We are spending 5 days in Berlin with another couple (relatives). Berlin looks so big. Can anyone suggest in what area to stay. We prefer to stay close to the sights so we don't spend time/money on public transport.
I'm also looking at getting a museum pass. Any advice is welcome.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
You will need public transportation in Berlin as major sights are far apart. So it is better for you just to bit the one-week pass (AB zones will suffice, ABC if you want to visit Schafenhausen and/or Postdam) and be done with it. It is a convenient pass, allows use of subways, regional trains, suburban trains, trams, streetcars and buses. Like London, areas of interest in Berlin (and there are many of them) are not tightly packed one next to the other but scattered around.
Beware of some gimmicks about museum passes. I recommend the Museum Pass Berlin (http://www.visitberlin.de/en/article/museum-pass-berlin) AND a separate transport card instead of the bundles, because the bundles (Berlin Welcome CArd) give you a worse value (many discounts you will likely not use).
The Museum Pass Berlin is valid for 3 days and costs 24 Euro.
Now, with all this considered, I'd suggest Prenzlauer Berg as a good residential area that has nice restaurants, bistros and cafes withing walking distance, and a pleasant environment for just walking around in between your sightseeing. Friedschain is nice, but you need to pick up wisely (there is Google Street View to help with that). Mitte is more expensive, somehow closer to major sites but it can be noisy. Moabit has some nice holiday rentals but requires more public transportation to/from your sightseeing. Neuköln stills needs to gentrify more before it becomes attractive and Kreuzberg is too alternative, at least for my taste. Charlottenburg, Pankow, Grunewald and everything west of those areas are too far (makes your trips to major sites look more like a commute than a short hop).
Regardless of area you pick, make sure to pick one with a MetroTram, S-Bahn or U-Bahn station nearby. Check on Google Maps, zoom in and take a look at the closest rail service before commiting to an apartment.
Posted by
San Francisco
14975 posts
Hi,
Yes, Berlin is indeed spread out but well connected by the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, regional trains and the bus system. If you don't want to spend time on public transportation, I would suggest Mitte and the eastern part of Charlottenburg. Prenzlauer Berg is too far northeast as Grunewald and Wannsee are way too far to the west, other districts Neukölln (undesirable) or Kreuzberg (unless you like stores on the streets all tagged up) I don't really recommend.
Main thing on public transportation is to be close to a S-Bahn station that is on a lateral line, such as getting from Berlin Hbf. (main station) to Potsdam, or from Potsdam Hbf to Alexanderplatz.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5847 posts
Mary,
In May/June 2012, I rented an apartment from through Berlin Habitat (http://berlinhabitat.com/). I stayed in the Capri apartment which was near the Rosenthaler Platz U-bahn station and about a 20 minute walk to Hackescher Markt and the Museum Insel. I was very happy with the location and the owner of the apartment was very easy to do business with. I posted a review on tripadvisor. I got the 3 day Museum Pass and recommend that. I was there for a week and also got a 7-day transportation pass.