Berlin Travel Forum

Hi were a couple both 27 looking to visit Berlin for New Years eve from Liverpool England. Cheapest flights look like fly in on the 29th and out late on new years day.

Few questions for you all??

1. Whats it like for new year. Is there much going on? If not could you recomend a good bar to see 2009 in!
2. A decent place to stay for 2 around €100.00 a night (dont mind hostels but require private room and en-suite for the missus)
3. Advice for a nice restaurant to have New Years Day meal (once we have sobered up)
4. What is there tourist wise to see and do? Will these attractions be open.
5. Lastly im a massive football fan do you know if the bundisliga has a winter break or will ther be games on around then, and would an Englishman be welcome at a german football match :-)

1.) No, there's absolutely nothing going on. Berliners are supposed to quietly go to bed after "Tagesschau" (a news broadcast), which would be at 8:15 p.m.

Here are some links, you may find interesting:
http://www.silvester-berlin.de/English/start.html
http://www.travour.com/new-year-2007/new-year-around-the-world/germany/berlin/

One place where you could spend the night would be around Brandenburg Gate. It's free but crowded.
The opera will certainly host a ball again, Kulturbrauerei (see tip) will do the same, only it's going to be a lot more casual. The other 2 or 3 clubs in Berlin will adhere to the law and close at 8:15 p.m.
If you can read German, I would suggest to buy an issue of one of the two listing magazines "Zitty" or "tip" and check what's going on. Also check this website in December:
http://www.exberliner.com/ (English)

2) EUR 100 per person? ;-)
First and foremost: choose an accomodation within walking distance from the place where you plan on spending the night. While Berlin's public transport is usually very safe and clean, I would be reluctant to travel halfway through the city at NYE. Limit you search on the boroughs of
Mitte
Prenzlauer Berg
Friedrichshain
A hotel bordering Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg would be best, such as this:
http://www.circus-berlin.de/ (both hostel and hotel)

3) Check my tips, and in addition ask if the restaurant on top of the Reichstag Building opens on January 1st.:
kaeferreservierung.berlin@feinkost-kaefer.de

4) Nothing, it's dead boring in Berlin. You could, nonetheless, see if there are a couple of tips here on VT. Don't keep your hopes high, though.

5) There will indeed be a winter break from mid-December to late January. Seriously.

Regarding the places to see in Berlin --
Don't miss the Pergamnon museum.They have an interactive museum which is intereting.
Bradenburg gate and the shops near by!
There is a zoo which could be interesting even for adults if you like that kind of an outing!
My favourite visit while in Berlin was a day trip to Potsdam and the Sansucci palace.The boat ride to reach the Palace is awesome.The palace is huge and totally breathtaking.Don't miss the golden chinese tea house in the massive palace grounds.
Hope you have a good trip and a lovely year ahead,
Vpas

Hey, I guess New Years eve in Berlin is quite different from the UK. Quite a lot of the actual celebrations take place on the streets, where revellers have their own private fireworks all night long. Since it is usually cold outside you have got quite a good excuse to keep drinking all the time ;-) A lot of people head to the clubs after midnight to continue celebrations. As already mentioned above there are some special New Year's eve parties (especially the one on Brandenburg Gate, although the music played there is really bad) and you could also spend the whole night in a bar or club, but might be a bit boring.

Could give you advice on restaurants, but don't know what you're into and what you want to spend. A lot of restaurants have New Year's brunch buffets. You could try some German cuisine, e.g. here www.altes-zollhaus-berlin.de (pricey) or check out a nice Italian restaurant, e.g. Il pane e le rose (no website, street: Am Friedrichshain, average prices).

Winters are quite boring in Berlin, unless you like shopping, Christmas markets and museums. Most Christmas markets close before Christmas, but one of the nicest is usually open until New Years Day (Christmas market around Opernpalais). There are a lot of museums in Berlin but most of them are closed on the last and the first day of the year. You could also go to Potsdam, as mentioned above. Nice city and nice castle. No Bundesliga games, indeed. The local Bundesliga team is pretty bad, anyways. Although they played the Reds in a friendly this week and surprisingly didn't lose... If you want to watch some live sports you might have to switch to ice hockey or basketball.

Hi, me and my boyfriend are also 27 and going to Berlin for New Years Eve, we both live in Chester but are flying easyjet from Luton as it was cheaper, which we have done before and its a good drive.
We have been going to different cities for new year for the past 6 years and have always found that the best way to do it is just go with the flow. I always plan what to do and where to go but it never ends up that way.
The best parties are always the ones that are outside and free as you take your own beer and dance away to the really bad bands, your also then in the best place for the fireworks and you are guaranteed that everyone there is just as up for a good time as you. Just wing it and it will be fab, ask around in local off the main street bars for the best places to eat.
I hope you have a fab time and haven't been put off by some of the previous posts.