View Full Version : Urb in Berlin, August & September
onemonkey
21-06-2005, 10:08
Guten Tag
Any day now I'm quitting work and going back into full-time education in October so thought it be a good time for a long break. So I'm planning to spend six weeks this summer just loitering round Berlin having fun and soaking up the atmosphere.. (and trying to learn some Deutsche too)
First off, I am looking for somewhere cheap in lively neighbourhood from mid august to end sept. My sister recommends Mitte or Prenzlauer Berg which sounds about right. I'm expecting a fair few friends to visit so wanted either a 2 bedrm place or a 1 bed with big living space. budget of around 500 euros. If you have any advice or suggestions, I'd be most grateful. :cool:
Secondly, who wants come visit me? :D
A Dashing Blade
21-06-2005, 12:16
500EUR for Mitte or Prenzlauer Berg for 75 sq m may be pushing it a bit but certainly sounds feasible for Friedrictstein (just East of Alex, off Karl Marx Alee and Frankfurter Allee).
Best bet is to pick up the local papers. Bear in mind that a lot of flats in Berlin come unfurnished.
I think although most parts of berlin are going to be very cheap compared to london, mitte is relatively expensive. Freidrichsein is cheap and lovely, although perhaps becoming yuppified...
Kreutsberg seems very cheap (2-bed flats for 400 pcm, apparently), and IMO is a superb place to spend time.
I don't know if you would really want to live in Mitte, bit touristy? Great place to stay in a hotel on a short break though. I don't know Berlin that well, but I did quite fall in love with Freidrichshein (sp??) and think that would probably be a much more laidback place to live in for the summer. Loads of cool bars too...
onemonkey
21-06-2005, 14:15
hmm, mitte was my sister's idea.. maybe she's more yuppie than i thought, doesn't sound as cheap, chaotic and cheerful as I had in mind.. ideally i'm after the berlin equivalent of brixton :D
i will take a look at Friedrictstein, Freidrichsein and Freidrichshein ;)
ideally i'm after the berlin equivalent of brixton :D
You mean partially yuppified but still with enough problems that it doesn't seem too sanitised :p that'll be Freidrichsein all the way :D
districtline
22-06-2005, 09:21
there are four areas in berlin worthwhile to stay in: mitte, prenzlauer berg, friedrichshain and kreuzberg. mitte's gone a bit expensive lately but has a great location really close to alexanderplatz. p-berg is probably the most 'beautiful' area with its altbaus. quite a few people have moved down from mitte/p berg to the cheaper friedrichshain which is supposed to be 'the new thing'. cheap rents and a great area full of old ddr supporters. lovely :)
i'm going to visit a flat(share) in kreuzberg this sunday. the area most likely to remind you of brixton and the only area in berlin where i've seen vandalised u-bahn trains :o top area full of turks and anarchists and there's a nice park plus you'll have close to the river and the riverside bars. it is in the west though :o, the other areas i mentioned are in the east.
most flats in berlin come unfurnished and furnished flats are generally more expensive, i'd recommend you to look at http://www.easyroommate.com and http://www.studenten-wg.de
goldenecitrone
22-06-2005, 13:42
I might be coming to Berlin in August for a few days on my way to visit friends in Magdeburg. I'll let you know nearer the time. I used to know a few people in Prenzlauer Berg, but haven't been in touch for a few years. Hopefully they are still around. It's a great area, lovely bars and still quite a few squatted houses.
Can't help wth accommdation but wahey! I can use this as an excuse to post a link to my Berlin pics (http://www.pbase.com/mation/berlin&page=1) again! :D
I had a brief but fabulous time there last summer, staying with a friend of a friend in Prenzlauerberg. Let me know if you want to get in touch with him, onemonkey. He's a really nice bloke (despite the fact that he's a producer) and works for the Berlin equivalent of Captial Radio, and so gets lots of freebies and things, which he was very generous with.
Other things... There's a very good dnb club called Icon of a Saturday night I think, just off Schoenhauser Allee. And if you haven't been already you *must* go to Tachales.
comicstripgirl
05-07-2005, 13:02
My sister is staying in Prenzlauer Berg over the summer and she loves it there. She says accomodation is cheap and easy to find and the whole area is very vibrant, it's very easy to meet new people/friends, the atmospere is open and relaxed... It does seem like a very nice place. But then again, I've never been there myself, yet...
tomas and I will be visiting her in mid-August so don't be surprised if we run in to each other then :)
You mean partially yuppified but still with enough problems that it doesn't seem too sanitised :p that'll be Freidrichsein all the way :D
:D
districtline
08-07-2005, 13:55
mitte went (partially) yuppified a long time ago, and prenzlauer berg's also getting there. going downhill there.
friedrichshain's definitely doesnt have a problem with yuppies yet. we're still waiting to get warm water here withouth having to use all that coal... yuppies dont like that for some reason. and i'm really starting to get tired of it meself.
I am planning a trip to Berlin in early Sep.
Never been to Germany.
I am trying to decide if there is any reason that I should plan to fly back to London from a different city, in case I decide to explore outside Berlin.
onemonkey
18-08-2005, 18:31
well, i fly out on tues, 23rd :)
since i haven't got round to finding any proper accomodation yet, i've decided to spend first few days in a hostel & make the rest up as i go along
the www.circus-hostel.de at Weinbergsweg seemed the best bet.
districtline
19-08-2005, 10:07
there's the berlin international literature festival in september if you're into that sort of stuff:
http://www.literaturfestival.com/index1_1_14.html
Kreuzberg would get my vote any day as the area to live in.
The Berlin equivalent of Green Lanes. :D
districtline
19-08-2005, 13:05
i just dont feel turkish enough to live there, tbh.
(or west german).
why do u have to be turkish to live in a turkish area?
why do u have to be turkish to live in a turkish area?
because all a-rabs are terrorists, obviously.
districtline
20-08-2005, 15:27
why do u have to be turkish to live in a turkish area?
you don't, obviously, but it helps if you have any sort of liking of the local culture. the turkish (or arab for that's sake) culture has never really appealed to me.
lived in another turkish area (in berlin) last year and the local social life consisted of private turkish social clubs which weren't open to people like me. it was quite a boring place to live, tbh.
and i like it better in the east than in the west, the western part is boring.
I've just got back from 5 days at a friends, brothers place in Kreuzberg. I had a fucking brilliant time. Berlin's supurb - Enjoy! :)
I'm glad you're finally getting to do this trip after seeing how excited you were by Berlin last year.
I really hope it lives up to all your expectations - have fun :)
onemonkey
24-08-2005, 11:45
good so far.. landed yesterday evening.. staying in a hostel that is cleaner than my flat and was out til 4:30am last night (admittedly cos it took me 1.5hr to find my way home :rolleyes: )
seen one flat today which was good but not :cool: enough for me.. should be settled in a few days.. then the fun really begins!
districtline
24-08-2005, 11:53
where are you staying?
staying in a hostel that is cleaner than my flat
:D shame on both of you!
good luck with the flat hunting. Have a beer in the bar at the Kunst-werke for me...
citydreams
24-08-2005, 16:28
:D shame on both of you!
good luck with the flat hunting. Have a beer in the bar at the Kunst-werke for me...
That's clean as in "Free of restrictions or qualifications" or clean as in there's not a big pile of plates preventing you from opening the door? ;)
UK's loss is Berlin's gain :D :)
onemonkey
25-08-2005, 17:32
out until about 6am last night.. i blame the backpackers and the absinthe!
today moved into a flat in Prenzlauer Berg so I can perhaps settle down a bit and have some chance of seeing Berlin by day, doing some work and living long enough to make it home.. although not just yet.. we're hunting down some techno tonight. :D
and in any case i might not want to come home ;)
some photos http://flickr.com/photos/onemonkey/
Excellent. I think I will be spending much of my time here (http://www.mimecentrum.de).
See ya later baked potater.
:p
onemonkey
06-09-2005, 01:06
isvicthere's poetry performance at the British Council was spectacular and very well received.. hew kept going strong after that, performing a few impromptu songs at the bar we went on to and i left him at around 3 or 4 in the morning talking football and politics with a DDR football fan & poet. at least that's what i assume they were talking about it was all in german :D
more photo's here http://see.onemonkey.org
D & i failed to meet up today but will have more success tomorrow..
when Grandmaster Flash is also in town.
Berlin is a fucking outstanding place.
Over and out.
Isambard
07-09-2005, 22:57
Theres a song, "Immer ein Koffer in Berlin", that one always keeps a suitcase there so you're ready to go back..... :cool:
http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/4283/img04938ta.th.jpg
fishfingerer
20-09-2005, 02:30
I'm here. Faírly blitzed. Deadly.
Have a wonderful time.
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/6306/berlinwheatpastedaytime4dk.th.jpg
fishfingerer
30-09-2005, 23:37
Well amongst other things, there's a v.cheap bar / free cinema in in my street. Excellent.
I do step in dogshit a lot however.
Well amongst other things, there's a v.cheap bar / free cinema in in my street. Excellent.
I do step in dogshit a lot however.
Can't say that I encountered more dogshit in Berlin than I have in any other city.
Maybe it's just you.
:p
districtline
01-10-2005, 15:36
Well amongst other things, there's a v.cheap bar / free cinema in in my street. Excellent.
I do step in dogshit a lot however.
free cinema? where's that?
friedrichshain is full of dog shit :o
fishfingerer
04-10-2005, 21:14
Can't say that I encountered more dogshit in Berlin than I have in any other city.
Maybe it's just you.
:p
:(
free cinema? where's that?
5 Mainzer Str, Neukölln, fillums on thursdays and sundays.
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