Raquel's contributions in the Eluleka Community

What to See in an Afternoon in Berlin?

We'll be arriving at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport around 3:00 p.m. We've been advised not to use the Berlin Welcome Card until the next day, as it counts calendar days. We'll be staying at the NH Berlin Mitte Leipziger Strasse hotel, which is near Potsdamer Platz.

What can I see in an afternoon in Berlin without using the Berlin Welcome Card?

Everything mentioned is highly recommended. I might also take the opportunity to visit the Parliament dome, as it requires a reservation and could affect your plans for the next days unless you schedule it first thing in the morning.

It's free, but advance booking is necessary.

(*) This response has been translated ( see the original text in spanish ).

Is it worth going up to the Fernsehturm ?

I have consulted on the Internet and it is not clear to me if it is necessary to make a reservation to go up to the Fernsehturm (TV Tower)? The reservation is only for eating at the restaurant?

In your place I would wait to get there to buy it and go up only if the day is clear. A very good option is to go up to breakfast at the restaurant that makes a complete turn every half hour (don't leave your bag leaning against the window, that part doesn't rotate). First thing in the morning there is almost never a queue, which also saves you the extra fast entrance. If you are going to have breakfast at the restaurant, consider reserving in advance or at least checking occupancy, lest there be no room. I hope I have helped you. I hope I've helped.

(*) This response has been automatically translated ( see the original text in spanish ).

Buying the Berlin Museum Pass for Three Days

I’ve been advised to purchase the Berlin Museum Pass for three days. We’ll probably visit no more than three museums: the Pergamon Museum, the Neues Museum, and the Natural History Museum.

Do you save money by buying the Berlin Museum Pass for three days? Can it be purchased online?

Hello,

I just got back from a weekend in Berlin and before I left, I had the same question as you. In the end, I decided not to buy any card, and I'm glad I did because of the kind of weekend we had. However, if we go back to Berlin, we'll definitely get it, as it really depends on whether you'll make use of it or not. Let me explain.

For our first weekend in Berlin, since we had never been there before and there are so many things to see in the city, we decided not to include visits to the Museums this time. Additionally, having student IDs for being enrolled in a master's program gave us as many or more discounts on Museum entry than the Welcome Card. We weren't going to make use of the Museum Pass Berlin because the 2 Museums we wanted to visit were free.

In my opinion, the Welcome Card is very useful in its 72h+museums version, which includes all public transport for 3 days plus entry to the Museums on Museum Island and a few more. It's the one I'm definitely going to buy next time because we still need to visit Museum Island, the Natural History Museum, and the Aquadom.

To visit Museum Island, I believe they offer a combined ticket at the box office for the 3 museums. And if you want to save time in line, buy it in front of the Bode Museum, and you'll avoid the line at the Pergamon Museum, as once you have the ticket for the venue, there's no need to queue.

In any case, I recommend the BVG TICKETS MOBILE APP, which is the official one for public transport there. With it, you can buy all tickets, whether single, daily, or the 2 tourist cards you mentioned, to use from the moment you arrive in Berlin.

(*) This response has been translated ( see the original text in spanish ).

Berlin Welcome Pass or Museum Pass Berlin

I'm planning a four-day trip to Berlin and I'm quite unsure about which card would suit me better. Which one do you guys recommend, the Berlin Welcome Pass or the Museum Pass Berlin?

I've ruled out the Berlin Pass because it's too expensive.

Hello.

I just got back from a weekend in Berlin and before leaving, I had the same question as you.

In the end, I decided not to buy any card, and I'm glad I did because of the type of weekend we had. But if we go back to Berlin, we'll definitely get one because it ultimately depends on whether you'll make use of it or not. Let me explain.

For a first weekend in Berlin, since we had never been there before and there are so many things to see in the city, we decided not to include museum visits this time. Additionally, in our case, having student IDs because we're pursuing a master's degree gave us as much or more discounts on museum entries than the Welcome Card.

In my opinion, the Welcome Card is very useful in its 72h+museum version. It's the one I will definitely buy next time since we have yet to visit Museum Island, the Natural History Museum, and the Aquadom.

This weekend we used a single ticket to go from the airport to the hotel on the first day for €2.80, an AB 24h ticket for €7 on Saturday to do walking tours around the city, didn't use public transport on Sunday as we bought a ticket for the tourist bus since it was the only way we could reach all the city points we wanted to see in just one day, and on Monday another 24hAB ticket to visit the 2 museums we wanted to see, which were free, and return to the airport.

For the next weekend we return, which will surely have more pleasant weather than in mid-January, we'll get the Berlin Welcome Card to move around the city, take advantage of the free museum entry in the version I mentioned, and use its discounts to find a guided bike tour to make better use of our time and even take a trip to visit the Sachsenhausen concentration camp or the city of Potsdam.

There's so much to see that it's hard to fit it all into just a few days. :) Still, my advice is to hop on the tourist bus as soon as you arrive since you're usually quite lost on the first day, and it ensures you see the must-sees. Reserve the second day to visit the Parliament dome first thing in the morning and explore the city center afterward, with or without a guided tour, and set aside a day to see the concentration camp if you've never been to one before. That leaves you with just one day to revisit something if you feel like it or see museums if you didn't have time the previous day. Sometimes four days seem like a lot, but in reality, they aren't 'XD.

In any case, I recommend the BVG TICKETS MOBILE APP, which is the official public transport app there. With it, you can purchase all tickets, whether single, daily, or the two tourist cards you mentioned, to use from your arrival in Berlin.

(*) This response has been translated ( see the original text in spanish ).