The situation
The 3-roomed apartment in an old building is in the district of Berlin Kreuzberg 61 close to the Landwehrkanal. Interesting trendy bars and night clubs are located in close proximity. The public transport facilities are superb; 3 underground lines can be reached quickly, the nearest is Schönleinstrasse (2 min on foot), but also the approach from the urban motorway (A100) to Tempelhofer Damm, Mehringdamm and Gneisenau Strasse is very easy.
During the day it is quite easy to find a parking-place, but in the evening you may have to search a bit longer. But a space can always be found.
The neighbourhood
Very interesting for Berlin tourists (and not only for them!): close by at the Kottbusser Brücke is the landing stage of the Riedel boating company. This is the starting point for various Landwehrkanal-Spree boat trips which last for 3 or more hours. During the trips all of Berlin’s sights and a lot of the city’s history are presented in detail. The special view of the landmarks from the water is very special and cannot be compared to a sightseeing tour by bus. Your host has also been on one of these tours three times and highly recommends it.
Berlin Kreuzberg - Scandal district?
In addition to this, the area a.k.a. the Graefe-Kiez is near the notorious old SO 36 quarter (named after the old postcode) in Kreuzberg, which has its own special attractions on 1 May. But even on this day, the area is peaceful and quiet – as it is separated by the Landwehrkanal – except for the helicopters circling above. The scandal district - Mecca for punks and anarchists since the 1980’s – has, in the meantime, also quietened down.
Various small, individual shops and boutiques in the Oranien Strasse invite you to go shopping and cafés along the famous, picturesque Paul-Lincke-Ufer invite you to stay. Breakfast is served throughout the day but don’t forget to take a look at the evening menu too. And all this just a 5-10 min walk away from the apartment! (See right for more info about the area.*)
Of course there is more to Berlin than just Kreuzberg, but here you are in the heart of the city: the district of Mitte is just around the corner and Alexanderplatz is just 5 stops away on the U8 underground line. In approx. 15 minutes you are in the Scheunenviertel around the Hackescher Markt (the new epicentre for tourism, culture but also media business in Berlin). Westbound; travel on the old U1 line from the Kottbusser Tor underground station to quickly get to Schöneberg (Nollendorfplatz and the Motzstrasse neighbour-hood, Winterfeldtplatz etc.) and Charlottenburg (Wittenbergplatz with the KaDeWe department store). Catch the U7 from Hermannplatz to discover the south of Berlin.
Distances
It is possible
to reach the underground station Schönleinstrasse (U7) in 2 minutes on foot.
From here you can travel to all four corners of the city.
| Fairground Berlin, ICC: in approx. 30 minutes; from Schönleinstrasse by underground (line U8) to Hermannstrasse, change to city train (S-Bahn) (S47 - direction Gesundbrunnen) or (S41 - direction Schöneberg) to Messegelände |
| Station Zoologischer Garten: in approx. 25 minutes; from station Kottbusser Tor by underground (line U15 - direction Uhlandstrasse), then by underground (line U2 - direction Ruhleben) to station Zoologischer Garten |
| Berlin Mitte Alexanderplatz: in approx. 15 minutes, from the underground station Kottbusser Tor directly by underground (U8 - direction Wittenau) |
| Ostbahnhof: as quickly as possible go by taxi (only 5 minutes, 6 euro) or go by bus (line 140) from Kottbusser Tor - approx. 16 minutes, or by different underground lines and city trains in approx. 20 minutes |
| Central station of Berlin - Berlin Hauptbahnhof: in approx. 28 minutes, direct by tram M41 from Graefenstraße to central station |
| Potsdamer Platz: in approx. 21 minutes, from the underground station Schönleinstrasse by underground (line U8) to Kottbusser Tor, then by underground (line U15) to Gleisdreieck, and then by underground (line U2) to Potsdamer Platz |
Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) – LEZ stickers
The city zone (A) within the S-Bahn-Ring (city train circle) is part of the LEZ. If you do not have a sticker for the LEZ of Berlin city centre, you can find information here, on how to get LEZ stickers for tourists.
Prices
currency converter
| 1.-3.
night | from
the 4. night | |
| 1-2 guests | 50
euro | 45
euro |
On request: 3rd guest on airbed (caution tight!)
Minimum-stay on weekends: 2 nights,
Berlinale, Marathon and 3rd October: 3 nights
New Year Eve, Easter and Pentecost: 4 nights
Continental Breakfast in self-service included.
Served breakfast: 10 euro per guest
If you stay only one
night: extra charge of 10 euro per room.
The four-poster bed
TV in the room
The living room
The kitchen
You share the bathroom
with bath-tub and shower with the host
The guest room
The guest room is in a 120 m² apartment in an old building with sanded floorboards and decorative stucco in each room. All on the first floor, i.e. easy to get to (stairs). The room is approx. 22.5 m² and the furnishings are a mixture of old Berlin and modern style. The most eye-catching object is the four-poster bed (160 cm wide, with two mattresses) underneath a chandelier and the beautiful old stucco ceiling. On request it would be possible to accomodate a 3rd guest on an airbed, but then the room will be very tight.
The guest room has a TV,video/DVD, CD stereo system and telephone. By arrangement, Internet usage (DSL) is also possible in the middle room (usually office).
And of course, towels, bed linen etc. are provided. Continental Breakfast in self-service included: with bread, butter,
jam, cereales and beverages open (tea, coffee, juice, milk). The kitchen
is completely and high-quality equipped (fully automatic espresso
machine, microwave, dishwasher etc.). Additionally 10 Euro per
guest and day for a served breakfast at the table. Many good cafés
for breakfast are directly present before the entry door in the road.
The
host
Guests always feel at home here due to the comfortableness
and charm of the apartment (oh, and, of course, of the host...). Your host is
a self-employed graphic designer – he is able to divide his time relatively
well - and enjoys meeting new people from different countries and cultures and
is only too happy to show and explain some things about the city.
He is also familiar with the gay party scene (partly job-related) and thus can always give you helpful hints if desired. But this definitely doesn’t mean that guests of all sexual preferences and ages are not welcome!
He is a tolerant non-smoker - i.e. you can also light up a cigarette. But even smokers usually prefer an apartment which doesn’t smell as though a chain-smoker lives there.
Common pets are welcome even though the host is not especially equipped for them. So it’s better to bring along every thing that your cat or dog requires.
Your host speaks English and French – which in the meantime has become a bit rusty – but maybe this can be refreshed with the help of some friendly guests?
*Further
information about the area:
The Graefe-Kiez itself is a residential
area and traffic is limited to walking pace (be careful: walking pace is compulsory
– traffic checks are often carried out as the city of Berlin needs money).
Cobblestones, trees and small green areas characterize the area. Kreuzberg also
has the largest proportion of original stucco facades; in the richer western part
of the city the facades damaged in the war were usually "modernized".
Luckily there wasn't enough money or the wish to invest in Kreuzberg, which after
all was partly surrounded by the Berlin Wall on 3 sides!
You can "admire" the former death strip – some matters of the land ownership are still being contended today - which is just a few blocks away. The border once zigzagged between Mitte and Kreuzberg. To get there you go past the Urban harbour (wide area on the banks of the Landwehrkanal, not really recognizable as a harbour today, even though there are still some wonderful old boats moored there, which are now used as theatre and restaurant barges). There is also a large sunbathing lawn, which is very popular. In the summer the close by open-air pool "Prinzenbad" is also very inviting. Until the 1920s there was a canal which linked the Urban harbour and the River Spree. This was then filled in to create a park. Today this is an enchanting idyll in the heart of the city, which leads straight to the former Berlin Wall: the northern part of the old Luisenstädtischer canal was also used to divide the city and still seems to be in a long, deep sleep waiting to be brought back to life as a park. Voilà!: a rose garden right in front of the Engelbecken.
The
room is located on Graefestrasse in 10967 Berlin Kreuzberg, Germany.
Map: stadtplandienst.de
Usual domestic
animals are welcome, particularly since in October 2006 there is a small Golden
Retriever puppy in the flat. The "Bootsmann" is totally dear and goes
also toward foreigners tail-wagging. The guest room is naturally for taboo for
him and should thus be also dog shed-free. Bring along otherwise best everything,
what your pet needs.
