Alex Ramsay Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Have a couple of days in Berlin coming up - not been there before - recommendations for must-sees? Thanks, Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie5 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Sorry I couldn't help myself. I always get a good laugh out of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 photographic must sees? Or general must sees - museums, galleries, etc etc? One of my fave tours for total Berlin newbies: Brandenburg Gate (best to see it early morning or blue hour) after seeing Brandenburg Gate early morning wander through to the Soviet Memorial in the Tiergarten, then on to the Reichstag - book ahead on their website to get a tour of the inside, would recommend Down to the Jewish Memorial then on to Potsdamer Platz / Sony Centre area, easy walk then via the Topography of Terror, onto Checkpoint Charlie, or Checkpoint Charlie Disneyworld as it is sometimes known, the most touristy area of Berlin! Wander up to Gendarmenmarkt, and if you like chocolate stop off at the schokoladenhaus with sculptures made of chocolate of many Berlin landmarks and very delicious afternoon coffee and cake! From there up to Unter den Linden, the Neue Wache, wander along to the Berlin Cathedral and Museum Island then continue along Unter den Linden via the Marienkirche, Neptune Fountain, over to Nikolaiviertel and on to Alexanderplatz. If you want to visit the Television Tower viewing platform, book ahead, queues get incredibly long. Take the s-bahn out to the East Side Gallery. All my fave things are in the former east - if you must venture over to the old west Berlin the Kaiser Wilhelm church is worth viewing and if you like palaces and gardens Charlottenburg Palace is a must, but you could easily spend most of a day there. If you want to see the more alternative Berlin go to Kreuzberg - after viewing the East Side Gallery go over the river on the Oberbaumbrucke, wander straight on into the streets around there - some great restaurants and cafes around here too. Also some fantastic street art and murals. Other faves of mine: Soviet Memorial at Treptower Park Mauer Park Karl Marx Allee - I love Karl Marx Allee, I could wander up and down here all day! Modern architecture in the government area - along the river by the Reichstag Jewish Cemetery in Weissensee Hackescher Markt and the area around Oranienburger Str Tempelhof Park, but you must have a bike here The Berlin Wall Momorial center - good open air exhibition The river tours are good too - loads of tour boats pick up near the Cathedral, there is a basic 90 minute tour which has an English guide (ask for it when you get on the boat) and takes you past a lot of central sites. Worth doing, and you can get cold beer on board. If you want museums or galleries anything on Museum Island - the Pergamon is very impressive but I think there is restoration work going on in there just now. Some of my fave tours are run by Berliner Unterwelten, going down into WWII bunkers, flak towers, spy tunnels http://berliner-unterwelten.de/guided-tours.3.1.html- tour1 is a good one if you are interested in anything like this! English visitors always seem to love this place http://www.hofbraeu-wirtshaus.de/berlin/ and its beer garden weather now http://www.cafeamneuensee.de/ and lots more!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 If you happen to get there by 1994, Potsdamer Platz will still look like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 the You are leaving the American Sector sign is still there, you can pose under it, buy it on a t-shirt, mug, postcard, etc etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Too bad about the Mig-21. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 yes that would be very cool to have lying around in Potsdamer Platz! There are T51 tanks at the Soviet Memorial in the Tiergarten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Alex, it's been a while since I was last in Berlin, but I remember the pleasant surprise I had on my first visit when I found that so much of the city is parks -- a very green and positive place, in spite of its dark history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ramsay Posted June 9, 2016 Author Share Posted June 9, 2016 Thanks all - advice noted, apart from the time travel Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dov makabaw Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 One tip - Berlin is a large city and is very spread out. To optimise your stay suggest you plan your time to cover each area at a time. You've missed the white asparagus season but the sausages are second to none. Have a great time dov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Woods Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Another vote for Kreuzberg here. We have friends who live there, 10 minutes from Tempelhof. Just love it, original and friendly cafes and bars everywhere, and probably the most polite people I have ever met. For a trip of a couple of days, follow Callie's guide, its all there. Don't worry about only having two days though, as soon as you are back home you will be thinking about your next trip. Berlin is not a place you visit just once. I could live there quite easily, quite the opposite of London and Paris which are great to visit but I could never live there. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexandre Fagundes Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Fantastic description Callie Alex, if you have any time left and like history and old european palaces you should also visit Potsdam just next to Berlin Enjoy your trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Colin totally agree on not being able to visit once, that's why we moved here from England, we kept coming back to visit so often it just made sense to stay permanently! Alexandre totally agree about Potsdam, it's a beautiful little town , a total contrast to Berlin and the parks and palaces are fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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