We had planned to take the RS Best of Europe My Way tour in the spring, but the sale price was too enticing to wait. So we are speeding up our research to go the first part of September. Our plan is to make a 2-3 day visit to Berlin before joining the tour in Paris. I have been looking for a room for our stay in Berlin and at first was unsure of what area to stay in. With my trusty guidebook in hand I started checking out possibilities. As I checked availability in the areas recommended, I am finding that there is none. We are interested in sight related to WWll and would like to be in an area that we can easily access those (Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Wall Memorial, Topography of Terror, also Reichstag to name a few). I would greatly appreciate any suggestions as to area and particular hotels, AB&B that would work with this itinerary.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7036 posts
Don't know your exact dates in Sept but did you try Pension Peters? It's a popular RS reader's choice. I stayed there a couple of years ago and it was very nice and very convenient. It's not located extremely close to the sites you mentioned but very very easy to get to all of them from there. It's located between two S-bahn/U-bahn stations so you can get anywhere in a few minutes. There's also a bus that runs right by the hotel but I didn't use it and I don't know the route but should be easy to look up if interested. Nice staff and good breakfast, very clean, reasonable price.
Posted by
OP
Ind., United States
317 posts
Thank you for the suggestion Nancy. I just checked Pension Peter's website and it looks like a lovely place to stay, but unfortunately is booked for the dates that we plan on being there. We are looking for a room for Sept. 1, 2, and 3rd. I'm not sure if there is something going on that has filled so many spots, or that it is getting closer to the time. On previous trips we have booked our rooms further in advance. I will continue the search and again will appreciate any suggestions.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7036 posts
If you do a search on this forum there have been several threads on this subject with wonderful ideas for places to stay. Here are just a couple: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/accommodations-in-berlin-dce4e262-de1c-46e7-aa97-26a5685bb3cf
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15589 posts
I was very happy with the Mercure Checkpoint Charlie - the hotel, the location, the staff.
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
671 posts
We stayed in The Mitte and walked to almost all the places you mention; the tram was also very accessible although we preferred to walk. We stayed at Hotel Adelante Berlin-Mitte and found it very comfortable, convenient, and clean.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
For your areas I'd suggest looking for somewhere around Potsdamer Platz or Leipziger Strasse. I can recommend the Adina Checkpoint Charlie or for a lower price the Ibis Potsdamer Platz (not actually close to Potsdamer Platz, but convenient for the Topography of Terror).
The Berlin Wall Memorial is a bit farther away but you can get there quickly by S-Bahn to Nordbahnhof.
Posted by
OP
Ind., United States
317 posts
Thanks to all who replied to my query. I was disappointed when checking the suggested hotels, they all looked very nice, bu all but the last mentioned were not available for the dates we will be in Berlin. By that time we had turned to AirBnb and found what looks like a convenient location in the Mitte area. When we decided to join this RS tour and add on Berlin prior to the start of the tour we didn't give October Fest a thought. But now we believe that activities for that celebration start earlier than we thought and are the reason for the race to find accommodations. We have used AirBnb in the past with success and hope for the same result. Thank you again to everyone that responded.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7036 posts
I had no idea that the Oktoberfest in Munich would affect crowds in Berlin, not to mention the fact that Oktoberfest doesn't start until mid-September so not sure why that would affect the 1st of September in Berlin. There may be something else going on in Berlin at that time that is causing the crowding but I'm not sure what that is. Looking at booking.com, TA, and hotels.com for your dates shows many many hotels in Berlin with availability at that time.
Posted by
OP
Ind., United States
317 posts
Yes, we did fine some hotels with availability on booking.com, and should have probably checked there, but instead went directly to the hotel websites. But I think that the AirBnb we found will work out fine. One thing that we did see is that as of Sept. 1st the hotels raised their rates an average of $100 a night. That may also be different on a booking site.
Posted by
Everett, WA, US
85 posts
You might want to consider Alexanderplatz area. It's about a kilometer walk to Brandenberg Gate, but has lots of hotel options. I just stayed at the brand new Holiday Inn Express on Stralauer Str. Very nice and includes breakfast and Wi-Fi. Cost was about 100 euro a night.
Posted by
Toronto, Canada
23 posts
I booked with Hampton Inn Alexanderplatz - it is a brand new hotel just opened up in May. Includes breakfast. For 3 people and in July, the rate was 130 euros...