I will be visiting Berlin for the first time and visiting all the usual tourist spots (Brandenburg Gate, etc). Any suggestions as to where to stay so it is a short walk or short train ride to the tourist area? Looking for reasonably priced hotel or pensions.
Thank you.
The biggest problem with Berlin is that it is very spread out and there is no single tourist zone. The good news is Berlin has excellent public transportation and is very human scale (not a huge confusing urban jungle) and very walkable.
Theres a ton to see in the former west and a hotel near the Zoobahnhof (or Rick's much loved Savinyplatz) would be good. Then theres a ton to see in the former east with Alexanderplatz as the center. Then of course theres Berlin Mitte, considered the central core of the city with the Brandenburg gate, the Riechstag and the new grand Hauptbahnhof.
You will need a combination of Ubahn, Sbahn and walking no matter where you stay. My recommendation would be for a hotel near Alexanderplatz or Hackischermarkt station. Great selection of restaurants, you have buses, streetcars, subway, and commuter rail all nearby.
My few trips to Berlin were mostly business so while I can highly recommend the Radisson Blu in Mitte or the Park Inn at Alexanderplatz, Im not sure these would be the right hotels for you. Im sure others on this board will have better suggestions. But this should give you a better idea.
We are budget travelers and stayed in Mitte at St. Christopher's Apartments. They have apartments and rooms for a reasonable price for the area; breakfast is included. Our apartment was spacious and very clean. St. Christopher's is across the street from the Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz station which was very convenient and a short walk to Alexanderplatz where we could take the bus if we didn't want to go underground. That is also where we took the bus to the airport. We stayed 3 nights and there was a university group and a middle school group also staying there. You can check them at booking.com.
We stayed at the Arcotel Velvet two years ago. It is small, very reasonably priced and the tram stops at the front door. Fun place to eat across the street, also reasonably priced. The Arcotel isn't "close" to the places you will be visiting, but it is a pleasant tram ride away.
I stayed at the Mercure Checkpoint Charlie. Loved the hotel and the location.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Berlin City Centre West in May. This is in the Kurfürstendamm shopping area. The rate includes free wifi and breakfast. Its about a block from the 100 bus, a few blocks to U-Bahn and about a 10 minute walk to the Zoo Transportation Hub where there are buses, underground, and S-Bahn trains. Berlin attractions are spread out, so we bought the three day Berlin Welcome Card Museum Island pass which include unlimited rides on buses, underground, and S-Bahn trains and admission to all 5 museums on Museum Island over the three day time period. It also included discounts to other attractions. You can buy just the Welcome Card which covers transportation for 2, 3 or 5 days without the museum island pass.
Our trip this past March we stayed at Holiday Inn Express Berlin City Centre. It was a great hotel, close to Potsdamer Platz, closest train stop no more than 2 blocks down the street, another one a few blocks away, also close to Checkpoint Charlie. Excellent continental breakfast that was included, 2 grocery stores across the street and a very helpful and wonderful staff!!!
During the extreme cold snap in March 2013 we stayed at Holiday Inn Berlin - Mitte. It was also a great hotel, very friendly and helpful staff, around the corner from 2 grocery stores, restuarants and a DM store. Around the other corner (about a block or so) was a train stop and a little mall that had several fast food type places (including a McDonald's) and a store like a Walmart/Target with food and everything you needed. I don't remember how many stops we were from Alexander Platz, etc but I know it wasn't a lot. There was also a very small park across the street from the hotel and they also had a little playroom for kids in the front lobby, which my daughter loved. We never ate in the restaurant so I can't help with that. Our only complaint, the elevator was slow but that can be an issue in a lot of hotels in Germany.
