A plaza much like Berlin – with an aloof charm and cosmopolitan yearnings, and marked by the ups and downs of history. Anyone looking for the hustle and bustle of a big city should visit Alexanderplatz. This is where three subway lines intersect and the tram and S-Bahn urban railway also pass by. Half a million people transfer at “Alex” daily.
The former market place was named after the Russian czar Alexander I in 1805. Through the course of industrialization during which the population grew at dramatic speed, it became the theater of the poor. Its proletarian character was captured by Alfred Döblin in his 1929 novel “Berlin Alexanderplatz.”
Between 1966 and 1970 the plaza developed into East Berlin’s downtown center with a new hotel tower (123 meters high), the Centrum department store (today’s Kaufhof department store), the Haus des Lehrers (teachers’ building from 1961–64), and the nearby Television Tower. The angular Alexanderhaus (office of the Bankgesellschaft Berlin) and the Berolinahaus, built by Peter Behrens in 1930–32, are the only remaining prewar buildings.
The World Clock and “Friendship among Nations Fountain” are representative of GDR design.
source: www.berlin.de
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Berlin Airports Tegel and Schonefeld
Tegel Airport:
Tegel is situated in the northwest of Berlin, approximately 8 km from the city-centre. You can reach the western city centre from the airport conveniently within 15 minutes.
Apart from the buses 109 and 128 the JetExpressBus TXL connects the airport to the main train station Hauptbahnhof. The Expressbus X9 leaves from the train station Zoologischer Garten. The Expressbuses stop only at the main bus stops and are therefore a quick connection.
The bus or undergound ticket costs € 2.10 (fair zone AB), or € 2.80 for trips to the surroundings (fair zone ABC).
Schonefeld Airport:
Schönefeld is situated in the southeast of Berlin, approximately 18 km from the city centre. The airport is connected with the city centre by the S-Bahn (suburban train) lines S49 and S9 as well as with several AirportExpress trains that run from/to Hauptbahnhof, Zoologischer Garten, Friedrichstraße, Alexanderplatz and Ostbahnhof every half an hour. Tickets for these trains or the S-Bahn cost 2.80 €. S45 and S9 need about 45 minutes for the trip to the centre, the trains take 15 min (from/to Ostbahnhof) to 30 min (from/to Hauptbahnhof), 35 min(from/to Zoologischer Garten). All trains and the S-Bahn stop at the station "Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld".
New: since December 2008 exists a special bus connection (Schnellbus SXF 1) for 6 Euro between the station Südkreuz and airport Schönefeld.
Attention: Since April 1, 2008 you need the ABC ticket from Schönefeld to Berlin because Schönefeld belongs to fair zone C.
Traveling from the UK, Cheap flights to Berlin offer very cheap flights to Berlin Tegel and Schonefeld.
text source: http://www.visitberlin.de/
Tegel is situated in the northwest of Berlin, approximately 8 km from the city-centre. You can reach the western city centre from the airport conveniently within 15 minutes.
Apart from the buses 109 and 128 the JetExpressBus TXL connects the airport to the main train station Hauptbahnhof. The Expressbus X9 leaves from the train station Zoologischer Garten. The Expressbuses stop only at the main bus stops and are therefore a quick connection.
The bus or undergound ticket costs € 2.10 (fair zone AB), or € 2.80 for trips to the surroundings (fair zone ABC).
Schonefeld Airport:
Schönefeld is situated in the southeast of Berlin, approximately 18 km from the city centre. The airport is connected with the city centre by the S-Bahn (suburban train) lines S49 and S9 as well as with several AirportExpress trains that run from/to Hauptbahnhof, Zoologischer Garten, Friedrichstraße, Alexanderplatz and Ostbahnhof every half an hour. Tickets for these trains or the S-Bahn cost 2.80 €. S45 and S9 need about 45 minutes for the trip to the centre, the trains take 15 min (from/to Ostbahnhof) to 30 min (from/to Hauptbahnhof), 35 min(from/to Zoologischer Garten). All trains and the S-Bahn stop at the station "Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld".
New: since December 2008 exists a special bus connection (Schnellbus SXF 1) for 6 Euro between the station Südkreuz and airport Schönefeld.
Attention: Since April 1, 2008 you need the ABC ticket from Schönefeld to Berlin because Schönefeld belongs to fair zone C.
Traveling from the UK, Cheap flights to Berlin offer very cheap flights to Berlin Tegel and Schonefeld.
text source: http://www.visitberlin.de/
Getting around
Taking a map is of course recommended for Berlin, as even the locals can't always navigate around in confidence! The city is large, and finding a good guide book and map is therefore quite important to make your journey enjoyable.
Going around the city yourself is recommended as this is usually more fun than an organized tour as you have the freedom to stop, get off and spend some time in areas that interest you. Organized tours are quicker and organized, so if you don't have much time, these would be recommended in this case.
Berlin is very easy to get around without a car, there are lots of busses (even at night), and they have of course the 'U Bahn' which is their underground train system. These run all night.
The city is not divided into zones, so you can buy a ticket which covers the whole city.
Berliners enjoy cycling all-year round and the city accomodates cyclists by providing excellent cycle paths which isolate cyclists both from cars and from pedestrians.
You are also allowed to take your bicycle on the U- and S-Bahn, just check which train compartment has the bicycle sign and if anyone happens to be standing there they will usually make way for you and your bike.Cycle paths are extensive in West Berlin but the Eastern half still needs to catch up and the standard of roads lags behind. With the amount of road and building work going on it can be a challenging ride!Bikes need an underground ticket, too.
Going around the city yourself is recommended as this is usually more fun than an organized tour as you have the freedom to stop, get off and spend some time in areas that interest you. Organized tours are quicker and organized, so if you don't have much time, these would be recommended in this case.
Berlin is very easy to get around without a car, there are lots of busses (even at night), and they have of course the 'U Bahn' which is their underground train system. These run all night.
The city is not divided into zones, so you can buy a ticket which covers the whole city.
Berliners enjoy cycling all-year round and the city accomodates cyclists by providing excellent cycle paths which isolate cyclists both from cars and from pedestrians.
You are also allowed to take your bicycle on the U- and S-Bahn, just check which train compartment has the bicycle sign and if anyone happens to be standing there they will usually make way for you and your bike.Cycle paths are extensive in West Berlin but the Eastern half still needs to catch up and the standard of roads lags behind. With the amount of road and building work going on it can be a challenging ride!Bikes need an underground ticket, too.
Climate and People in Berlin
The climate in Berlin is moderate. Summer can be very hot and quite unpleasant. The winters are generally mild, but there are also harsh cold spells.
Warm clothing is a good idea even in summer, since it occasionally gets quite cool at night. There are hardly any social dress requirements.
Berliners are quite rough in general and can seem fairly brusque at times. Having said that, typically as a visitor you will find yourself overwhelmed by offers of assistance or information you may actually not need!
Underground, or ‘U Bahn’ rides could be interesting if you have the time to eves drop in on conversation. You may hear some stories revealing more about the city and its people which could be more useful than a guide book.
Language wise, Berlin is a smelting pot of dialects and cultural influences. You will find a lot of Yiddish and Hugenot influence, believe it or not! There are also traces of Swabian and Saxon in accents. Nearly everyone speaks English though, usually a little broken, but more than good enough to be understood for tourist purposes!
Warm clothing is a good idea even in summer, since it occasionally gets quite cool at night. There are hardly any social dress requirements.
Berliners are quite rough in general and can seem fairly brusque at times. Having said that, typically as a visitor you will find yourself overwhelmed by offers of assistance or information you may actually not need!
Underground, or ‘U Bahn’ rides could be interesting if you have the time to eves drop in on conversation. You may hear some stories revealing more about the city and its people which could be more useful than a guide book.
Language wise, Berlin is a smelting pot of dialects and cultural influences. You will find a lot of Yiddish and Hugenot influence, believe it or not! There are also traces of Swabian and Saxon in accents. Nearly everyone speaks English though, usually a little broken, but more than good enough to be understood for tourist purposes!
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