Travel Essentials Berlin: Visitor information with a personal slant Written by Aidan O'Rourke
2004-06-03
Travel to Berlin is easy via all main
modes of transport but from
northern and western Europe, the quickest and cheapest way to get there
is by low-cost airlines such as easyJet
and Ryanair, who land at Schönefeld
Airport south east of Berlin.
It's easily accessible to the centre via
frequent trains. Tegel Airport in west
Berlin is a short bus ride from
the centre of west Berlin. You can also travel to Berlin overland by car,
bus or train.
Public Transport in Berlin is efficient, frequent and affordable.
With a 5.30 euro day ticket you can hop on and off trams,
buses and trains
till 3am the next morning. The S-Bahn is the city suburban rail system
linking the centre with outlying areas. The U-Bahn is the
underground
railway operating mainly in the central area. Trams operate in the eastern
part of the city. Taxis can be expensive, though not as
pricey as in London.
Hiring a bike can be a great way to explore the forests in the west and
east. Boat rides on the lakes are fun and relaxing.
Walking can be enjoyable
but remember central Berlin covers a big area, so don't underestimate
the distances.
Accommodation is available from the most basic to the most luxurious.
You may be able to find special offers at 5 star hotels
that would be
unavailable in Munich or Paris. Designer hotels offer a stylish and surprisingly
affordable option: My recommendation the Kudamm
101. For budget accommodation
there's the Generator Hostel in east Berlin. You can also go to the tourist
office and request private B&B
accommodation. See my Berlin
hotel reviews.
Berlin has a multitude of attractions including world class museums,
galleries, monuments, shopping centres, reconstructed buildings,
beautiful
parks, squares and tree-lined boulevards. The Museum of German History,
the Museum Island and the Jewish Museum are top of the
list for visitors.
It's essential to see the Museum at Checkpoint Charlie if you want to
understand the reality of divided Berlin and the now
invisible Wall. Admire
skyline views from the Europa Center near west Berlin's Kurfürstendamm
or the Fernsehturm in the centre of east Berlin
next to the Alexanderplatz.
Check out the nearby Oranienburger Strasse district and its renovated
courtyards with boutiques, restaurants,
cafes, private galleries and lots
more. There are wonderful forests and lakes just 20 minutes by train from
the city. Don't expect to be
wowed by magnificent architecture at every
street corner: Berlin bears the scars of war, division and post-war reconstruction
and it's now
said to be Europe's biggest building site. Know your attractions
and how to get there and you will have a great time.
Food & Drink of all kinds is available from a few euros to
gourmet . You can eat very cheaply at the excellent food outlets at railway
stations. Turkish snack bars are also excellent and you can even have
a glass of wine with your kebab. Around the Oranienburger Strasse there
are some of Berlin's newest and most highly recommended restaurants. Along
the Kudamm and its side streets is also a home of good food.
The beer
in Germany is exceptionally good and not expensive. In Berlin, as in the
rest of Germany, you can eat as cheaply or expensively as
you like, and
the quality is usually excellent.
Security - Berlin is relatively safe - There are no major
problems
with street crime or pickpockets, but the same advice applies as in other
cities: avoid taking large amounts of cash with you, and
watch out for
pickpockets in crowded places. Legally you are required have your passport
of identity card with you at all times. Some
attractions - such as the
Jewish Museum - have a strict security policy, with airport-style checks
before you enter. Berlin is a true 24 hour
city. Bars, restaurants, clubs,
even some shops operate through the night and on main streets there are
usually plenty of people about. If you
keep to crowded areas and the risk
of crime will be less.
Culture and history - Berlin is a city
shaped by war, economic
success and turmoil, post-war division, political reunification, now optimism
tempered by a certain disillusioment
caused by long term economic stagnation.
Berliners have survived thanks to their cynical but humorous attitude,
the 'Berliner Schnauze'.
The story of Berlin's amazing history and evolution
is there to be experienced all around you. Berlin stands at the meeting
point of West and
East, now united in one Europe. The Wall existed for
28 years but there is almost no physical trace of it now. The eastern
part of the city still
has a strong feel of Moscow and the Soviet Bloc.
West Berlin has a feel of Paris, London and New York. There really is
no other city on Earth
quite like it.
Language - Most people speak English and there are signs, leaflets
and
announcements in English in most places you go. You'll also overhear
the accents of American, Australian and other English-speaking visitors
in this cosmoploitan city, as well as Russian, Polish and many other languages
of the east - even as far east as Vietnam and China. Useful phrases
include
Einmal, zweimal, dreimal bitte (one, two, or three please) for ordering
food, tickets, drinks or anything else. When someone says Danke
schön
(thank you) it's polite to say Bitte schön (you're welcome). By the
end of the trip you may be proclaiming to people 'Ich bin ein
Berliner',
as President Kennedy did in 1963.
The weather in Berlin is not as cold as it used to
be. Snowy
Russian-style winters seem, like the Cold War, to have been consigned
to history. In the summer the weather can be hot and sunny
for days and
weeks on end, though it can also be changeable. There isn't really a best
time to visit Berlin - It's a great place at any time
of year.
Weblinks:
Official Berlin
Website English pages
Berlin
Tourist Information
Berlin Jewish Museum
Museum of the
Wall - Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
Generator
Hostel Berlin
Kudamm 101 Hotel
Easyjet
Ryanair 2004-06-03
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