Berlin, German - 1st Time Visit

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Stu
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Im off to berling for 4 Days next Friday, (I know Friday 13th)

Its going to be the first time ive been to germany, and was wondering if there were any specific locations i should visit or look out for while out and about with the Camera!

Thanks :thumbs:
 
Take a guided walking tour on your first day to help find your feet.

Then you must visit Potsdam park http://www.aviewoncities.com/berlin/sanssoucipark.htm not to be confused with Potsdamer shopping plazza.
You will have to take a train journey to the outskirts of Berlin but well worth it. :thumbs:
Park Sanssouci borders the city center of Potsdam, which can be reached from Berlin via S-Bahn number 7 then about 10 min walk from train station to the park.
 
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Take a guided walking tour on your first day to help find your feet.

Then you must visit Potsdam park http://www.aviewoncities.com/berlin/sanssoucipark.htm not to be confused with Potsdamer shopping plazza.
You will have to take a train journey to the outskirts of Berlin but well worth it. :thumbs:
Park Sanssouci borders the city center of Potsdam, which can be reached from Berlin via S-Bahn number 7 then about 10 min walk from train station to the park.

Wow really does look like a great park to visit, thank you
 
this is my first post here so hope its not out of place.

but when i went to berlin the best places i found (pre buying a DSLR) to visit were the art squats. cant remember the exact locations of all of them but they were stunning.

if the artists let you (although the hall ways have amazing graffiti too) itd be cool to get some shots inside them.

they are really safe. kinda like tourist places. the people in them are just artists selling their gear.

cant wait to go back, camera in hand and get some shots now ive got the bug!
 
I took a Bus tour you can hop on and off as you wish and well worth the money. As for places to photograph all of the above and more it is a great place. have a good time. i found the old part of the city the best place but each to thier own
 
Lots to see, you won't do it all in four days.. you'll be back.. (we've been back every year since our first trip). Some photos here, just shout if you want to know locations (e.g. the grafitti).

Get a four-day pass for the S-/U-bahn tram and bus, if you do more than two trips a day it pays for itself. Don't forget to validate it before the first use.

The one must do on my trips to Berlin is a meal on the Fernsehturm, get there about a 1-2 hours before sunset, get the lift to the top, have a quick view of the city and then quickly join the queue to get a table on the rotating top deck. The food is very good, the prices are pretty good, and they wo't rush you off the table so you can be there all evening and watch as the city lights up below.

I think stueaston is thinking of Tacheles, which I think is back under threat (again).

There's just so much to see on a first trip.. a walking tour taking in the Alexanderplatz, the Reichstag, Holocaust Memorial (look out for the smaller gay/lesbian memorial on the other side of the street amongst the trees), the new parliament buildings and the new Hauptbahnhof.

Friends joined us on one trip, and they had a day chasing down film locations from Run, Lola, Run. Make sure you watch the Bourne films before you go :D

Freidrishshain is one of the less gentrified of the former eastern districts, it has a lot of small boutique shops selling fashion, accessories and student-designer type stuff. A lot of the small boutiques don't open until evening and will stay open late as the owners may be students and the shops are used almost like living rooms by groups of friends. This is also one of the best districts for a good cheap meal - Simon-Dach-Straße is one of the best streets to eat on.
 
The dome and the surrounding rooftop on top of the Reichstag gave an incredible view of the city - if you get a chance to do that, go for it.

Although on a hot day, it is like a greenhouse in that dome, so don't walk too fast! :)
 
Lots to see, you won't do it all in four days.. you'll be back.. (we've been back every year since our first trip). Some photos here, just shout if you want to know locations (e.g. the grafitti).

Get a four-day pass for the S-/U-bahn tram and bus, if you do more than two trips a day it pays for itself. Don't forget to validate it before the first use.

The one must do on my trips to Berlin is a meal on the Fernsehturm, get there about a 1-2 hours before sunset, get the lift to the top, have a quick view of the city and then quickly join the queue to get a table on the rotating top deck. The food is very good, the prices are pretty good, and they wo't rush you off the table so you can be there all evening and watch as the city lights up below.

I think stueaston is thinking of Tacheles, which I think is back under threat (again).

There's just so much to see on a first trip.. a walking tour taking in the Alexanderplatz, the Reichstag, Holocaust Memorial (look out for the smaller gay/lesbian memorial on the other side of the street amongst the trees), the new parliament buildings and the new Hauptbahnhof.

Friends joined us on one trip, and they had a day chasing down film locations from Run, Lola, Run. Make sure you watch the Bourne films before you go :D

Freidrishshain is one of the less gentrified of the former eastern districts, it has a lot of small boutique shops selling fashion, accessories and student-designer type stuff. A lot of the small boutiques don't open until evening and will stay open late as the owners may be students and the shops are used almost like living rooms by groups of friends. This is also one of the best districts for a good cheap meal - Simon-Dach-Straße is one of the best streets to eat on.

Thank you for the information, this is all really helpful thank you.

what i really want to see is alot of the Nazi Germany culture and landmarks, also museums with item from WW2 .

Can you recommend anything like that?
 
Can you recommend anything like that?
No. What I can recommend is a vibrant, lively, contemporary city with a great deal of modern and ancient history.

If you're looking for nazi memorabilia, it's more plentiful in England where there is a greater fascination with it bordering on idolatary.
 
If you are interested in DDR/Cold War history there are apparently lots of interesting places/museums to see.
 
Id have the Sigma and the Nikon 18-105 in my bag and maybe take the 50mm for night shots but would leave the 105mm at home but thats me.

I see your after a D5000 on AVF, are you taking both bodies over to Berlin? If so, carrying all your lenses wont be an issue if your taking two bodies.
 
Id have the Sigma and the Nikon 18-105 in my bag and maybe take the 50mm for night shots but would leave the 105mm at home but thats me.

I see your after a D5000 on AVF, are you taking both bodies over to Berlin? If so, carrying all your lenses wont be an issue if your taking two bodies.

Yeah i managed to get one from http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/

I think i will leave the macro, will i need a bigger zoom or should i be ok with what i have?
 
Yeah i managed to get one from http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/

I think i will leave the macro, will i need a bigger zoom or should i be ok with what i have?

Good to hear.

I took the kit 18-55mm, 55-200mm and Samyang 8mm fisheye. In all honesty I tried to set myself the challenge of getting shots with the fisheye that I would normally use another lens for so didn't realise I missed out on the long end. You can get close enough to most things to not be too concerned about the longer zoom I think. This is of course down to personal preference.

Great city though, beer is superb. :thumbs:
 
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