Berlin - which area?

[Tommorrowsanewday]

I’ve just booked flights to Berlin for the end of October for me, DH and our 15 year DS.
Where would you recommend the best area to stay?
We’re going to do the usual sights Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie etc.
Someone recommended the Alexanderplatz which looks handy enough. Also looking at the Hampton Inn.
It’s for a special birthday. Accommodation around £500-£600.
If you’ve been to Berlin where did you stay and why.

I just got back last night from staying at Adlon Kempskini which is right near the gate. I’d say anywhere around there is good. It was an easy walk to museum island, Checkpoint Charlie, the river for a boat trip, the cathedral and parliament. The metro is really good in Berlin.

Old east area is better for most attractions. But the u bahn is an excellent transport system so anywhere near a station is a good start. We stayed at the Movenpick hotel this summer and thought it a great location and hotel. Would love to go back.

Thanks for the replies. I will check out your recommendations.

We had two teens with us and we all loved Berlin. Thoroughly recommend the DDR museum, fun and informative.

We stayed at Hotel Indigo very near Alexanderplatz. Was a great location and nice hotel.

We stayed at a Generator Hostel which was a good bit out but right beside a S, U bahn and train station. Honestly transport was so good and cheap (get the Berlin card) it doesn't matter where you stay. My teen really enjoyed the (free) Reichstag, try and book it from now if you haven't already.

Thanks Jakeyboy I checked out the Indigo. Looks lovely but it only seems to do double rooms.
Thanks to everyone for replying I’m off to check out your recommendations.
Good tip about the Berlin card.

We stayed with friends in Mitte which is very central.
Loved Berlin (I might be there at Easter) I would recommend doing one of the walking tours early on in your stay - you pay guide by donation. Really good way to get your bearings, and find out lots of history & interesting stuff.

A walking tour is a great idea. We did this last year in Geneva.
We’re there for 5 days so hopefully we’ll be able to pack a lot in. DS wants to visit the Olympic Stadium too.

We went for 4 nights and walked over 50 kilometres, there is so much to see there.

What about the Adagio, it has 1 bed apartments. Kudamm area so the heart of West Berlin.

Or Wilde aparthotel which opened recently, near Checkpoint Charlie.

Mitte is a great area to stay in.
I like hiring bikes and riding around Berlin.

Ps I should have also said we went for a special
Birthday too!

Some things we did -

• walking tour absolutely fascinating
• go up the TV tower for cocktails - you can also eat there
• went to a restaurant over the top of the monkeys at the zoo called Neni - not the most amazing food but great view!
• just wandered by ourselves to find the museum island and the area around there is beautiful

Enjoy x

I had dinner at the TV tower for my birthday last week, it was a wonderful evening.
I also enjoyed a visit to Charlotteburg Palace and an hour long boat trip seeing the sights.
We had another nice meal at the Sony Center, that was a cool place.

One afternoon we visited Checkpoint Charlie, Topography of Terror and Hitler’s bunker (it’s covered with a car park now). That worked well as all are close together.
Like others have said the Reichstag is free, you just need to prebook and take your passport when you visit.
The cathedral with the dome is really worth visiting, amazing views and a really good experience.
Lots of the museums have really nice cafes, a couple of times I had soup and bread for about €4.5. I also had a kebab one lunch time which I know is very naughty but I did really enjoy it!

I'm really looking forward to our trip after reading all the recommendations for things to do, places to see and eat. It is DHs big birthday so it sounds like it will be one to remember.
It's a surprise to him where I've booked but I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

If you like to cycle I would definitely recommend the cycling tours by fat tire tours. We did one on our first morning - it was great to get an idea of where everything was, where we wanted to go back to & gave us confidence to hire bikes & go on our own the next day. Have fun Berlin is great

Forgot to say we stayed in art’otel mitte - great location & interesting hotel

It's such a fantastic city. We really dithered over where to stay, because all the districts are so different but all have so much to offer. But what we found was that the transport is so incredibly cheap and efficient that it actually doesn't matter too much where you stay - you can easily travel all over the place. We stayed in the Hotel Q just off the Ku'damm - really nice hotel with a laid-back bar and Thai restaurant attached. Very well located for transport links, but also nice and quiet as it's on a side street.

Don’t stay at Alexander plays, it is central but shockingly soulless!

Prenzlauer Berg has more atmosphere, lots of nice restaurants, and some really nice apartment-hotels

I'm booking a trip to Berlin as well, but at Easter so I'd better get a move on! I know everyone says the transport is great but with two dc sometimes I just want to be on foot not trying to get through an underground station at rush hour. Maybe I should make a list of what I want to see and work back from that to choose the area.

Mitte is fab, central to many attractions. The metro is amazing though so it doesn’t matter too much where you stay. My teen enjoyed the TV tower (book online as the ticket queues are long), East side gallery (ie graffiti on Berlin Wall) and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. I wish we’d visited the Stasi museum too. There are plenty of hop-on hop-off bus services too, which is handy for getting around and getting a bit of history. Avoid the beggars outside the Reichstag - they approach you as of asking you to sign a petition then harass you for money.