Trip to Berlin and surrounding areas. Need help planning
 

I am going to Berlin Nov 28 -Dec 6 to watch the shoot of a film i worked on. I arrive on Nov 29 early morning. Will be going to be in Berlin on Nov 30 as well to watch the film and then Nov 1-4 I would like to travel elsewhere. I would like to go to Amsterdam and Brugge. Where else could i go to make the most of my time and see as much as i can? A friend of mine lives in Berlin and was going to take me around. But i wanted to try to plan as much in advance.
I'm told i can get a package as well. I'm planning to travel via train from Berlin.
Also one person mentioned starting in Kolon getting a hotel there and traveling to areas nearby via train.

Any advise would be great!
Thanks so much!

You can look at this site for packages with train and hotel:
http://www.ameropa.de

Look at this site, and book as quickly as possible and hope cheap train tickets are left:
www.bahn.de

This site often has very good rates on hotels, particularly German ones:
http://www.hrs.de

From Cologne, it is easy to travel to Amsterdam. Get a ticket from Bahn.de -if you are lucky, it's only 19 Euros, and about 2.5 hours by train. I think Berlin to Cologne is about 4 hours, by memory.

Realistically, Nov. 1-4 is a little crammed to fit in Cologne, Amsterdam, and Brugge in my opinion, but it's up to you.

Try www.thalys.com for the Amsterdam to Brugge tickets. The same early booking principle applies, if you want cheap tickets. It's in the off-season, so it's possible some are still left.

Be very careful what delivery mechanism you choose if you buy tickets online.

Prague and Vienna are a bit more than four hours by train .
Dresden about two.

Why not see some other north German cities - Hamburg is not far away, nor is Bremen, and Lübeck is a UNESCO city. I love Amsterdam and Brugge is also very pretty but I think I'd rather make the best of limited time and see somewhere closer to Berlin.

Lavandula

Thanks so much for the info...yes it is a short time, unfortunately. Is Heidelberg worth going to?- to see the german castles
and someone told me about the black forest in germany

Also should i get a package through my hotel and wait till i get there or better to get it now?

HI Ericapal,
Not sure about the package you mention and what this would give you, so can't comment on that. Yes, Heidelberg and the Black Forest are beautiful, but the Black Forest is about as far away from Berlin as you can get (the opposite corner of Germany, in fact), and Heidelberg is similarly quite a distance away. Neither are close to Cologne, if you were still planning to go there. I think you need a good map of Germany / northern Europe. There are castles all over Germany, and maybe some a little closer to your chosen destination/s.

Lavandula

PS Here is a map to get you started:

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...ed=0CAoQ8gEwAA

Thanks Lavandula,
very helpful. I was told that i may be able to get a hotel/train package through the hotel I am staying at in Berlin. I just wasn't sure if i need to get that in advance or wait till i get to berlin and ask the hotel I'm staying at.

Ericapal, I suspect these are the packages you can also get through www.ameropa.de . But I'd consult the Berlin hotel now to ask about the packages.

The map seems like a good idea. If surrounding areas around Berlin include Heidelberg and the Black Forest, that implies West Virgina and its wonders are surrounding areas of New York City by comparable definition.

Dear Erica,

Not sure of your interests, but it seems you will then have less than 2 days in Berlin. We jam packed 3 days in Berlin (with not film to see or friends to visit) and left with a lot still unseen.

Yes, the Black Forest is far...very far.... from Berlin.

What are your interests? If you like history or art Berlin and Amsterdam can provide days and days of both - and all pretty amazing. I love both these cities. I would split the time equally between the two. Honestly, I don't know Brugge and although I hear it is lovely, I would save it for another trip.

gruezi

That's what i'm thinking right now. Spend time in Berlin (a friend of mine lives out there) and Amsterdam and that's it. I'm not so much a church person. The one place I'd like to see is Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam. I do like to learn about the history of both Berlin and Amsterdam and would like to get as much out of both while i'm there. I'm pretty open to see anything. I would like to know the best places to go to and what i shouldn't miss.
Also how much money should i take with me for the time that i'll be there? I don't want to eat in very expensive restaurants but at the same time want to experience good food in both areas. Any restaurants that i shouldn't miss?

Anything i should be careful of while I'm in Amsterdam or Berlin?

Thanks so much!