Apartment to rent Berlin

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Paddylast

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Going to Berlin for 3 nights in April and looking for a 2 bed apartment in a nice area. Have never been there before so don't know where to stay. Finding is very difficult to find a site with 2 bed apartments - most have 1 bed or state they have two but with the second bed being the sofabed in the lounge. Not suitable for us however.
 
I've rented a holiday apartment through this site before:



Granted, I was only looking for a 1 bed, but friends of mine who were over for the same weekend rented a 3 bed through the same site.

As to location, Mitte is a good base for museums, restaurants, Checkpoint Charlie etc and the Berlin public transport system is etc. It's in the former East, very close to the Brandenburg gate. Alternatively, you could try somewhere around Charlottenburg/Zoo, which is former West.

Is there anything in particular you're looking to do while you're there and I might be able to recommend a specific location (lived there for a year).
 
Thanks for that Eanair. I'll check out that link.
Have never been to Berlin before so we are just looking to visit the usual tourists sites. Any in particular that we shouldn't miss? Would welcome any suggestions too re good places to eat.
Thanks again for your help.
 
Depends what you like, really - I could go on for hours!

The bus tour isn't a bad way to get an idea of how the city is laid out, especially going across East and West. Apart from all the museums on Museum Island (love them all, but you may have to book ahead for the Neues Museum) I would always recommend the Jewish memorial (the exhibition underneath is wonderful, but harrowing), and the Jewish museum itself is good. Brandenburg Gate/Potsdamer Platz are very close to each other, and there's the big Sony Centre at P. Platz. Checkpoint Charlie - the museum there is also excellent.

Head to the Kurfurstendamm (former centre of West Berlin) with the bombed out memorial church and the KaDeWe (giant department store with amazing food stall). The KuDamm is a pretty good shopping street.

Food/drink-wise - Hackescher Markt (just behind the S-Bahn station, near Alexanderplatz) has a number of bars/restaurants. Brauhaus Lemke is a place there that we keep going back to. Oranienburger Str/Friedrichstrasse have loads of bars/restaurants (I like Oranium, near the synagogue). Tacheles on Friedrichstr is a former government building that was taken over as a squat and now houses an artists collective and a few bars ranging from funky to downright grotty, but there are loads of more 'normal' bars around there too. Head for Prenzlauerberg in Mitte if you want something funkier, or Simon-Dach Strasse near Warschauer Str station has lots of great bars too.

Other good tours include various cycling tours (it's a really flat city and great for cycling), or there's the Trabi Safari, where you get to drive a brightly painted Trabant in convoy around the city, with guides pointing things out to you (brilliant fun).

Let me know if you want any more info. Public transport is great, it's really easy to walk around, and you'll have to have a currywurst from one of the stalls! I'm really envious (can you tell?) - will have to plan a trip back soon.
 
Great list by Eanair. Just adding a couple of bits: The Kreuzberg area is great for nightlife, pubs and nightclubs all over the place. Food is never an issue in Berlin, it is cheap and abundant. There are restaurants everywhere and unless you manage to find the one or two tourist traps, always cheap. One interesting restaurant I like is "White Trash Fast Food". Staff there and in many other restaurants speak excellent English - language should not be an issue.

As Eanair said, public transport is great. Get the train in from the airport and then just get either daily or multi-day tickets that cover you for all your train, tram, bus and metro needs. Interesting places slightly outside the center of Berlin include Potsdam and the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

Finally, an unusual sight that I really enjoyed during my last visit: Berliner Unterwelten e.V. maintain the many underground bunkers below Berlin built for WW II or the Cold War. You can book a tour of the bunkers and see what lies hidden behind some of the locked steel doors in metro stations. It is really fascinating. There are bunkers in some of the busiest metro stops, complete with airlocks, hundreds of beds, all still equipped and as if waiting for the bomb to fall. This really is an opportunity to experience history for yourself.
 
I was going to mention White Trash! Love that place. Also forgot to mention Bellini Lounge and Ambulance on Oranienburger Str for great cocktails too.

Will have to try to get to see the bunkers next time round - thanks, Undo. Would second the recommendation for Potsdam - haven't been to Sachsenhausen but friends of mine have and also said it was well worth a visit.
 
thanks you so much folks for all that information. I'll print it out and take it with me. Hopefully we will find all the places you mention.

We are all very very interested in history and my other half has a particular interest in German history. Has learnt some German over the years too and is looking forward to use the few words. You have made is all sound very inviting so thanks again.
 
ImmobilienScout24.de is like Daft.ie. they have all sorts of apartments including short term ones.

Generally said, you can stay wherever in Berlin and still see everything. They have a great public transport system so focus more on offers, not too much on specific areas. Berlin Mitte will be a rip off in comparision to Alexanderplatz and yet same handy number.
 
Hi All

Hope I'm not hi-jacking thread but thinking of heading to Berlin for a weekend with the kids and would welcome some suggestions as to suitable activities. Will be there 2-3 days and we have 4 children aged 13 to 4. One museum would probably be the most we'd cover so would like to know what people think would be the best one. Also any suggestions for other activities suitable. Thanks.
 
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