Berlin and surrounding area

Do you have RS "Berlin" or "Germany" guide books yet? If so, good. If not, I would suggest that you get one or the other as soon as possible. We found them very helpful in planning our trip to Berlin this coming August.

You don't have to stay near the airport. It's closer than downtown Chicago to O'Hare from much of Berlin to the airport. I stayed in the East and it took less than half an hour in a cab to get to the airport. I would definitely stay in Berlin and do the day trips to
Potsdam and other areas. You can easily fill five days in Berlin. There are great walking tours of the east and the west. The museums are wonderful and the culture in the city is fantastic. It's a great contemporary city as well as having great historic sites. If you have not been to a concentration camp, you do a day trip to Sachsenhausen. Definitely plan on a day at Potsdam. It's very easy to get there via the S-Bahn. There is an easy bus you can catch at the train station that takes you directly to the palace and grounds. Do get Rick's book. If you want to read a very interesting, but also horrifying book about Berlin at the close of WWII pick up A Woman in Berlin. Also, Philip Kerr writes great mysteries based in Berlin pre, during and post WWII. Of course, Len Deighton's A Funeral in Berlin is wonderful for the Cold War. Pam

I agree, it is probably better to stay in Berlin and do daytrips to Potsdam. If you go to Sachsenhausen, you might also want to visit Ravensbruck which is very near by, as this was the womens' camp. You will probably find that you will need all 5 days to even make a dent on seeing Berlin and all it offers.

Great information! Any suggestions on the best area of Berlin to look for lodging? Or with the S- & U-Bahn doesn't it make much difference? Where did you stay?

I stayed in a Motel One, located in Bellevue. This was one stop from the Hbf. and then one stop in the other direction to the Tiergarten. You have to walk over the Spree river to the U-bahn stop. There were a bunch of other places I could have stayed, but I had wanted to try out this chain to see what it was like. Have no complaints at all and the price is right. The decor is modern and the whole place is efficient. No phones, but flat screen television, great showers and bathrooms and big, comfy beds. Breakfast was extra, but I liked making as many cappacinos I wanted. They were also able to sell me my Welcome card and the staff were very friendly.

I stayed at the Hotel Kastanienhof which is in the East. it was close to the S-Bahn and it was an interesting area. The rooms were nice and the breakfast was excellent. Pam

I would advise staying in Berlin and doing a day-trip to Potsdam rather than other way around. Berlin is a fascinating, historic, cosmopolitan and LARGE city (VERY spread-out!), so if you have the time, it def merits, say, at least 3 nights/4 days, to get it all in (but others above are correct, you won't be able to get ALL in, but most of the "main," "important" sites.) Rick's Germany guidebook is super helpful re: planing your time there. As mentioned, it's quite spread out and the various tourist sites are not all near each oher, so his plans of how to group them together are really useful and helpful. For place to stay, this place is a real winner: http://www.pension-peters-berlin.de/ Rick suggests it in his book, and it was great. Small, super clean and "cheery" rooms, friendly owners/staff, full of like-minded, independent travelers, etc. Bfst each AM is good and served in a nice, communal space that's great for meeting/chatting w/ other travelers, sharing tips, etc. In a nice, quiet neighborhood, but a very easy, pleasent walk to Banhoff Zoo, which puts you in good location for getting out to the sites each day. Was a solid Rick recommendation, and a good value.