Affordable Europe: Berlin

This summer may not be the best time to visit Germany if you're looking for a cheap vacation — not with the World Cup coming this year. But if you avoid Berlin for most of June and July, especially the weekend of July 9 when it will be the host of the final, you might be able to score some bargains.

Where to Eat Cheaply

Imbiss is German for snack bar, and Berlin is well endowed with them, including plenty where a meal will run you less than 8 euros ($9.92 at $1.24 to the euro). A typical imbiss offers roasted sausages, including the popular currywurst, a sort of Eurasian blend dowsed in ketchup that's laced with curry powder. A popular place is Bier's Mini 7, near the Zoologischer Garten train station at Kantstrasse 7. You can have your wurst with a roll or French fries (called pommes frites in German, as in French, but pronounced POMM-mess FREET-ess), coffee, cola or mineral water, for about 4 or 5 euros.

odging for Under 100 Euros

The Art'otel (Lietzenburgerstrasse 85; 49-30-887-7770; www.artotel.de) has a central location in what was West Berlin. Officially, the prices run about 120 euros a night for a single and 130 euros for a double. But calling the reservations office directly will usually get you a double for just under 88 euros on most nights. The hotel is minimalist-modern with a collection of original works by Andy Warhol.

Best Deal on a Cultural Event

The Tipi Zelt am Kanzleramt is in the Grosse Querallee — the same area where at the turn of the 20th century Germans went to be entertained. Near Germany's modern chancellor's office, Tipi, which means tepee in German, is a very large tent that offers cabaret, dance, acrobatics and musical comedy — as well as dinner and drinks. Tickets range from 8 euros on Mondays up to 40 euros. Information about specific programs and tickets are available at 49-180-327-9358 or online at www.tipi-das-zelt.de.

Best Things to Do Free

Take a walk from Checkpoint Charlie, the only spot where diplomats and Americans could cross the divided city during the cold war, to the almost completed new Hauptbahnhof, or main train station, following roughly the route of the old Berlin Wall and through a landscape that was at the center of the tragic 20th century. Starting at Checkpoint Charlie, roughly where Friedrichstrasse intersects with Kochstrasse, make your way (it won't be hard with a simple Berlin map) to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, the Brandenburg Gate and then the Reichstag. From there make your way around to the ultramodern parliamentary office building. Straight ahead, you'll see Europe's newest and most modern transportation hub, scheduled to open in time for the World Cup.

Best Money-Saving Tip

Buy passes on the Berlin transit system for inexpensive unlimited access to all buses and trains. You can get passes for one day or one week or even one month, or you can get a Berlin WelcomeCard, which includes either a 48- or 72-hour transit pass for Berlin and nearby suburbs like Potsdam as well as coupons for discounts at museums, restaurants and even fitness centers. The regular passes and WelcomeCards are available at most train platforms. A 48-hour WelcomeCard, good for travel by one adult and three children younger than 14, is 16 euros.

(πηγή: www.iht.com, 23/4/2007)