Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
erally lets you skip the line and go directly into the museum (though occasionally you may
havetowaitinlinetogetaprintedfreeticket).The€14
MuseumIslandPass
(Bereichskarte
Museumsinsel, price can change with special exhibits) covers all the museums on Museum
Island (otherwise €8-13 each) and is a fine value—but for just €5 more, the three-day Mu-
seumspassgivesyoutriplethedaysandmanymoreentries.TIsalsosellthe
WelcomeCard,
atransportationpassthatalsoincludessomemuseumdiscounts(describedlater,under“Get-
ting Around Berlin”).
Local Publications:
Various magazines can help make your time in Berlin more pro-
ductive (available at the TI and/or many newsstands).
Berlin Programm
is a comprehensive
German-language monthly, especially strong in high culture, that lists upcoming events
and museum hours (€2,
www.berlin-programm.de
)
.
Exberliner Magazine,
the only English
monthly (published mostly by expat Brits who love to poke fun at expat Americans), is very
helpful for curious travelers. It has an edgy, somewhat pretentious, youthful focus and gives
a fascinating insider's look at this fast-changing city (€3 but often given away at theaters or
on the street,
www.exberliner.com
)
.
By Train at Berlin Hauptbahnhof
Berlin's newest and grandest train station is Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main train station, a.k.a.
simply “der Bahnhof”, abbreviated Hbf). All long-distance trains arrive here, at Europe's
biggest, mostly underground train station. This is a “transfer station”—unique for its major
linescominginatrightangles—wherethenationaltrainsystemmeetsthecity'strainsystem
(S-Bahn).
The gigantic station can be intimidating on arrival, but it's laid out logically on five
floors (which, confusingly, can be marked in different ways). Escalators and elevators con-
nect the
main floor
(
Erdgeschoss,
EG, a.k.a level 0); the two
lower levels
(
Untergeschoss,
UG1 and UG2, a.k.a. levels -1 and -2); and the two
upper levels
(
Obersgeschoss,
OG1 and
OG2, a.k.a. levels +1 and +2). Tracks 1-8 are in the lowest underground level (UG2), while
tracks11-16(alongwiththeS-Bahn)areonthetopfloor(OG2).Shopsandservicesarecon-
centrated on the three middle levels (EG, OG1, and UG1). The south entrance (toward the
Reichstag and downtown, with a taxi stand) is marked
Washingtonplatz,
while the north en-
trance is marked
Europaplatz
.
Services:
The
TI
isonthemainfloor(EG)—facingthenorth/
Europaplatz
entrance,look
left; a 24-hour
pharmacy
is across the hall on the right (one floor above you, on OG1). The
“Rail & Fresh WC”
facility (public pay toilets) is on the main floor (EG) near the Bur-
ger King and food court. You can store your
luggage
at the Gepäck Center, an efficient and
secure deposit service (€5/day per bag, daily 6:00-22:00, on upper level OG1 directly un-
