Berlin (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) (Turtleback)
June 20, 2009 by Destination Guide
Filed under Travel Germany Guides
Product Description
As Berlin is laid out on an epic scale, this travel guide is organized so that you can take in as much of the city as possible. It will guide you to all of the interesting monuments, museums and art collections Berlin has to offer, as well as giving you ideas for family fun and where to go shopping. The maps, photographs, detailed illustrations, the 3-D aerial views of Berlin’s most interesting districts and a huge selection of hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues makes this guide the ultimate travel guide.
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Adding to other reviews, I just returned from a visit to Berlin with this wonderful book as my travel companion. The pictures are great, the descriptions wonderful, and there is a lot of good, practical information to help one get around in the city. There are a series of maps in the back which covers the whole city in sections which is also in grids. Sites refer to page number and grid on the map, so one can easily find where it is in the city. The city is divided into sections and color coded, with information about each section, since the city is characterized by the different areas in it. I found this particularly helpful in knowing where I was and where I wanted to go.
The only drawback, if one were to find one for this great book, is its weight. Because it is on heavier stock paper, the pictures are better, but the weight is increased. Overall, though, the extra weight is worth carrying around. I found this to be a great souvenir of my trip upon my return. In fact, I stayed with friends who are now living in Berlin. They found the book so useful, they begged to be able to keep it. I am ordering another copy for myself.
Just got back from a trip to Europe. Thought before hand that Prague or Paris would have been my favorite city. Although everything you may have heard about Prague is true- it is the most charming and beautiful place I’ve ever been – Berlin is simply magnificant.
I recently read, in a book (name escapes me) “Berlin is always in a state of becoming and never in a state of being.” That was first said around 1900 and it again holds true 100 years later.
That in part, is what makes Berlin so magnificant. It has so many things that no other city in Europe has. Bombastic imperialistic architecture lies within bombastic communistic showpiece architecture, which lies next to classic baroque architecture, which all lies next to ultra modern architecture. West Berlin the capitalist show piece during the Cold War and East Berlin was the communist show piece. United as one- Berlin is in the state of becoming Europe’s showpiece.
This guide takes you through Berlin like no other guide could possibly do. I had the unfortunate circumstance of being in Berlin a few weeks before this guide came out. I hit the main sights -but missed so much more because I used Time Out! It is unfortunate because this guide is so much better- save the lack of hostel information… but it shows you everything you could possibly want to see and do and know..
From strolling down the beautiful Unter den Linden to sitting in the Lustgarten or roaming through the green arces of the Tiergarten…or even soaring to the top of the television tower. Eyewitness Guide will take you there.
If I could be anywhere in the world right now, I’d be anywhere and everywhere in between the Brandenburg Gate and Alexander Platz.
If you’re thinking of going to Berlin- stop thinking and go… If you’re thinking of buying this guide, stop thinking and buy.
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Summary:
Every Dorling Kindersley Guide has been a great and interesting book… and delightful to have and use, even if you are not traveling to that location, but are only interested in learning more!
The Guides are well organized in a logical and easy to follow manner. They are beautifully illustrated, well developed with accurate information (it is unusual for hotel and restaurant information to be that accurate), have enough history to help the reader understand the people and cultural background, and have a lot of useful travel information and useable maps in the appendixes.
The really great attraction to this book is several fold; it is:
…………Very complete
…………Easy to read
…………Beautifully and artistically completed
…………Good shopping, safety and other tips
…………Gorgeous photographs too numerous to list.
Thoughts on Berlin
Berlin is a particularly interesting, if not haunting city to visit, with its many contrasts: Old East Berlin, with some buildings unrepaired since WWII, New East Berlin, with its lavish, and expensive hotels, and apartments, and post WWII East Berlin with the old Soviet Style (stolid) buildings; West Berlin, with its restored buildings and architecture, memorial buildings like the Church of the Purple Glass (destroyed in WWII and left as a reminder of the costs of war), and the fun restaurants, and nightlife. Also, the outline of the Berlin Wall, and the memorial to those killed trying to flee to freedom outside the Richtstadt (Parliament Building).
I highly recommend a trip to Berlin to enjoy all the greatness and tragedy this century and its leaders has brought to the world.
Specifics:
The guides are organized as follows:
How to use this guide
Introduction to Historical and Geographical information
Geographical Regions
…………Introduction Berlin
……………………Map
……………………History
……………………At a Glance
……………………Through the Year
…………Berlin Area by Area, each including:
……………………Introduction to street by street area
……………………Detailed pictorials of area buildings
……………………Architectural drawings, pictures, cut-aways of buildings
……………………Specific stops, historical monuments, churches, buildings, etc.
Greater Berlin
…………Pottsdam
…………Three Guided Walks
Travelers Needs – includes full list with rankings and notes
…………Hotels
…………Restaurants
…………Shops / Markets
…………Entertainment
…………Berlin for children
Survival Information
…………Practical
……………………Tourist info., Etiquete, Personal Security and Health
……………………Currencies, Telephones, misc info.
…………Getting to Berlin
……………………Planes, trains and automobiles, signs
……………………General map, sectional maps with index
…………Getting to / around Berlin
……………………Maps, tours, currency, etc.
…………General Index
…………Phrase Book
Discussion:
The book begins with Introducing Berlin, including a complete map, a review, the citys history, and Berlin thought the Year – including events, etc.
Areas with an At a glance overview, then has subsections of specific blocks, or forums, then specific locations, churches, historical monuments, bridges, galleries, etc.
Architectural reviews include various views, and cutaways; given greater understanding and better perspective. They are all attractive, if not works of art – honestly.
The travelers Info. offers good and valid info. on prices, currencies, customs, important words, etc. I used the reviews on hotels restaurants and nightclubs, etc. and found they were useful and accurate, and helpful with my touring and site decisions
The books are so well thought-out that it has multiple maps, with various lookup tables, and the books flaps are designed to be used as bookmarks for map pages.
Conclusion:
Each book in this series is a great help, and beautiful collectible resource. As the President, CEO of an International Meeting Planning Corporation we have many resources and techniques to learn about places we have meetings / groups at as well as the cities and sights. But, as a traveler, this book really is top notch and I would recommend it to anyone going on a personal trip, or wanting to learn about a city, or location. We have used some of these books to augment our research to investigate cities for our groups.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eyewitness Travel Guides are in a league of their own!
As with all the Eyewitness Travel Guides, this one for Berlin is packed with information- some not readily available from other sources- and top quality maps, pictures,…
4.0 out of 5 stars
My indispensable guide to Berlin
During my summer in Berlin, I carried three guidebooks: a Lonely planet guide to Berlin, a German restaurant guide I found in the city, and this Eyewitness book.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Berlin Guide
Worked very well for my one week trip. The 3 day tour at the beginning was a good starter guide to a family trip, though this guide is by no means ideal for a younger traveler…
3.0 out of 5 stars
an idea source more than actual guide
First of all, be warned that this book is a “2006″ edition, which probably hasn’t been updated since 2000 (see review by Marco).
1.0 out of 5 stars
The worst DK guide out there
I hate the thought of writing a bad review for a DK Travel Guide – they are by far the best travel guides available. But I feel I have to warn everyone about this one.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
It’s an astonished travel guide. Well printed book, excellent routes for walking, pictures full of color for informing what excactly are you going to see.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nice pictures, but needs an editor
The pictures are wonderful, but the maps are inadequate and the information is inconsistent. This guide would benefit from the attention of a careful editor.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Useless book
This book is completely unhelpful for anyone spending time in Berlin. I’ve lived in Berlin in the past but wanted a new travel book to help me see all of the newer sights.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eyewitness Berlin
The book was very useful. We have used these guides in several cities and they are always informative and well arranged.
5.0 out of 5 stars
the PERFECT Guide
Being an Spaniard I has been compelled to buy this guide in English because the spanish edition was exhausted…