Berlin City Break

andrew1977

Hi

Myself and herself heading to Berlin for city break, Monday to Wednesday in September into Berlin Brandenburg airport

Hotel wise, where does anyone recommend we base ourselves, dont intend to spend too much time in the hotel , just somewhere semi decent for max 300 euro in total for 2 nights.

Would near central train station be best to base ourselves to get about to the sights of Berlin ? Or anywhere else convenient for a hotel after coming from airport ?

Any tips/bars/hotels/sights to see/things to do please share them.

I was there many years ago, interested to see how much it has changed.

Thanks

Conway635

I have stayed in Berlin a number of times and have found this hotel really good:

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/txlbchx-hampton-berlin-city-west/

About 10 mins walk from Zoo station, right by the Underground and several bus routes, safe part of the city centre, lots of restaurants etc nearby.

Steve

Tippman24

You could try the Park Inn at Alexanderplatz. I have stayed there a few times myself and have no complaints about it. Situated close to the U2 metro line so short walk to hotel.

andrew1977

Thanks for the recommendations , will check them out , location wise , are they all good for seeing the sights of Berlin ? Public transport i assume is cheap and reliable to get around on ? Any particular ticket i should be getting to get ourselves from the airport + couple of days moving around Berlin.

delboy85

Hi Andrew,

Like yourself, it's a long time since I've been to Berlin (probably 12 or 13 years ago).

But it's one of my favourite European cities. I just loved the vibe to the place.

When I visited I found it quite cheap by major European city standards. I wonder what it's like today.

I can't remember the name of the hotel we stayed in but as long as you are close to a U-Bahn station everywhere is easily accessible.

I visited the Olympic Stadium one morning which I found very interesting. We also did a tour of the Reichstag building (again, very interesting, if you're into that sort of thing). We also did a walking tour of some of the key historical sites from WW2, again, very interesting.

It's such a fascinating city. Would love to hear how you get on when you return.

The Nal

I go at least once a year. Always stay in Rosethaler Platz. Right on the underground and the trams.

The Circus Hostel is the best value for money around. The double room with private bathroom is as good as any hotels rooms. And only 120 a night

https://circus-berlin.de/hostel/

andrew1977

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119428614#Comment_119428614

Thank you , will have a look , from Berlin Brandenburg airport, whats the best /cheapest public transport to take into the city ?

Also any tips /advice for eating out and also for the question most irish person asks ... best places for reasonably priced beer.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119428814#Comment_119428814

Most places have reasonably priced beer! And you can buy beer in the shops (€1 a bottle) and drink on the street!

Easist way from Brandenburg is the train to somewhere where the U8 underground is and then get that to R Platz, drops you at the door. 35 mins all in.

Berlin is huge so my advice is to pick a spot per night ie a part of Mitte, Neukolln, Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain etc and have a wander. Around Boxhagener Platz is a good place to start.

thomil

I'd also recommend giving Motel One a look when it comes to hotel. They're a bit of a budget brand but you wouldn't know it from looking at their hotels. The rooms aren't the biggest but always well-appointed and immaculately clean. There are a number of them spread across the city centre, with prices starting at 69€ for some of the more out-of-the way ones:

Hotels Berlin Motel One | cheap budget design hotel Berlin (motel-one.com)

I myself try to stay in a Motel One whenever I'm in Germany these days, or indeed in any country where they operate, so this isn't just me spouting PR stuff.

Apart from that, Berlin is massive, as mentioned already. I recommend getting some kind of tourist pass that'll allow for unlimited public transport travel. If you're going over there in August, you'll be able to use the 9 Euro Ticket, which allows pretty much unlimited use of public transport throughout Germany, with the exception of long distance trains such as ICEs, EuroCitys, InterCitys and private operators such as FlixTrain. If you end up travelling later, you may want to go for something like the Berlin Welcome Card:

Berlin Welcome Card - the official tourist card | visitBerlin.de

Hope that helps a little.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119429087#Comment_119429087

Never heard of the before, nice one. Will defo have a look when Im there next.

thomil

They're kind of under the radar alright, I wouldn't have known about them if I wasn't German myself. First stayed in one of those in Vienna all the way back in 2013 and have been hooked ever since.

fdevine

We stayed in the Scandic beside Potzdamerplatz last time we were there and found the location perfect.

Adjacent to Sony Centre, U-Bahn, shopping & sights. Short enough walk to Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden, Tiergarten etc.

Public transport is first rate, whether that's trains or buses.

We did airport to Alexanderplatz, dropped our bags in lockers and had lunch in the TV Tower, then on to the hotel as most of what we wanted to see after that was to the west side of the city.

Previous visit there was ABBA Hotel out by the zoo but IMO that was a bit far out of the city.

+1 for the Welcome Card.

There are free walking tours available - https://www.neweuropetours.eu/berlin-walking-tours/ - which I did first time around which was great. They also used to do pub crawls but they're currently suspended.

andrew1977

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119429087#Comment_119429087

Thank you , we are arriving Monday 12th September AM, departing Wednesday 14th to catch an evening flight home to Ireland.

Which pass would you recommend us to get for travel for airport and for moving around the city ? ( Maye i am doing it wrong, but cant seem to select a pass for our dates on the website ) . And would the central station area be the best base to start exploring the city ? It seems close enough to some of the main tourist items, we dont mind walking and exploring, we enjoy that aspect of city breaks.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119431423#Comment_119431423

I did a cycling tour from Alexander Plataz before and really enjoyed it. Great way to se the city. Fat Tire Tours.

fdevine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119431423#Comment_119431423

Shouldn't be date specific - https://www.berlin-welcomecard.de/en

You'll need one of the ABC cards, which includes public transport to and from the airport. 72 hour card based on 12-14/09

artanevilla

The Topography of Terror is highly rated on Trip Advisor but personally I would avoid, there's no actual artefacts there, just boards with reams of information on, you'd be better off just reading the Wikipedia article on WW2 in Germany. The same goes for the Berlin Story bunker, a lot of the same stuff repeated, and very little of the actual interesting history of that particular bunker itself.

I would recommend the Spy Museum and the DDR Museum.

It's incredibly easy to get around on public transport, trams, buses, under and overground all covered on the Welcome Card.

xtradel

+1 for Motel one. Stayed in one in Stuttgart and was nice but my go to chain in Germany at the moment is Premier Inn!

They are Gaining ground in Germany and as well as building new hotels from the ground up they are also rebranding a number of smaller hotel chain properties. I've stayed with them in Heidelberg, Hamburg, Dusseldorf and in this coming October Essen. Averaging around €65 per night room only.

fdevine

We found the Berlin Story Bunker very interesting and thought it was worth the trip TBH

There's an episode of Travel Man that took in the DDR Museum (Season 2, Episode 8)

thomil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119431423#Comment_119431423

You should be able to get the WelcomeCard at the airport when you arrive. Just look for one of the tourist information counters in Terminal 1 at Berlin Airport, they should be on sale there. As fdevine mentioned, go for the 72 hour card and you should be sorted.

Alun

Some great tips on hotels, thanks! I really must go back there one day, as the last time I went was when I was living in Germany in the 80's and drove there which was quite an experience, but nothing like the experience of taking the S-Bahn to East Berlin going through the checkpoints. I can still smell the sulphur hanging in the foggy air around the Museuminsel to this day.

Nigel Fairservice

I have stayed in the Park Inn and the Hampton, both in Alexanderplatz and can recommend them. Alexanderplatz is a good base. U Bahn, S Bahn, restaurants and shopping all on your doorstep. The DDR museum is excellent.

Acosta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119431931#Comment_119431931

The Topography of terror is worth a look, as the only remaining section of the Berlin Wall is along the street. As is The Third Reich Air Ministry, which amazingly given the size of it, never managed to get bombed during the war. Hitler and Mussolini stood on the balcony at the front of the building. There's also an old Berlin Wall watch tower nearby and it's a short walk to Check Point Charlie from there. If you're into all that, I would recommend Insider walking/cycling tours.

Check out the Soviet WW2 memorial near the Brandenburg Gate. There's a few tanks there. The impressive Jewish Memorial is also a short walk from the Brandenburg Gate. The spot where Hitlers Bunker was is just beyond that. The DDR museum near Alexanderplatz is worth a look. I got a bit of the Berlin Wall in there a few years back.

Treptower Park is a huge Soviet memorial/grave yard and is very impressive and worth walking around. As is Templehof feld, if you fancy walking on a now closed airport runway. The TV Tower is worth going up. The Olympic Stadium is another Albert Speer building that is very beautiful and worth heading out to. Check to see if there's a match on if that's your thing. Although Hertha are fairly brutal at the moment.

There's usually a good band playing somewhere in town. Take a look at the gig guide for when you're going. Check out the venues inside Urban Spree. Very cool spot. There's a savage donor kabab spot on the way down there from the station.

I've been several times and only the first time did I stay in West Berlin. The nightlife is better in the East, so I usually stay around the Alexanderplaz or Ostbahnhof area. The S Bahn/Ubahn is brilliant anyway, so no matter where you stay you're never far from anywhere once there's a train station nearby. Get a day pass for the trains if you're going to be using them a lot

andrew1977

Thank you everyone for your help and input, will get booking something in the next day or two, looks like we will have plenty to see and visit !

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

I'd go for somewhere near Alexanderplarz or Zoo Station for a hotel. The main station despite being central is not in the night life areas (15 mins bus though, so not too far)

From the airport - get the FEX direct to the main station if you are there, or S9 thought all the central stations. Someone mentioned u8 but that's not as good an option since the new airport.

Get a 48 or 72 hour ticket for the ABC zone - it covers you on everything even night transport.

artanevilla

FYI the Topography of Terror is not the only remaining section of Berlin Wall, there's about 15 odd miles of it left dotted around the city, including the East Side gallery which is worth a gander.

andrew1977

We are thinking of Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz for the 2 nights, there seems to be a slight difference in price if you select " leisure travel " or " business " travel, the business one being slightly cheaper, but both say include city tax.

Any obvious reason why there would be 2 different prices ?

It looks to get very good reviews the hotel, central , not overly priced and we dont intend to spend much of the time in the hotel anyway.

Good choice ? Thansk

cavan4sam

Hey all heading over next month... Thread is a great help but still no wiser with hotels, have eurostar and Two hotel provisionally booked, motel one looked cool but appear to be booked out

Not keen on public transport late at night so any info on the main areas of nightlife and hotels beside them would be a great help

The welcome card looks a great job i assume the ABC? covers the transfers from Brandenburg Airport to city center stations

fdevine

There's nightlife everywhere, whether that's around Potzdamerplatz, Mitte or Alexanderplatz.

Mitte, or close to the centre would give you options in all directions. Potzdamerplatz is to the west (Tiergarten) & Alexanderplatz is to the east.

One of the least intimidating cities I've been to, at any hour of the day or night & never felt unsafe on public transport even in the early hours of the morning.

Lastly, yes, it's the ABC card you need.

Mr rebel

Berlin is such a popular and amazing destination that I can’t believe Dublin is the only Irish airport to serve it.

Anyway it is probably one of the safest cities in Europe, and as mentioned in the post above, the metro is very safe even at 4am on a Saturday morning so I wouldn’t be worried about it. A huge bonus is that the metro operates 24 hours at weekends too so you are never too far from where you want to go. You can’t go wrong picking a hotel along the U2 metro line as this is the most central line that covers the likes of Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz, Zoologischer… all pockets of activity and popular areas to stay in.

I personally prefer West Berlin to stay in as it’s the more “leafy” part of the city and there’s a wonderful Riu Plaza there that offers breathtaking views over the city.

cavan4sam

Thanks folks I got the Motel one Alexanderplatz after contacting them directly, it looks cool and quirky

Looking forward to reading back on the thread for things to do

Thanks for all the help 👍

samo

Try book yourself the free guided tour of the Reichstag online - have been twice and recommend, it’s within good walking distance from Alexanderplatz up toward the Brandenburg gate. Great city break and sure you’ll love it!

Ferris_Bueller

Didn't want to start a new thread but found this from last year, some great tips ahead of my visit to Berlin next week! Travelling solo for a few days so if anyone had any good bars, beer gardens or food spots to recommend it would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone could recommend a specific walking tour, have done the Alternative Berlin one before and it was good.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120832883#Comment_120832883

Bars around Boxhagener Platz always worth a look. Dachkammer lively at night.

Sage is fun in the summer.

https://www.sageberlin.cc/

The bar beside the Berghain too. Kantine am Berghain.

8MM worth a look too

https://www.8mmbar.de/

Royals & Rice great for Vietnamese and cocktails

https://royalsandriceberlin.de/

Id recommend a bike/segway tour as opposed to a walking tour.

hexosan

Heading to Berlin in a few weeks with two 11/12yr kids

any recommendations on the Berlin welcome card is it worth it.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121567062#Comment_121567062

For transport yes - it'll cost about 9 euro for two adults and two children to make one ride. Beyond that, it depends on what you want to do with it and what your kids are into . Museum Island is national museums and art galleries, so if you're not into that then I wouldn't bother with that part.

Bear in mind - the airport is in the C zone, so you'll need and ABC card if you want to use it to/from the airport. Otherwise it;s about 12 euro for a family for a single ride.

hexosan

I done a flak tower & underground bunker tour years ago when I was in Berlin but can’t for the life of me remember where it was. Has anyone got a recommendation ?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121568223#Comment_121568223

Volkspark Humboldtein and Gesundbrunnen respectively. Nice view from the flak tower, haven;t done the undergrond tour.

fdevine

Free walking tours are a good option. TV tower near Alexanderplatz is great but worth prebooking. Berlin Bunker (not underground) was very interesting

There's the DDR Museum on the river & the outdoor gallery (Berlin Wall) that's further along.

Montage of Feck

If you've got a lot of time, get out to Potsdam and the Olympic stadium.

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121570148#Comment_121570148

+1

I think the DDR museum is brilliant and we books a Breakfast in the TV Tower, a bit expensive but worth it and a great treat.