Berlin: to go or not to go, that is the question

I would rather go to Berlin than some of your other choices. It is exciting there and I think you will enjoy it. My suggestion is to check out some of the walking tour companies to get the most out of your time there. Most of the them also offer tours in Spanish as well as in English. While there, plan on going to Potsdam as well as Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. This is where I would check out Trip Advisor recommendations, as the TA reviews for tours are up to date and accurate. Have been to Berlin 3 times and can't wait to go back. 3 days in Brugge sounds like a bit too much unless you were going to do some side trips. Add 2 of those days onto Berlin, and see if you can cut a day or two from some other places.

Bruges (3), Amsterdam (4), Bacharach (2), Rothenburg ob der Tauber (1), Munich (3), Prague (3), Vienna (2), Salzburg (2), Lauterbrunnen (3), Cinque Terre (3), Paris (5) and London (5)... I have never been to Salzburg, Lauterbrunnen or CT. I like all the other cities better than Berlin. But I feel I did not give Berlin a fair chance as we had 2 days there and my boyfriend was miserably sick. We missed out on all fantastic museums. Unlike the previous poster, I love Bruge and feel 3 days is awesome. I am still in the thinking about my next vacation plan phase and I am thinking 6 days in Bruges, of course with various side trips in Belgium. After Belgium, I am thinking about a week in Germany, especially going back to Berlin for 2 days to see what I did not before. If you have time, add it. At least 2 days, maybe. I know others will say give it more time.

As it does not seem that you will have kids in tow I would suggest you visit Berlin for at least two full days. I have never been but it has always been somewhere on my list of places to visit. Without exception everyone I know who has been to Berlin has recommended it and said they wished that they had had more time to spend there. I can see your problem though, so much to see and with so many different cities will you remember which one you are in? Sorry, on reading this back my advice is to forget this post...it has been of no help whatsoever!

Don't miss Berlin whatever you do! It's a fascinating, interesting city. Agree with Jo a 'must do' is a 4 hour walking tour. Call us odd, but we wished we had taken two days off our time in Paris and spent that time in Berlin.

I can understand your hesitation about Berlin because I felt that way too, my boyfriend was the one who wanted to go there. I wasn't very excited about going there based on what I read and watched. However, it became my favorite place in Europe and have been back 3 times (and want to go again). I love everything about Berlin and always find new things to explore and see. I liked the history, architecture, public transportation, museums, culture, people, and the city itself. Summer is a nice time to visit because of the great weather and it stays light until 10 pm. It really depends on what you like and your interests. Personally, I would rather go there than anywhere else on your list but that is just me.

Berlin is wonderful. There are great museums, fascinating 20th century history, great food, high energy, and there easy day trips too. I really enjoyed my visit to Potsdam. Watch the Bourne movies to see a bit of Berlin. ; ) I enjoyed reading a Funeral In Berlin by Len Deighton while I was visiting Berlin. Philip Kerr also has book called Berlin Noir that features mysteries based in Berlin. You'll find too that it's an easy city to get around in as well. Pam

Another positive about Berlin is that compared to many other European capitals, it is pretty affordable.

Berlin is great, include it if you can. It is very vibrant and interesting, and the people are very nice. There are not a lot of old buildings standing, of course, but it's an easy place to travel with some great sights. Even though I was there on business and only go to see a few sights, ad it was in November, I had a very nice time. I would give it two full days, maybe more.

My husband and I spent 5 days in Berlin in December and didn't come close to seeing everything there. Berlin was very vibrant and exciting. The museums were fantastic. We were surprised at how inexpensive the restaurants were. And the beer...cheap and excellent!

Berlin was the highlight of our trip last year, good and cheap food, and lots of interesting to do. 3 days in Brugges seems to much to me, we saw everything we wanted to in 2.

Hi Natalia, My husband and I LOVED Berlin! We wish we would have spent more time there. What we didn't like was the whole Rhine area, it was nice but we feel like been there done that and wouldn't return. Also we didn't like Salzburg, there are some beautiful sites but I would have rather spent our time in a smaller town and maybe day tripped there. So if you do decide to go to Berlin I would drop what I mentioned above and spend that time in Berlin. So much to see there we loved Musuem Island, my favorite was the Bode. My husbands favorite was taking a tour with Berliner Unterwelten we did the flak tower tour. They also have a bunker tour too.. Wendy

Thanks for this thread! Am considering a trip to Berlin too, because I've heard so much about how exciting it is to live there now. For those who enjoyed Berlin, I'm wondering, what were some of your favourite things to do/ see in Berlin?

I hated Berlin my first visit 20 years ago and wasn't excited about a recent return. Loved it and wish I had 2-3 more days. Still not as good as Paris or Rome or some others, but so much to see and do. Definitely the Reichstag, Museum Island (Pergamon is amazing, Neues just opened and Altes very historic). A few old wall sites to see but most of it's gone. Potsdam is a nice day trip. Anyway, it's certainly worth 2-3 days.