One night in Berlin

[Happy Times]

And two days, thats the plan in the start of May.
First to Travemünde by ro-ro/ passenger ship and then by car to Berlin.

The difficulty is deciding what to do in the short time?
Now is the time to promote your favourite sights, restaurants etc.
None of us has ever been in Berlin so it would really help.

[Schroeder]

I'm not from Berlin but maybe this can help:
Reichstag (German Parliament)
Brandenburg Gate
Siegessäule (Don't know the English name, could be something like victory pillar)

(If you are interested in aviation there is a great free museum in Gatow)

There is plenty more, but I have only been there for two days with some friends to go to the ILA last year.

[Skybird]

I lived ten years in Berlin, but I do not know the former East well, since I left three weeks before the wall came down, and had only some minor visits into the eastern sectors. Two days is not much, so limit your goals: what kind of stuff are you interested in when visiting a foreign city? There is some good and beauty in Berlin, but also much ugly things and overestimated stuff.

As Skybird said, it really depends on what you like to see in Berlin. Been there several times and I just love the city, mostly for the historic landscape presented there, this city carries a heavy burden, and it shows.

But the culture and nightlife is great, too, so you have a lot of options. 2 days really are not giving this city any justice, however.

[Happy Times]

Well i was thinking about the Museumsinsel but its seems half is allways closed, do to ongoing restoration.
Brandenburger Tor and Reichstag are probably a must tough.
Historical sights are the best, but if possible, free from any underlining and local traumas. My brothers fiance would probably like Charlottenburg or some other Schloss, if it fits in the tight schedule.
We also dont need to see "urban culture" and bohemians as sights.

[Happy Times]

http://www.visitberlin.de/english/si...hp?code=13452#

Wonder what that picture is suppose to sell in Tiergarten.

I haven't been to the Museumsinsel since most of it has been renovated by now, but imho it's a must to visit, both by the architectual standarts and all the stuff that is displayed there. You really won't be dissapointed. It's not a UNESCO world heritage site for nothing.

The aviation museum in Gatow was already mentioned, Berlin Tempelhof may find your interest as well. It probably is the worlds most famous airport building, despite having finally been shut down last year.

Maybe you are also interested to get a tour of all what is left from WW2 and the NAZI era, including the remnants of the Führerbunker. Quite a few buildings already used by the NAZIs are still in active service by the german government, including the Bendler Block, where Stauffenberg was shot.

Finally, if you weren't in Berlin for two days only, I'd seriously suggest going to Potsam and make a visit to "Sans Soussie" residence, a highlight of Prussian origin. The gardens there are stunning.

Be as it is, Berlin has enough to offer to keep you on your feet for 4 weeks straight, so you will have to be very careful in chosing what to look at. You will miss great stuff no matter what you choose.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Happy Times

Well i was thinking about the Museumsinsel but its seems half is allways closed, do to ongoing restoration.

If museums are your thing, I can't help you, I have been in Berlin museums only twice, both times the class teacher forced me to. Why travelling long distance for a very short stay and then spending time inside a hall with paintings is beyond me.

Brandenburger Tor and Reichstag are probably a must tough.

No, they are not, they are just said to be so, but what makes them so specatcular? the Brandenburg Gate actually is surpsingly small, and the looks boring and the place is boring as well. The Reichstag is a big "Klotz" looking ugly. If for some reason it is interesting for you, fine, but I wonder what it is that makes it interesting.

Some word on the Siegessäule. It's a stone pillar with a golden statue on top of it, lots of car traffic moving in circles around it, counter-clockwise. You can have that closer to you, I think I saw a TV picture of this from Kopenhagen.

Historical sights are the best, but if possible, free from any underlining and local traumas. My brothers fiance would probably like Charlottenburg or some other Schloss, if it fits in the tight schedule.

Then I would recommend Potsdam and reserve a day for it. Huge parks, the Schloss, and a lovely, renovated old town nearby.

We also dont need to see "urban culture" and bohemians as sights.

I assume you mean punks, Kiez-life and graffiti sprayers, well, that I do not think one must see, too.

Don'tknow what your taste is, but the best way to learn how a foreign city feels is spending one or two days walking thropugh it, breathing the air and mood of the ordinary places, see people doing their business. In 2000, I spend one such day, it was one of the best days in my life. I started on feet at 9 or 10 am, and walked and walked and looked and went far into the former Eastern secftors I did not know, places where I never have been before. Back then my parents still had their appartement in Berlin, my home from youth time. I was back at 10 or 11 pm. In the meantime I had walked a distance of close to 40 km, passed through 7 or 8 city districts, saw incredibly many faces of the city, ate small things here and there, enjoyed the sunny, warm day, had some sshort chats with strangers, allowed myself being driven around by the movement on the streets. As I said, one of the very best days in my life. I would give one year of my life for it.

Let me also remind you that Berlin has many faces, and is often refered to as the "greeniest metropole of it's size in europe". there are also very different looking living areas, some are nice, the majority looks terrible. The famous "Kiez-culture" I would avoid like the plague.

If I were you, I would spend the first day with arriving, strolling around Tauentzien with Europa-Center, Gedächtniskirche and maybe KaDeWe, if that is a must bfor you, then do my way towards the west and onto the kurfürstendamm until I get bored and find a nice place to eat, and there are many places for that. It's also a nice area for spending the evening in Bistros or restaurants. Eventually, in the night I would reverse and head toewards the Eastern centre around Pariser Platz and Friedrichstrasse, and eat there.

Avoid the famous Alexander Platz, it'S just an awfully looking huge plaza, and makes me think that the GDR is still alive. There might be the TV-tower, but that doesn't make it any less awful.

Tips also are the natural habitats: the Grunewald around the Krumme Lanke, Schlachtensee, then the Havelchaussee from Spandau leading south along the Havel river, with many heights to look wide into the western country, beautiful landscape, then reaching the Wannsee in the south, and there turning West until you reach the Pfaueninsel that you reach by cheap ferry, after the island trip you finish that esxcursion at the Schlosspark in Glienicke.

Gatow also has a nice mixture of almost village-like atmosphere and nature, it is west of the Havel-river.

the best-looking parts of the city are in the former Western sector, and here in the south-west, including the former american quarters. the worst looking part is much of the central East, and the city centre called "Mitte".

Your trip is short and thus will be stressful, try to relax and do not hop around. Plan one nice tour with generous timing. And museums - well, don't you have that in Finland yourself? why doing such a trip and then wasting your time in museums?

You said you land in Travemünde. Make sure you invest one day in the old town of Lübeck. It is possible that you would remember that as the most beautiful part of your expedition to Germania. Another three choices for a trip from Travemünde to berlin, are Wismar, Kühlungsborn (old seaside resort a bit northeast of Wismar, and Schwerin and the nearby Lakes.

If you want to have an arts program in Berlin, I recommend to check if one of the two major orchestras is palying in the "Philharmonie". now, here you have a "must" indeed, at least when you are into music and music halls - the accoustics are spectacular and rank amongst the world's very best , and the inner architecture as well - you will not believe how fast the hall is empty when the crowd starts moving out, the ways and doors are very well planned. Unfortunetly, both major orchestra's qualities are in constant decloine. They are no longer rated amongst the world's best, as they both were, during the 80s. Too much incompetence and excentric stageacting too many experiments, to much populistic tam-tam to please the ordinary masses. As good as the accoustic of the hall is, as bad is the competence of the Berlin mob (it takes more optimism than I have to call them an audience).