teach905

It looks like we will fly into Amsterdam on either the 13 or 14 of March early in the AM from the US. We are then taking the train to Berlin on the 15th where we will meet up with friends until the 21st. We will then train back to Amsterdam on the 21st and head back to the states on the 22nd. This is due to the FF seats we have via Amsterdam.

Since we will be taking the train to Berlin, where is a good place to stay in Amsterdam at the beginning of the trip? should we be thinking about flying to Berlin instead? We like train travel and we thought since its 6 hours getting to the airport earlier and all the waiting we do in the states, the train should be more pleasant. We live in ATL and any of you who have been through our airport should understand why we like to avoid them if possible.

On the way back we will be flying out the next day so should we stay at the airport? Any recs on places to stay?

Thanks
teach905

lateinlifetraveler

There is a Holiday Inn Express across the street from Sloterdijk train station. We have stayed there and it is very clean with helpful staff and complimentary breakfast buffet which was amazing.
You can catch a train from Sciphol airport to Solterdijk station (about a 15 minute ride). If you want to go into the city, you can catch the #12 tram across the bus lot in front of the hotel.
I must mention that they do not have an on site restaurant aside from breakfast so you will have to take the tram to find a restaurant for dinner or do as we did and eat before returning from visiting the city in the evening.

tom18

Would it be possible for you to spend a few less days with your friends in Berlin? Given that Amsterdam is such a great city itself, it seems a shame for you to be using Amsterdam solely as a transfer point to Berlin. My suggestion would be to carve out at least a day (preferably more) to see Amsterdam at either the beginning or end of your trip. My personal favorite hotel in Amsterdam is the Aalders, very close to the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseums. I will leave others to comment on your question re. training vs. flying to Berlin.

PalenQ

There is an IBIS (www.accorhotels.com) right on platform 1 at the main train station and also one near Schiphol - what time is your flight leaving - if any early flight yes stay at the airport - if not spend the night in town and whatever part of the day you have. There are several hotels near Schiphol connected by free shuttle buses and at least one hotel right in the airport. www.accorhotels.com runs the ETPA and IBIS and some other hotels near Schiphol.

For train info check out www.bahn.de/en for deep discounted Amsterdam to Berlin tickets if you book weeks in advance to get the limited in number discounted seats - way cheaper than full fare but cannot be changed from that specific train nor refunded so be sure of your dates - other great sites for info on European trains - www.seat61.com (goo dinfo on discounted tickets); www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. If you want full flexibility to hop any train anytime the the Benelux-Germany railpass good in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany as one unit may well allow you to hop on any train Amsterdam to Berlin and may be cheaper overall than two return full-fare tickets.

Mimar

My preference would be to train to Berlin immediately the day you land -- if this fits with your friends' plans. Moving on to your furthest point is the best use of that first jet-lagged day. Then you could return to Amsterdam and have a day or two there before you fly out. Always best to be in your departure city at least the day before.

PalenQ

six-hour train trip the day you land - well a couple of potential pitfalls - you never really know when your plane will land and you will be in Amsterdam Centraal ready to board the train to Germany - OK if paying full fare then just buy your ticket at the airport train station and that ticket can be used on any of the same type trains but if you go the discounted train route then those tickets are train-specific and cannot be changed so in coordination with landing you either have to build in a lot of fudge factor time and perhaps be twiddling your thumbs at Amsterdam Centraal for a few hours or if you do not and miss the train then you'll have to buy a full-fare ticket.

I suggest flying straight on to Berlin - jet-lagged and all - recover in Berlin then take the train back - and being able to book a discounted ticket at www.bahn.de/en.

spaarne

<i>PalenQ on Dec 26, 13 at 4:20pm
I suggest flying straight on to Berlin - jet-lagged and all - recover in Berlin then take the train back - and being able to book a discounted ticket at www.bahn.de/en.</i>

That is no doubt the best way to spend your limited time. If you want to train it then use the CityNightLine to combine travel and sleep. Check the Dutch rail NS site also at http://tinyurl.com/b59adz9.

PalenQ

CNL night trains are amongst the very finest Europe has to offer - from reclining seats to private compartments, some with WC/douche in them - all are modern and comfy IME. Save on the cost of a hotel to boot!

teach905

Thanks for your help so far. Please help with this itinerary and let me know what you think.

March 11 arrive 8 AM with time to check into our hotel and do some site seeing. We are usually pretty good to go that day. We swear by "no jet lag" and we are both able to sleep some on the plane.

Mar 12 and 13 continue in Amsterdam

March 14 to Berlin

Things we want to do:
1 dayCity tour of Berlin-suggestions?
3 day Museum Pass
1 day Go to Ravensbruck to see the camp where my mother was liberated
That still gives us a day to play with before we plan to head back to Amsterdam on the 21st to leave on the 22.

thoughts?

Thanks again
teach905

PalenQ

Reichstag should be high on your list and the neighboring Brandenburg Gate, next to which is the Holocaust Memorial and not fare away the Jewish Museum all near Potsdammer Platz - glitzy Potsdammer Platz which not long ago was a desolagte place bisected by the dread Berlin Wall.

Check out the East Side Gallery for the longest stretch of original Berlin Wall standing - it has been decorated by artists, some of great repute so is more than just cement pillars and cinder blocks.

Check out Check Point Charlie where most foreigners entered East Berlin under the division of Berlin into East and West - now a museum but the original Check Point is there as well.

tom18

Here's an "off the beaten path" suggestion for Berlin that you might or might not find interesting.

When I was a soldier in West Berlin in 1968 I once visited a street called Bernauer Strasse, located a little north of the city center in the district of Wedding. The Berlin Wall ran along the street, and behind the wall there were a number of apartment buildings. People used to jump from the windows of the apartment buildings to the other (west) side of wall – until the East Germans bricked up all the windows, thus cutting off that escape route.

There was also a large red-brick 19th century Gothic church with a magnificent spire on the east side of the wall at the corner of Bernauer and Hussiten Strasse – the Church of the Reconciliation. People also used to try to escape from the church into the West. When I was there, someone had painted a slogan (in Latin) on the west side of the wall, which said “In Tyrannos” (Into Tyranny).

At first, the Communists tore down all the buildings around the church, leaving it a solitary figure in a no-man’s land. The church could not be used, because no one was allowed to get near it. Later, in January of 1985, the East Germans finally tore down the church itself.

After the fall of the wall, it was decided to build a new memorial church on the site of the old one. When we went back to Berlin in 2000, they were just finishing it. This new one is a low, modern-looking building made of clay, called the Chapel of the Reconciliation. Near the chapel is a still-existant section of the Wall and a memorial called the Wall Memorial Park.

The U-Bahn stop Bernauer Strasse is two or three blocks from the Memorial.

Here are two links for more information if you’re interested. The Wikipedia link has a great aerial picture of the old church in “no-man’s land (in the gallery at the end of the story). The other link tells you more about the area and the memorial.

Whether you decide to visit this area or not, I hope you enjoy your time in Berlin. It’s a great city. And, be sure to eat some curry wurst – it’s the best in Germany!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernauer_Stra%C3%9Fe

http://www.berlin.de/mauer/gedenksta...r/index.en.php

PalenQ

I think there is a Jewish cemetery near that Bernauer Strasse memorial - and yes this is a very interesting place to see - very evocative of the horrors of the wall - lots of pictures in the memorial of people escaping, etc.

Holly_uncasdewar

For anyone interested in the Ravensbruck camp, see:

http://www.jewishgen.org/forgottenca...sbruckeng.html

Much more out there if you google it.

Wow, teach. Glad she made it.

PalenQ

ravensburck is 56 miles northwest of Berlin - a longish day trip but for someone with a special interest great of course it needs to be done.

But for others Sachenshausen is a similar camp much closer to Berlin - about 20 miles or so by S-Bahn north of town and like any such camp makes a sobering experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachsen...entration_camp

Sachsenhausen was a work camp - supplying slaver labor for the nearby Hinkel aircraft factories but it also had gas chambers, the remains of which can still be seen - any camp. Sachenshausen today is a normal suburb - pleasant enough but still recovering from the neglect of DDR days as is much of former East Germany.