VISIT TO BERLIN

August 28th to 30th 2005

by Malcolm Crowe

brought to you as a supplement to

 


A Berlin double deck M A N departs from the Banhof Zoologischer Garten en route to Alexanderplatz.
The 100 is one of two main "tourist" routes in Berlin by which one can see much of the city.
The ICE trains in Germany provide very fast travel for those not so happy with air travel.

For those interested in buses in Berlin you can see what the fleet is by clicking on  this link - http://www.berliner-verkehrsseiten.de/bus/Fahrzeuge/80-89/DN04/dn04.html

Last weekend I had a short break in Germany, spending three days in Berlin, a city which had wanted to visit for many years. I flew on Lufthansa via Frankfurt and stayed at The Crowne Plaza in Berlin which is a very centrally located hotel.

Prices in Berlin are very reasonable and on arrival I was able to purchase a welcome ticket for travel on all modes of transport in the area, including Potsdam, for a modest 22 which equates to around £15. This meant that I could hop on and hop all trams, city buses, S and U bahn trains, local DB trains and local ferries. I could also use the same ticket to go to Potsdam which borders greater Berlin.

I also had a copy of a Berlin guide published by Dorling Kindersley Ltd which at £12.99 was excellent value for money. Eating out in Germany is very reasonably priced and an evening meal at The Block House, a chain of steak houses in Germany, was excellent value for money at around 25 for a steak, salad, beers and a sweet.

Some things to mention which created a significant impression on me during my stay were the very excellent assistances provided during travel on the various forms of transport. most forms have dot matrix signs on the vehicles and at the stops which give clear indication of what stop you are approaching or what time the next transport will arrive. This is similar to the new Real-Time Passenger Information (RTPI) system being introduced in Oxford. however in Oxford the buses are not equipped in a similar manner with information screens. On the down side the free Berlin transport maps provided are too small to be easy on the eye and lack the clarity of London or Oxford maps. Also there is no availability of timetables for each route so you need to squint at the map to find out where what goes.


some tourists get to grip with the map whilst between stops the sign above them indicate the route being operated.

In Potsdam things were marginally better and there were timetables available. Also on the buses one could identify the route on a clear screen behind the driver which showed the route and also announced the next stop. Also on both systems one could buy tickets on the buses and trams from a machine after boarding.


Having boarded a bus in Potsdam it was possible to buy various tickets from this machine. Few drivers seemed to take any fares
at all but I did notice one elderly lady having quite some trouble to stand at the machine
as the bus went along and work out what she needed.


The route in Potsdam covering the various castles and palaces is served by Citaro artics.

In addition to the buses which can be used with the "Welcome ticket" there are a number of sightseeing tour buses which charge around €15 to €30 for a ticket to ride and offer a conducted commentary of Berlin. Two of these I could not resist taking as you will see from the pictures below.

The main BVG company which operates Berlin's bus network runs two old timer replicas based on Mercedes chassis. This provided a wonderful trip running from The Brandenburg Gate via the Reichstag on a circular tour of main Berlin. The trip lasted about 1 hour and for €15 I felt was good value for my money.

   
Both buses, B V 2070 and 2071 are seen in the pictures above.

The other must ride was on a 25 year old Neoplan Skyliner converted to open top which makes another, slightly different tour, cost again €15 unless you take the last tour when it drops to €10. guess which one I took! The bus had covered only around 1,250,000 kms in its 25 year life and was now doing less than 100km per day. It retained soft seating downstairs but on the upper deck the seats had been recovered in rexine or similar. It had also been cut back from the first pillar on the upper deck.

 
Neoplan Skyliner B CM 9933, one of two used on the Berlin City tour operated by Tempelhofer Reisen.

I am showing a number of pictures below which will give you a flavour of the buses etc on offer in Berlin and Potsdam.

     

     

     

There is also an excellent museum which includes so man y things, you will need a whole day to see everything. however the locomotive/railway section can be seen in about 1 hour.

http://www.dtmb.de/Rundgang/index.html

At weekends from time to time the old timer buses can be viewed. If you wade through the above site and look under the tram picture, you will find a way to the bus museum which has lots of old timer Berlin buses.

For those interested in visiting Berlin may I recommend the following options through the relative web sites.

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/

InterContinental Hotels Group

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/

http://www.airberlin.com/

The above sites will give you good low cost options to visit Berlin with Ryanair flying from Stansted to Berlin Schonefeld Airport - 12miles south -  gives the opportunity to use the 171 bus and S Bahn into Berlin centre.

Air Berlin flies from Stansted to Tegel where you can catch an X9 into the centre, taking only 20 minutes.

Express by Holiday Inn offer good rates and a complimentary breakfast.

If anyone wants help with a visit please contact me and I'll do my best to assist.

© Malcolm Crowe - Oxford Chiltern Bus Page September 2005.