where to stay in Berlin, what to do
 

Hi, I'm thinkning of taking advantage of continental's businessfirst sale and going to berlin during the end of decmeber and beginning of january. im looking for a nice hotel that is not too expensive. any advice as to where i should stay? what is there to do in berlin?

There are loads of things to do - what are you interested in? Culture? History? Clubbing? Shopping? It would help people to give advice. Гsing the search function in this forum will bring up several Berlin threads which might help. Also hotels can be good value in Berlin, as there are too many rooms on the market! Although I don't know what baring Xmas/New Year would have on prices.

i'm definately interested in culture and history. i'm not really into the whole clubbing scene andn everything. what area should i try to find a hotel in to be in the general area of all things culture/history related? i only know a little german, this is my first semester of it in college, but do most people there speak english?

I would stay in Mitte for the culture/history. Two other recommendations 1. Spend some time in Prenzlauer Berg. Great area for bars and cafes etc. 2. Make sure you eat a Doner Kebab in Berlin. Never was a big fan until I tried the ones made in this city. Apparently they were invented here.:D

Berlin is such a great city to visit. You won't have any problems as an English speaker but even the little German I can speak always goes a long way.^

I would also suggest the tour bus where you can get off and on.
While the metro is great, the bus puts you by all the great stuff. Lots of good museums.
While Check Point Charlie is a bit cheesy, the museum next to it is very interesting, albeit small.

We did Berlin this past February and loved it! No crowds, "somewhat" of a warm spell (it was in the upper 30's) and great rates/deals in the city. We stayed at the Swissotel - got a great rate including breakfast. Hotel had a wonderful location on the K'dam and was close to the Zoo station. We did a walking tour of the city - quite fascinating and we had an incredible guide. The only downside is thet there is (or at least wasn't) any shopping on a Sunday when we were there. There are only a certain number of Sunday shopping days where stores can be open. That was a bummer as we were in on a Saturday and home on a Monday.

Be certain, Berlin does not only consist of:

• Mitte
• Doner Kebab
• Prenzlauer Berg and
• Checkpoint Charlie. :D

The most reasonable advice shoult be getting a guidebook as a start and deciding on this basis where you want to stay: Either in the Kurfürstendamm area or in Mitte, both has pros and cons. Get sure about any cultural activities (three opera houses, some musical theatres, several other theatres) and go for tickets on www.eventim.de or other sources. As a guideline: Mitte is the district with most museums and cultural activities and history, Kurfürstendamm is the area with most pubs. However, everything us linked easily by public transit. BTW: www.berlin.de is a great source of information to.

IMO - You have things backwards. You'll be paying what - $1300 or so for airfare on the sale? And then trying to save money on the hotel? Why not try to get a really cheap airfare - and splurge on a hotel like the Ritz Carlton? And some meals at some really good restaurants? We're not talking about a 60+ year old person with a leg brace (like my husband) on a 13 hour flight to Tokyo. Sounds like we're talking about a younger person and maybe 5-6 hours to Berlin. If you are in fact a young healthy person - certainly you can endure coach ;) - and spend the difference on better lodging/food/etc. in Berlin.

We were in Berlin for a week in June this year. Did lots of different things. Soup to nuts. Art museums - galleries - the Jewish "spots" (Jewish Museum and Holocaust Memorial) - design centers - the zoo - food scene - street festivals - shopping - you name it - we did it (except for clubs - we're too old for that).

If you're interested in contemporary art in Berlin and elsewhere in Europe - this is a really good website to explore: http://www.art49.com/. I also recommend a Green Michelin Guide for sightseeing. Robyn

Mercure Berlin an der Charité is a nice hotel, and it can be inexpensive. Check the rates at www.hotel.de to see if you can get a cheaper deal than at www.accorhotels.com .

Besides hotel.de check out www.hrs.de .

Berlin hotels often offer great specials on their web sites, so you will just have to poke around.

There are so many things to see and do - I recommend Terry Brewer's walking tours as a start.

An alternative to Mitte is to look at hotels close to Potsdamer Platz. That is a very good start to explore the city. Otherwise there is a very new and nice hotel at "Unter den Linden" which is called Hotel de Rome. Not the cheapest one but very nice.

While in Dusseldorf for work, I took the 4 hour train trip to Berlin 2 weekends.

I really loved Berlin. For an American raised on the cold war, staying in the Mitte area is my choice because you are on or around the central sites in Berlin (some of which are considered the Eastern side that you could not visit 20 years ago).

If you are a first time visitor, like anywhere, thr tourist stuff is there because it is important and you should see it. Checkpoint Charlie, The Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, the bombed-out Kaiser Wilhelm Church remains, and the Berlin Wall are big tourist attarctions for a reason and are worth the time to see.

I also highly recommend the Pergamon Museum containing the Pergamon Alter inside are amazing not to mention the rest of the Museum. You can spend 1 hour or several there and you will be glad you went.

I took a guided walking tour of old Nazi sites and saw where Hitler's bunker is essentially in an area of apartment buildings and the playground around them.

Next time I'm there I want to visit Schloss Charlottenburg and Potsdam.

Flying Lawyer,

Thanks for the link! With tickets this cheap, I may attend a concert or opera every night I'm in Berlin 24-28 Dec.

You are welcome. Berlin opera houses are highly subsidized, so enjoy being there as a guest of the German and Berlin tax payer :cool: If you understand German reasonable well I recommend to spend an evening or two at the Stachelschweine or the Wühlmäuse too. I take that opportunity at least once a month

Berlin
 

I've been to Berlin six times and have always enjoyed myself. Interestingly, the last time I was there I ran into some New Yorkers at a restaurant and they were raving about how much they enjoyed an evening at the Berlin Symphony. I had never even thought about going; I want to do it on my next visit. If you're interested in art, there are scores of interesting galleries all over the city. Lots of museums, as others have shared. The main train station, Berlin Haupthbahnhof, which is a destination in itself - has a good travel office where you can pick up brochures, buy passes and get plenty of tourist related information. I'd take the train to Potsdam which is also an interesting nearby destination. Best of all, Berlin is a great walking city and I feel you get the best sense of a place by walking around - especially at night.

I've always had good experience staying at the Westin Grand, where historic boulevard Unter den Linden meets Friedrichstrasse, within a "stone's throw" of the Brandenburg Gate in what used to be East Berlin. http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin...ropertyID=1105

I got a heck'uva deal during my last stay with my wife and one of our daughters... 3 nights for about 125 Euros/night!

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