Berlin - Things to do and see?

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help. Me and my mate are off to Berlin for 4 days next month.

I am 21 and she is 18. We would like to know what bars are good? Where is the best live music? Where is cheap to eat? Also is the Concentration camp trip worth the money?

Would be greatful for any tips on anything to do with Berlin.

Was planning on getting a metro/tram/bus pass for the 4 days... is this the best option?

Also any NOT TO BE MISSED sites or things?

Thanks for any help in advance!!!

A place that I liked very much in my few days in Berlin,w as the Kulturbrauerei (a.k.a Machineshaus or Kesselhaus). It's a place with good live music. There are some monthly magazines you can check for gigs in that month. (ask you hostel or hotel.)

The Pergamon-museum is a good museum to visit if you are interested in Greek history, and history and art from the Middle-East. I think that seeing the Reichstag (damn what is that dome ugly), the Brandenburger Tor and the Holocaust monument has to be on the list. These are close to eachother so easy to see on a morning. Alexanderplatz is a must see, but a lot there is not to see. (the TV tower, the little church and the Red Cityhall). but you can walk to the nearby Museum Island, and the Dom. I found that Berlin is a good city to walk around in and discover the less obvious things.

There was a concentration camp near Berlin, and I know it's open for the public now, but when I was there I had a discussion with some Germans about it, and they thought that too much was changed, and a visit was not really worth the effort. Instead a visit to the Jewish-historical museum is supposed to be a better trip. (pretty far from the center.) If you have the chance to get to Krakow, than Auschwitz would be WWII-concentration camp that I would prefer.

It has been a while since I've been in Berlin, but I thought the mulitple day passes were alright. Berlin is a huge city and a lot of the sights are pretty far apart, so you need to use public transport pretty much. I would keep away from the BerlinCard, which also has a couple of days of public transport, but also reduced prices for museums. For me these card often offer free entrance of reduced prices for things I don't want to see, so I am usualy better off with 24-48 or 72 hour cards for public transport. (Ooh and keep in mind, and if you buy a daycard for public transport in Berlin, they mean a DAY card, and not a 24 hour card.)

Hey Everyone,

I would like to chip in with a few tips of my own.
The impression that I got from your post was that you would like to see the best that Berlin has to offer within a certain budget.

Tips that were posted by Herr Bert were great and you should really keep these in mind.
The Pergamon Museum is definitely worth a visit and if you´re a museum buff, then it´s recommended for you to visit The Museum Island.

If you want to make your trip memorable then you should also visit the Brandenburg Gate, this Gate represents the unification of Germany as a country.

Also if you´ve got a chance to, The Fernsehturn (TV Tower) is also a recommended visit. It´s breathtaking view must be experienced in person and on top of that, you can enjoy these views whilst wining & dining.

[ Edit: Link removed. ]

Hey there,

a multiple days pass for the public transport is definitely a good option and you can chose between

citytourcard and
BerlinWelcomecard.

To find out which one is better for you, I'd check their partners and decide which discounts you would want to use.

For bars and live music, there is plenty around Oranienburger Str. in Mitte or in Kreuzberg either on Oranienstr. or Bergmannstr. (U-Bahn Görlitzer Bahnhof or Gneisenaustr.). I definitely know that at Junction Bar, Gneisenaustr.18 they have live music every night.

Concerning the concentration camp, I agree with Herr Bert it might be a better option to visit the Jewish Museum on Lindenstr. which is not really far away from anywhere in the inner city.

Lastly, have a look into the city magazine Zitty and Tip for events and recommendations, although unfortunately its in German. The only other option for useful info might be Exberliner Magazine.

Hope this helps and if you have more specific questions about Berlin, let me know.

Steff

I usually recommend that tourists use the normal Berlin AB day tickets the Berliners use too. A day ticket for the zones AB is 6,10 EUR, for zones ABC it is 6,50 EUR. For 4 days 4 AB day tickets work out to 24,40 EUR per person. For just transport that is cheaper than thecitytourcard or the BerlinWelcomeCard. So unless you are absolutely sure you'll use some of the discounts that make the extra expense worth it, don't bother with citytourcard or the BerlinWelcomeCard.

You can get your bearings of Berlin pretty easily by going on a guided tour on your first day. There is a free walking tour (the guides work for tips) that is pretty good. The same company also organises a pub crawl that is pretty legendary and publishes a free guide that you can pick up in most hostels.

http://www.newberlintours.com

Another good way to start off a visit to Berlin is to ride up the elevator to the TV-Tower at Alexanderplatz. There is a cafe at the top, sit down and have a cup of coffee and a snack, watch Berlin spin by and plan your attack on the city armed with a map, a guidebook and the view from the window.

http://www.berlinerfernsehturm.de/

Btw, I disagree a little bit with Steff about Reichstag and TV-Tower: While you absolutely shouldn't miss the Reichstag, there is no need to join the queue at the entrance. All you get to see after 1-4 hours of waiting is the dome. And while it offers a fantastic view over the city you can get the same from a visit to the TV-Tower. (Difference: Reichstag is free, TV-Tower asks for entrance. It is up to you if you are willing to pay for not having to wait in line.)

Quoting t_maia

Btw, I disagree a little bit with Steff about Reichstag and TV-Tower: While you absolutely shouldn't miss the Reichstag, there is no need to join the queue at the entrance. All you get to see after 1-4 hours of waiting is the dome. And while it offers a fantastic view over the city you can get the same from a visit to the TV-Tower. (Difference: Reichstag is free, TV-Tower asks for entrance. It is up to you if you are willing to pay for not having to wait in line.)

Not sure when I posted about Reichstag and TV-Tower, but I'm also not a big fan of queues .
From TV-tower you definitely have a great view, but I find 9.50 € entrance fee a bit too pricey.
I always send my visitors to Panoramapunkt at Postdamer Platz, because they only charge 3.50 € and you have a similar view.

The easiest time to go up to the dome of the Reichstag is in the evening. The queues have often vanished by then (most people don't realize that the place stays open late; I've basically walked right in on two separate occasions), and the city and dome all lit up are very pretty.
Of course, the very best light is there just before sunset, but you need to be real lucky not to hit a long queue for that. (It's a pretty centrally located building, though. If you find yourself nearby, a short detour to gauge the length of the queue is often worth it.)

[ Edit: Edited on Dec 6, 2008, at 12:54 PM by Sander ]

Thanks everyone for your help and tips.

As far as im aware i am staying just inside C zone on the map so i would need the ABC pass... im not sure about discounts that i would actually use. I am doing this trip on such a tight budget as i am going RTW in Aug and trying to save hard!

Once again thanks alot... alot of options.

chears!

Hello there,
I am from Berlin, born and raised and live now in the U.S. since I got married. I miss Berlin very much so I try to go back home at least once a year!
The info others gave you is great to get around Berlin and I would agree for sure the bus and train system in Berlin is awesome and it is easy to figure out...buses usually run 24 h at least major bus lines. So getting around would not be a problem..now what about what fun stuff to do?I guess it all depends on what you are interested in? I have just recently made my own website about Berlin and great things to do..it is full of links you should check out before you travel there...this way you can make a "gameplan" for the few days and will see everything you are interested in!
I am jealous please have fun and be safe! oh and feel free to ask me anything you might wanna know..would love to help!

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]