First time in Berlin need help!

[galelynn]

We will be disembarking in Wamemunde Germany off the Royal Princess on May 15, 2014. We have never been to Berlin and have a few questions.

 

What is the best way to get to Berlin from Wamemunde?

 

What is a must to see while we are there?

 

We will be staying 2 nights and we are looking for a a reasonable, nice hotel, which possibly has breakfast included,that is close to things that we should see, also we have a 9:00am flight out on Saturday May 17 from TXL airport.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Sauer-kraut]

The best way is to rent a car, since you are staying on there you can see a bit of the countryside as well. Otherwise you need to take a train, Travelanni can help you out there ... see her threads about Berlin

 

What to see...ugh Its a big city! Pergamon Museum would be tops for me. How about doing a hop on hop off bus tour? Also have a look at Viator.com to see what their tours take you around to see and you can most likely do them all on your own. Get a travel card for the busses and underground trains so you can get around the city easier.

 

Have fun... go to the Opera or the Philharmonic, see a Kabaret show, eat a currywurst :D

[Travelanni]

We will be disembarking in Wamemunde Germany off the Royal Princess on May 15, 2014. We have never been to Berlin and have a few questions.

 

What is the best way to get to Berlin from Wamemunde?

 

What is a must to see while we are there?

 

We will be staying 2 nights and we are looking for a a reasonable, nice hotel, which possibly has breakfast included,that is close to things that we should see, also we have a 9:00am flight out on Saturday May 17 from TXL airport.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi,

I agree with SauerKraut re driving from Warnemünde to Berlin though I have reservations about a car to get around if you are not familiar with the city. The public transport system is excellent and very easy to navigate.

 

I would recommend using the train. The latest information is that on May 15th 2014 there is only one train direct from Warnemünde to Berlin Hbf, the CONNEX (private company) dep. 14:07 arr. 16:58

The alternative is the Regional Express service, which requires taking the s-bahn to Rostock, and departs Rostock Hbf. every two hours at 03 mins past the even hour, total travel time around 3 hours.

The standard fares at present are:

CONNEX - 27 euro pp. RE - 39.10 euro pp.

Connex tickets at this price can only be bought on the train or possibly from a travel agent.

RE tickets for 15th can be bought on line, from a ticket machine or on the train. Special offers available on line after 2nd February.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query2.exe/en

 

Sorry I can't help with hotel recommendation as I always stay with friends but if you are using public transport the area in which you stay does not really matter.

 

The best way to the airport from the city at that time in the morning is a taxi.

 

Happy planning and cruising :)

Anni

www.travelanni.webs.com

Edited January 9, 2014 by Travelanni
Forgot title

[cruise_bunnies]

Berlin is big and it doesn't have a traditional city centre, due to it's history. Most of the time people choose a hotel within one of the places that they really wish to visit and travel to the rest.

 

You have the Alexanderplatz, which is in what used to be the East side, which has typical buildings of that era. It's nice to shop around there or have a coffee. There are some attractions there

 

Then you have the Kurfursterdamm area which has many luxury shops and is great for that. There is also the KaDeWe which is an iconic shop which had luxury goods for the East Berlinners from the "west" back then and still has many lovely things to buy and you can eat there.

 

You have the Potzdamerplatz which is a whole new quarter that was build after the wall came down.

 

On top of that you have Museumsinsel, which has lovely museums.

 

So basically, what kind of taste do you want to have of Berlin? Do you want to shop and see West/East? Do you want to see the Museums?

[galelynn]

Hi and thank you for the suggestions. One thing I forgot to mention is that we are meeting friends that live in Germany (about 4 hrs away from Berlin). I have asked them about hotels, but have got no response on that subject yet. They will also be staying in Berlin for the 2 nights, and will have a car.

[diathoney]

If you want to climb the Reichstag, you need to make an appointment in advance. It's beautiful and the views are great. There's an audioguide included. After climbing the dome you can walk down the block to the Brandenburg Gate, then up Unter Den Linden (median in the center). Towards the end of the median, you'll pass the Opera house, designed by the same architect who built Sanssouci in Potsdam. Where the divided street ends is Bebelplatz. In the center, there's a clear window in the stone. It's a memorial that marks where the ****s burnt over 20,000 books. From here you can continue to Museum island. We bought a museum pass and visited the Pergamon (Pergamon alter and Istar gate), Neues (Nefertiti's head) and Bode.

Potsdamer Platz has the Sony center which has several restaurants including one that serves kangaroo meat. The best way to enter is through the subway, the tunnel has some history of the area, then opens into the canopied structure.

We did a Ho-Ho bus tour too, which I wouldn't recommend. The audio was terrible and not well timed with the sights.

[John Bull]

Like in pretty-well any major city I'd not rent a car - with the navigation & particularly the parking at points-of-interest, a car would be a hindrance.

Can't help with Warnemunde to Berlin. Perhaps a car just for the journey & return it as soon as you've dropped your luggage?

 

As the bunnies' post, Berlin doesn't have a centre - or more accurately perhaps it has several.

Alexanderplatz in the former east Berlin, or Potsdamerplatz in the west, are the major centres, and the western end of Unter den Linden has many historic sights including Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Jewish Memorial.

Best bet is to choose a hotel in one of those locations so that some sights are walkable, but make it convenient to the U-bahn (metro) and/or ho-ho route for easy access to others.

 

A few years back we stayed at a hotel on Friedrichstrasse, alongside the River Spree - hotel is now called Friedrichs 106.

Super spot, a few minutes walk from the Friedrichstrasse U-bahn & rail station (trains to the airport), longish walk to Reichstag etc. in one direction & Museum Island & little waterfront Soviet-era museum in the other. Tour boat jetty under our bedroom window, hotel café & terrace alongside the river.

Couldn't have recommended the hotel itself, it was pretty basic - but clearly it's now under different management, a lot of money has been spent on it, & its getting very good reviews on TripAdvisor. So it seems now to be a hotel worthy of its location. :)

 

Diathoney had a poor experience with the ho-ho, but it is a convenient way to get to sights like Charlottenburg, Checkpoint Charlie, & the East Side Gallery - a long decorated section of The Wall.

(ho-ho is unsuitable for one-day cruise ship visitors - too time-consuming)

 

Just MHO, as always

 

JB :)

[John Bull]

 

A few years back we stayed at a hotel on Friedrichstrasse, alongside the River Spree - hotel is now called Friedrichs 106.

Super spot, a few minutes walk from the Friedrichstrasse U-bahn & rail station (trains to the airport), longish walk to Reichstag etc. in one direction & Museum Island & little waterfront Soviet-era museum in the other. Tour boat jetty under our bedroom window, hotel café & terrace alongside the river.

Couldn't have recommended the hotel itself, it was pretty basic - but clearly it's now under different management, a lot of money has been spent on it, & its getting very good reviews on TripAdvisor. So it seems now to be a hotel worthy of its location. :)

 

 

JB :)

 

 

Oooops, my mistake :o

Friedrichs 106 is actually the name of the café under the hotel, don't know if its in the same ownership.

 

Hotel itself is called Riverside Royal Hotel

 

http://www.booking.com/hotel/de/riverside-royal.en-gb.html?aid=314919;label=friedrichstraae-HZy3OHk0hIz0Nru1URPEqgS1495747310%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap11250%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg;sid=3205da4ede16f2e0400b12cfaded5c2c;dcid=1

 

JB :)