tropikey

Hello!

I need your advice :-)

I'll arrive to TXL airport on the 12th on November (Saturday) at approx. 6.30 a.m. I'll arrive from AUH in Air Berlin's J class, so I'm entitled to use their chauffeur service, which can bring me anywhere in Berlin (max. 40 km from the airport). I've already reserved this service, because originally I planned to continue my trip on train and intended to use this limo service to bring me to the central station. However, my plans changed. Instead of going home (Gdansk in Poland) by train, I'll fly there with AY (via HEL). This flight departures at noon. My dilemma is now, whether I should cancel AB's chauffeur service and stay at the airport or should I keep it and use for short excursion?

If I decide for the first, I could go to BA lounge or I could use free shuttle to Mercure Tegel, where I could have breakfast buffet for approx. EUR 20 (not cheap ) and rest in lobby for some time.

If I decide to use AB's limo service, I could ask to bring me to some nice restaurant serving breakfast buffet (for example, to Caffe Butter where such buffet costs, as far as I know, EUR 8,90). The problem is however, that the earliest time they start such buffets is 9.00 am, so I would have max. 1 hour to have it, as I need to be back at the airport at approx. 10.30.

What would you do in such situation? Perhaps you have some other ideas, how to spend time between such two flights? I'm not particularly interested in sightseeing (particularly on one of November mornings) as I've already been in Berlin for couple of times, although there surely are places in Berlin which I haven't seen before...

I'll be grateful for your help :-)

offerendum

If sightseeing is not a preference it´s not easy. I´m sure you will find some nice place to have breakfast inside the City, but is it worth it? Even if you save 11 € you will pay for the way back to the airport. Personally in your Situation I would stay at the lounge or go to the Mercure or another place near by.

tropikey

Thanks for advice :-)

Yes, I think you are right, however it would be some kind of loss, if I don't use AB's limo service ;-D

That's why I've started to search for other hotel than which is not far from TXL and also offers good breakfast. If I find such hotel, I could go there with limo after arrival and go back for EUR 2,70 (as far as I remember) with public transport. Of course, it will depend on cost and quality of breakfast buffet in such other hotel.
Perhaps you know such place?

offerendum

I always stay at the center, last times at the Adlon. Breakfast there is excellent, but very expensive (42 €).

tropikey

Well, this exceeds my budget :-D

LondonElite

Six hours at TXL would kill me. Go into the centre and have a nice breakfast somewhere. You've just come from the Middle East in business class. Surely €20 won't kill you?

tropikey

Of course, EUR 20 will be fine. The question is, where to go for such breakfast?

AlienInTheFatherland

Try Cafe Einstein, which opens at 08:00.

http://www.cafeeinstein.com/en/

Very traditional place.

Then back on bus 100 and X9 to TXL for € 2,70.

tropikey

Thanks for recommendation. Nice place, however not exactly what I'm looking for, as they don't have breakfast buffet (although their breakfast menus for 13.50 and 14.50 EUR are very reach).

ritesa

The BA Lounge at TXL is nice enough for a short layover, but probably not the best place to get a decent breakfast and spend up to 6 hours.

You can find breakfast places in Berlin that suit your needs at http://www.fruehstueck-berlin.de/fruehstueck/ - you can filter by "Nur Frühstück mit Buffet" (only breakfast buffet) and "Nur Early-Bird Frühstück" (only early bird).

tropikey

thanks for helpful advice :-)
Some of these places look great. I might take a chance on one of them...

kai.lileboo

Forget Mercure, it is really not an interesting hotel to go there.
If you are not too tired, I would first go to arrival lounge (if there is one) and I would take a shower and eat something.
Then you can catch a TXL or 200 bus to the centre. Berlin is dead before 9 am, so not much to do, especially in November.
You can get yourself a Tageskarte valid for the whole day on all public transportation and it costs 6,80 eur. Then you can ride forever, you can sleep, look outside or just enjoy the bus routes!
Nice area to walk and eat is around Zoo towards KaDeWe and Kudamm.
Also Fridrichstrasse with nice shops and caffes. The TXL bus stops just on the corner of Fridrichstrasse and Unter den Linden in front of Westin hotel. Then walking distance!
Good luck!