Need Anni's help!!!

[CruzinNoony]

We will be in Berlin for 5 days in late August before our cruise leaving out of Warnemunde on the Royal Princess. What are your suggestions on how best to spend our days to get the most out of our trip.:confused:

[Travelanni]

We will be in Berlin for 5 days in late August before our cruise leaving out of Warnemunde on the Royal Princess. What are your suggestions on how best to spend our days to get the most out of our trip.:confused:

You have really set me one here!

Berlin is a very spread out city but you have the luxury of a few days so with planning should be able to achieve a great deal. You need to know what your options are. A good place to start is

http://www.berlin.de/en/

 

The public transport system is very good. The City Tour Card, Zones ABC for 5 days would be good value.

http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/index.html

 

I would suggest that you set aside one day to visit Potsdam, both the city itself and the Palaces, Sans Soucci etc. It is worth while to go at least one way by boat.

http://www.potsdam-tourism.com/

 

Would love to help further but to do that I need to know in which part of Berlin you are staying, what you find interesting and the things which you feel are 'must see'

 

Happy planning :)

Anni

[John Bull]

Just a few suggestions off the top of my head.

 

The Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial.

All at the end of Unter Den Linden and almost next-door to each-other.

Often long lines to go into Reichstag, mebbe there's advance tickets available.

The Holocaust Memorial is very strange and arty, an area of cement blocks which have some sort of symbolic meaning that's too deep for me. But almost hidden from view is an entrance to an underground museum under the memorial - not too many people notice it, even less go in cos it doesn't look inviting. Do go down into it, well worthwhile.

Only a few streets away is the site of Hitler's bunker - unmarked, in what is now a housing estate, best forgotten.

 

Checkpoint Charlie - a reconstruction of the little border-post. Nearby the privately-run "House at Checkpoint Charlie" . Was just a shop, is set in a row of other shops, you'd not know it's a museum til you're right outside it. It's been a museum since long before The Wall came down. On two (or more?) floors an eclectic array of genuine artefacts used to smuggle people through the border, at Checkpoint Charlie & elsewhere along the Iron Curtain, absolutely fascinating, don't miss it. Includes two favourites of mine - a little bubblecar that crossed through Checkpoint Charlie regularly & was never searched cos it was unbelievable that anyone could be hidden in it, and two suitcases which had been put on the overhead rack of a train - neither was big enough to smuggle anyone, but the side had been cut out of each so that a person could hide in the pair.

Just a few hundred yards from Checkpoint Charlie, a section of The Wall.

 

South of Checkpoint Charlie, just about walkable from there or on the ho-ho route, a Jewish museum. Seriously arty, long deliberately-blank corridors & very very few items on display. Sorry, I don't get it, found it a complete waste of time.

 

Museum Island. Not my scene, but a magnet for many.

 

On the north side of the river, between Museum Island and Friedrichstrasse & easily walkable from either, a privately-run museum of life under Soviet rule. Displaying my lack of breeding & class here, but that's much more my scene than the dusty paintings & such of regular "museums".

 

Alexanderplatz. The city centre of "East Berlin", dominated by the TV Tower.

 

Potsdamerplatz. Huge mall & centre of "West Berlin". Just a few streets away, but un-publicised, uncared-for, and not easy-to-find is the last remaining Soviet watch tower - it's in Ema-Berger Strasse

 

Some places aren't in the centre but are on the ho-ho route & probably the metro as well.

Places like Charlottenburg Castle,

And - in the opposite direction - the East Side Gallery. A long section of The Wall along the river that has been used for murals. Kinda like very very very good graffiti, includes murals by famous artists. You can see it from the ho-ho, or jump off for a more in-depth look.

 

With five days in the city I'd suggest, on the first or second day, a ho-ho tour to get an overview and to access places outside the centre.

 

And definitely take a boat trip - passes Museum Island, the Reichstag & the modernist govt, buildings.

 

One thing you'll not see on any maps is the difference in demeanour of Berliners. The older generation is generally more dour on the former East Berlin side, you can sense which side of the Iron Curtain you're on. Not true of younger generations.

 

A very interesting city with powerful memories.

 

Just my own impressions

 

JB :)

Edited March 30, 2014 by John Bull

[CruzinNoony]

Thank you so much, John and Anni! We will be staying at the Adina Apartments Hotel Hackescher Market. I believe that is in East Berlin and we will be very close to the train station. We are interested in WWII stuff and not so much in museums unless war related. We want to spend a day at the concentration camp. If we take the train to Sachsenhausen on our own, do they have tours we can join once we are there? Will definitely take the ho ho at least one day, maybe two.:cool:

[Reggiefan]

John, your observation about the outlook or demeanor of those living in Berlin based on geography and generation is fascinating. That is not something I have previously heard.

[Travelanni]

Thank you so much, John and Anni! We will be staying at the Adina Apartments Hotel Hackescher Market. I believe that is in East Berlin and we will be very close to the train station. We are interested in WWII stuff and not so much in museums unless war related. We want to spend a day at the concentration camp. If we take the train to Sachsenhausen on our own, do they have tours we can join once we are there? Will definitely take the ho ho at least one day, maybe two.:cool:

 

Hi, JB has pretty well covered the usual sights.

Your apartments are just one block from the entrance to the s-bahn. There are several HOHO bus lines but the nearest stop seems to be at the Red Rathaus near the Neptune Fountain.

Here are a few other things which may interest you

 

Two museums which deal specifically with WWll and the aftermath.

http://www.topographie.de/en/

http://www.alliiertenmuseum.de/en/home.html

 

For tours which explore the network of bunkers under the city see

http://berliner-unterwelten.de/guided-tours.3.1.html

 

and a walking tour dealing specifically with WWll related sites

http://www.insidertour.com/tours.php/cat/27/id/44/title/Tourdetails

 

There is also the the one remaining flak-tower near the Gesundbrunnen station. It is in a public park and can be explored DIY on the outside (the views from the top are very good) but to explore inside see

http://berliner-unterwelten.de/tour-2.14.1.html

 

If life in the DDR (East Germany) is of interest there are two good exhibitions.

http://www.ddr-museum.de/en

and

http://www.hdg.de/fileadmin/static/english/berlin/traenenpalast-am-bahnhof-friedrichstr/

 

Hope this has given you something to work on.

 

Happy cruising,:)

Anni

[CruzinNoony]

I cannot thank you enough for all your help! You gave us lots of stuff to read. Too bad we already have our flights; I think 2 weeks in Berlin would be better!! We'll just have to come back.:D

[Travelanni]

I cannot thank you enough for all your help! You gave us lots of stuff to read. Too bad we already have our flights; I think 2 weeks in Berlin would be better!! We'll just have to come back.:D

 

Hi, thank you for your appreciation.

I forgot to answer your question on Saschenhausen.

Many tour companies offer tours to and of the camp but the one which we took is

http://www.stiftung-bg.de/foerderverein/fuehrungen/en/

We took the tour from the meeting place in the camp and afterwards spent time walking around by ourselves. The atmosphere was less 'touristy' than some similar tours we have experienced and certainly gave food for thought.

One more tip - if your days in Berlin include Monday, just watch out for places which close on that day when planning. Nowadays many places stay open 7 days but if they are going to have a 'day off' it is usually Monday.

Anni

Edited March 31, 2014 by Travelanni

[san diego sue]

Very good information. We are also going to Berlin same time.We are traveling with good friends, she born in Germany, he met her there , fell in love and married. So we will have our friends as guides. We are staying outside of Berlin in Frankfort on oder. Is the train ride into Berlin a long one?

[Travelanni]

Very good information. We are also going to Berlin same time.We are traveling with good friends, she born in Germany, he met her there , fell in love and married. So we will have our friends as guides. We are staying outside of Berlin in Frankfort on oder. Is the train ride into Berlin a long one?

 

Hi, there are two RE trains per hour from Frankfurt on Oder, throughout the day, stopping at 4 Berlin stations (Ostbahnhof, Alexander Platz, Freidrich St and Hbf), journey time about 1hr 10mins. The Brandenburg-Berlin Lander Ticket is valid on these trains, 29euros for up to 5 persons travelling together between 9:00 one day ( or 1:00 at weekends) and 3:00 the next day. This ticket can also be used on all the public transport in Berlin. Very good value!

Enjoy Berlin,

Anni

Edited March 31, 2014 by Travelanni

[John Bull]

We are interested in WWII stuff and not so much in museums unless war related. We want to spend a day at the concentration camp.

 

Just to forewarn you.

Haven't been to Saschenhausen, but if it is anything like Auschwitz ............

 

We visited Auschwitz from Krakow on a minibus tour, about a 45 minute drive.

Everyone bubbly & chatty on the way.

The return journey was in total silence.

 

As Anni's comment - it gave food for thought.

 

JB

[san diego sue]

And my entire family from Krakow was wiped out there(we think) for us, never want to visit.

 

Anni

Thanks for the info on trains from Frankfort on Oder.

Edited March 31, 2014 by san diego sue