Hotels and Short Breaks in Berlin
Why not break up the year and treat yourself to a Short Break to Berlin; book as little or as many days for your Short Break as you want! So don't just wait for your yearly holiday, when you can have lots of Short Breaks year round. Take a look at some fantastic deals and things to do on a Short Break in Berlin.
Why choose Berlin for a Short Break?
Top ten things to do in Berlin
- The Brandenburg Gate and the beautiful boulevard, Unter den Linden.
- The East side Gallery of the Berlin Wall.
- The magnificent view of the city from Norman Foster's Cuppola at the Bundestag.
- The lovely street of Friedrichstraße and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
- The historic square and cathedrals at Gendarmenmarkt.
- The Museums and Galleries at the UNESCO world heritage listed, Museum Island.
- The Holocaust Memorial.
- The historic square and monument at Bebelplatz.
- Visit the famous Christmas market (Throughout November and December).
- Check out Berlin from the sky.
What you probably know about Berlin is 'anything-goes' nightlife, avant garde fashion and music, and the tale of two cities; East meets West exemplified in the Berlin Wall.
There's the Berlin of legend; spy movies, Liza Minelli in 'Cabaret', Lou Reed, the Bauhaus art movement and, of course, heart rending stories of separation and reunification. Glimpses of all that are here and more, and there is no doubt that Berlin is still a proudly unconventional city which is reflected in its radical alternative arts, music and gay scene. But it is also a city with over 200 art galleries and museums - some of which are UNESCO world heritage listed; stunning cathedrals, concert halls, awesome contemporary and 19th century architecture. The new railway station, Hauptbahnof built as a symbol to unification is fast becoming a design classic.
Berlin is really easy to get to with 3 main airports Schoenefeld Airport, Tegel Airport and Tempelhof airports serving the city from the UK. Plus it is close to the Polish border for those travelling around Europe. As with any European city, the best thing you can do on day 1 is to take a city tour and get your bearings. In Berlin, there are some really fun ways of exploring the city; on foot, by bike, open top bus, but for the truly adventurous, why not re-enact a Berlin airlift in a candy bomber, or skim over the river in a water plane, whiz over the sights in a helicopter or glide tranquilly in a hot air balloon.
The main area of Berlin for travellers is the central Mitte. Most of the city's sights can be reached from here either on foot along the main tree-lined boulevard or by bus. The city is littered with historic landmarks and references, from the grand elegance of the Brandenburg Gate to the futuristic Reichstag. A must see is the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall. It is the largest open air gallery in the world and stretches from Ostbahnhof station to the Oberbaumbrücke. 118 artists from 21 countries have painted pictures or done graffiti art over 1,000 metres of the Berlin Wall which is now a listed landmark. Bebelplatz is another major landmark; a square full of historic and ornate buildings and with a monument to the Nazis "burning of the books" episode in 1933 when the books of acclaimed writers of the age including Heinrich, Thomas Mann, and Karl Marx were thrown into the flames.
Useful links for a short break in Berlin
Photos of Berlin - taken by visitors to Berlin
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Where to go in Berlin
Eating out in Berlin: The restaurants and cafes serve German, East European and international cuisine for all budgets right across the city. There are elegant restaurants, ethnic eateries, fast food outlets and the local Imbiss or snack huts. The local speciality is Currywurst. Like Brockwurst, but sliced up and served in curry flavoured ketchup.
Nightlife in Berlin: Divinely decadent with lots of hard core dance and trance warehouse clubs where dressing up is a definite and partying hard is compulsory. Sadly, the famous and much loved Love Parade has been moved out of Berlin but the spirit of love, tolerance and party spirit remain. Popular bars for serious techno clubbers are Panorama and Berghain. There is a huge range of bars and dance, jazz and live music clubs. Sage Club is popular and has disco and rock nights. As does, Kaffeeburger. And, Altles Europe has lots of nightime activities from theatre to dinner cruises.. The gay scene here is loud and proud. Check out the streets of Motzstrasse and Fuggerstrasse in Schöneberg, Oranienstrasse in Kreuzberg, and Schönhauser Allee in Prenzlauer Berg. Popular with the mixed Saturday night crowd is Schwuz. And SO36 is a popular gay and lesbian venue.
A brief history of Berlin: Founded in the 13th century it was the capital of Prussia from 1710 to 1918 and of the German Empire from 1871-1918. Following World War I it was at the heart of the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. After World War II, the city was divided and East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a Western enclave, surrounded by the 97 mile long Berlin Wall from 1961-1989. For years East Berliners would try to flee their communist country over the Wall to find better jobs, lives or to be with loved ones. An estimated 200 were killed in the process. Autumn 1989, following weeks of protest, the East German government announced that East Berliners would be allowed to enter West Berlin. In a magical and unique moment in modern history crowds of East Germans climbed onto and crossed the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side. The people of the city turned up 24 hours a day over the next few weeks to chip away at the Wall. Industrial equipment was later used to clear it and Germany was officially reunited on October 3.
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Find Hotels in BerlinMore Short Break hotel deals in Berlin
Steigenberger Hotel
Charlottenburg
Bed & Breakfast
Departs London Gatwick
17/Sep/2010 - 3ntsHotel from £210 (pp)
Flights from £104 (pp)
Sedes Hotel
Pankow
Bed & BreakfastDeparts London Gatwick
17/Sep/2010 - 3ntsHotel from £96 (pp)
Flights from £104 (pp)
Bristol Kempinski Hotel
CharlottenburgBed & BreakfastDeparts London Gatwick
17/Sep/2010 - 3ntsHotel from £179 (pp)
Flights from £104 (pp)
Comfort Lichtenberg Hotel
LichtenbergBed & BreakfastDeparts London Stansted
24/Sep/2010 - 3ntsHotel from £119 (pp)
Flights from £175 (pp)
