[germanz!] Going to Berlin

[ant75]

Listen up you jgkdo's, n1's and other fool's, i need your advice. I'm going to Berlin for a few days in may, and so i'm gathering recommendations on what to see there, as well as general tips about the city. I can be interested in pretty much anything, so feel free to suggest whatever you like (architecture, galleries, shows, bars, etc...).
Also, i'll be staying in the area near the Rathaus Neukölln station, which from what i heard is not the safest neighbourhood around . Tips on how to avoid any problem there are also welcome.

 

[Maxx]

Check out the Berlin girls :tup:

 

[das_ben]

Hah, even our minister of interior affairs calls these areas 'slums'.

Tourist things to see: TV tower [very expensive to go up] and Alexanderplatz, Checkpoint Charlie [the most famous border checkpoint between FRG and GDR], Neue Nationalgalerie, the Reichstag & Unter den Linden.

Very nice things: the zoo [one of the best I've ever been to], Hackesche Höfe, Oranienburger Straße [with the Tacheles] & all the big museums.

 

[geogob]

Take the S-bahn or Regional Express to Potsdam to visit the Sanssouci palace gardens. 15-20 minutes from Zoo Station, Well worth it!

If you are interested in architecture and museums, the Museum Island is a good stop. Walking distance from the Reichstag and the Brandenburger Tor. I suggest walking from the Brandenburger Tor towards the Museum Island along Unter Den Linden. Nice architecture again. (Its the road going through the gate, on the East side).

You should also stop by the Potsdamer Platz where you'll find the Sony Center.

Another interesting walk is from the Oranienburger Str. S-bahn to the Hackesher Markt S-bahn and from there to the Alexander Platz and the TV-Tower.

Another walk around the West part of the city commercial area is interesting, near the Zoo Station. The contrast with the West architecture and East architecture is most striking. In that area you'll find also the "Gedachtenis Kirche".

 

[TheShiningWizard]

Hadmar.

 

[Hadmar]

It's only a minor detour of estimated 500km.

 

[Biene_Maja[FOOL]]

visit the Humboldt University and the jewish museum.
The KaDeWe is also nice. It's a big department store.

 

[zeep]

One of the few things i like about Germany, apart from the autobahn, are the sausages and sauberkraut. Go someplace warm instead.

 

[hara]

Lucky dude, one month later and you'll get lost in a swell of tourist with weird flags painted on their cheeks...
I am living like 10 mins walk from Rathaus Neukölln, it IS a pretty safe area there, not compareable to anything you might find in Paris, which I found pretty unsafe - well I was robbed there once and another time cops passed by. Nothing like this ever happened to me in this cute little Berlin.
I'd love to give you a tour, so just write me a message or Skype, I'm not clueless about the city and I can show you places not mentioned here where few tourists find their way to...
Waht you should do is go to Potsdamer Platz (just to realize you don't want to go there again), Reichstag/Unter den Linden/Alexanderplatz (half a day in between tons and tons of touristmeat) and to a couple of museums, which are in fact pretty awesome (just post what things you like and I can suggest some) - espacially the Jewish Museum - an excellent house - very disorientating and very very interesting.
I can show you some nice bars and where to get excellent polish vodka, some clubs if you wish and lots of other nice things. But do me a favor: DO NOT GO INTO ANY KIND OF SHOPPING FACILITIES UNLESS YOU ARE RETARDED. Thanks.

 

[geogob]

go to Potsdamer Platz (just to realize you don't want to go there again)

That's right... it's not a place where I would spend my days, but still something to see, especially if you are somewhat interested in architecture and engineering. The roof structure really is a nice construction at the sony center.

 

[hara]

Yeah, if you're interested in architecture, this is pretty nice - except it's raining when those steelplates on the floor become slippery... I learned in my studies the nice word "Unort" which might be translated into "Notplace" and in fact Potsdamer Platz is something like this. But it gets very interesting if you listen to Einstürzende Neubauten (babelfish translates it to: collapsing new buildings - lol) while talking a walk there.
If it comes to architecture you'll maybe enjoy the buildings around Unter den Linden, mostly from the time of Kaiser Wilhelm (19th century). These are very "heavy" buildings and fit perfectly into the mind of the prussian - but I have to repeat you should go to Jewish Museum if you like to see some really nice modern architecture.
There are a couple of palaces and gardens (geobob mentioned Sanssouci already) like the Charlottenburger Schloss, which keeps the Collection Berggruen, some Picassos and Paul Klee - nice pieces there. Lately many small galleries appeared, some more, some less interesting. Berlin has a small but growing art-culture, mostly mixed stuff, often political. There are many political exhibitions, Berlin has a very intense history (Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Museum, two StaSi exhibitions, Topographie des Terrors) and lots of (political) theatres in the eastern part.
I wouldn't suggest to go to the Zoo, cause it's crowded, but it has some really nice animals and is interesting you want to take pictures of them. Either you should go to Tierpark (Friedrichsfelde) which is in the east, huge and has some cute small elephants since last years or you go to the Aquarium (next to the Zoo) - one of the best I have seen so far.
Ah and Yes, Nightlife - there is.

 

[ant75]

Thanks for the tips. Hara i'll try to reach you on skype, maybe we could have a drink while i'm there. I don't speak german and my english is quite poor. Yeah it should be fun.

I am living like 10 mins walk from Rathaus Neukölln, it IS a pretty safe area there, not compareable to anything you might find in Paris, which I found pretty unsafe - well I was robbed there once and another time cops passed by. Nothing like this ever happened to me in this cute little Berlin.

Well that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I never got into real trouble in paris because i know my way around, whereas you probably looked like a tourist and maybe weren't vigilant enough. It's all about knowing what to watch out for.

 

[Stinkmarder]

http://www1.spiegel.de/active/survivalbible/fcgi/survivalbible.fcgi