I might be heading to Berlin for a few days work. During the day I’m going to be at Messe Berlin but I would like to book a Hotel / Airbnb that’s close enough to get there without too much hassle, but also a good location to have a mooch about after the working day.

Any recommendations?

Cheers,

GL.

How are you planning on getting around?

I stayed for a week at a hotel near Tempelhofer feld, and it was excellent in terms of the facilities and the location. Off the beaten track, but that just made it more interesting.

At 18kms, a bit far from where you will be working, though, I imagine.

you’ll be way out west at Messe then, but the public transport in Berlin is really excellent. Quick and cheap.

On the west side Charlottenburg has lots of good art galleries, and the Tiergarten is pleasant too if it’s not dark by the time you finish work. Then there’s Mitte (the city centre) but if you head up from Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust memorial (both worth a look) you arrive in tourist central but there are some good museums and more galleries.

The cool kids hang out in Kreuzburg, Neukoln, or Friedrichshain, on the former east/west border down in the corner – all buzzy, artsy, good bars, restaurants etc. Bit like East London or whatever.

The extra cool kids now hang out in Wedding, in much the same way that all the London hipsters are deserting Dalston for New Cross/Peckham

If you are at the Messe it’s worth a trip up the tower, gives a great view across the city.

Thanks for the info.

I guess I’ll probably be getting around with the Metro/Train.

I was there quite a few years ago so had a good look about at the usual site seeing places. But can’t for the life of me remember where we stayed. Although the hotel was pretty cool, the area itself wasn’t the hive of activity.

Fancy being somewhere where I can have a mooch about the streets, pop in for a beer and food somewhere, i.e. somewhere where there are people hanging out…I’ll be on my own, so nice to walk about and do a bit of people watching instead of a meal for one in the hotel.

I do remember that it was one of the coldest places I’ve ever visited….although I was living in Greece in those days so most places felt a bit chiller than the norm!

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187323-d947082-Reviews-Burgermeister-Berlin.html

If you have time try this place – I loved it

The hire bike scheme is pretty simple – I rode one around to have a look at the place last time I was there.
Has to be one of the most impressive cities in Europe for things to see.

I’m heading out there in a week or so (also to Messe), so any other suggestions for places to go would be good. Any of the authentic East Berlin left?

I’m there on Wednesday for a week for an exhibition… Also at the Messe.

I can’t stand the place. People say Berlin is trendy and a bit edgy… I call it poor and run down.

The centre of town /main station is 30min train ride from the Messe.

The beer is generally crap.

Out of interest…. What are those of you going there next week going for?

Cisco live.

Thanks BTW for all the suggestions.

Any of the authentic East Berlin left?

nothing that struck me particularly and we when round the city quite a lot

depends what you mean by ‘authentic’

first time i went out there i was surprised how grimy Neukoln was, and assumed it must have been in East. But no, that was more due to the unique demographic of West Berlin in the 70s/80s etc.

If you want towerblocks and unemployment, there’s plenty of that in some of the further eastern suburbs. You might be better off with the GDR museum though, and Karl Marx Allee is worth a stroll if you want to see the kind of wide streets and grand buildings that you’ll also see in places like Minsk or Kiev or Moscow.

remember that much of East Berlin was housed in nice big 19th Century apartment buildings – it was only communist for 40-odd years

I can’t stand the place. People say Berlin is trendy and a bit edgy… I call it poor and run down.

those 2 aren’t mutually exclusive though, are they.

The beer is generally crap.

what…. WHAT!!!!! ………. Good God Man!!!

Due to my upbringing (and the fact, growing up there was always a World War II film on at the weekends)….and lots of other reasons and having worked with a lot of them…I sometimes can be a little unkind to our European Neighbours….thankfully I have also met a lot of Goodens in work and outside….

…..but never once…NEVER….have I said there beer isn’t up to much…NEVER!!!!

Although it’s not quite as good as ours…but not bad, I’ll give them that.

As I live in Munich, any beer north of the Danube is considered crap…. Which isn’t strictly true as Franconia has some awesome beer, but Berlin isn’t known for its brewing prowess.

I’m sure the other lads I work with will have organised a crate or five of Augustiner

I’m also going to Cisco Live.

Seen plenty of Communist blocks in Poland and around Dresden. Guess the spy novel scenery may have changed by now though.

it’s strange, but it’s perfectly possible to go to Germany, the home of Pilsner (any Czechs are welcome to disagree btw), and get a poor pint – just like it’s possible to come to blighty and get a pint of carlsberg or a bud. Annoying!

Mmmm; Herforder Pils…That tasted nice last July when it was 38dec C.
As I have family in Berlin I’d seen a lot of Berlin prior to reunification. Used to go over to East Berlin on a tourist visa for the day; you had to change 25DM a day at a one-to-one rate but it was impossible to spend it (unless you collect books by Marx and Engels).

Oh, I’m overseeing the put-in for Cisco…. Small world, huh?

Go and stay in Friedrichshain. Cheap and lively.

The drugs are cheap in Berlin.

Sorry, haven’t visited this post for a few days.

Cheers for the tips.

I wondered if there was anyone else in the Networking game.

My email is in profile so if anyone fancies meeting up for a beer (and hopefully talking about other stuff rather than networking 🙂 ) drop me a line.

enjoy your conference….

you cn thank me for all the woodwork in Hall 2.1….

Back to the orifice after a week’s holiday after the conference

you cn thank me for all the woodwork in Hall 2.1….

Like your work Alpin 😉

Christ that place was big, kept getting lost.

Back there again next year?