is Berlin any good?

[checkoutgirl]

Thinking of booking a couple of nights in October. Is there a good area to go? Is October a bad month to go? I'm penny pinching. I've read a tiny bit about it and ideally during the summer where they put on outdoor events would be best but I can't afford it.

Hotel Riu is 500 for 2 nights in October and appears to be in the Shoneberg area. Dunno if that's any good.

Any tips for the cheapest thing possible while still central to the city? Flexible on time of the year but must be central. If it's garbage I'll just go with Barcelona but like the idea of Berlin for some reason.

[touchingcloth]

Any tips for the cheapest thing possible while still central to the city? Flexible on time of the year but must be central. If it's garbage I'll just go with Barcelona but like the idea of Berlin for some reason.

Berlin is ace.

October is a fine time of year to go, I've been in winter before and it was great.

What sort of things do you like doing? I'd recommend hiring a bike if you're on a budget and just exploring with that. The old East of the city is worth seeing, the Stasi museum in particular.

Prenzlauerberg/Friedrichshain/Kreuzberg are where you want if you're into crusty people and banging techno in squalid old buildings, though it's become more and more gentrified each time I've visited.

Cuisine is either shit or expensive, so prepare to eat a lot of chips if you're on a budget.

[Shaxberd]

Berlin is cracking, it's been about a decade since I went but I loved it.

Museums aren't free like London but not too outrageous. If you only go to one I'd suggest the Neues Museum, as well as a fine collection of antiquities the building itself is fascinating. The surrounding environs of Museum Island are also great to look around.

Go for a stroll down Unter den Linden. Treat yourself to a currywurst or a kebab. S-Bahn is nicer than the U-Bahn. Don't bother with Checkpoint Charlie, it's a shitty little hut in the middle of a busy shopping street. If you do want to indulge in Cold War nostalgia, the DDR Museum is a bit cramped but full of interesting artifacts. You could also head out to Alexanderplatz and look at the communist-era tower blocks down Karl-Marx-Allee.

Another one to potentially check out is the Story of Berlin Museum, weirdly located inside a shopping mall. The museum bit is average - the real highlight is the tour of the bomb shelter underneath, first used in WWII and then converted to a fallout shelter. It's fascinating and chilling.

[touchingcloth]

And 500 for two nights sounds expensive. When you say that you "must" be central, just how central is that? It's not an enormous city and public transport and cycle routes are excellent, so definitely worth looking further out than being right on top of the Reichstag.

I stayed in a hostel in Charlottenberg the first time I visited, and it was dirt cheap and probably 15 minutes on the light rail to the centre, but 0 minutes by foot to places of interest in their own right.

Can I come? It's been a while.

[checkoutgirl]

What sort of things do you like doing?

Cheap or free museums and galleries. Pointing at cathedrals, that kind of thing. Anything free. Then some grub. Ideally the nightclub would be of interest but keen to avoid places with arsehole bouncers and poser clientele, of which Berlin is susceptible I understand. I'm sure there's an entire ecosystem of proper underground techno clubs with no dresscode and that's much more interesting.

My main concern is a nice central area to get a hotel that's not expensive. Then just a couple of areas that would be good to walk around. And checking that the cheap part of the year won't be miserable, which is already resolved. That's it really.

[SetToStun]

Berlin is brilliant - we've been several times and always loved it. Never used a hotel, though as my wife's brother lives there so we stay with him. Kreutzberg is a cool area to mooch around and museum island (just down the road from Alexanderplatz is great, although the museums themselves can be a bit pricey if you're on a budget.

For food, you're laughing - Berlin is utterly stuffed with great places to eat. We've always particularly enjoyed the Vietnamese restaurants (there's loads). Vegan and vegetarian restaurants are everywhere now if that's what you're after.

I'd personally hang out around the old border as I find that the more interesting bit, but that's just me - YMMV.

As far as the language barrier goes, there really isn't one. English is pretty much the main second language - an English man, a Ukrainian and a Lithuanian walk into a bar in Berlin isn't the set-up to a crap joke, it's business as usual so most people speak English. The only exception seems to be people who completed their education in the East before the wall came down.

Brits don't seem to have a bad rep there (yet) and in my experience you couldn't wish for friendlier people.

Seriously, get over there and just wander around. Public transport is great and pretty reasonably priced.

The only thing is: if graffiti offends you, either don't go at all or go but never, ever open your eyes. It's quite literally everywhere.

Go, have fun, spread the word.

[checkoutgirl]

The old East of the city is worth seeing

That's what I'm talking about. That would take up a day and I'll only be there for two and a bit. So half the visit sorted already.

[checkoutgirl]

And 500 for two nights sounds expensive.

Sorry that includes flights over and back and it's 4*. Not bothered about the 4* but like the idea of walking out the hotel front door and being in the thick of it.

[Shaxberd]

The only thing is: if graffiti offends you, either don't go at all or go but never, ever open your eyes. It's quite literally everywhere.

It's mostly quite good, though, unlike Paris which is covered in low-effort tags.

Seconding Charlottenburg as a more affordable place to stay, it's not central but it's quick to get into the centre by public transport.

[touchingcloth]

Cheap or free museums and galleries. Pointing at cathedrals, that kind of thing. Anything free. Then some grub. Ideally the nightclub would be of interest but keen to avoid places with arsehole bouncers and poser clientele, of which Berlin is susceptible I understand. I'm sure there's an entire ecosystem of proper underground techno clubs with no dresscode and that's much more interesting.

My main concern is a nice central area to get a hotel that's not expensive. Then just a couple of areas that would be good to walk around. And checking that the cheap part of the year won't be miserable, which is already resolved. That's it really.

There's a massive area to just wal around, loads of parks and interesting neighbourhoods and you could spend a couple of days quite happily just tramping round and never paying a penny to get into anything.

Like others have mentioned the museums are not free, so if you prefer going into things like that as well as just gawping at exteriors then take a look at tariffs for the hundreds of the city's museums online.

Do you drink, and if so plan on doing much while there? Booze is expensive - I was out there on NYE once and paid €12 for a glass of fizzy wine in a middling pizza restaurant!

I'd think of the place as a better version of London. Less cramped and the shitty road layout was replaced after being bombed out during the war so the transport makes a major capital city feel less sprawling and meandering than London does. The night service on the trains is better, and doesn't finish at 7:30 or whatever daft time the Tube clocks off. It otherwise has the same range of culture, is similar on prices (free entry to museums excepted), and is a good introduction to Germany and its culture if you've never been to the country before.

[checkoutgirl]

Never been to Germany before and quite like graffiti so no problem there. Plenty of suggestions to use so just need to settle on an area to get hotel.

[touchingcloth]

Never been to Germany before and quite like graffiti so no problem there. Plenty of suggestions to use so just need to settle on an area to get hotel.

As an argument for staying outside of the dead centre apart from it being cheaper you'll be forced to get the s-bahn to get to the middle or other side of the city, and it being on elevated tracks means you'll spot interesting areas you'll want to get off at.

Like London it's one of those cities where "central" doesn't hold much meaning, and you'd want to be staying in one area to be close to techno but different areas to be close to museums and galleries.

[madhair60]

i dunno, i've never berled.

[badaids]

My overriding memory of Berlin is that there is nowhere to go to toilet unless you have money in loose change, and that the toilets have guards in the door and won't let you in, and because of this I wet myself in the street.

[touchingcloth]

My overriding memory of Berlin is that there is nowhere to go to toilet unless you have money in loose change, and that because of this I wet myself in the street.

Germans do toilet differently than us and are more comfortable with public nudity.

You've heard how naked saunas are common there and how toilets don't have water in the bowl before flushing? Well you probably saw what you thought were drainage grids in the city's kerbs, but the idea with them is you're supposed to drop trou and do toilet in them.

[chutnut]

Tresor
Watergate
Berghain
German Beers

Sorted

[Terence Bowl]

List of People Who Loved Berlin

touchingcloth
Shaxberd
SetToStun
Adolf Hitler

[Bentpitch]

Oh, if you're on a bike go to the old Tempelhof Airport airfield which is now this huge public park.  Its fucking great cycling down an old runway.  If you're not on a bike go anyway,  it's brill.

Also Treptow Park with its enormous Soviet statue is something to behold. The Hamburger Bahnhof always has something interesting on. Another vote for the Neues too. Berlin is great and you will have no trouble filling 2 days, trust me.

[Kankurette]

Kankurette. Apart from the meltdown I had at the airport. Alexanderplatz WILL confuse you.

Can recommend the Stasi museums - the grim one and the quirky one with the Trabi.

[badaids]

Germans do toilet differently than us and are more comfortable with public nudity.

You've heard how naked saunas are common there and how toilets don't have water in the bowl before flushing? Well you probably saw what you thought were drainage grids in the city's kerbs, but the idea with them is you're supposed to drop trou and do toilet in them.

I couldn't believe that it's impossible to piss in an actual bog unless you have precisely a 50cents coin and there are actual people who'll stop you going in even if you're almost in tears from trying to hold it in. I should've just pissed in the street like everyone else.

The there are the Eastern German bogs in which the bowls are back to front and have a little platform to shit on in them, so you can have a good old butchers before you flush.

[touchingcloth]

If there's a better simultaneous demonstration of Germans' terrible food and toilet idiosyncrasies that weisswurst then I'm not aware of it.

Spoiler alert

[close]

[Shaxberd]

My overriding memory of Berlin is that there is nowhere to go to toilet unless you have money in loose change, and that the toilets have guards in the door and won't let you in, and because of this I wet myself in the street.

See, I remember shitting in a shopping mall in Potsdamer Platz and being delighted that the toilet roll dispenser was branded "Airwolf". If you're caught short, nip into a shopping centre, there's plenty of them.

Re: booze prices, wine is pricey but beer is relatively cheap, especially from convenience stores.

[All Surrogate]

Pergamon museum. Contains the Ishtar Gate and the market gate of Miletus (home of Anaximander), amongst a great deal else.

DDR museum. Small and fun.

[checkoutgirl]

Berghain

No chance. S&M rubberwear isn't my thing.

[touchingcloth]

I couldn't believe that it's impossible to piss in an actual bog unless you have precisely a 50cents coin and there are actual people who'll stop you going in even if you're almost in tears from trying to hold it in. I should've just pissed in the street like everyone else.

If there are no paid staff, the general public will stop you from going in.

It can be amusing how much the culture is in favour of following rules. You'll get suspicious and unapproving if not outright venomous looks if you cross the street before the little man turns green.

I was once stood on an escalator in a department store and a German woman behind me overheard me and tapped me on the shoulder to say "excuse me, but are you standing on the left because you are English and you also drive on the left? That is so funny!" before literally slapping her thigh in delight. In reality I was stood on the left because there were no signs to say otherwise and it wasn't The Tubes, but in general orderliness prevails.

This is a good thing more often than not. The city has really good cycle lanes including their own traffic lights which are separate from the lanes for motor vehicles. Being used to cycling in the UK around drivers who are hostile to bikes, I was shitting myself the first time my cycle route involved having to cross an eight lane road, but I needn't have because drivers seemed to be alert to and tolerant of drivers.

Obviously this is talking in very broad brush strokes, and the biggest lunatic I know personally is a German.

[iamcoop]

One of my favourite cities in the world but unfortunately absolutely shit for food.

Banging record shops if you're into that sort of thing as well.

[checkoutgirl]

Tresor is world famous and probably expensive. I want some bitch nobody's ever heard of playing techno in an underpass with cheap beer. Hopefully there's a computer game arcade because they're almost extinct round my way.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

I was there a good 20 years ago with mother. We went on a walking tour, the guide was American. Great way to see all the landmarks.

[badaids]

This is a good thing more often than not.

True dat.  I'd like to live in Germany a while given half a chance.

I am lucky enough to work with a fair few Germans and they are mainly honest, lovely helpful kind people. Contrary to the stereotype they are also very funny and self depreciating.

[badaids]

Doesn't Berlin have loads of ridic keine lyrics keine melodie bangin  techno clubs as well.