Hello, all.
I had hoped that Pension Peters would be within our budget, but it is not. So I have found two other hotels, one in Lichtenberg and one in Charlottenburg, that are. They seem equally distant from the main downtown area of Berlin, and I thought I would ask for general feedback from the group on staying in either direction. Thanks for your input in advance.
I don't know enough about Berlin's neighborhoods to give good advice, but those who do have the necessary knowledge will probably want more specific information; what are the names and addresses of the two hotels?
Because Berlin's sights are so spread out, you'll be spending quite a bit of time on the U-Bahn/S-Bahn no matter where you stay. One thing I'd certainly look at is how close your two possibilities are to the nearest U-Bahn/S-Bahn station(s).
The one hotel is Hotel-Pension Victoria (Kaskelstr. 50, Lichtenberg, Berlin, 10317), and the other is Amadeus am Kurfürstendamm (Sybelstr.14, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Berlin, 10629). Any more feedback from the group?
Thanks!
Berlin doesn't really have a downtown core, rather is has many far-flung districts, most of which are not within walking distance to each other. I would chose the hotel that has the closest access to public transportation.
The Victoria looks like it's about 2/3 mile from the Ost-Kreuz S-Bahn Station, but it's a bit hard to tell since the streets take a sort of circuitous route and the best way for a pedestrian to get across the tracks to the station is unclear. There are two other S-Bahn stations a similar distance away (possibly easier of access), but I suspect you'll find Ost-Kreuz more useful; as the name implies, it's a station where many lines connect. That should mean some quicker trips to the sights you want to see, because you won't need to transfer as often.
The Amadeus is closer to the S-Bahn, and I like that it's also quite near a couple of U-Bahn stations. Although transferring between S-Bahn and U-Bahn is possible at many places within the system, a considerable walk is often involved, so being able to hop on either S-Bahn or U-Bahn very near your hotel would be a plus.
In August 2015 I stayed at a hotel sort of between the Zoologischer Garten and Savignyplatz Stations on the west side. I found the area around Savignyplatz very pleasant for wandering around (remembering that Berlin doesn't have much in the way of really old neighborhoods). There are many moderately priced restaurants there of varying ethnicities. The ones I tried were not special, but I thought they were perfectly OK, and I'm pretty picky about quality. Certainly if you're craving something other than German or Turkish food and aren't looking for an expensive meal, it's an area to check out.
I don't know your budget, but I bid on Priceline for a 5 star hotel and received the Eurostars Hotel for $82.00 per night recently. Great location, nice hotel, train right next door and easy to walk almost everywhere I wanted to go. If you wanted to save money, you could choose lower stars when bidding.
I would identify what you want to see and go from there. We stayed in The Mitte recently and found it easy to walk everywhere we wanted to go, as so many were in the former East Berlin --Alexander Platz, museums, a fabulous food tour, Brandenburg Gate -- and the Tier Garten, Reichstag, and Memorial to the Murdered Jews were right by there as well. We did not venture much into the former West Berlin, but it would have been easy enough to do via public transit, I imagine.
I chose the Mercure Checkpoint Charlie because is was about as close to Mitte as I could get on my budget and I loved it. The location was very convenient to the metro/trams and walking distance to many sights.
Thanks for the feedback. Now I have lots more to look into!
We stayed at Hotel Pension Columbus am Kurfurstendamm, about a block to S-bahn. Nice owners, great breakfasts, good price.
Looking on the map the one at Kaskelstrasse is right in the middle of a loop of railway lines and might well be noisy. Also it's not the nicest area and some distance from most places worth visiting, despite the good public transport access. Sybelstrasse is also some distance out of the main centre but is in a nicer area.
Hi,
When I am in Berlin, as I will be in June 2017, I don't stay at Pension Peters but in the same area, Berlin-Charlottenburg. On the various districts in Berlin, that is well recommended area, nice area around Kantstrasse, Savignyplatz, and Kurfürstendamm, numerous restaurants of various cuisines, book stores, cafes, small hotels, Pensionen. A very nice area to stroll. I always stay in that area, convenient too.
Regarding the public transport, from Peters (at the corner of Kantstrasse and Savignyplatz), the closest S-Bahn station is "Savignyplatz" station, where you can catch the S-Bahn to Potsdam, Wannsee, etc and eastwards to Berlin Hbf.
Berlin-Lichtenberg has a train station, just as Charlottenburg has Bahnhof Zoo. I was there once, in 2003 coming back from Gdansk to change trains to Bahnhof Zoo, ie, before Berlin Hbf was completed. it must be all refurbished since then. I don't know the area recently but the standard price for a DZ (double) in Berlin will be ca 65-95 Euro. I pay 40 Euro for a EZ (single), just to give you an indication prices in Berlin. More to the east such as the districts of Karlshorst or Köpenick (change at Ostkreuz station) might fit your bill. The last time I was in Karlshorst was this past June, a lot has changed since I saw it over 16 years ago. Whether you pick someplace in the west or east, they are both well served by the subway (U-Bahn and S-Bahn).
Have you looked at Berlin-Alexanderplatz, that area? Very lively, lots going on, a junction point linking all different parts of the city by S-Bahn.
Hi,
In terms of distance I would pick Charlottenburg over Wilmersdorf, since I know Charlottenburg a lot better as regards to the individual streets and stations, etc. I have rarely gone out to Wilmersdorf but Alexanderplatz I get to once/twice per visit, a different scene, definitely a different feel. If you want to check out accommodations close to subway stations, look at Motel One, a German chain, which more often than not has its places close to the stations.
I am a Motel One fan and have stayed in 2 different locations in Berlin. Once in Bellevue and once near the Hauptbahnhof. I liked both of them equally well. At 59€ per night, they were a bargain. Breakfast is extra, but worth it if only for the opportunity to get free coffee refills and take your coffee back to your room.
Thank you all for your advice. I ended up at a B&B hotel near the Tiergarten. Your input is wonderful.
