviews on various rating websites--as do many Prague hotels.

Re: Dresden - the SAS Radisson Gewandhaus Hotel is excellent. You'll love it. This hotel has a very good itself (Weber's). An American friend of mine who stayed at the Radisson Gewandhaus ate there a couple of times and highly recommends it, too.

I second gradyghost's recommendation, though. The Bean & Beluga is Michelin awarded and has outstanding food. Another excellent, by most foodies considered the best restaurant in East Germany, is the Caroussel in the Hotel Bülow Residenz. More fancy, a bit stiff sometimes. But the food ... to die for. There was a thread recently where we discussed Dresden restaurants extensively. Maybe you can find it.

By the way, one night stops are IMO not economical. And it is really too bad to spend only one night in Dresden but 7 in Berlin. But then I'm biased since I'm a Dresden resident ;-)

Take care, Ingo will easily persuade you into spending a whole week in Dresden instead;-) which the city and its surroundings well deserve. One night is better than nothing, though.

Hello Ms:

I second the recommendations of Ingo and Quokka to spend a bit more time in Dresden. We were there for a week in October and that was too short. That was after a similar period in Berlin -- I wish I had balanced those visits differently.

I have not dined at the Caroussel mentioned by Ingo, but I believe that Chef Stefan Hermann, the owner of Bean & Beluga, formerly was the head chef at the Caroussel. Ingo will correct me on this, I'm sure.

If you were to stay a few more days in Dresden, Ingo can point you to great places to see and dine. Go for it! Gradyghost

gradyghost - hello! You're correct in everything you said. Stefan Hermann was indeed chef of the Caroussel. Let's wait another couple of months and his new Bean & Beluga will be ranked first in East Germany, I am sure.

Yes, I certainly wish we were able to spend more time in Dresden. Since this trip is only possible because of a work conference in Berlin, we're locked in to our time there. I'm hopeful that our stop in Dresden might be a preview for a longer trip in the future.

Thanks for all the great reccommendations-- I'll check them out. Any input on train tickets... is it a dumb move to wait to buy tickets until the day of travel?

I accidentally "discovered" the Bean and Beluga while walking by last summer (2008). The restaurant caught my eye. Very sheik looking. Unfortunately I was not able to try it out due to time considerations. But I'm heading back in late May or early June of this year...

My German is ok for conversation (and ordering in restaurants), but reading (a website) is always a challenge for me. Wish they had an English version of their site.

Gradyghost and Ingo certainly seem to have good things to say about the B&B. Does anyone have the Bean & Beluga email address? I would like to ask them a few questions before using their on-line registration system.

Thanks!

I hope to eat there soon again ;-)

Here's their email address:
[email protected]

Hello Triple Eight:

If you have a party of about 4 or more, B&B has a nice alcove with one table on the second floor main dining room that is very nice and semi-private. I requested my reservation by fax and was surprised to receive a reply from Chef Stefan himself. Upon arrival, they had reserved the alcove table for us. A grand evening. Gradyghost