Anyone done a city break in Berlin?

[Booksandflowers]

Thinking about this in the next year. Where did you stay? What did you do? How long? It will be two adults and two teens. Would want to get a bit of the history in as one of the teens is doing the Second World War in history at school but also some other fun bits.

we normally book with Thomas cook but not sure if there’s cheaper out there.

thanks

I’ve been twice, as I have friends there. I am a seasoned traveller but find Berlin a bit on the boring side. It’s not a beautiful city. Most of the beautiful buildings were destroyed in the war, so many of the buildings have a very 1960s feel. Obviously the wall is amazing and is huge piece of history. I would recommend taking the tour bus that you can hop on and off, as this will give you a good feel for where you might want to spend more of your time.

I stayed in one of the Holiday Inns, which was fairly central.

I've been once, about 6 years ago and loved it. It was a wonderful city, so easy to get around and plenty to do and see

What time of year would you recommend? Would you recommend somewhere central to stay?

I took my 16 year old ds and he loved it.....we stayed at ArtHotel which was lovely and really welcoming.
I was a bit underwhelmed by the city as previous poster said...it isn't beautiful due to war damage. But the history is incredible and the Reichstag is well worth a visit

It's a fantastic city for teens, especially ones interested in history. Lots of great museums and very honest reflections of the last 100 years. We just booked an air BnB and used public transport, walked miles, took it all in. Think we went in spring and it is a v cold place to be in winter, but tbh that adds to the experience!

This exhibition https://www.dhm.de/en/exhibitions/roads-not-taken-oder-es-haette-auch-anders-kommen-koennen/ is really great. It looks back at a series of events in German history (starting with the falling of the wall in 1989, and working backward through there splitting of Germany and the second world war, going back to the mid 1800s), and invites you to think about how the world would be different if things had gone differently in that moment. I can't recommend it enough, if your teens will engage with the content.

The DDR museum (https://www.ddr-museum.de/de) and spy museum (https://www.deutsches-spionagemuseum.de) are also both excellent and really interactive (in a way that is interesting for teens and adults, not just small kids).

Came back to add that the welcome card was a good deal for transport, and for discounts on museums etc https://www.berlin-welcomecard.de

We're just back from a long weekend there - we had a great time. Visited the museum, the holocaust memorial, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, ate lots of delicious food, especially asparagus, went to a food market, KaDeWe, a flea market, and sat in the sunshine drinking excellent coffee/beer. The shopping is wonderful, and we even went to a cabaret evening. I would love to go back.

Transport is incredibly good - we had a four day pass and hammered it.

We loved it. We went in the summer so it was warm but you could sit outside and drink beer. DD was 16 so could drink with us. We liked sharing paddles of 5 or 6 beers.

If you're interested in the history you have both WW2 and the Cold War. DD found it staggering that the city had been divided.

Depending on how long you're staying there are day trips to Potsdam, Wannsee and Sachenhausen Concentration camp. You can get to Dresden by quick, efficient train.

I went in June and it was above 36 degrees and I almost melted. Heatwaves follow me

I'm thinking of going in October. I want to see the Berlin philharmonic if possible. I fancy the Reichstag.

There's bound to be some good restaurants and art galleries. I love Germany and not been to the capital.

Cologne isn't a pretty city but I loved it and Berlin should be better...

I went last month. Great for teenagers

I stayed with a friend so can’t comment on hotels etc

I did a cycle tour which I’d highly recommend in good weather - fat tyre tours

DDR museum would be great for teenagers I think. Lots of other museums are brilliant. Holocaust memorial was quite something.

I would just go onto easyjet.com and book
flights and accommodation that way

i’ve been to Berlin several times and I’d recommend spring/early summer or early autumn. Baltic in winter. Can be very hot in summer.

VBB app is really great for navigating the transport

Been countless times, it’s one of my favourite cities. I tend to book flights and hotels separately. Always stay central as we have our favourite restaurants we like to walk to. Summer is my preferred time to visit as it can get hot. Winter is freezing!

Hitler’s bunker museum is fascinating, as is the DDR museum. Granted it’s not pretty like Paris or Rome, but the history alone is enough to keep you going!

Absolutely loved Berlin - we stayed in the H10 Kuudamm, was gorgeous and very easy to get to trains/metro from.

we were there 4 days, could have done longer but equally packed loads in. Like a pp I’d highly recommend a cycle tour with Fat Tyres - they do a traditional tour but also an e-bike one, which is great for those who don’t cycle much. There’s also a ‘surprise’ at the end of the tour in getting to cycle somewhere you wouldn’t expect as fast as you can. I’d stay away from the segways unless you’re very confident!!

i can look up the other things we did too if you’d find that helpful :)

We went a few years ago in November. Stayed directly opposite the natural history museum, which is worth a visit. We visited a few of the WW2 memorials (the holocaust one is particularly poignant) and the long stretch of wall. The botanic gardens are nice but only the glasshouses were worth looking at in November! Although they did have a night-time Christmas thing a bit like Kew has, which was really lovely!

I enjoyed it, but unless your teens are into history they might find it a little dull.

Topography of Terror is fascinating history. The Stasi museum is too, especially if you book a guided tour. We stayed in really nice Hotel Shultz just opposite Ostbahnhoff rail station and next to the East Side Gallery ( where artists have painted on remaining parts of the Wall).

I went in February and it was absolutely freezing. We did a walking tour and I felt like I’d never be warm again.

It’s an interesting city with enough to see in a weekend but I wouldn’t rush back.

We will be going in August, not ideal as Summer is never good in a capital city but we can't make it otherwise. We went in December for 2 days but didn't do anything big.

We have a s/c flat booked with a bakery and supermarket around the corner for 6 nights.

Plans are:
Postdam and Schloss Sanssouci for a full day
Schloss Charlottenburg
Reichstag - you need to book tickets in advance
Mauermuseum
Spy museum
Plötzensee - the execution place in WWII
maybe Sachsenhausen but we are near Munich the week after and will go to Dachau

There is a stretch where remains of the wall are still standing and very good explanations.

The Pergamon museum is currently closed.

Depends what you look for, Berlin has an amazing nightlife, shows, concerts, exhibitions so I wouldn't call Berlin dull at all. Obviously teens are a difficult age, you need to look at age restrictions as some are 18+ only.

My DH and (adult) son went a few years ago and would love to go back, this time with driving licences so they could take part in the 'trabby tour'.....a convoy of ancient trabants (East German communist era crap cars) which were followed in the convoy by repair/tow truck as they broke down so often. Particularly enjoyed meal at the rotating restaurant at top of TV tower.

There is a pretty area near to the DDR museum.

I thought it was a great city with loads to do.

We went in late November for the Christmas markets and have never felt cold like it ! We would love to visit in the warmer months

Went last summer with young teens, we hired bikes and cycled everywhere. The history parts were great - we enjoyed it all but the weather was lousy - cool and raining in august!

I love Berlin! We stayed in the centre - cannot remember the hotel but it was nice and reasonably priced.
I've been in the summer and Christmas too - the markets are lovely!
Museum island is a must!
If going in the summer I highly recommend the fat tyre bike tour - great for the history and will set you up for places you want to revisit.

Many, many times. Strangely I have very little recollection of them.

if your teens are older they will have a lot of fun. Just don’t enquire too closely what they got up to.

I'm lucky enough (and old enough!) to have been there a few times, first visit was in February 1989, while it was still two Germanys and the East was still East. In our most recent visit, we went to the DDR museum, Mauermuseum (Berlin wall museum) Sachsenhausen concentration camp and did a walking tour. I know almost everything is a rebuild after the destruction of WW2 but it's an amazing city if you like history.