Berlin in January for a nervous flyer

Hi, I am taking a friend to Berlin in January as an introduction to Europe to try and enthuse him for further travel. He is a nervous flyer and hence not going further afield. What things can we do/see/visit etc so that I can make this trip as perfect and stress free as possible? Any good jazz clubs/restaurants?

Thanks

Kate

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There is heaps to see in and around Berlin which should keep you busy.

You could start with a walking tour or a sightseeing tour to get an overview over Berlin. I did the Brewers Walking tour earlier this year when I had friends visiting and it was great. Berlin has also a lot of nice museums where you can warm up when you are getting cold.

For Jazz you should go to Charlottenburg, around Savignyplatz are a few nice jazz clubs/restaurants. Quasimodo on Kantstraße, A-Trane on Bleibtreustraße and in the Stilwerk (basically a small, exclusive shopping mall) on Kantstraße you%26#39;ll find a restaurant (can%26#39;t remember the name right now) which has live music (often jazz) as well.

If you have some time left you should visit Potsdam which is easily reached by public transport from Berlin.

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Thanks very much for the useful info. I like the idea of the tour bus or walking tour to get an overview before deciding what to do in the 2 days we haev. We are staying in the SAS Radisson on a special deal - do you know the best way to get there from the airport and what%26#39;s near in terms of good places to visit and for eats/drinks? Are there any areas/places that we should avoid altogether on a first trip to Berlin?

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Radisson SAS is right in the middle of the action. Museumsinsel and Nikolaiviertel are must-sees and just around the corner of the hotel. You should see Alexanderplatz as well, which is nearby, too.

The 100 Bus will take you all the way along %26quot;Unter den Linden%26quot; via Reichstag to Kurfürstendamm. If you chose not to book a guided tour, this means of public transport would also be an option to do some sightseeing. Plus you can hop on and off when- and whereever you like.

There is no place in Central Berlin you would have to avoid. Kreuzberg might not be as much worth a visit as it was 10 years ago when it was the centre of Berlin%26#39;s %26quot;alternative scene%26quot;. So if you use an old tourist guide you might be disappointed when you arrive there.

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From Airport Schoenfeld it%26#39;s best to take the airport express to Alexanderplatz from where you can either walk to your hotel, take a cab or jump on a bus for a stop or two. If you should arrive at Tegel just take the bus X9 or 109 to the Zoo station from where you can take the S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz. The website www.bvg.de of the public transport company in Berlin has a pretty good journey planner.

There are no places in Central Berlin which should be avoided. There are only a few places in Berlin which might be not that great but as a tourist you will hardly go there anyway.

Don%26#39;t really know many restaurants/bars in Mitte as I find most of them overpriced for what is on offer. Anyway, you could check out the places around Hackescher Markt and Hackesche Höfe. In Oranienburger Straße you%26#39;ll find a few good restaurants.

To get to the Jazz bars in Charlottenburg you just need to jump on the S-Bahn and get off at Savignyplatz from where it is only a short walk to the earlier mentioned places.

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Apart from the 100 bus, another scenic ride is the S-Bahn line between Zoo and Hackescher Markt/Alexanderplatz.

I%26#39;d also suggest going up one or more of the viewpoints to see the city from above: Reichstag dome/TV tower at Alexanderplatz/Panorama point at Potsdamerplatz 1. All open into the evening.

I also like wandering the streets around Oranienburgerstrasse esp. Sophienstrasse.