3 days in Berlin?

Getting into the Reichstag might be your only glitch. People line up early for tickets and the line is long. Most people usually get tickets ahead of time. I "think" that they might keep tickets to be sold the same day but I'm not sure about that. You might be able to buy tickets for next day admission which means you would have to shuffle your itinerary.

EC direct trains go every 2 hours from Prague to Berlin starting at 6:30. Trip takes 4 3/4 hours and the full fare price is 67.60 euro. Bought well in advance, nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets are 29 euro, but I see that tomorrow's (Friday) 6:30 train can still be bought on-line for 44 euros, so there is a good chance you can still get discount tickets a few days in advance. Trains selling out would be very unusual.
Edit- You need to go online to get a reservation for the Reichstag. http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/visits/kuppel/kupp/245686

" Most people usually get tickets ahead of time. I "think" that they might keep tickets to be sold the same day but I'm not sure about that." Everyone does, because that's the only way you can get in. You have to apply for a visit in advanced. There are no same-day sales.

For an interest in the DDR, I think the DDR museum is an excellent choice. Very informative, especially on the economics of why the country collapsed. If you can understand German, there was an excellent documentary on the final year before the fall of the Berlin Wall on German broadcaster ZDF several months ago. I'll see if I can find the link (give me a little time...).

Also, take a walk down Karl Marx Allee. Even today, with Berlin booming, this grand boulevard of communism feels eerily empty. Especially compared with Alexanderplatz, Potsdammerplatz and Kürfurstendamm.

Dresden is also another great city for an exploration of the DDR period. Step outside the restored historic core of the city, and it's almost like you're in a different country and time. I don't know if there's any museums there devoted to the DDR period, but the city itself could serve as a museum.

From the Bundestag.de website:

Information for visitors who have not booked in advance

If you would like to visit the dome but have not booked in advance, you can register to do so at the service centre run by the Visitors’ Service near the Reichstag Building, next to the Berlin Pavilion on the south side of Scheidemannstraße. If any free places are still available, you will be issued a booking confirmation entitling you to visit the dome; please note that this must be issued a minimum of two hours before the time of your visit. You can also register to visit the dome in the following two days. The service centre does not accept bookings for visits more than two days in advance.
To book your visit to the dome, you will need to provide the following information: your last name, first name and date of birth. The booking confirmation is issued to you personally and is non-transferable. You will be asked for proof of identity both upon registration and at the main entrance for visitors.
The Service Centre is open from 8.00 to 18.00 hrs daily in winter (1 November - 31 March) and from 8.00 to 20.00 hrs daily in summer (1 April - 31 October).

So, it looks like if you don't have advance registration, there is a slight chance that you could get in the same day or next day. Maybe if you get to Berlin without reservations you should go to the service center and register on the first day you're there for one of the next two days.

For the trains from Prague to Dresden to Berlin, strongly consider getting a seat reservation with your ticket. When my mother and I took trains from Berlin to Dresden and back, one way was pretty full and the other was packed (people were sitting on their bags in the passageway). But with a seat reservation, we just went to our seats and stowed our bags above.

Do be sure to go the Bernauer Strasse section of the Berlin Wall (the only place you can still see the double-wall construction). You start at the fascinating exhibit in the Nordbahnhof station (escapes and attempts to prevent them), then you see some free movies about the wall, then you see the wall itself. If you don't have time to do this and Checkpoint Charlie, just do this and skip Checkpoint Charlie.

If you're into 20th Century history, you'll love Berlin.

Although trains from Berlin to Dresden and Dresden to Prague could get crowded, they would still allow you on the train, and still sell tickets on the day of departure. Without a seat reservation (optional €4.50 each), you would stand until you find a seat available. I would go ahead to book your Berlin hotel, since their cancellation policy is generous.

Thanks for all the advice, especially tips about Karl marx allee! I would be content with just strolling around Dresden. Unfortunately, it looks like the Bundestag is fully booked for my tentative dates (june 2-5) so I will have to try to register when I arrive. Or i'll just have a look at the exterior. In light of this information, I decided to register for a visit to the Bundesrat (an equally important institution in a bicameral system!) which doesn't let you view the availability but i sent a request nonetheless.

I guess I will have to do more research on train tickets to figure out whether I have to buy from the German railways site, rather than czech, to get flexibility on a full fare ticket or choose to buy the discounted fare a day or so before.

Original Berlin Walks has a specific DDR walk a few days a week that specifically goes to the old DDR sites, including Bernauer Strasse and Karl-Marx-Allee. I have found these guides to be incredibly informative without being banal. The walks are free but the guides live off tips, and they're worth every penny. I have done 2 of these walks and have learned totally new things both times. I also agree with Harold. Skip the Museum at Checkpoint Charlie and walk around Bernauer Strasse instead. Much less chaotic, crowded, and clausterphobic. Also much cheaper.

When you are in Dresden, please try to visit the incredible beer garden just on the other side of the Elbe from the Aldstadt called Augustusgarten. In June it will be lively with people drinking cold tall beers and enjoying each others' company while admiring the view across the river.

Emily, I don't know when you did your Original Berlin Walks but I did 2 of them last summer and they are NOT free and the guides don't make all their money from tips. The walks cost between 10-15€ depending on the walk. The ones I took were wonderful and the guides were so good I did tip them a small amount (2€) in addition to the cost of the tours. Well worth the cost in my opinion.

Hi,

I assume that as a grad student focusing on this aspect of German history you have a good level of reading German. The Check Point Museum you may want to put that on hold so that you can go out to Berlin-Karlshorst to see the German-Russian relations museum, the war on the Eastern front housed in the building where the Germans surrendered to the Soviets in May 1945. If you decide to do a day trip, basically scraping one day's plans as listed above, to see the battle site memorial at Seelow, Gedenkstätte und Museum, as the Russians broke from the Oderbruch at Küstrin to Berlin.

The train tickets don't sell out for day rides. If no seats, you stand or move elsewhere.

Not sure who Emily toured with but it wasn't Original Berlin Walks.
http://www.berlinwalks.de/public/index/index/secnav/1

I have had excellent excellent experiences on 5 different tours with Insider Tours. Most of the tours are 12-15 € with students paying 10 €.
http://www.insidertour.com/#_=_

Doing a Cold War tour or a 3rd Reich tour would let nakuu see many of those places on their list.

On skipping the Checkpoint Charlie Museum: I would have to agree with that suggestion if you're time pressed. I was there once, in 1999; it wasn't all that great but since that was a long time ago, the museum may have improved.

If you buy a museum pass, the DDR Musuem is not covered by it. I tried to visit on free time during our tour and the fee was 7 euros.
I found that advanced online tickets are 5 euros. Busy place!

Odd, I posted earlier but it didn't go through. Anyway, I meant to once again thank everyone for the tips. I actually study Russian, not German. The German-Russian relations museum sounds interesting but I think i'm going to broaden my trip a bit with a visit to Charlottenburg palace.

Regarding the walking tours, i think i'll be content to take whichever one fits my schedule. Whether it's "free" or not, i would end up giving roughly 10 euro in tip. A few of them call themselves the "Original Berlin English walking tour" or some variation but i suspect they all cover the same ground.

DAY 1: walking tour, then spending the rest just exploring the streets of berlin.
DAY 2: Bundesrat, Stasi Museum, Karl Marx Allee, Topography of Terror, Reichstag (exterior)
DAY 3: Berlin Wall Memorial, Charlottenburg Palace, DDR Museum

When are you going? I'll be in Berlin APR 28, 2015.
Value this thread as I'm checking out Things to DO in Berlin besides drinking.

Thinking of staying at Hampton Hotel out by zoo.
If you know a good hotel(inexpensive) let me know.....tired of hostel scene.

For gg04 looking for a cheap hotel. Try Motel One. Prices are usually 59-69 per night. They are my go to hotel.

Hi,

Schloss Charlottenburg is well worth your time. That's almost on the opposite of Berlin from the Ger-Russ Museum in Karlshorst. Make sure you get there in time for the guided tours. The shop where the books are sold is worth checking out. Walk around the gardens.

Thanks Brad, I'll make sure to routinely check the website to see if anything opens up. 1st week of June is still grayed out for me but maybe it will change.

Yeah i went with Motel One at Potsdamer platz. It seems like a good location for a first-time visit to Berlin. Food-wise it doesn't seem like a good area in comparison to places like Kreuzburg but it's a compromise i had to make. And for my purposes, it offers free cancellation.

What do you think the best time would be to visit Charlottenburg? Right at opening? Hoping to avoid the crowds if possible!

Hi Ms Jo,

Motel One in Berlin is in a good location?

Still planning Berlin and direction I travel after I arrive.

Will head somewhere but must fly out of Munich May 15!!!!

Nakuu, consider leaving Berlin on Day 3 and taking an early evening train to Dresden for an overnight there. Dresden is lovely at night. Try to get there before sunset - which shouldn't be a problem in early June.