julie travelcaster
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Well, I'd say that either is a good choice. Depends on what you like.
Berlin is a unique city in my opinion. If you go there, focus on the stuff that makes it unique - the history of World War II, division, reunification and the fall of the wall. All fascinating. That means visiting things like the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial, the Jewish Museum, the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Wall museum/exhibit, the Topographie of Terrors exhibit, the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche. If you visit things like the Baroque palaces and such it may just seem like any European city, though I don't know how. Berlin is really unique. You are also near the greatest collection of museums I've ever seen. It really is amazing.
The Rhine is equally interesting in my opinion, if slower paced. The key here is to have a car or to use the train/bus to move up and down the area. I'd stay in the Rhine Gorge - if you are backpacking the hostel in Bacharach is ideal - if not there are any number of places to stay. I'd recommend something in the middle between BAcharach, St. Goar/St. Goarshausen, and Boppard.
In addition to spending a day on the river, possibly in a KD line steamship seeing the shore float by and enjoying a glass of Reisling, other things to do range form Bingen, where you can visit the town museum, and learn a little about Hildegard, Bacharach, where you can enjoy yourself in a medievel walled town with exquisite half timbered houses in the central square. St. Goar has a castle, Burg Rheinfels, which is worth a couple hours of wandering. It is a ruin but beautiful. And you can hike up to the Lorley across the rhine (there is a ferry) or walk out to see the statue of her. Boppard has great wines, a beautiful church and a lovely town square. Also a lovely walk along the water. Up in Koblenz, visit the Deutsches Eck, the corner where the mosel meets the Rhine. They also have a castle, a fortress, looking out over the Rhine. |
thumberlina
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Hello,
I am in Germany and have to recommend BERLIN!!
some ideas, to keep you busy:
Most unmissable sights are in and around central Mitte. The east-west axis of Unter den Linden is a good place to start. Frequent buses run the length of the tree-flanked boulevard, linking it with Bahnhof Zoo in the west.
The western end is marked by the iconic Brandenburg Gate, once closed off between East and West Berlin, which leads on to the huge Tiergarten park. North- west of the Gate is the government quarter and the revamped Reichstag, crowned by Norman Foster’s magnificent glass cupola (Platz der Republik, 2273 2152, www.bundestag.de). Trips to the top are free, and the view is magnificent, but expect to queue. To the south side of the Brandenburg Gate is the recently completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Cora-Berliner-Strasse 1, 2639 4336, www.holocaust-denkmal.de). The controversial design by Peter Eisenmann has 2,700 columns of varying heights in an undulating space the size of a city block.
South of Unter den Linden is Gendarmenmarkt. Topped and tailed by the German Cathedral (Deutscher Dom, 2273 0431, closed Mon) and the French Cathedral (Französischer Dom, 229 1760, closed Mon), it is one of Berlin’s most beautiful squares. At the eastern end of Unter den Linden is Museum Island (Museumsinsel), a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose clutch of superb collections includes the Pergamonmuseum (Am Kupfergraben, 2090 5577, www.smb.spk-berlin.de, closed Mon), incorporating the Babylonian Gate of Ishtar. The majestically porticoed Altes Museum (Lustgarten, 2090 5577, www.museen-berlin.de) and the 19th-century art at the Alte Nationalgalerie (Bodestrasse 1-3, 2090 5801, www.museen-berlin.de, closed Mon) are also worthwhile. Other attractions are the Berliner Dom (Am Luftgarten, 2026 9128, www.berliner-dom.de) and Deutsches Historisches Museum (Zeughaus, Unter den Linden 2, 203 040, www.dhm.de), which has a swanky new wing by IM Pei.
Eastwards is the communist-era concrete expanse of Alexanderplatz, and the landmark ball-and-spike TV Tower (Fernsehturm, 242 3333, www.berlinerfernsehturm.de), with a revolving observation deck; south are the reconstructed medieval Nikolaiviertel and remnants of the original medieval wall.
North of Alexanderplatz, the renovated Scheunenviertel (‘Barn Quarter’) is packed with galleries, bars and shops. Its focal point is the Hackesche Höfe, a warren of jugendstil (art nouveau) courtyards full of boutiques and cafés. Nearby Auguststrasse is the art scene’s main drag, while the revived Jewish Quarter centres on the Neue Synagoge (Oranienburger Strasse 28-30, 8802 8451, www.cjudaicum.de, closed Sat).
Prenzlauer Berg has gentrified rapidly and, though containing few specific sights, is a relaxed area for a meal or a drink. Friedrichshain has a more communist and post-industrial feel. The lively, youthful nightlife around Muhlenstrasse and Simon-Dach-Strasse contrasts with the eerily wide main drag, Karl-Mar x-Allee, which is a treat for fans of Stalinist architecture.
Kreuzberg & Schöneberg
Once Berlin’s nonconformist heart, Kreuzberg remains fascinatingly diverse. Its museums include the exhibit about the Berlin Wall at the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie (Friedrichstrasse 43-45, 2537 250, www.mauer-museum.com), and the Daniel Libeskind-designed Jewish Museum (Lindenstrasse 9-14, 2599 3300, www.jmberlin.de), where the remarkable deconstructivist building almost upstages the already quite memorable exhibition within.
Neighbouring Schöneberg offers some great bars in its northern reaches, and is the hub of Berlin’s thriving gay district.
Tiergarten
Tiergarten is dominated by the park of the same name. At its south-east corner is a clutch of museums, including the Mies Van der Rohe-designed Neue Nationalgalerie (Potsdamer Strasse 50, 266 2651, www.museen-berlin.de, closed Mon) and the Filmmuseum Berlin (Potsdamer Strasse 2, 300 9030, www.filmmuseum-berlin.de, closed Mon). The latter is in the new complex at Potsdamer Platz, among buildings from famous architects such as Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. At the south-west corner of Tiergarten is the beautifully landscaped Zoo and Aquarium (Hardenbergplatz 8, 254 010, www.zoo-berlin.de).
Other Districts
To the south-west lie the vast Grunewald woods, the watery pleasures of the Wannsee and assorted smaller lakes – Strandbad Wannsee is Europe’s largest inland beach – and the Dahlem museum complex. The extensive and authoritative Ethnologisches Museum (Lansstrasse 8, 830 1438, www.smb.spk-berlin.de, closed Mon) is remarkable in itself, but the same building also houses terrific museums of Indian Art, East Asian Art and European Culture. Heading south-east, you can drink in the villagey charms of Köpenick, or sample at your leisure the products of the Berliner Burgerbräu brewery at Friedrichshagen, which throws open its gates for an annual summer beer festival. Boat trips can be taken on the nearby Muggelsee.
• Tourist information: Europa-Center, Budapester Strasse, Charlottenburg (250 025, from outside Germany 01805 754 040, www.btm.de)
xx Have a great time, you won't regret Berlin!! |
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