Visiting Berlin

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sweathog

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Hi guys,
I've been throwing around the idea of going out to Berlin for a couple of days either at the end of the year or at the very start of 2011. If that doesn't pan out I will probably go out during the early summer.

Can anybody recommend any good, cheap places to stay? Any 'must see' locations? Anything to avoid?

Cheers,
Tom
 
I can't recommend any cheap places to say, but depending on how old you are, you could always try a hostel of some sort.

I went there with my dad in the spring of last year and fell in love with it. It's a beautiful city with lots of great energy. I will say that you'll probably find yourself photographing the Brandenburg Gate quite a bit, as I found myself doing. That area is quite touristy, but with good reason. The Tiergarten is a beautiful park that's great for a casual stroll. Also, check out the former east side of the city. It's quite different than the more famous west side, and seems to have gone through a real renaissance in recent years. The Friedrichshain/Kreuzberg area is quite hip, with lots of artists and musicians hanging about doing their thing. There's also the East Side Gallery, which is the largest continuous stretch of the Berlin Wall in the city. Certain sections have been white washed and given over to artists to paint on, and there are other sections that are still as they were when the wall came down. Haunting, overall, but pretty cool.

Overall, the city is very walkable, and extremely easy to get around via the trains. I would love to live their some day.

Here's my Flickr set from my trip, all on Kodachrome, Ektar 100, Provia 400X, and Tri-X with an Olympus OM-4.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maclaine/sets/72157622022394375/with/3858748410/

And some of my favorites.

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As an original 'berliner' (by birth actually), I don't know if there are 'must-sees' within the city, but a lot of interesting places you could see and enjoy, not only the touristy stuff. It depends on what you're after of course, but this is a very eclectic city and it holds some satisfaction for pretty much everyone, if you know where to find it. Check out the 'hostel landscape' which is constantly growing, I don't know much about visitor/tourist accomodation, obviously, since I never needed it 😉
 
Thanks for the input guys.
I think I'll have to look into the hostel options, I personally don't have a problem with hostels at all, as long as the location and price are right.


I must admit, I think my inclination to visit Berlin may have something to do with my recent obsession with Len Deighton...
 
Is Berlin very cycle-friendly then?
I really like that idea, but it does depend (and we all know this feeling) on how much gear I'm dragging around with me.
 
One (or two) cameras over your shoulder/neck under your outer jacket -- two lenses, film and a small Minox tripod in a belt-bag. Don't forget a couple of bungee cords to wrap the bag of photography books on to the back of your bike after you've visited the museum shop. Remember windbreaking clothes, it gets cold on a bike in winter. Yes, Berlin is very bike friendly. Stck to the bike lanes and obey the bike traffic lights. They don't always follow those for cars. And visit the exhibitions. Berlin is host the 4th European month of photography and most of the exhibitions last much longer than a month.
 
Britz? I've lived down in Rudow for far too long and I've NEVER heard anyone recommend Britz to a tourist. 😀 apart from that, yes, there's more to see in Berlin than just Unter den Linden, Friedrichstraße and the Alexanderplatz. much more. and more interesting stuff too.
 
i absolutely love Berlin. it's full of culture, history and art; the city is great for street photography.

there are the usual suspects of tourist attractions, but when i was there simply walking the streets and feeling the energy was a a highlight for me. i also visited a museum with a helmut newton exhibition that i highly recommend, but i can't remember if it's a helmut newton museum or if the exhibition was a temporary one.

i'd be careful of the gypsy kids - if they start to talk to you just keep walking, don't even engage them in conversation.
 
I was there for three weeks a couple of years ago and stayed in Kreuzberg which is a mixed German/Turkish community just south of Mitte. You might be able to get an apartment there through Craigslist. There's a lovely canal there, a thriving market, lots of young people and kids and free entertainment at weekends. Visit the stunning Jewish Museum, the huge Soviet war memorial in Treptower Park, also Gorlitzer Park which is not far from Treptower (although what it's like in the winter I can't imagine).

Yes it's a biking city with bike lanes and bike traffic lights and so on, but I assume biking in the winter is no joke. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains are fantastic and cheap and seem to cover the whole city which is vast. The one touristy thing I'd recommend (besides the Reichstag with its amazing glass dome) is the Brandenburg Gate, it is so monumental, so historic and beautifully set on the magnificent Unter den Linden boulevard, and while you're there visit the nearby Holocaust Memorial which is really worth seeing (the 2nd pic from maclaine, above in the thread). You'll love Berlin, very bohemian and full of artists and writers, movie-makers and photographers too. You'll be right at home there!

Hanging out on Bergmannstrasse in Kreuzberg...
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