We hired a rowing boat and next time I intend to hire a Trabant.

nope never been but my granddad has flown over the city a few times 😉

Only to East Berlin when it was the capital of the GDR. I hear it's changed a bit since then.

I've been twice, but can't remember where we went!

Be sure to take the camera!

I was there last weekend on a stag do. However, as it was a stag do there's not much I can actually recommend! We didn't manage to find & get in to a proper clubbing club until Sunday night and it wasn't as good as I'd hoped.

The U-Bahn is superb for getting around and runs through the night over the weekend.

I'll post you my guide book if you don't want to buy one or want to add to it. Email in profile.

erm... thanks everyone 🙂

Only to East Berlin when it was the capital of the GDR.

Young Communists exchange trip?

edit: Oh, that's very kind of you Jon, nice one!

great city
Tacheles is an essential hippy hang-out especially on balmy summer evenings
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tiergarten park is good for cycling round
get up early and beat the queues to the reichstag, youll have a quality pic for freds tuesday thread
lots of thought provoking war stuff the holocaust memorial is not what you expect
head east see whats left of the ddr
such a great place you cant fail to enjoy it

Cheers kimbers - sounds good. Staying here, sounds pretty good according to TripAdviser - in the east of the city I think.

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Young Communists exchange trip?

No, as a representative of my union (UCATT) and the Greater London Association of Trade Union Councils (the TUC for London if you like)

No, as a representative of my union (UCATT) and the Greater London Association of Trade Union Councils (the TUC for London if you like)

So pretty much then (apart from the young part). 😛

You think all UCATT reps are commies then ?

Probably not that far off the truth actually.

Great city. Went there for a "grown up" stag weekend 2 years ago and would love to go back again. Loads of great bars and restaurants, friendly locals, some fab architecture and a real sense of history... You can be walking along a thoroughly modern street one minute and stumble across a bullet scarred facade the next. Whilst it sounds like you're looking for a party weekend, don't discount some of the more sobering aspects of the city - the Holocaust museum is a a truly humbling experience for anyone.

The Rough Guide to Berlin served us well when we were there... most of the key sights are in the Mitte area, but take the time to explore some of the other areas, particularly the former East Berlin. Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain has some funky bars.

One of my most bizarre memories is going through Checkpoint Charlie on one of these... beers in hand naturally:

http://www.conferencebike-berlin.de/8.html

...highly recommended!

The area around Kreuzberg has a myriad of restaurants and bars and as already said Kunsthaus Tacheles is well worth a visit on Oranienburger Straße.

for filthy techno Berghain is your best bet. and it will be proper filthy, that's if you can get in.

Add to your clubbing list: Watergate - the best club i have been to in the world (and that's quite a lot!) and Weekend which is up on the top floor of a towerblock with a roof garden. There are loads of bars everywhere bascially. I have only been once and that was for a party weekend and it's all a bit of a daze but I do remember dancing in a hairdressers at 1am where they'd decided to throw a party. FOund loads of bars in Milastr near U/S Schönhauser Alle if that helps.

Add to your clubbing list: Watergate

We saw the queue and carried on walking! We'd probaby still be waiting 😉

I can highly recommend the Branderberger Hof hotel if you want an exceptional hotel. None of your chain hotel rubbish there you know. Staff are fantastic and the food is wonderful. The suite's aren't bad either.

We saw the queue and carried on walking! We'd probaby still be waiting

Was in munich for a stag the weekend just gone. Went off for some clubbing action at around 2am and went to a place called Harry Klein. Walked in, no one to pay turned around to see the queue and some mates being turned away only to realise that we'd walked in the exit! God place too.

In Belin Tresor is meant to be good as well.

Awesome, thanks very much everyone - lots to look into.

I've been there... Eight long years ago. Beautiful city, I fell in love with it.

Just reading a great crime trilogy called Berlin Noir by Phillip Kerr - set just prior to WWII - a good way to gen up on the history without it being a chore.

The Olypmic Stadium built for the Games in 1936 is well worth a visit. The original (outdoor) swimming pool and diving boards are still in situ, and the Stadium itself is an impressive piece of architecture.

As well as that the Victory Column (Siegessäule) was designed to celebrate Prussian Victory in the Prussian-Danish War in 1864. It was moved by Hitler to the current location to create a more triumphal marching route for his troops after their victory in Europe. The outside of the column bears the scars of Russian artillery and small arms fire as they took Berlin in 1945. Also of interest are the nearby public toilets, designed by Albert Speer.

Holy thread resurrection!

Sorry didn't spot the last few replies, cheers. Actually going in a couple of weeks now so I thought I'd have a cheeky bump/ 🙂

I just realised that this is right next to my hotel.

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Would be awesome to have a go but I've never been on a track before.

Have been to Berlin & on a track - not at the same time though.

If you get chance to go on the track do so its brilliant

The Xmas fairs are really worth a visit, depending on how many weeks it is until you go, the boat trips around the city pretty good too, possibly depending on the weather

For cool bars and clubs get the U-Bahn to the Schleisseses Tor area (probably spelt that wrong but you'll see it on the tube map)...it's in kreuzberg and is a cool night out.

You can easily walk to Watergate from there too, though whether you get in or not will be a different story of course.

I absolutely love Berlin think I've been about 5 times now, easily my favourite place I've been to you'll have an ace time.

Cheers folks - really looking forward to it.

You can easily walk to Watergate from there too, though whether you get in or not will be a different story of course.

From the sound of things, I'm definitely not cool enough to get in. 😥

Only to East Berlin when it was the capital of the GDR. I hear it's changed a bit since then

Ditto

My parents lived there for a number of years & I did the Checkpoint Charlie thing when over once - before the wall came down, then 3 years ago I went again and this time walked to the CC from the East it really did my head in.

Cheers folks - really looking forward to it.

You can easily walk to Watergate from there too, though whether you get in or not will be a different story of course.

From the sound of things, I'm definitely not cool enough to get in 😥

No shame in that, I tried last time I was over a couple of months ago- it was just me and my g/f at about 5.15am but we still got knocked back. It's just the way with it is with the really big clubs over there.

On another night I managed to get in Panorama Bar wearing shorts and flip-flops when I was really pissed up with about 8 other English lads on stag do so it really is a lottery tbf.

Doesn't matter though, there's plenty of cool smaller clubs and bars if you fancy listening to techno and getting an authentic Berlin vibe. Last time I was in kreuzberg we were just drinking til about 5am and it was still really busy everywhere but with a cool relaxed vibe- not like in GB where if loads of people were still up drinking at that time it would be carnage.

Also if you can't be bothered leaving the city centre bit fancy visiting an underground style bar, 8mm on Schonhauser Allee is good.

Quality city...think I still have the rough guide / lonely planet books for Berlin...i'll bring them up if I can find them.

last time I was in Berlin we went to http://www.marjellchen-berlin.de/ - There was some really good food going on there, I have no idea what I ordered because the lady / madame (pretty sure she was the owner) chose for me when I asked for a recommendation. She chose 100% correctly because what I had was very nice hearty non poncy food.

reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187323-d718201-Reviews-Marjellchen-Berlin.html

The Christmas Market should now be on, thats well worth a walk around, good city for couples.

Potsdammer Platz is good - then you can walk from here to the Holocaust Memorial, onto Brandeburg Gate and then the Reichstag (get here early if you want to go on the roof).

There's Xmas markets all over - we enjoyed the one at Charlottenburg, not massive, but good Gluhwein!

Hackeschermarkt (Sp?) is a nice area for small bars/shops etc.

Don't forget to have Currywurst mit pommes! Very tasty.

This is really useful stuff - STW at it's finest. 🙂

lodious that would be great, ta.

Xmas market sounds good - gluhwein and currywurst - mmmmmmm........ kreuzberg sounds like my kind of thing too. Can't wait!

I wish you hadn't mentioned the currywurst, now I feel hungry

Had a mate who was there last week, he got taken to this place :-
http://www.remise.de/Classic-Remise-Meilenwerk-Berlin-english-summary.php

If you like things that go vroom vroom it may be worth a look

When I was there a few months ago, you couldn't go in the Reichstag without a pre-booking online 6 weeks in advance. Normally that's not the case (you can queue) but they said it was going to be like that indefinately due to an unspecified terrorist threat 🙁

Really wanted to go up it too.