Berlin, quite a suprise !!! (Berlin)

Member Name: highfis

Product:	Berlin
Date:	11/06/09 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well priced, not as busy as other European Capitals

Disadvantages: None spring to mind

Having visited Berlin twice on business during Winter months and being curious as to what exactly I had not seen whilst sat in meetings etc. I decided to visit during early July when the weather is a lot warmer without being to hot for sightseeing. To my delight I found that Berlin is a city to suit the majority of tastes. For the sightseer there are all the well known landmarks , such as Checkpoint Charlie , remnants of the Berlin Wall ,the Brandenburg Gate etc. etc. The majority of the sights are relatively close together so if you are fit enough and have enough time ,with the aid of a tourist map, your tour can be on foot. Alternatively there are numerous opentop tour buses that will take you on a trip with commentary ( in three or four different languages). These buses stop regularly allowing passengers to alight and have a good look round , to continue your tour you then jump on the next bus, from the same company, that comes along. Alternatively there is Public Transport with route 100 covering the majority of the major sights. The costs of transport within Berlin are very reasonable, a Berlin Welcome Card can be purchased on line for varying number of days and zones to travel on tram, bus train or underground. The cards attract discount at many of the museums etc. as well as some of the privately owned tour companies. The welcome card can also be used to travel into Berlin from the two main airports.

If history or art "floats your boat" then you will not be dissapointed ,there are obviously references and links to WW2 but Berlin goes a lot deeper than that with well over a hundred museums and galleries.

Should you wish to have a relaxing tour then a boat trip on the River Spree is highly recommended, here you will see parts of Berlin from a different aspect, at a steady pace and if you wish accompanied with a nice cold beer, or fizzy drink and ice cream if you so desire.

On my business trips I was shown the old Soviet parts of Berlin with the cobbled streets and old trams I didn't have the opportunity to visit this time but well worth a look.

All the sightseeing will make you both hungry and thirsty but that can easily be solved in the many various bars and restaurants, personally I like to see how the locals do things so we visited small establishments and bars every meal we had was excellent with good service and upon request if it wasn't at hand there is always an English menu. The prices are very reasonable compared with other capital cities I have visited.

We did not visit nightclubs etc. but there is plenty of evidence that there is good clubbing available.

Besides the usual tourist shopping the are plenty of opportunities for those who require "retail therapy"

Summary: Well worth a visit, plenty to do, see, eat and drink, with good transport links