New Year's Eve Berlin - Advice Please!
 

This New Year's Eve coincides with my Dad's 50th birthday and so I'd like to do something special. He's never flown Business Class before and I have enough miles on BA to take us both somewhere in Europe. I've checked the likes of Paris, Amsterdam and Prague but availability of Business Class redemptions is limited.

Berlin however is coming up with loads of availability on the 31st December, and I've found one or two decent 4* hotels in Alexanderplatz area for around 120 EUR (including the Park Inn and Hotel Indigo) or in the Kurfürstendamm area for around the same price.

I've done my research and worked out that the area close to the Brandenburg Gate is probably best avoided, it sounds far too busy especially for my Dad who isn't very strong on his feet due to an accident several years back.

I'm therefore wondering what the atmosphere is like in the rest of the city, is there somewhere we could see the fireworks from a safe distance? Or maybe join in the main event but avoid getting too close to the front where the crowds will be worst? It would be nice to walk around sampling some local beer/currywurst earlier on in the evening but retreat to a less busy area before it starts to get really crazy. I also see lots of talk about drunken people letting off fireworks in public - any tips on how to stay safe in this instance?

- People setting off fireworks in public is everywhere. There is no sure way to avoid it unless you seek solitude and find a very remote place away from habitation. I mean there are places where it won't happen but it's impossible to predict unless you live there and know the habits of people in the street. Personal fireworks are a German New Year's tradition and can range in nuisance factor from dads with their little kids peacefully firing off some rockets to drunken kids battling each other with fire crackers or trying to shoot rockets onto balconies. Generally speaking safety is a matter of keeping your eyes open and avoiding groups of people that look like trouble. Just for the record, most people do not get hurt on this night so it's not *that* dangerous really.

- The upside is that you can watch fireworks from almost everywhere in the city. There is a lot less emphasis on the *official* fireworks than elsewhere and they aren't especially spectacular compared to what I've seen in other nations on NYE or their national holiday (4th of July/Canada Day). But due to all the private fireworks even in the suburbs you could stand on your patio and watch fireworks for 15 mins..there's some enthusiasts who can make them quite elaborate.

- Generally speaking though I can't think of a reason for a tourist to go to Berlin for NYE unless you intend to participate in the whole Brandenburg Gate public craziness aspect of it. Because there isn't much else going on that you couldn't also do where you live. But if you don't want the mass chaos, avoid the entire area between Alexanderplatz, S-Bhf Friedrichstr and Brandenburg Gate from at least 8 pm onward.

- Other than that I can't tell you too much, I lived in Berlin for a long time but as I got older I mostly stayed in for NYE because it became too much of a hassle. And I don't mean old old, I'm in my 30s.

Does classical music interest you? There's always a NYE concert at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche, and I see there will be one again this year too (Mendelssohn, Schumann, Von Weber). Problem is that I remember walking out of the church after the concert and there being all kinds of fireworks being set off on the Kurfürstendamm. That's something you're trying to avoid.

Thank you all for the input so far - much appreciated.

To be honest the fireworks displays in London are great, it's just the fact that he's done it before and I want to do something that stands out as being slightly different. A trip to the lounge at Terminal 5 and a Business Class flight on BA might not sound like much to many FT viewers but to him it would be truly unique.

I don't think Classical Music is quite what we were looking for, but equally I don't mind something quiet and family orientated. How about the Gendarmenmarkt, I see that they had a NYE event last year and tickets were only 10 EUR?

Or if we were to enter the Brandenburg Gate from the Siegessaeule direction, would we find it less of a crush? We wouldn't want to push to the front, I think we'd be quite happy just grabbing a currywurst and some Glühwein then watching the fireworks from the back of the crowd.

Finally, after the events, is walking the only option? If so I would have to choose accommodation carefully to ensure it's not too far from whichever event we're aiming for.

We have such a thread more or less every year so you find some advice via the search.

Brandenburger Gate will be very busy no matter which direction you enter. So I would avoid. Of course after the Events all Transportation Options like cabs and public Transport are available. But it will be busy.

Don't forget you will have to figure this out when the weather is a bit clearer. But you will see fireworks in the entire Federal Republic of Germany, no matter what alley or main street you hang in. There are a ton of things to do NYE here...concerts, clubs, parties, Soho House roof could be good for fireworks and is a good hotel to stay at, too.

An admirable gesture towards your father! But...

To add to what people have already said, if you don't want to be part of the festivities, I don't think there is much point going to Berlin for New Year's Eve. It's a bit like going to Hawaii but wishing to stay away from sunshine and beaches; it's such a part of the city that night!

Also, and I don't mean to rain on your parade, but Club Europe on BA is not really a business class experience. The lounge in LHR is OK, but usually packed to the gills, the seat is the normal seat you have in economy, just that there is no one next to you (indeed in the new configuration, business class seating is tighter, at 30", than many of the current economy seats). The food can be OK and wines, especially the champagne, are truly disgusting. Have you considered some other options? Where are you starting from?

I've done some further research and lots of people are suggesting that the Gendarmenmarkt might be a good alternative. A quieter event, lots of food and beer, and their own fireworks display.

We'll be starting from Hertfordshire - of course we could just go to London for the fireworks but getting home is totally impractical transport wise (we are at least 20 miles from the nearest tube station) and hotels in London for the night will cost as much as the entire Berlin trip (for example we can stay at The Savoy in Berlin for €100, you can't even get a Travelodge for that in London).

Other cities I looked at on Avios are Dublin (not much happening), Edinburgh (hotels pretty much all sold out already, and what's left is £300 a night), Prague (looks even more dangerous than Berlin on NYE!), Copenhagen (similar to Prague), Budapest (no redemption seats), Amsterdam (no hotels anywhere central) and Munich but I couldn't find much information on events in Munich, it seems most people stay at home or throw their own fireworks on the street.

I appreciate your thoughts on Club Europe and I know where you are coming from - whilst not a regular I've taken enough CE flights to understand that it's not amazing. However, with the help of FT I've been lucky enough to try Business/First class several times and through my work I've had the privilege of flying on numerous private jets. This is a luxury that my Dad (a labourer since turned bus driver due to his accident several years ago) could not possibly imagine. He gets excited going long haul in Y, he's from a family where a trip to Clacton was their idea of a Summer holiday! So please try to appreciate the fact that for the likes of most FT'ers CE is something that we can afford to turn our nose up at, but for him (especially a few free drinks at the lounge and attentive service on board) will be a totally new experience.

Just to make the point clear, Berlin will be happy but in no way dangerous. I feel safer in the centre of Berlin in the middle of the night than I would in Sheffield or Newcastle (though, for the sake of full disclosure, I can't remember the last time I was in the centre of either in the middle of the night!) There will be lots of people and alcohol and fireworks, but I doubt anything more 'physical' than that.

I think you are doing a very nice thing for your father. We do get a bit jaded here, and I think he'll really appreciate it. ^

Hi,
since I've never traveled in C, I would appreciate this very much...
However regarding you question about fireworks, most of the fireworks in Berlin is private and it is pretty hard to miss the firework. I (grown up in Berlin) start at 12:00 and just walk the streets.
One nice idea for your dad would the Humboldtbox.
http://www.humboldt-box.com/terrasse...nt.html#middle
Although I've never eaten there, they have a nice patio at the roof, where you could watch the fireworks at the brandenburg gate.
757DUD

Thank you, I will check it out.

To be honest I'm starting to get cold feet about Berlin - it seems that without attending the Brandenburg Party options are expensive or limited, and all of the hotels I can afford will require a long journey back in the evening.

So I'm wondering if we should instead try a lower key/smaller city such as Cologne or Dusseldorf, somewhere to join in with the celebrations but not too crazy and of course easily walking distance back to our hotel in the evening. He's never been to Germany and so it'd also be a good occasion for him wake up on his birthday to try some good food and sample the local beer (hopefully some of the Christmas markets will still be open).

Would anyone recommend Cologne for NYE? The Pullman is currently available for £100 a night which I think is pretty good.

Cologne will have a big party in the old town, stretching south from the cathedral. Same sort of mood as Berlin, but much more compact. I would say that Berlin is the more interesting of the two. Don't worry so much about accessibility, there will be plenty of options to get back to the hotel and it really isn't going to be a riot!

You didn't mention Vienna, and I don't know about availability from where you're flying out of, but I think it would be grand. I believe there are fireworks at The Prater, and if you stayed somewhere like the Hilton Vienna Danube on Handelskai, you may be able to see them from the hotel. In any event, it's not far.
http://www.wien.info/en/music-stage-shows/new-years-eve

Cologne might be an idea, but do not expect a big firework. It is the same as in Berlin: Everyone will do their own fireworks.
A nice view of the city will be from the Hyatt in Deutz, from there you will see the "Dom" (cathedral) and the "Altstadt" (old town) across the river Rhine with all the fireworks. And Deutz has some nice restaurants and public transport options.

But do not rule out Berlin as there are some nice areas there (Prenzlauer Berg, etc.), that are not as crowded and rowdy as the area around the Brandenburger Tor on NYE.
Another option in Germany might be Hamburg or Dresden. And, if you want it less crowded, maybe a smaller, picturesque towns with good connections to an airport like Heidelberg, Mainz, Bremen, ... it really comes to what you want.

My favourite place to be (apart from Cologne, but I am biased about that) is Salzburg - take a nice hotel with a view of the city and enjoy the scenery!

If you have any question about Cologne, please send me a pn.

My choice for New Years celebrations in Cologne would probably be the at the (artists) Hotel Chelsea bar close to the local Synagogue. It's classic, other interesting venues are located nearby and the atmosphere far more pleasant than in the Old Town. Booking essential, however.

In Berlin, along and around the Weserstrasse in Neukölln (my morning jogging route in Berlin runs across it) even if the street itself is in every possible travel guide already.

There are great, classy bars at Sonnenallee and along the canal just a stones throw from the hipster tourists. And equally good Arab and Persian food to be had on the Sonnenallee.