Berlin: Artsy edgy and totally effervescent
Berlin, Germany's capital, best known for the fall of the Berlin Wall is also home to renowned opera houses, museums and art galleries. This city is hip, with a choice of restaurants, bars and clubs for evening entertainment and historic sites to satisfy the sightseer in you.
When to travel
There is never a bad time to visit Berlin. If the cold weather is less than appealing travel in the summertime as winters are extremely cold. Fashion Week is held in January and July and the Berlinale International Film Festival commences in February. On May 1st, International Worker's Day is celebrated in Kreuzberg and locals welcome Summer Solstice with the Fete de la Musique festival on June 21st.
Useful tips to consider before travelling
The roads in Berlin are bike friendly with cycle paths and flat terrains. The numerous cycle hire shops make renting a bike easy and affordable. Accommodation, alcoholic beverages and food items are cheaper in Berlin in comparison to London. Restaurants and stores don't often accept credit card payments, so carry cash with you. Berlin is 1 hour ahead of London.
Local information and transportation
To travel to the city centre from Berlin Brandenburg International airport, visitors can catch the train, S-bahn (city line), bus or taxi. Trains leave from the airport railway station beneath terminals 1 and 2.
The Airport Express trains or regional trains are the fastest option into the city centre. City lines S 9 and S 45 go to Ostkreuz which is a major station with regular train and bus connections to many parts of the city. Please note that there is a separate station near Terminal 5, where only regional trains and the S-Bahn stops. Those landing at Terminal 5 should make their way by foot to Terminal 5 station and catch the s-bahn.
All tickets to the city centre cost from 3,60 Euro.
Buses also leave from the terminals with a journey time from around 30 minutes and ticket prices starting from 2.70 Euros.
Accommodation prices start from approximately 10 Euros for a night in a hostel, while for hotels the cost starts from about 35 Euros. Friedrichstraße, Alexanderplatz and Zoologischer Garten are all popular locations for hotels.
A good option for travel around the city is the Berlin WelcomeCard, a tourist travel card which offers 50% off entrance fees for many museums and attractions. Tickets for public transport bought from underground and S-Bahn stations must be validated before travel. Taxis in Berlin are slightly cheaper than in the UK, with a special short-distance tariff if you flag down a car for rides of less than 2km. Every district in Berlin has its own individual character, so explore and find your favourite.
Hostels cost around 10 Euros a night, and hotels start from around 35 Euros upwards. Popular hotels are located in Friedrichstraße, Zoologischer Garten and Alexanderplatz. The Berlin WelcomeCard tourist card gives you 50% discount for entrance fees to museums and other attractions, and access to public transportation including trams and boats. Tickets purchased from the underground and S-Bahn must be validated before travelling. Berlin's taxis are cheaper than London cabs and can be flagged down for "Kurzstrecke", aka short distance journey's, covering 2 km distances.
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