Berlin.... worth a visit?

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The Tank

Two nights in Berlin must not be wasted completely in the bars, you can do that anywhere. There are some good ones though.

The first thing that you must do is to buy an All Zones "BVG Berlin Welcome Card". This is available from the airport or from any station. It's a Travelcard that allows travel on all the RE, S, U, trains, trams and busses in the city. It also comes with a book of discount vouchers for attractions, museums, restaurants, massage, etc. Excellent value. See the website link below. Please take advantage of the vouchers. If you simply work your way through the book then you will be well occupied for two days.

Use the Zoo station as your "centre of operations" because it has the best S & U Bahn links and the main bus station is also there.

Things to see and do in two days:
The tv tower "Fernsehturm" - Alexanderpaltz. It has a revolving restaurant on top by the viewing gallery, but I wouldn't eat there.

The Natural History Museum - Invalidenstrasse (U-bahn line U6, Zinnowitzertarasse). The best brachiosaurus in captivity and a generally great display. (I have a friend who is one of the managers there so I have to plug this one).

Friedrichpalast review theatre (Fiedrichstrasse, walk about 300 m north from the station). Takes you back to Marlene Deitrich days if you're lucky with the performance the day you go.

Treptower Park for the Soviet War Memorial. You really will not have seen anything quite like this. "Impressive" doesn't do it justice. It's amazing, and free. (Treptower Park - almost any S-Bahn line from Friedrichstrasse).

Charlottenburg Palace and grounds. This fantastic place is where the Hohenzollerens lived and Queen Charlotte refused to sleep in her bed after Napoleon left Berlin because he had been sleeping in it during the occupation. (Most S-Bahn lines west from the Zoo station.

Have a relaxing hour in the Liquidom. This is a salt water pool where you just lie back in gentle artifical waves and listen to underwater music. You can also have a massage . (S1 and S25 - Anhalter Bahnhof).

Walk down Friedrichstrasse from the Friedrichstrasse S-Bhof to Checkpoint Charlie. It's about 1.5km but when you get there you will probably see the only American toruists in Berlin. That road also has the most amazing shops. There is a rather good car showroom that sells all VWs, including Rolls Royces, cheaper than in the UK.

From Friedrichstrasse station you should walk along the Georgenstrasse which is the road that passes alongside the railway viaduct to the Deponie 3 restaurant. It's in a railway arch (there are others but keep going). This is one of the best eating places in the city centre. Despite the odd behaviour of their web page, they have an English language menu. Food, ambiance, price and service is superb.

Step aside from Friedrichstrasse into the squares on the East side. (Franzosische Str U-Bhf is the nearest station, it has an entrance in Friedrichstrasse). Be impressed. If you have time then pop into Fasbinder & Koch chocolate shop.

A short walk from the Zoo is the Keiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. It's the ruin with the broken tower. There is a great exhibition inside showing the city before, during and after the war. It's free and well worth a half hour.

Keep walking and you'll see the Europa Center. This is an enclosed shopping centre with a Water Clock. If you can work out exactly how it works then well done. I can't.

If the weather is good then take the RE (double decker) or S-5 from the Zoo to the Grunewald. It's a huge lake that formed the seaside for Berliners during their walled period. If you like you can join the Berliners for some skinny dipping.

From the Zoo take the bus 100 to Alexanderplatz. This bus route takes you through much of the touristy parts such as the Tiergarten, Bellvue, Unter den Linden etc. All for 'free' on your Welcome Card.

The new Hauptbahnhof, the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Holocaust Memorial are all on a nice 30 min walk from the Hauptbahnhof to Potsdammer Platz.
Visit the dome of the Reichstag but allow at least 2 hours including queueing.
Potsdammer Platz is an amazing place. Each tower block is deliberately different from its neigbours so that visitors can find at least one that they like. Lots of ways to spend an hour or two (and some euros) there.

There is just too much to tell. As I said, work your way through the Welcome Card book and you will have much of what you want to do in two days already described.

If you want to visit their biggest shop then go to KaDeVe. It's the Berlin equivalent of Harrods. (U2- Wittenburgplatz, or 10 mins walk from the Zoo or Ku'Damm). In this shop the top floor has to be visited, especially if you like chocolate. Make sure that you get one of their cotton (baumwolle) carrier bags.

For the industrially inclined then the Technology Museum is really good. It includes a railway museum in the old engine shed that was part of the bombed Anhalter Hauptbahnhof. In this museum you can see multi-million mark notes from the pre-war era.

If you have time then visit the suburban towns of Spandau or Potsdam. These are a short RE ride from the Zoo.

Unless you already have a hotel booked then I recommend that you try the Tiergarten Hotel (Alt Moabit, U9 "Turmstrasse"). This hotel has a buffet breakfast to die for and is 5 minutes from Bellvue S-Bhf (trains to Zoo, Freidrichstrasse, HBHf etc), 3 mins from Turmstrasse SBhf, 20 mins walk through Tiergarten to the Zoo, 1 min from the river etc. Very conveninent location without being in the noisy centre. If they're full then try the Park Consul hotel, which is very close. It's a bit more expensive but very good.

Take a camera, a good map and an open mind.
Enjoy yourself.

Fenris Troll Ripper JPA RT ATL Â®

Oh yeah, to bad you do not have more time!! I loved it.

Schlo: Have you ever been to Berlin the last 20 years or so? I have many times and I have never seen what you are describing. Berlin is a great city to visit and enjoy and is no more dangerous than any other city in Germany or most countries for that fact. Did something happen to you personally there?

Anne_WI

Berlin is Awesome!!! But it depends on what you are into. It is a lot more industrial looking than Munchen, Hessen, etc. I went there for a short weekend trip as well and found plenty to do! I went on the tour bus and they explain all the historical stuff, they can also give you some tips on places to visit.

Jen

yeah there's loads. we went for 3 days (4 nights) and it wasn't enough for us. we spent 1 day shopping etc...we did a 2 day tour around the city seeing the history and stuff.
we didnt have time to go on the concentration camp tour which were disappointed about.

hope

Probably two days are not enough to see all great places in Berlin. There you will find:
Reichstag, TV-Tower, Gendarmenmarkt, Schloss Charlottenburg, very interesting museums on the musuem's island, Brandenburger Tor, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, FriedrichstraÃŸe (combining old architecture with modern one), Checkpoint Charlie, Bebelplatz, Potsdamer Platz and Sony Center, The new Main Station, Kurfuerstendamm for shopping, Memomrial church and so on I could continue with many more places.

What is so special about Berlin is that it is combining really architecture from ancient times with very new and modern architecture. You will find lot's of nice things.

Spooky Mouse

Berlin is great and you wont get to see it all in 2 days... visit places like the reichstag.. the whole place is full of history

Dafydd

Berlin is one of the best destinations in Europe for a short break. There is leanty to see and do and the people are friendly.

RATZ

Been there, I highly recommend it. A haven of history, very beautiful. went thru at checkpoint charlie before the wall was tore down.Into East Berlin that is.

ShlomoNYC

NOPE . unless u like poor, filthy cities with lots of Nazis in the streets - avoid Berlin. There are so many great cities in Germany: Enjoy Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Freiburg ..

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