Staying in Berlin

We stayed in the East when I went back to Berlin a few years ago. The last time I had been in Berlin had been the early 70's and we, of course, stayed in the West for that trip. ; ) I liked being in the East. It seemed like more was happening. You could easily get to the museums, and restaurants. To me too, it was fascinating to stay in a place that is changing so rapidly. When I visited Berlin the first time, my overwhelming impression of the East was gray and dark and of the west was light and color. I had thought that maybe my memories were colored by the politics, but actually they weren't. It really was grayer with hardly any color in the East. Today, one of the more striking aspects of the East is the way things are now painted different colors. Every now and then you see a Soviet era building that's still gray and you can get a feeling for what it was like. The hotel we stayed at was the Hotel Kastanienhof and it was very nice. It's east, but really in the Mitte which is why it was convenient. http://www.kastanienhof.biz/ Pam

Hi Charlie, We stayed at Pension Peters in Berlin a couple of year ago. (http://www.pension-peters-berlin.de/) It's a budget option near the zoo. It's well-located to with transportation connections nearby. There is so much to do in Berlin! You'll have a great time!

Oh, how funny Sharon, we stayed in Pension Peters, too. It's just a block off the Ku'Damm, big shopping and restaurant district. Really close to u-bahn stops, too.

We stayed in the Mitte area near the Gendarmenmarkt. This is in the east. It was near a s-bahn station so convenient to get to almost anywhere else. Many tourist sites were within walking distance.

Charlie,
We were in Berlin mid May and stayed 5 nights at The Circus Hotel on Rosenthaler Platz.....a wonder place in everyway. We were so impressed with everything, and it's not expensive. You can walk to many sights too. It's rated #1 on Trip Advisor for hotels in Berlin. You won't be disappointed.

When I was in Berlin in Oct. I stayed in the Motel One in Bellevue. This is right in between the Hauptbahnhof and the Tiergarten and only a 5 min. walk from the S-bahn. I found the decor and service to be great, and the price was excellent. They have multiple locations, so you can take your pick.

: We will be contacting Pension Peters after several recommendations and one from the RS book. We will keep the others for back-up. After researching the transportation options between Berlin and Trier, we will most likely be taking a train from Berlin to Trier via Koln with maybe a stop in Koln. Thank you to everyone who has replied so far. charlie

Hi Charlie, Pension Peters is comparable to Hotel Sultan Hill in Istanbul. Extra-friendly, helpful staff, clean rooms, great breakfast, etc. I just noticed that your dates are in August - I'd check to make sure that they have air conditioning. I can't tell from their website. Best,
Sharon

We visited Berlin this past November. (Our first time back since visiting multiple times in the 70s and 80s. ) For me, no question, I would only recommend staying in the East. The West seems worn out to me and commericialized, and not in a good way. I would recommend the Circus Hotel first. Our son stayed there last summer and LOVED it! We couldn't get a room there in November, so we stayed at the Holiday Inn (Prenzlaurberg) and actaully couldn't have been happier. It's not the sterotypical american style Holiday Inn. The people were soooo nice. You'd have thought they were family/owners... and not working for a chain. Great breakfast too and located right on a tram stop. (the tram that goes to the Alexander P.) Great neighborhood with restaurants close by, grocery store across the street. Also, be sure to eat at Maharadscha 2. Best Indian food I've ever had, EVER. It is in Prenzlaurberg area. We also did the Segway tour (way cool) and also visited Pottsdam with Sandeman's Tours (Stephanie is the BEST tour guide, ever!) We only booked with Sandeman's cause they were the only one going to Pottsdam in November. We lucked out with getting Stephanie. We also did their Alternative Berlin tour and it was sorta boring. There is soooo much to do in Berlin! Can't wait to go back.