IgoUgo

Berlin Journals

3 Nights in Berlin

A January 2005 trip to Berlin by simplekid

Quote: My first trip away on my own took me to Berlin, Germany. It is a city blessed with some wonderful buildings, despite all the suffering this city has had to deal with, and that makes it even more interesting.
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3 Nights in Berlin Best of IgoUgo

Overview

Quote:
If you do one thing, go up the Reichstag. The queues can be awful, but I found that early evening was the quietest and most spectacular, when the sun was setting. Other places of note are the German history museum, Stasi Headquarters, Potsdam, the house of the Wansee conference, a bike ride around Lake Potsdam, the East Side Gallery, Checkpoint Charlie and its museum, Potsdamer Platz, the memorial to the murdered Jews, and, of course, Brandenburg Gate. Quick Tips: If staying in the west of the city, leave the train at Berlin Zoo, and if staying in the east, get off at Ostbahnhof or Lichtenburg. They are building the biggest station in Europe, the Lehrterbahnhof, near the Reichstag, tho...Read More
Quote:
This IS the best youth hostel in the world. It is cheap, clean, and secure in a great location. Located in the former East, two stops on the U-Bahn from Alexanderplatz or a short walk, it is situated in a nice up-and-coming area. It has plenty of low-priced shops and restaurants nearby. The rooms are excellent, decked out in the standard IKEA furniture, but very comfortable and homely. They consist of five bedded dorms, but have apartments on the top floor I think. There is a bedside table with drawers and a reading lamp by each bed. The rooms are very clean, and the beds are well spaced. The bathrooms, again, are clean and very modern. There are about eight showers for four ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 19, 2005

Circus Hostel
Weinbergsweg 1a
Berlin, Germany 10119
+49 (30) 28391433

Potsdam Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Self-Guided Cycling Tour"

Quote:
Catch the S-Bahn to Wansee and hire a bike from outside the station. They supply you with a map to make your way around the lake to Potsdam. It is a beautiful ride through woodland and along beautiful lakeside scenery. Stop off at the House of the Wansee Conference on the way. This is where the Nazis decided on the "Final Solution" for the "Jewish Problem." It is truly horrific how such a beautiful building in a beautiful location could be the setting for such an abhorrent moment in history. On the way to Potsdam, there are plenty of peaceful places to stop, including a couple of lovely cafés with large lawns. Potsdam is beautiful, and the main park there is the big attraction with its...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 19, 2005

Potsdam
Main Street
Potsdam, Germany

Stasi-Ausstellung Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Stasi Museum and Headquarters"

Quote:
This is the vast, imposing former headquarters of the Stasi (Russian Secret Police). The anti-Stasi graffiti from when the wall came down is still on parts of the building. The building itself is enough to strike fear into people. Only a small part of this very Soviet building is a museum about how the secret police worked. It is quite cheap to enter and has some fascinating exhibits, such as cameras and other spying equipment, the Stasi used. There isn't much in English, but if you ask, you can get a booklet explaining every exhibit and item in English. The lovely lady in the tearoom (the unchanged staff canteen was in the Soviet days) even put a video on for us in English. ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 19, 2005

Stasi-Ausstellung
Mauerstraße 38
Berlin, Germany 10117
+49 30 22 41 74 70

About the Writer

simplekid

simplekid
Sheffield, United Kingdom

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