"Heading to Berlin in 7 Days... and... " a Berlin Travel Page by richyoon

Berlin is the last European city on my list of places to go before I turn 30... Unfortunately, i'm 37 so I'm at least seven years late in making it out to Berlin. Moreover, I am quite a different person now then I was when I first made my list. In my late 20s, I was really into the electronica/rave music scene, and partying till the sun comes up seemed like the only way to spend a weekend. Yes, age has started to catch up to me, although I still enjoy a good club here and there, its definitely not the same...

Now that my trip is set, did I make the right choice? I have one weekend before my business trip starts in Munich, and I could have visited any city in Europe... But the criteria was that I wanted to go to a place I've never been before and go to a city that has a happening nightlife. My finalists were Warsaw, Budapest, and Berlin... and looking again at this list ... Berlin is probably the best choice.

Anyways, I thank my fellow VTers for all the advice, and I leave everything else up to chance ...

Although a seasoned traveler by now, I made a very amateur move arriving into Berlin. I didn't realize that the baggage claim was immediately next to you as you arrive. Literally, when I walked out the doors of the plane through the first doors, I had accidentally stepped into the airport (I guess I was supposed to take an immediate left or right but missed the signs). The worse part is that the security guard who saw me step out accidentally would not let me back in. I would then need to wait until my bag was taken to lost and found and fill out paperwork there. Welcome to Berlin... my first experience with East German Security!

Fortunately, I got my luggage back within an hour... at least they were efficient in bringing my bag to the central baggage location... As I read in VT, I took the TXL bus to Mitte area. The bus does stop pretty regularly, but it was a little difficult to know exactly which stop is yours when you first get to Berlin. At least I memorized the street I wanted to get off on, and I was able to walk from there.

Its a busy destination in the summer. The reputation as a "party city" seems to bring in the young travelers from all over. I was actually not as impressed with the nightlife in Berlin, but I think its because I never ended up going to a "local" scene. Hitting pub crawls were great because I would always find people to drink and chat with. In fact, I met some great Australian friends on my first pub crawl in Berlin who I hoped to keep in touch for life. There were alot of solo travelers in Berlin, more than I found in any other city.

Berlin is more laid back than other cities, and relatively easy to get around. The history is amazing, but the landmarks/historic sites/monuments are somewhat underwelming. All in all, its a city that I'm glad to have visited. I don't know when I'll be back, but I know I will go back again...