Do you have suggestions?
As a Berliner looking at your list, apart from Tempelhof and Checkpoint Charly you fall into the classic tourist traps:
"Mitte" is a circus especially created for tourists, and for tourists only. It is super expensive, has nothing "local", and you should avoid it apart from the museums (
which are wold class and well worthwile).
Berlin, despite being the capital, is not expensive if you are outside of "Mitte" (or "Prenzlauer Berg", "Kreuzberg" or the other new, culty, showy "kiezes" - "Kiez" is the Berlin word for "Quarter"), quite to the contrary:
The traditional "Eckkneipe" (corner bar) still has its beer for 1.20 Euros (Mitte: 4+), and the coffee for 1.50 (Mitte 6-8, called "Latte" in combination with a fancy name according to bar).
You can have a full lunch - two courses plus drinks - still for 8-10 Euros in a "normal" place (in Mitte 40-60).
So, you actually want to stay away from there and rather go where the locals go.
It is important to understand that Berlin is sepeerated into mentioned "Kiezes", you have everything you want in one Kiez and would never have to leave it living there.
Which Kiez (they all got different character,
here an overview map), is to your liking, you will probably have to find out, but for a Tourist having in mind the connections (you dont do Berlin by car, public transport within Metro/Buses/S-Bahn/Water is perfect 24/7 and the cheapest and fastest way to travel: This from a car freak, so please take it as sacred) I would recommend to search allocation in a cheap hotel in "Charlottenburg" or "Wilmersdorf", myself when visiting when I go to
Spree-Hotel, quite reasonable at 45 Euros and good what position and service is concerned, 25 minutes from Airport Tegel by Bus, and max 30 minutes from any interesting spot of the city by PT.
Thats the next thing: DONT take a flight to the new airports (Schönefeld, Berlin-Brandenburg-International, both are about 80-100 km away from the city), but to
Berlin-Tegel while it still exists, it is beautiful and unique, you are well inside the city boundaries and have no transport problems.
Touristwise, NOTE that Berlin e.g. between its two rivers (Spree and Havel) has more water kilometres on channels than Amsterdam, one thing you want to do is a channel cruise (and, from March til October, the fastest interesting way to move for the city and see everything literally):
http://www.sternundkreis.de/en/SundK/Home/K256.htm?RID=248To see the wall, you will have to travel, none of it is left inside the city (Checkpoint Charly is a fake, representing only the inner wall):, a good guide (from 2009) here:
http://www.berlinermaueronline.de/berlin-guide/berlinermauer-heute.htmFor the war interested, maybe do some
bunker touring!?
Lokal Food and Drink? Remember Berlin has a tradition of small breweries, normally just serving one or two restaurants, following up on those you cannot go wrong (though they are touristic, but well done and worthwile). A basic (in total there are around 500!) list here, and my favorite brewery/restaurant (forget the dependance in Mitte, take the one in Charlottenburg):
http://www.brauhaus-lemke.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15:schloss-start&catid=2&Itemid=15&lang=enNightlife: Plenty offered in "mitte" and "Prenzlauer Berg", but: Horrendous prices, *made* for tourists. If you want to do yourself a favor, visit the "Abraxas" in Kantstrasse 134, a great and perfect mix of locals, 80s and black music:
http://www.tip-berlin.de/musik-und-party/abraxasThats it for now, more on demand.
Rattler
