Berlin

[AllYourBase]

I'm going to Berlin next weekend for a weekend away with some male friends. We're not the boowzing types but enjoy a drink and some fun. Can anyone give me a list of the must sees (for a weekend trip) and any bars/clubs to go to (or miss out) for a couple of nights of responsible but late night drinking?

[acw]

Hi,

I went to Berlin in January (bloomin BALTIC it was too!), just for the weekend.  We were a bunch of students who went over from Hamburg going to see the absolute must see sites, and have a few good nights out!  So I think you're looking to do what we did!

If you go to the Brandenburg Gate you are seconds away from the Reichstag and also the new Jewish Memorial concrete sculpture field thing.  All are must sees.  I HUGELY HUGELY recommend the Museum at the House at Checkpoint Charlie.  However, you could end up spending hours in there - the museum is totally fascinating and compelling, and easily the most emotionally draining museum I have ever been to.  I remember spending the whole time thinking - my god, this is history, but I it was going on while I was alive.   I know that might make me sound dumb, but I was born in 1983 so I was never really aware of the German split til the wall came down. 

After all that, I suppose you'll be needing a drink.  I have good news and bad news.  The bad news is I can't remember any names of any bars!  The good news, is that they're all open late.  The Germans scoff at our 2250 last orders - most bars are open til at least midnight, and most clubs til at LEAST 4am.  Stick to beer if you can.  I'm a spirits and mixers girl and it's just impossible to find the sort of sweet sickly drinks I have at home in the UK without paying �7 for a cocktail.  Beers will be around �3-4 - so comparable with home. 

Have an amazing time! :-)

OOh - if the Fernsehturm (I mean the TV tower, my spelling may be off as my German has got rusty since I moved back to the UK) is back open again it probably has AMAZING views over the city.  It was closed when we went - boo hiss! 

The underground is great by the way, so you can get loads done! :-)

[jno]

museums on Museuminsel (island) are well worth it - the Pergamon museum has huge pieces of ancient buildings looted - sorry, saved - from German archaeological digs in Greece, Iraq and Turkey. Egyptian head of Nefertiti at Charlottenburg is worth a trip into the suburbs too if you like that sort of thing. I believe there are small bits of the Berlin Wall still there somewhere, but not sure where, sorry.

[acw]

You can see the wall at Checkpoint Charlie (painted white every week to provide a clean canvas for the garfiti artists).  There is also a section at the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz http://www.sonycenter.de/sonycenter_eng/ Well - the section of the wall is by the U-Bahn station there.  You'll pass it if you walk from the Reichstag to Checkpoint Charlie. 

[ronianna]

Try www.virtualltourist.com great site constructed from people's actual experiences of bars, clubs, good and not so good things to do.

[ronianna]

sorry, spelling! www.virtualtourist.com ooups!