Berlin/August 2012
Here are some bits of information that I think might be useful for others travelling to this destination.
Fonic prepaid
I arranged, beforehand, two Fonic Prepaid SIMs from this guy. Please note that while during the initial activation at fonic.de you can enter any German address in your details (I gave our rented apartment address) they will send a letter to that address and if the letter returns as non-deliverable (as happened in our case) then the prepaid will be put in “nur erreichbar” state. This means that you can receive calls and SMS, but can not place calls or send SMS or activate any of the flat rate Internet options. After contacting Fonic support, they asked for the original PIN numbers printed in SIM packaging, and also a copy (scan) of my Finnish passport. After this both SIMs were usable once again and I was able to activate the “Tagesflat” Internet option while in Germany.
In addition to top-up vouchers, transferring money to your prepaid account is possible with IBAN bank transfer; see instructions here.
7-Tage-Karte
These 7 day public transport tickets can be purchased from machines in S-Bahn/U-Bahn stations and bus/tram stops, or from a Spätkauf. As far as I know, the machines only accept cash. We got these for all zones (i.e. ABC which covers Berlin and some neighbouring towns) which cost a little over 30 euros per week.
Berlin public transportation works excellently and we took a cab only occasionally (cab rides were reasonably priced too, though).
Öffi Directions
This Android app will, given two stations (or addresses), present you with a selection of best routes using any mix of the above mentioned means of transportation, often in combinations you wouldn’t have thought of by just looking at the route maps and time tables. Can not be recommended enough.
Places to visit
While in no way an exhaustive list, here are some places we went to and that I find worth mentioning.
Teufelsberg
The now abandoned joint NSA/GCHQ listening station. There was some dude claiming to represent the current owner at the gate collecting a five euro admission per person and requiring our signatures in order to avoid any legal hassles should we hurt ourselves during our exploration.
There were people in the actual radomes but we just wandered around the site as climbing didn’t seem like the thing to do at the time. There is a staircase inside the main building leading up but the door leading to that staircase was locked. The key to that lock is supposedly held by the people arranging guided tours of the site.
Fernsehturm
You should book tickets in advance, this way you’re guaranteed the next free window table at the restaurant above the observation deck (we were there on a saturday night at around eight and the place was pretty packed and we had to wait for the table for around 15 minutes). The restaurant is expensive-ish but ok, though the food is nothing to write home about. But then again people come here for the view. Old-school, professional waitresses and live music.
Sightseeing flight with Manuel
I spotted this activity from Gidsy. Our pilot Manuel flew us from the Bienenfarm field on a small Cessna plane. Good photos.
Berliner Unterwelten
These tours of the underground Berlin are arranged by a non-profit organisation. We took the "Cold War” tour which took us first to a big war-era bomb shelter near Gesundbrunnen station and then to a modern facility at Pankstraße station. Both facilities are of course decommisioned (there wouldn't be tours if they weren't) but the guide (a Brit) gave a rather lively presentation about life in the facilities if they had ever been put to use, and the effects of nuclear war in general.
Türkenmarkt
Tuesdays and fridays. Looking at the prices, you could easily stock a weeks supply of vegetables here for ten euros. At the south-east end of the market there is a fresh pasta and gnocchi vendor with an excellent product (same vendor at Hackescher Markt on saturdays).
Categorised as: note