The districts of Berlin

The districts

Each major city is separated into several administrative districts or areas. Usually each district has its own personality and knowing them and what to expect from them is useful when you are looking for accommodation or anything else for that matter. As you already know, Berlin is huge and it has many areas that claim to be the center. The city is divided into 12 boroughs (it used to be 23) which are grouped into six districts: Mitte, City West, East Central, North, East, South. The one you will hear most about is Mitte, which is the historical center of Berlin, formerly placed in East Berlin and is full of museums, sites of historic interest, clubs or cafes. City West is a place where you will find many restaurants and good hotels and is the main shopping area in the city. East Central is a noisier district with many Turkish immigrants, young artists, students and is full of cafes, bars or out of the ordinary shops.

Districts and finding an apartment in Berlin

Berlin is well interconnected by public transport and you can book Berlin accommodation in any district but the most popular ones are Mitte and City West for the abundance of important tourist points and shopping areas. Moreover, these are the areas with a higher density of hotels. If you want something more spacious find an apartment in Berlin placed in the North district. Avoid the East district as it is not as interesting and the buildings there are duller although there are some sites that must be visited if you are interested in history.

North, East and South districts

The North district is more spacious, with beautiful old towns where nice villas are preponderant. The East district has more dull buildings but some interesting sites as, for example, the Stasi prison. The South district is a place of contrast where both the greenest and richest part and the poorest part of the city cohabitate. There are many patches of forest around the biggest lake in Berlin, which can be explored by bike. Every district has its own history, identity or charm so wherever you find an apartment in Berlin, you will experience something new and intense.

Orientation and language in Berlin

Orientation

Berlin is a large and beautiful city and most of the areas are worth visiting so if you are not careful you may get lost occasionally. Avoid this situation by getting a good map that covers not only the center but the outer areas too. You should have a transit map because the public transport system might be confusing as in the larger stations directional signs may not be present. Remember the final station or stop of the U-bahn and S-bahn because the trains will be headed in that direction and that stop will be indicated on the signs. Memorize the name of the important districts or boroughs, as these are what the signs will point to. For any further info go to the Tourist Information office in Berlin.

Orientation and language problems when finding Berlin accommodation

Locating, contacting and booking cheap hotels in Berlin should be easy, but sometimes can be a small adventure. Most of the employees in hotels usually know English at some level and you can communicate with them. Check the website of the hotel to see if they offer support in your language. Pay attention when they are explaining how to get to the hotel. Ask them to repeat the address, give you more details and if they can, to send you a map. When you get there ask the receptionist to mark the location of your Berlin accommodation on the map so you will know how to find it.

Language in Berlin

The main language is German but you can find information in English and French. Most of the public transport staff and the people at the touristic points of interest will know English although at a beginner level. When you need to ask for directions or help, approach younger people, as there is a greater chance of them knowing English, but talk slowly and clearly and without an accent. Don`t expect them to be a walking info center about what happens in Berlin or to know all the public transport routes. Many of the people you see on the street are recent immigrants or tourists like you. In some places, you may do better with Russian than English. Take a dictionary with you, if not to learn some words, at least to use it to show other people what you are saying. All in all, people are rather friendly and you will easily find someone to help you.

Going on a tour of Berlin

Some popular tours

The high density of important sights in Berlin make a walking tour on your own a very good choice, but a guided one is even better. Visiting the city with someone who can explain the history and cultural importance of what you are seeing is probably the best way to see the city and find out something about its history in a short amount of time. There are several tours you can choose from. You can take a Ticket B City tour, which is led by architects, and which will take you on some amazing architectural routes as Berlin has been reconstructed in an impressive manner in the last twenty years. The tour is led in several languages like English, Italian, Spanish or French. You will have the chance to go inside the most interesting buildings of Berlin. If you like, you can go on a tour by boat or even by helicopter. A very popular tour is the Alternative Berlin tour, which starts in front of the Starbucks in Alexanderplatz at 11 AM and covers many areas of interest and gives you a feel of the less known Berlin: the art culture, the landmarks of music or the technological achievements The amazing thing about this tour is that is free although tipping is expected as the tour guides do this on their own time.

Booking a tour from your apartment in Berlin

You may be so preoccupied with getting to the capital city of Germany and finding good, cheap accommodation in Berlin that you forget about booking a tour. No worries. Most tours can be booked at the reception of your cheap hotel in Berlin. They usually have some flyers or catalogs with walking tours or more exclusive bike, boat or car tours. Just tell the receptionist that you want to see the city and he will help you.

Other interesting tours

If you are interested in a tour by boat on the lakes of Berlin, try at Stern un Kreisschiffahrt which is the biggest boat company. A sure way to find a good tour is to contact the people from The Berlin Experts. They offer a large variety of tours that touch important aspects like architecture, history or culture. These tours are perfect if you want to find out less known facts about Berlin. The tourist info centers also have information about many interesting guided tours.

Going out for a drink in Berlin

The fun areas of Berlin

Walking, visiting and hopping from one museum to another can get you tired so in the evening you must go out to get a drink and relax. This is also a perfect way to get to know local people. Bars are all over Berlin but there are a few places where you will find the most interesting ones. For example if you go on Warschauer Strasse or Simon-Dach-Strasse you will find a wide variety of bars and also a lot of people as it is a very popular meeting point. These streets are connected to the U-bahn and S-bahn so will be easy to find. For some interesting cocktails or a nice choice of wines go to Die Legende von Paula und Ben, a long name but a cool bar. For a great coffee at a fair price go to Café Einstein but the real treat in Berlin is to drink the beer that is brewed and sold right there on the premises of a Brauhaus, a brewpub. There are several brewpubs around the city and they all make remarkable beer. If you enjoy some Irish music or you want to watch a football game go to an Irish bar, there are plenty of these in Berlin. If you are in the bar and want water, order Leitungswasser and you will get free tap water or Wasser to get Mineral water.

Finding Berlin accommodation near the bars

Berlin holiday apartments that are in the reach of bars are quite popular. After a few drinks nobody wants to walk for several miles, let alone take the U-bahn for half an hour. Make sure that your accommodation is in Mitte, Prenzlauer berg, Kreuzberg, Schoneber or Warschauer Strasse if you want be close to where the bars are. Most of the areas with many bars are near a major U-bahn or S-bahn station and taxis are cheap at night so even if you find Berlin accommodation in a quiet zone you will still be able to enjoy a drink in the evening. Moreover, most hotels have a bar of their own.

Making friends

Berliners are very friendly and before going to the clubs, they go out for a drink so you will most surely make friends. Check out local guides to see what are the coolest clubs and bars as new ones appear all the time. If you want a more intense experience, go to Green Mango, which is the biggest karaoke bar in Europe.

Day trips from Berlin

Popular trips from Berlin

Berlin is as a major tourist attraction on its own and it can take days for you to visit all the main sights, but if your stay is extended or you are an active person who wants to see as much as possible in a short vacation you will be interested in what day trips you can take from Berlin. The first suggestion is Potsdam, which is a small town near Berlin, easily reachable by S-bahn. In Potsdam, do not miss the Sanssouci Park, which is a world heritage site. You can get to Potsdam in just half an hour. Sachsenhausen is an important attraction just outside Berlin. This is the place where the Nazi concentration camps where situated.

Finding suitable Berlin accommodation for day trips

What does suitable Berlin accommodation for day trips mean? If you are going to take some trips outside Berlin, as they will take some time, you will either need to be close to the train station, or at least the S-bahn or you will need to rent a car. Make sure the cheap hotels in Berlin that you are booking have a car renting service, that they are offering rides to the train station or that they are close to the outskirts of the city. You will not want to waste time travelling in the city when in fact you want to go outside the city.

Longer but more interesting trips

If you are willing to take a longer trip, you can go to the Muritz Lake region where there are a few hundred lakes or to the Spreewald reserve for some quiet time or incredible scenery. If you want to see other German cities, take the train to Dresden or Leipzig or even Frankfurt an der Oder, which is near the Polish border. You can also go to Usedom to see the Baltic Seashore or to the Neuhardenberg Castle which is 30km from Berlin and where in the summer concerts are hosted. If an even longer trip is not a problem and you have a visa for Poland go to Szczecin or Poznan in Poland, both beautiful cities.

Things to do with your kids in Berlin

Why kids love Berlin

Are you travelling with your children? They will love Berlin. There are plenty of places you can take them to have a good time. The first and most important attraction is Kollwitz Platz in Prenzlauer Berg. This is one of the biggest and best playgrounds in Berlin, which will keep you Kinder busy for a few hours, or even a whole day. There are numerous coffee shops and ice-cream parlors around from where you can watch your kid. Probably even better than Kollwitz Platz will be the Berlin Zoo, the oldest zoo in Germany where the famous bear Knut lives. Here, all your family will have a good time as it equally impressive for both the parents and the children.

Berlin accommodation for families with children

If you have children and you are taking them with you in Berlin, you have to find an appropriate place to live for a couple of days. Most holiday apartments in Berlin do not charge for a very small child and offer a free bed, but you will have to ask first to make sure. Some hotels even have special services for families or day cares where you can leave your kid for a few hours. Talk with the owner of various central apartments in Berlin or with the receptionist and tell them you have children coming with you. If they know, they will prepare and extra bed and they will remove dangerous items from the room.

Impressive places to visit with your child

A child, especially a boy will be impressed by the airplanes, engines, ships and locomotives from the German Museum for Technology so take him there. The museum even has a special audio tour for children. After that, you can take your child to the biggest park in Berlin, the Tiergarten where your child can run free and play in the well-maintained park. Are your kid fans of Lego? Take them to the Legoland indoor theme park in Potsdamer Platz where they can see 1,5 million Lego bricks that form a miniature Berlin and enjoy many rides and trails made entirely out of Lego bricks. There are many other small parks with playgrounds and Berlin will surprise your child and keep him entertained without any effort on your part.

Public transport in Berlin

Ticketing

When you will visit Berlin, you will most likely travel within the A and B public transport areas. In Berlin, the same ticket works for the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, buses and trams. One standard validated €2,10 ticket is good for two hours no matter how many transfers you make. You can also buy a €1,30 ticket for short rides (maximum 3 stops and no transfers). There are several ticketing options depending on the number of days and areas you want to explore. You can check all the options and the fares at the ticket vending machines. The ticket machines are easy to use and several languages are available. Remember to validate the ticket before you use the public transport, if you don`t you will get a €40 fine.

Berlin cheap hotels and the public transport system

It is advisable that when you search for Berlin accommodation to ask or to check if the place you are booking is connected to a public transport line. You can use a taxi but on the long-term, they are more expensive. The fastest way to move around the city is the U-bahn. Most Berlin cheap hotels will be in zone A or zone B of public transport and they will even have tickets for sale.

Public transport explained

The S-bahn is the train system in Berlin and used to be excellent, but now delays and cancellations are possible so if you are in a hurry use the U-bahn, the busses or the tram. The U-bahn is the subway system, it works perfectly and covers a pretty large area. In weekends and on holidays the U-bahn and S-bahn run all night and during the week they stop running at 1 AM so you can count on them when you are going out for a party or a drink. The tram service is mostly available in the eastern part of Berlin and some routes are quite picturesque. Buses get where the U-bahn and the S-bahn do not, but they are slower. The bus routes 100 and 200 are very popular among tourists as they pass by many important sights. The busses are usually yellow double-decker, which you will recognize immediately. Buses and trams also accept cash.