Destination Guide: Berlin!

[Mattg]

Fantastic report mattg. Very detailed and great information. If I were travelling to Berlin, this would definitely be book-marked as a handy reference. (Almost makes me want to jump on a plane, and get a "local's" perspective - well, you are a local now, aren't you?)

I guess I am... And I take pride in the words "Ich bin (ein) Berliner."

By the way, if anyone is coming to Berlin in the next six months, you're welcome to join me for a Berliner Pilsner or two and I'd be happy to show you around.

 

[dmitri]

Damn a cold pilsner sounds good, Berlin is high on my list.

 

[craven morehead]

Excellent !!

 

[JohnM]

I guess I am... And I take pride in the words "Ich bin (ein) Berliner."

By the way, if anyone is coming to Berlin in the next six months, you're welcome to join me for a Berliner Pilsner or two and I'd be happy to show you around.

Great stuff, Mattg! I'm arriving at TXL at 1600h on Wednesday 8 October and there until the following Saturday morning when I get a rental car and head to Dresden. I know, I know - I haven't allowed enough time in Berlin!

If you have a bit of free time, maybe one of those evenings (I assume you're a working person), a meet-up sounds good.

 

[Mattg]

Great stuff, Mattg! I'm arriving at TXL at 1600h on Wednesday 8 October and there until the following Saturday morning when I get a rental car and head to Dresden. I know, I know - I haven't allowed enough time in Berlin!

If you have a bit of free time, maybe one of those evenings (I assume you're a working person), a meet-up sounds good.

Sounds good! As you say, 2-3 days isn't enough time in Berlin but I guess I can forgive you. I'll make a note of your visit & please send me a PM closer to the date.

P.S. I just had a look at my diary at that will be 2 days after I get back from Munich. (I'm going to the last weekend of Oktoberfest.)

 

[Mattg]

I'm going to take a slight detour to talk about what I did last night. I think I mentioned already that you can go up to the dome on top of the Reichstag (parliament) building for free, if you register in advance. Well, yesterday I did just that.

I had to register online more than a week ago, and chose the 8.30pm slot last night as the sun is currently setting at around 9pm.

Before being allowed into the building, everyone had to pass through a security checkpoint which reminded me a little of airports in the United States, except that the staff were polite and I was allowed to keep my bottle of water. Note that you need to bring your passport for an identity check.

We were then escorted into the building and into the lift which took us up to the roof and the glass dome. The view over Berlin from the glass dome was very good, particularly as the sun set. You could also look down onto the Bundestag (parliament) from the dome, which symbolically represents that the parliament should always represent and be accountable to the people.





After sunset there was a light show just outside the Reichstag by the River Spree which attracted a large crowd. It went for half an hour and was about the history of Berlin and the German parliament. In the shot I've included below they were talking about the Berlin Wall being built. It went for half an hour and is going to be on daily after sunset until 3 October.

 

[Mattg]

Other activities & things to do

Since I obviously haven't given you enough suggestions already, here's a few more.

Trabi Safari
You can actually go on a guided tour around Berlin behind the wheel of one of East Germany's horrible, clunky, slow and smelly Trabant cars, if that's your thing. Thankfully, the only people driving these around Berlin nowadays are the tourists doing the Trabi Safari.



S1, S2, S25, U2 - Potsdamer Platz

Do a river cruise
There are countless different cruises down the River Spree to choose from. This is a way to see Berlin from a different angle, at a slower and more relaxed pace.



Berlin Zoo & Tierpark
Berlin does have a zoo, as well as an animal park (Tierpark). I've never been to either as I didn't come to Berlin to see animals I can see in any other zoo around the world, but perhaps it's a good place to take kids. As far as I can tell, the only real difference is that the Tierpark is bigger but draws a smaller crowd.

Berlin Zoo: S5, S7, U2, U9 - Zoologischer Garten

Visit a lake
There are lots of lakes around the outskirts of Berlin which are very popular on weekends with Berliners who go to swim, have picnics/barbecues, play sports or just relax in the sun. I was at Schlachtensee last weekend and there were a lot of people, probably because it was a Saturday and a really hot day. Other good ones include Wannsee and Strausssee. (You have probably worked out that "See" means lake in German.) I've heard that you can also take a ferry across the lake at Wannsee. Oh, and be warned that some lakes (and parks for that matter) are popular with nudists. (I'll let you decide whether or not you think that's a good thing.)




Schlachtensee: S1 - Schlachtensee
Wannsee: S1, S7 - Wannsee
Strausssee: S5 - Strausberg Stadt

Have a drink at the KaDeWe
I probably should have included this in the restaurant/bar/cafe section, but anyway... the Kaufhaus des Westerns (KaDeWe for short - pronounced car-day-vay) is the largest department store in Europe. Even I find it quite impressive. On the top floor is a very nice buffet and bar, and if you can get a table by the window the views are great. It's a nice spot to have lunch, but it's also quite expensive, so maybe just go for a drink or dessert in the afternoon.



U1, U2, U3 - Wittenberg Platz

Do a pub crawl
Berlin is famous for its nightclubs, so this is a bit of a no-brainer if you're into that kind of thing. There are plenty to choose from, I'm not going to recommend any particular one.

See a German comedy show
Ok, I'm not sure I would really recommend this to a non-German-speaking person, or even a German-speaking person, but I decided to see a stand-up comedy show in German at the Quatsch Comedy Club one night and it was an unforgettable experience. The Germans are renowned for their lack of sense of humour, so I thought it would be funny to watch German comedians attempting to entertain an audience of Germans. It was. But it was so bad it was almost good.



S5, S7, U6 - Friedrichstr.

See a concert at the Berliner Philharmonie
For much classier entertainment, see a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic Centre.

S1, S2, S25, U2 - Potsdamer Platz

 

[Mattg]

Recommended tours

There are lots of tour companies in Berlin which offer lots of different tours. Here are a few I have done which I would recommend - note that there are plenty of other tours which I'm sure are just as good!

City/sightseeing tours
For a basic introduction to the city, I think it's pretty hard to go past the free walking tours. Well, their not exactly free as you are supposed to leave a tip, but nonetheless it's almost guaranteed to give you a good overview of the city and they're often quite entertaining as well. I've done the Sandemans free walking tour in Berlin (and 5 other cities) and have always found them to be good.

For a longer and more in depth introduction to Berlin, I would recommend Brewer's Berlin Tours. Their six hour "Best of Berlin" walking tour was actually the first walking tour I ever did, and to this day it remains one of the best I've ever done. The tour went a little overtime and ended up being closer to 8 hours, but I learnt so much on that day and had a fantastic time, even if it did leave me with sore feet.

Alternative tours
Alternative Berlin Tours offers something a bit different to the others. They make a point of not taking you to any of the tourist attractions you'll find in the guide books, but rather to places where locals would go and they show you what Berlin is really about. I've taken two of their tours now and both were excellent. They even offer a 2.5 hour free (pay-what-you-think-it's-worth) tour.

Third reich tours
If, like me, you're interested in this period of history, take a third reich tour. Several different companies offer third reich walking tours... I took one with Insider Tours and it was very good.

Bike tours
Another way to see the sights is on a guided bike tour. You're able to see just that little bit more than on a walking tour, and you almost look like a local. A company I would suggest is Fat Tire Bike Tours.

I wouldn't however recommend a Segway tour. Nothing says "tourist!" more than one of those contraptions...

Underground tours
There is a company called Berliner Unterwelten which do tours through historic parts of Berlin's underground, such as bunkers and flak towers from the war. I did tour number 1 and found it very interesting.

 

[aaronjames000]

This is awesome Matt! Thankyou so much!

We are travelling to Berlin in January and this guide is a huge help in planning things to see!

Thanks again!

 

[Mattg]

This is awesome Matt! Thankyou so much!

We are travelling to Berlin in January and this guide is a huge help in planning things to see!

Thanks again!

You're welcome. I should still be here in January, come and say hi.

 

[JessicaTam]

Mattg you have developed quite the resource. Thank you.

 

[Demon_fan]

Really enjoying this thread. Makes me want to go back to Berlin.

 

[docjames]

Congrats on a really comprehensive thread.

Visited Berlin last year - stay was far too short - cant wait to go back.

 

[kermatu]

Matt - this is really great. Thanks for the efforts putting together. I am heading to Berlin, Munich and Dusseldorf in early-mid October. Had most of these sites on my list but now have more. (Too much for the few days, I suspect!)

 

[Mattg]

I went somewhere yesterday which might be of interest to a lot of people - Berlin Brandenburg Airport (soon to be known as BER).

Berlin's newest and largest airport was originally supposed to open in 2011 but has been plagued by never-ending technical problems, poor management and budget blowouts of epic proportions. The whole project has been one giant embarrassment for the Germans.

The official opening date has already been pushed back four times, and in fact there is no longer actually an official opening date. Officially, the delays are a result of a malfunctioning fire safety system, but from what I've heard that's only the tip of the iceberg...

I did some research the other day and found out that you can actually take tours of Berlin's deserted new airport. They run four times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) and are offered in German only. They are conducted by the airport management and cost €10 per person. Not a bad way to make some much needed money for the airport, actually. To take part, you have to book online in advance and places are limited.

I arrived at the meeting point - Terminal C at the existing Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF) 15 minutes before the tour was supposed to start. There were several dozen other people waiting for the tour, but nobody seemed to have a clue what was going on. Everyone was trying to pay for tickets but no-one wanted to take any money. I was getting worried that the tour would be just as disorganised and poorly run as the construction of the airport itself.

Luckily that wasn't the case. At 2pm on the dot, a lovely lady who works for the airport's marketing and public relations department introduced herself and took us to the bus.

A short drive later and we arrived at the airport information centre, where you could read about the progress (or lack of) of the construction. It was there our money for the tour was taken and you could even buy some souvenirs, such as a BER-branded baseball cap for €5 or my personal favourite (not that I bought one), a BER stuffed bear for €5.

We then climbed 171 steps up a tower where we got an excellent view over both Schönefeld and the new Brandenburg Airport. As far as I could tell, anyone can visit the information centre and climb the nearby tower for a couple of Euros.

For those not familiar with the design of the new airport (which included myself until yesterday), the new terminal was built to the south of the existing runway used by Schönefeld Airport. This runway will be extended and used as the new airport's northern runway, while a new parallel runway capable of handling A380s has been built to the south of the new terminal.

When it opens, the airport's capacity will be 30 million passengers a year, which is more than the current capacity of Tegel and Schönefeld Airports combined. As such Tegel and Schönefeld will both eventually be closed.

We then got back onto the bus and taken to the departures area of the new terminal. The new terminal looked amazing - large, modern, everything you could want. It even smelled like a new airport. As far as I could tell, everything looked ready; the check-in counters were all there, the departure boards were switched on, the lights were on - but nobody was home. It was quite a surreal experience as this massive terminal was just sitting there empty, like a ghost town.

Floating majestically above the check-in counters was this grand piece of art, a huge red flying carpet. One of the people on our tour jokingly asked "Wie viel hat dieser fliegender Teppich gekostet?", or how much did the flying carpet cost? The tour guide laughed it off and didn't give an answer.

There is already a train line built underneath the airport, as well as a train station for S-Bahn services and regional and long-distance trains. Every day at 10:26am an empty train drives through the new tunnel to keep the air flowing and prevent the tracks from rusting.

Another interesting fact is that currently the electricity costs for the empty airport are higher than those of the fully-functional Tegel Airport. I think that is quite a feat, but the German taxpayers don't seem to agree.

After walking through the terminal we got back on the bus and went for a ride around the tarmac and down the brand new runway. There are currently two gates capable of handling A380s. I'm hoping that one day these gates might be used by Qantas. Well, I can dream, right? The runway was covered in giant crosses because apparently a commercial airliner landed there recently, mistaking the runway for the other one which is currently being used by Schönefeld Airport.

The two hour tour was interesting and informative. If you don't speak German you might not get as much out of it, but I would probably still recommend it if you are interested in seeing the new airport. After all, it only cost €10.

Oh, and the answer to the question on everyone's mind: When will it finally open? The fifth official opening date will be announced later this year. At the earliest it will be sometime in 2016, or just five years behind schedule.

I'll post some photos below.

 

[Mattg]

The view from the tower:





The departures level from the outside:

 

[Mattg]

The inside of the terminal:





The departure boards - currently display combined departures of Tegel & Schönefeld airports:


The Lufthansa check-in area:


Airberlin:

 

[Mattg]

The stairs/escalators going down to the new train station. The escalators appear to be the correct length now.


And from the tarmac:



Gate B15 - one of two gates suitable for the A380:


On the new runway:


And the new air traffic control tower:

 

[Mattg]

Matt - this is really great. Thanks for the efforts putting together. I am heading to Berlin, Munich and Dusseldorf in early-mid October. Had most of these sites on my list but now have more. (Too much for the few days, I suspect!)

Sounds great! You would be most welcome to join me for a drink if you wanted when you get to Berlin.

 

[Mattg]

Potsdam

Potsdam is another fairly popular day-trip from Berlin. To be perfectly honest, I don't find Potsdam nearly as interesting in Berlin itself, but nonetheless it's another option if for some reason (unbeknownst to me) you want to get out of Berlin for the day. It's an older, some might say more beautiful town with a much older history to go with it. Many of the buildings are nice, historical buildings and some of Potsdam is quite pretty. For me, the highlight was the Cecelienhof Palace, where the last emperor of Germany lived and which also happens to be the site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference.

There are a few different tours which can take you to Potsdam for the day, or you can get there quite easily on the S-Bahn (S1 or S7 - if you take the S7 you need to change in Wannsee to the S1. It's a very simple cross-platform connection). Note that Potsdam is in fare zone C. If you go on your own, you may want to consider renting a bike as things are somewhat spread out.


Schloss Cecelienhof


Potsdam's smaller and less impressive city gate