ferd Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 First timers going to Berlin for the September marathon. Taking about three weeks all told. Tips required on sites etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 In 2009 We went via DFDS from North Shields (Newcastle) to Ijmuiden (Amsterdam) then to a Stelplatz at the lovely village of Melle (about 180 miles) Our next hop was 245 miles to City Camping at Spandau in the North of Berlin. A very pleasant site with friendly staff and a nice location on a peninsula. Easy access from front door to city centre by bus and U-Bahn. One or two tips :- 1. An out of centre site means less hassle coping with unfamiliar traffic and is great so long as public transport links are there.2. Visit Melle village which is beautiful.3 Germany traffic is usually pretty orderly but give Eastern European trucks plently room. You will see more and more as you travel east. The traffic in the third lane of the autobahn can come upon you at 100mph+ so I generally stay out of it.4. Take beachslides (flip-flops) for the showers which are immaculate.5. For us the 1936 Olympic Stadium and the STASI (secret police) museums were a must. Hope you have a great trip. Laurence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferd Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Thanks so much for your response. Will probably go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 HymerVan - 2011-02-18 9:18 AM Our next hop was 245 miles to City Camping at Spandau in the North of Berlin. A very pleasant site with friendly staff and a nice location on a peninsula. Easy access from front door to city centre by bus and U-Bahn. One or two tips :- 1Laurence Laurence I notice from Google Earth that City Camping seems to be pretty near to Tegel Airport. Is there a lot of aircraft noise and does it go through the night? Can I ask if you booked or just turned up? Thanks David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 On the map the site does look close to the airport and there was a certain amount of aircraft noise. I cannot say if it continued through the night (which implies that if it did it was unobtrusive). We arrived on 20th April 2009 and did not book. Indeed travelling in March to end of June we have never booked any sites in Europe and have never be turned away. I should also have mentioned that if there is any possibility of going into the Umveld (Clean Air) parts of Berlin and certain other German Cities you will need to get an Umveld sticker. Your vehicle must be at least Euro III compliant but after 31/12/2011 the standard goes up to Euro IV. See www.berlin.de/labo and click the language tap at the top of the page for English.We got ours by writing to the Berlin Local Government with a copy of our VRD and the badge came back by return of post with a request for the fee which was then 6 euros. We remitted that in cash by post. The badge lasts the life of the vehicle.There are agencies that will do the paperwork for you but they are much more expensive. Once again good luck and have a nice trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I have just discovered that you can now obtain the sticker online at :- https://www.berlin.de/labo/kfz/dienstleistungen/feinstaubplakette.shop.en.php You scan the VRD and send it electronically. If only DVLA were so innovative and efficient !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 As already posted, If attempting to get into Berlin or other affected Zones, check your emissions situation, and obtain an Umweltplakette. The online link (also already posted) to the Berlin City site for it is extremely easy, it was one I used last year, and has been used this year by other posters on this site. Whilst it isn't particularly difficult to obtain one once in Germany, the cheapest you're likely to manage is 5 Euro, so the online premium of 1 Euro for receving on in advance in the post seems very sensible (especially if your German isn't good B-) ) Without knowing your crossing points, or your personal preferences for sites, It's difficult to focus advice - perhaps it would help to add just a little more about your itinerary and preferences? In Berlin, however, I would agree with the advice already given to choose an out-of town campsite. We have used the following at Potsdam: http://www.camping-potsdam.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=55&lang=en ...which is a large but quiet site which is easily accessed when coming from the west. We were there in August, when it was busy, but we hadn't booked and there was sufficient space to give a good choice of pitches. Potsdam is integrated into the (very efficient) greater Berlin travel system, so a single zoned ticket covers you for all the Public Transport in and around (Bus, Trains, Trams, U-Bahn etc.), and there is either a short(ish) walk to the tram terminus, or the site runs a free shuttle bus. We used tram and S-Bahn (local train) to get to Berlin. Public transport prices are surprisingly low, and if you buy multi-day tickets, or if you have a family or a number of you travelling together, a "small party ticket", they are even better value. Potsdam itself is a noted tourist destination, especially the visit to Park Sanssouci. Berlin has an odd atmosphere, quite unlike any other large city in Europe I've visited; a hangover from it's divided and partial Eastern Bloc past I suspect, and may be changing, but it is certainly one worth savouring. A point I usually like to add about Germany is that the acceptance of Credit Cards is less prominent than in the UK. It is growing - it used to be the norm rather than the exception that non-Autobahn Petrol Stations didn't, but this is now much less common. Supermarkets are another business where experience still varies, with a number of chains not accepting. (We usually check for the Visa/Mastercard signs before buying). Lots to do, enjoy yourself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 HymerVan - 2011-02-19 9:45 AM On the map the site does look close to the airport and there was a certain amount of aircraft noise. I cannot say if it continued through the night (which implies that if it did it was unobtrusive). We arrived on 20th April 2009 and did not book. Indeed travelling in March to end of June we have never booked any sites in Europe and have never be turned away. I should also have mentioned that if there is any possibility of going into the Umveld (Clean Air) parts of Berlin and certain other German Cities you will need to get an Umveld sticker. Your vehicle must be at least Euro III compliant but after 31/12/2011 the standard goes up to Euro IV. See www.berlin.de/labo and click the language tap at the top of the page for English. We got ours by writing to the Berlin Local Government with a copy of our VRD and the badge came back by return of post with a request for the fee which was then 6 euros. We remitted that in cash by post. The badge lasts the life of the vehicle. There are agencies that will do the paperwork for you but they are much more expensive. Once again good luck and have a nice trip. Thanks for the info. I already have my Umwelt Plakette, and from the link you mention. Much cheaper from them than a lot of other places where you can pay upto €30! This will be out second visit to Berlin, the last time we stayed at Potsdam but wanted to try a different place this time. Had wondered about staying on the eastern side of the city and using Erkner to access the centre of Berlin. This might suit us as we will be coming down from Rugen. Decisions, decisions! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.