Trifter

Park Inn Berlin was our chosen accommodation to visit the German capital. This hotel is located in Alexanderplatz, East of Mitte(city center). The Park Inn  is  one of Berlin’s largest hotel. A Casino is located on level 37.  Sauna, massage services, fitness machines and a health bar are available in the wellness area. We were given a room located on level 18. Our room had a very modern decor. Some of the features included marble bathroom with in-floor heating, modern water-cooled air conditioning, High Speed Internet, flat screen TV,  desk, safe, minibar. The furnishing and modern design meet the standard of a four star superior hotel. Some rooms are available on request for anyone suffering from allergies or special need requirements. Although we did stay in this hotel before the introduction of this new and exciting opportunity I still would like to mention Base Jumping. Participants plunge vertically to the ground from the 125 meters high Park Inn building in a controlled fall, secured by a special winch rappel system commonly used by stuntmen. The hotel management proudly advertised base jumping as the first event of this kind in Europe when they launched it in the summer 2009.

Attractions and Shopping: Several places of interest are close to Park Inn hotel: Berlin television tower, Alexanderplatz, Unter den Linden Boulevards, Friedrichstrasse  shopping mile, Museumminsel (Museum Island) with the Pergamon Museum, Bode Museum, Alte National Galerie and Hackesche hofe (Berlin’s artist scene with restaurants, bars, galleries and boutiques).  Also Brandenburg tor and Checkpoint Charlie with an adjacent surviving section of the Berlin Wall can be easily accessed by public transport.

Image via Wikipedia   Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz Hotel

Transportation: Berlin has a highly developed transportation infrastructure. Overground (S-bahn), Underground (U-bahn) bus and ferry lines can be accessed with the same tickets. We bought a Berlin Welcome Card from our hotel. It allows unlimited travel within the public transport system and 50% discount on over 100 top tourist attractions. When we arrived  to Tegel airport we used a  taxi  to go to the hotel   (journey-time 30 minutes). On our return we went back to the airport by TXL bus. The bus stop is close to the hotel with a 40 minutes journey-time.

Restaurants: Berlin is a cosmopolitan city. Choices of a wide variety of cuisines are available.  The Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz indulges guests with three restaurants, two bars and a beer garden. Humboldt’s  restaurant offer  various national and International buffets while ZILLE-STUBE has a more traditional selection of local Berlin dishes and Brandenburg specialities. ZILLE-GARTEN is an outdoor dining experience where barbecues and beers are on offer. The SPAGOS  bar is a combination  restaurant and bar  in an ambiance of modern design. The Casino Bar 37 on the 37th floor offers Berlin’s best views. Two floors above is attached the Panorama Terrace. Here guests on deck chairs are served drinks in a summery atmosphere. I also would like to mention another restaurant  not too far from the hotel. There, we had some local food and drinks and enjoyed a very cosy atmosphere: KARTOFFELHAUS N. 1, Karl Liebknechtstrasse 9, 10178 Berlin Tel: 030/24729373.

Activities: Berlin is also very popular for being one of the most diverse and vibrant nightlife scenes in Europe. Classic and modern shows bring many visitors here. We went to see Rigoletto, an opera written by Giuseppe Verdi in one of Berlin opera houses. Amongst many other venues the  O2 world  offers many music and sport events. This 17,000 capacity modern venue has seen performing  Metallica and many other bands since its opening.

Climate: Summers are warm with average temperatures of 22-25 C (70 F) and lows of 12-14 (mid 50F). Winters are cold with average high temperature of 4 C and lows of -2 to 0 C (20-30 F). Spring and Autumn are generally chilly to mild. Light snowfall mainly occurs from December through March, but snow cover does not usually remain for long.

 RECOMMENDATION:

Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz, Alexanderplatz 7, 10178 Berlin, Germany  Tel:+493023890  Fax:+493023894305 Web: www.parkinn-berlin.com  e-mail: Berlin.hotel@rezidorparkinn.com

Base Jumping @ Berlin-Alexanderplatz : http://www.jochen-schweizer.de/

More accommodations in Berlin (infos  and events): www.berlin.de/international/index.en.php   or  www.viaberlin.com 

Berlin Welcome Card: http://www.visitberlin.de/welcomecard/index.php?lang=en

To rent a bike in Berlin: www.berlinfahrradverleih.com

Restaurants in Berlin: http://www.10best.com/Berlin,Germany/Restaurants/

Opera houses: http://www.berlinfo.com/Freetime/Art-Culture/opera/opera_houses/index.htm

O2 world arena: http://www.O2world.com/index.php?id=411

And more nightlife: http://www.berlin-life.com/berlin/nightlife