Shannon

I will be in Berlin this weekend and I want am wondering what you all think about the different museums there. I will only have time to see one or two and I would like to know which ones are the best and which ones are the biggest dissapointment. Thanks!!

Shannon

I forgot to also ask: is the info provided about the displays in the museum in English also or just German? Thank you!!

ellie

I would suggest you start at the Pergamon. The Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate are extremely well displayed and most impressive. The other collections in the museum are also very good. You ought to be able to see everything in a couple of hours. My husband and I were there in March of this year. We toured the Pergamon together in the morning. Had a relaxed lunch at XII Apostel across the street (the museum cafe looked sort of scary....i.e. weird food) and then split up. My husband checked out some of the other museums which he found fascinating, but catering towards his specific interests in antique jewlery, metal works and pottery....I found the Pergamon enough for one day and happily went shopping. <BR>Other museums in Berlin which we enjoyed include the new Film Museum at the Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz, The Bauhaus Archive and the Kulturforum which houses an incredible collection of paintings and an excellent cafe - not scary at all! I enjoyed every moment at the Pergamon, but it was definately enough museum for one day for me.

ellie

Shannon - glad you asked about the availability of English descriptions. This was one of my main "gripes" in Berlin. In the pergamon, they offer descriptive sheets in each room of the museum which you pay a few cents for as you leave. There were no copies available in English in several galleries which was a disappointment and left me wishing I had thought to bring along a Michelin or Blue Guide. We purchased whatever English guides were available on the way OUT of the museum and filled in the gaps back at the hotel....not the most efficient system. We naievely thought our total lack of german would not be a problem in Berlin, but found ourselves at a great disadvantage time and again - especially in restaurants. Be sure to have a good dictionary with you if you dont speak the lingo! We got by fine - all part of the travel adventure. I always try to adjust to the local scene but did find myself rather annoyed several times as we toured museums heavily supported by tourists from all over the world where only german signage was available.

Shannon

Ellie - <BR> <BR>Thanks for the info. I, too, find it dissapointing when "tourist attractions" only feature information in the local language. You would think that they would feature several languages in order to accomodate their visitors. Maybe someday