GETTING THERE:
All our couples travelled with British Airways from London, Heathrow direct to Berlin, Tegel. There are five flights daily and the journey takes one and a half hours. A special return fare will cost you £139+ Tax. To qualify for this you must stay a maximum of four days.
British Airways : 0345 444111
BERLIN WEATHER:
If you are thinking of visiting Berlin this weekend the weather is as follows:
Friday: Min4, Max11 and cloudy
Saturday: Min5, Max 14 cloudy with a high chance of rain
Sunday: Min5, Max 12 cloudy with a high chance of rain
CHEAPEST FLIGHTS:
The cheapest flight to Berlin this weekend is with British Airways and will cost you £163.00 return. The flight from London, Heathrow leaves on Friday at 12.45pm and returns on Sunday from Berlin, Tegel at 5.10pm.
The two girls travelled by bus from Berlin Tegel airport to the Zoo Station in the west of the city. From there they took the U-Bahn (Berlin underground) to their hostel in the east. The most economical ticket to buy is the Welcome Card (29DM). This entitles you to 72 hour travel on buses and trains in the 1,2,3, fare zones.
ACCOMMODATION:
For the weekend the girls stayed in Die Fabrik hostel in Treptow. Their twin room cost 94DM, without breakfast. If this is too expensive for your budget they also have a mixed dormitory of fifteen rooms, each bed costs 30DM.
Die Fabrik
Schlesische Strasse 18
Treptow
10997
Berlin
Tel: 00 49 30 611 7116
Fax: 00 49 30 617 5104
E-Mail: info@diefabrik.com
Web Site: www.diefabrik.com
The nearest U-Bahn station is Schlesisches Tor and the nearest S-Bahn station is Warschauer Strasse.
FRIDAY NIGHT:
A great way to start your trip to Berlin and get an unrivalled view of the city is to head for the 365metre high Fernsehturm am Alexanderplatz, also known as the TV tower or "giant asparagus". Be prepared for a long wait in the queue. The best time to go is early on Sunday morning. Admission is 8DM.
You can also eat in the tower at the revolving Telecafe.
Fernsehturn
Alexanderplatz
Mitte
T: 00 49 30 242 3333
Open: 9am-11pm
If the budget purse strings are tight and you fancy a traditional Berlin tipple, head for a late night store known as the Spautkauf, which can be found on most streets. The budget couple checked out the East German Club Cola and the brandy called Gold Brand in the Spautkauf on the corner of Torstrasse and Alte Schonhauser in Mitte.
If you are feeling hungry and want to sample some Berlin street food, then make a bee-line for the traditional Berlin sausage, the Currywurst, for a bargain 2DM. This is a wurst deep fried then coated with curry powder and soaked in Tomato Ketchup. There are fast food stalls known as Imbiss all over Berlin, which sell these and various other wursts. Two of the better ones are at 195 Ku Damm in Schoneburg, where even the rich tuck into their currywurst. Alternatively if you find yourself in the east of Berlin, pay a visit to the Konnopke Imbiss which is located beneath the U2 tracks at the corner of Danzigerstrasse and Schonhauser Allee in Prenzlauer Berg. It has been run by the same family since the 1930's.
SATURDAY:
Berlin is currently undergoing a huge facelift in preparation for the German government and associated businesses moving from Bonn in September.
In all there will be 662MP's and 21,000 civil servants descending on the new capital. The biggest building site in Europe can be seen at Potsdamer Platz, formerly no-mans land in the cold war and now 111,000 square metres of cranes, scaffolding and labourers. Here you can walk around all day and marvel at the new skyscrapers that are rapidly going up including the new headquarters of Sony and Debis, designed by Renzo Piano.The cost of the construction is estimated to be £2.7 billion.
For an informative and free look at how Berlin will look in the future and a history lesson head for the info box, in Leipziger Platz. Check out the virtual reality section and the sound booth. You can get onto the roof of the info box with a 2DM coin and have a birds eye view of the surrounding constructions.
Info Box
Leipziger Platz 21
T: 00 49 30 2266 240
Internet: www.infobox.de
Open daily until 31st December 2000: 9am-7pm, except Thursdays, 9am-9pm.
The budget couple then took a short walk for a free look at a huge musical kinetic sculpture inside the Debis Haus designed by Tinguely. The sculpture operates for five minutes everyday from 12.00-12.05pm.
Debis Haus
Eichhornstrasse 3
Potsdamer Platz
T: 00 49 30 2554 1105
Internet: www.debis.com
One of the best bargains currently available in Berlin is that you can hire a smart car for a gave away 33DM per day, with the added bonus of car parking being free this is a great way to see the city. The Smart car is a relatively unseen car in the UK but very trendy on the continent. Designed by Swatch and built by Mercedes you can swap the colour arrangement and design bodywork. Be warned they can only sit two people.
Smart car hire shop (next to IMEX cinema)
Alte Potsdamerstrasse 7
If you are wanting to meet some friendly Berlin folk and have a bit of a dance, the place to head on a Saturday afternoon is Prater. Every Saturday afternoon from 2.00-4.00 the local folk gather for a sing along and a dance to Geoff Combo and his band. The company is great and the music good fun.
Prater
Kastanienallee
T: 00 49 30 448 5688
Open 2-4pm
Driving in the Smart car our budget couple headed for the East Side Gallery, the longest standing piece of the Berlin Wall and now a preserved memorial. Here numerous renowned German and international artists have left their mark on the wall. Watch out for the famous Breshnev-Honnecker kiss and the Trabant car crashing through the wall.
East Side Gallery
Muhlenstrasse
Friedrichshain.
Close to the East Side Gallery and worth a luck is the Oberbaumbrucke bridge, Berlins equivalent to Tower Bridge.
The girls then drove to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum for a look at the old sentry box and other memorabilia. Admission is 8DM for adults and 5DM for students and children. The museum tells the history of the 28-year life of the wall and the attempts made to cross it including hot air balloons, submarines and an armoured plated car. Dont forget to get your passport stamped with an authentic GDR stamp for only 2DM.
Checkpoint Charlie Museum
Friedrichstrasse 43-44
Mitte
T: 00 49 30 253 7250
Open: 9am-10pm Mon-Sun, 365 days a year.
SATURDAY EVENING:
For some of the finest and cheapest food in all of Berlin a must visit is the Tibet Haus in Kreuzberg. You can either sit in this restaurant or order a take away. For around 14DM you can enjoy some great Tibetan food and the must try Sherpa tea.
Tibet Haus
Zossenerstrase 19
T: 00 49 30 694 8948
Our budget couple kicked off their Saturday night in Neuzeit. This bar is the brain child of maths teacher Thomas Breitkopf who has decided that it is cheaper to charge people to drink in his bar by the hour as opposed to by the glass. Men can drink as much as they want in an hour for 12DM while women are charged 8DM for the privilege. You must punch the time clock as you enter the bar and dont forget to check out the interesting decor. Also free food available, which is always Mexican. Neuzeit goes on until at least 5am.
Neuziet
101 Danziger Strasse
Prenzlauer Berg
T: 00 49 30 424 9788
Alternatively if you are more into the punk and grunge scene and want to sample a touch of Berlin's hard-core music scene then a port of call must be Eimer in Mitte. Be careful not to miss the entrance as it is an unlabelled large wooden door. This venue rocks to punk beats until at least 4am.
Eimer
Rosenthalerstrasse 68
Mitte.
After dancing the night away the girls finished the evening off with a bagel from Bagels Bialy, a Jewish deli in Mitte. This cafe is open late and serves a great selection of bagels and fillings. Also worth trying in the day is the fantastic vegetarian lasagne for a bargain 7DM.
Bagels Bialy
Rosenthalerstrasse 46-47
Mitte
T: 00 49 30 283 6547
Open: 9am-4am.
SUNDAY:
There are various fleamarkets in Berlin where genuine bargains can be found. The budget couple went to the market at the Arena in Treptow. This is housed in a giant warehouse on the banks of the River Spree.
Arena
Eichenstrasse 4
Treptow.
Open: Sat and Sun 8am-6pm
Another Sunday market worth checking out is located on the Strasse de 17 Juni in the Tiergarten. If you are looking for some authentic GDR memorabilia this is the place to go. Look out for the man selling the best ever collection of sunglasses.
The two boys decided to take advantage of Europcar's special offer and hire a mini coupe for a bargain 163DM for the weekend. The keys were collected from the Europcar desk at the airport. To find this walk out the airport entrance and take the escalator down to the car park. Turn right and the car hire desks are on the right.
Europcar at Tegel Airport: 00 49 30 417 8520.
After they picked up the keys they drove to their hotel in Mitte.The journey to their hotel in the east of the city took approximately 40 minutes. They were staying at:
Art o'tel Ermelerhaus
Wallstrasse, 70-73.
Mitte.
T: 00 49 30 240620
F: 00 49 30 2406 2222
E-mail: berlin@artotel.de
http: www.artotel.de
The art o'tel was designed by architects Nalbach and Nalbach and is a combination of rocco and ultra modern. The interior is dedicated to the works of artist Georg Baselitz whilst also boasting original works by Warhol and AR Penck. All the bathrooms are designed by Philip Starke. You can reserve a room via E-Mail.
FRIDAY NIGHT:
Friday night was classical night, with a visit to the Konzerthaus built by Friedrich Schinkel in 1821 and home of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. On the night of our visit the orchestra were playing Schoneburg. Tickets cost 55DM each but go upto 75DM. If you want to hire your own personal box you a four person box will cost you 300DM and a six person 450DM. Dont forget to order your table for the interval before the concert starts. A glass of champagne here will cost you 12DM.
Konzerthaus
Gendarmenmarkt
Mitte.
T: 00 49 30 203092281
Box office open Mon-Sat 12-8. Sun 12-4.
After the concert everyone heads to Lutter and Wegner for their after-concert tipple. This bar was established in 1811 and used to be the wine cellar of the poet E.T.A Hoffman. The barman recommended that the boys try a Bismarck. This is a traditional schnapp consisting of white alcohol and a corn based schnapp and costs 10DM. To get to Lutter and Wegner come out of the right hand side of the Konzerthaus and turn right. The bar will be facing you on the corner of Taubenstrasse.
Lutter and Wegner
Gendarmenmarkt
Mitte
T: 00 49 30 2029 540
Open: 11am-2am
If you want to see and hear the latest Berlin art and music scene check out Gallerie Berlin-Tokyo a small club in Mitte. Hear you can listen to avant garde electronic music whilst gazing at the photography exhibition on the walls. All the local artists and musicians hang out here.Be careful not to miss the entrance to the club. Head through the archway and continue into the courtyard. In the far right corner is a set of stairs going down into a basement. This is the entrance to the club.
Gallerie Berlin-Tokyo
Rosenthalerstrasse 38
Mitte
SATURDAY:
The traditional way to begin your German Saturday morning is to take a trip to a health spa. Our ultimate couple were booked into Berlins most luxurious health spa in the suburb of Charlottenburg. Therman am Europa Center is a minute walk from the Ku Damm, one of the cities mostfashionable roads to shop in. Here you can enjoy anything from a roof top swim to a fango mud wrap complete with pure oxygen masks, all for 70DM.
Don't forget to buy a towel which can be embroidered with your name on for 45DM.
Therman am Europa Center
Nurnbergerstrasse 7
Charlottenburg
T: 00 49 30 261 6031
Open: Mon-Sat: 10am-midnight. Sun: 10am-9pm
Whilst in this area pop into Europes largest department store KaDeWe. Its worth heading to the sixth floor and taking time to stroll around their fine food hall. Wealthy Berliners head here for Saturday lunch which can consist of oysters, caviar and champagne. Whilst we were there Monica Lewinsky was signing copies of her book on the first floor.
KaDeWe
Tauentzein 21
Schoneburg
T: 00 49 30 21210
Open:Mon-Fri 9.30-8. Sat 9-4
If the weather is fine the best place to have lunch in Berlin is in the Tiergarten, the city's park. Head for the south west corner of the park and spend an hour by the lake just watching the world go by at Cafe Am Neun See. You can hire rowing boats on the lake. They cost 19DM for one hour or 8DM for 1/2 hour. But be warned if the weather is good it seems that half of Berlin is there. If you have your own car it is a good idea to get there very early as all the roads around the cafe were jammed with traffic trying to get parked.
Cafe Am Neuen See
Lichtensteinallee 2
T: 00 49 30 2544930
Berlin is famed for its museums, it has 85 in all. We visited the most renowned contemporary art museum in the city. The Hamburger Bahnoff was built in 1847 and was formerly a GDR train station. It has now been transformed into a superb art gallery. If you have a chance, drive by the building at night to see the impressive neon strobes which hang from the exterior illuminate the entire building.
Hamburger Bahnoff
Invalidenstrasse
Moabit
Tue-Fri 10-6pm. Sat-Sun: 11-6pm. Admission is 12DM and 6DM for students.
Nearest S-Bahn Lehrter Stadt or bus 245 or 340.
The next port of call was a free exhibition at the Museumsakademie on
Rosenthalerstrasse.
Museumsakademie
Rosenthalerstrasse 39
Mitte
SATURDAY EVENING:
Head for a spot of Nouveau German cuisine and celebrity spotting at Maxwell. On the night we were there Dennis Hopper and Damien Hirst were dining together. Try and get a table upstairs for views over the courtyard and the original works of art that adorn the walls. Starter and main course with wine costs around 200DM. Among the delicacies tried were Frischling with Semmelknodel and Rotkohl. This is wild pork with Bavarian round balls made of wheat, egg and red cabbage. The restauarnt is housed in the building of the former Josty brewery in a courtyard just off Bergstrasse. You can spot the restaurant easily from the road has it is positioned at the top of the courtyard and is lit up at night.
Maxwell
Bergstrasse 22
Mitte
T: 00 49 30 2807121
Open daily noon-1am.
A trip to Berlin would not be complete without a visit to one of Berlin's best kept secrets - Bauhuette Gemuetlichtkeit Schmalzwald - a unique bar. Check out the kitsch decor and Gordon, who not only cooks live on stage but plays the theramin and has also been known to hypnotise the guests. You must try the beer Tannenzapfle for 5DM which won the Best German Beer award for 1995 and is brewed in the Black Forest. Bauhuette is the only bar in Berlin where you can drink it. The bar operates a rather strange admission policy. They pay you to enter but if they think you are leaving too early they will charge you more to leave. Don't get there before midnight.
Bauhuette Gemuetlichtkeit Schmalzwald
Schlegelstrasse 26-27
Mitte.
If you are looking to see the best of Berlins underground cabaret scene and escape from the shows specially put on for tourists then check out Cafe Anal.
Muskauerstrasse 15.
T: 00 49 30 618 7064
SUNDAY:
Sunday is the best day to head out of town and take a look at the surrounding area. One of the highlights being a trip to Potsdam. We hired a chauffeur-driven 1928 Chrysler for the journey. It normally takes 40 minutes but in a vintage car allow 1- 1/2 hours. The cost of the hire was 145DM per hour. Owner Reiner Dieckert speaks good english and tells tales of life under the wall as well as the landmarks on the way to Potsdam, including the Glienicker Brucke bridge where the east and west spies used to meet.
Reiner Dieckert
T: 00 49 3322 205161
Once at Potsdam the must sees are Sanssouci Park, including the splendid Schloss Sanssouci, built by Frederich The Great in the eighteenth century. Our couple spent more time wandering around the Schloss Cecilienhof, scene of the meeting of Churchill, Stalin and Truman at the 1945 Potsdam Conference. A day ticket and guided tour will cost you 28DM. Check out the conference rooms where Berlin was divided between the three nations and thus effectively triggering the start of the Cold War.
Schloss Cecilienhof is open on Sundays from 9am to 4pm. The ticket office is closed from 12.30-1. This gaves you time to wander down to the river and stroll around the parkland. The east-west divide used to run down the middle of the river.
