Travel Like a Local

Blog

  • How to Pick the Best Place to Stay

    How to Pick the Best Place to Stay

    It can seem like an overwhelming experience trying to book a hotel room with all the choices available. Figure out your budget and decide which features you can’t live without. Read these tips to make booking a hotel experience.

    Check online hotel reviews before booking your stay. These will give you with first-hand information about people’s recent experiences at that certain hotel. What people say about their experiences at the hotels you’re thinking of booking can ensure you in coming to the right decision.

    Consider ordering room service when the urge strikes for a late-night snack with your special someone. While you’re likely to pay a little more, it is worth it if you can stay in your comfortable room as you satisfy your cravings.

    You should put any expensive items in the safe and go about your day without worry.

    Use online hotel search tools for hotels. These sites can help you quickly find great deals.

    Always check for online deals before booking a hotel room. This is why it’s up to you should always do your research well online to find these discounts. Check out websites like SniqueAway, RueLaLaTravel, or RueLaLaTravel.

    Be aware in advance of when you can check into your room. Some people neglect asking what the check-in time is and get to the hotel when their room to be available because they forget to check this critical detail. Call and ask if it is alright for you think you’ll be early.

    Plan your trip as far in advance for the best rates. Many locations offer discounts if you book more than a month or two ahead of time. You can expect savings up to fifty percent off at some very exclusive hotels.

    There are three different things you should do in advance if you’re going to be traveling with a trip. Be sure that the hotel will be friendly to pets.Be sure to bring some bags on hand to make pet cleanup easy.

    Book massages as far ahead of time as possible to guarantee you get the perfect couples massage for you and your significant other.The best massage therapists are well-known at resorts, and you don’t want to miss out.

    Free Stays

    It is wise to look into loyalty programs that your favorite hotels offer. They provide benefits to travelers who stays at a hotel chain. You can often earn free upgrades, free stays, and even free stays when you get enough points.

    If there’s a hotel chain you stay at often, check to see if they offer membership to frequent stay programs. These programs give you rack up points. You might earn free stays and discounts, discounts at restaurants, or other things.

    As shown above, there are many ways to ensure you get the right hotel room at a price that fits your budget. Use the tips that work for you and do some of your own research as well. You are likely to have a comfortable stay and pay a price you are happy with.

  • 3 Great Places in Milan to hang out

    There are a few really cool places that we love to regularly visit in Milan. They’re quite eclectic and we found it difficult to categorize them. Yes, we go there for food but we couldn’t fit them in our article on the restaurants in Milan as they’re way more than just a restaurant. Let’s find them out!

    • Santeria
    • Ostello Bello
    • Balera

    Santeria

    Address: Via Ettore Paladini, 8 Milano (Bus 54, Tram 5)
    Phone no.: 02 36685216 / 02 36685215 (shop) 
    Milan should be full of places like this. A nice spot, based on a simple solid idea, that would fit perfectly in Shoreditch, Prenzlauerberg or Williamsburg, and that (sadly) in Milan is the first and only of its kind.
    Breakfast, brunch, lunch, aperitivi, vintage clothes records and book shop, gigs, indie movies and co-working space. If they also had mattresses to lay down between the tables there wouldn’t be a reason to leave Santeria.
    Visitat their website: www.santeriamilano.it

    Ostello Bello

    Address: Via Medici, 4  20123 Milano (MM1-3 Duomo, Tram 2-3, how to get there)
    Phone no.: 02 3658 2720
    Turbo Burger Ostello Bello MilanNot only it’s one of the very few authentic hostels in Milan, but Ostello Bello offers some of its services and activities to a wider audience. Anyone can visit it without necessarily having to spend a night. They have food all day round and leisure activities from music to games, sometimes they’re improvised so any day is good to pop there. If you’re after a meaty lunch make sure to go there for the monthly “Turbo Burger” day. Only one item on the menu, guess what it is?

    Visit their website: www.ostellobello.com and follow them on facebook to keep up to date.

     

    La Balera dell’Ortica

    Address: Via Giovanni Antonio Amadeo 78, Milano (Bus 54, 39)
    Phone no.: 02 70128680
    It takes just 20 minutes by bus from Duomo, or a short bike ride, to end up in a place where time seems to have stopped 50 years ago. The “Balera” could be a perfect set of an old school Italian movie, like Fellini showing the more trivial aspect of the Italian working class having a good time with the few spare money they had. As you enter you will find the balera itself to your right: a open-air dance floor where couple dance the night away whirling on the rhythm of the traditional popular music called liscio, which means smooth.

    To the left you’ll find the bar restaurant. A very rough diner, not the same quality of the bocciofila Caccialanza but cheaper. Ideal during the warmer months, when you can enjoy the patio outside and chill with few drinks. Few minutes in and you’ll forget to be in a big city and you’ll start feeling the relaxed atmosphere of a vintage countryside.

    Open every day of the week from 13.00 to 00.30 (1.30 Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
    Visit their website: www.labaleradellortica.com

  • Life and Beauty at the Temples of Bagan

    The alarm clock set at unholy hours was becoming a habit, by 5.30am we were already riding our bikes down a pitch black road. All we could see was some people, waiting for a lift like ghosts in the dark, and the silhouettes of stupa as the black of the sky started turning dark blue. By the time we reached Shwe-San-Daw Paya temple there was already enough light to distinguish the pagodas complex around us.  We climbed the impervious steps to the terraces, finding the best spot to observe the spectacle of nature undisturbed. Us and a hundred people around us.

    The hue of the sky and the candy-floss mist inundating the temples in the plain beneath us was a sight that left everyone speechless. As the burning globe emerged from the verdant eastern hills the atmosphere felt suspended, like if everyone there was holding their breath. The magic was broken by a minute Chinese girl who dropped her phone on the head of a scary looking gigantic Dutch woman, standing on the lower terrace, with a loud crack. A fight was highly likely, but disappointingly nothing happened so everybody rushed off to their tour buses and bucket lists. We and few others indulged a little longer to admire the flock of hot-air balloons raising and slowly gliding over the Old Town.

    We spent the rest of the day aimlessly cycling on dusty paths, choosing the least busy way at each intersection, which is a very good way to explore Old Bagan for those who don’t have any particular archaeological ambition. We stopped for lunch at an excellent vegetarian restaurant, which had the typical Lonely Planet crowd but was nice especially considering the tourist-hassling, hard-selling area. We ate a delicious lunch within the idyllic frame of a garden populated by fearless birds and water-lilies, shielded from the noise and dust.

    The way back to Nyang-U was much, much longer than planned. We chose to cycle along the spectacular old road, the one closer to the river. The many temples and stupas scattered either side of the road were washed by the orange light of sunset. It’s pretty easy to climb them to admire the sun fall behind the rugged horizon but we pushed on until we reached Shwe-zi-gon Paya, a thousand-years-old golden temple.
    As if we hadn’t visited enough sacred sites for a day we park our bikes and step in. The only two foreign tourists in the complex, we were quite standing out amongst the flocks of locals in their festive attire meandering in the richly decorated courtyard. A group of them even insisted to take photos with us and of us. It felt a bit awkward but also, I admit, rather gratifying.

    I’m not sure I managed to properly convey our experience but I hope it’s clear that it was a pretty intense day in terms of sightseeing. It doesn’t happen every other day to see such a vast expanse of heath, palms and ancient temples. Only that few of them were actually ancient. As a matter of fact most of them were brand new, built by the military dictatorship with modern bricks and unfashionable concrete. Does this knowledge lessen the value of our memories? Surely we had a great day and the whole area is stunning, but knowing that the former inhabitants had been forcibly pushed out to New Bagan is bothersome. With this dilemma resonating in my head I have no doubt about the richest invaluable moment in Old Bagan…

    Looking for a place where to tuck into the fried delicacies we had just bought we stopped near one of the few trees, seeking repair in its meagre shadow. We asked permission to a woman camping nearby with her family. The private property concept in Myanmar is tricky to grasp, but we asked out of courtesy. Not only they had no problem with us camping there but they invited us to their table, gave us dishes and a cloth and served us green tea and tea leaf salad. We were shocked by such a selfless display of generosity, even if our communication was based mostly on gesture and very, very basic English. When the time to leave came we were baffled, “why did they do that and what shall we do now?“. We thought that simply leaving would have been rude, but also offering them money would have been offensive, tarnishing the beauty of their gesture. Only now, few months later, I’m coming to terms with this perplexity. What they did is perfectly natural, and maybe we too should take a bit of that spontaneity back.

  • Iceland Day 3: Snaefellsnes Peninsula

    Iceland Day 3: Snaefellsnes Peninsula

    The day started gloriously with the view of Kirkjufell, the iconic mountain dominating the bay. After a healthy breakfast in the well arranged kitchen of the Old Post guesthouse and we drove to the gas station, to personally witness the cost of grocery. Some items are quite acceptably priced: a big bottle of juice was just 400ISK – but the milk costs double than in the UK and the cheese costs like sirloin at my local butcher. It’s gonna be a difficult fortnight.
    Adhering to Magnus’s instructions we started driving along the coast, westbound, following the road south through the National Park and around Snæfellsjökull to the glacier, to finish the day off in an outdoor warm pool.

    Ágætis byrjun, a good start

    Magnus was right, from the first miles of our drive west of Grundarfjordur we immediately recognized the classic Iceland of the documentaries, its breathtaking beauty surrounding us, without the filter of a camera. The squeaky radio played Svefn-g-Englar, which was been probably written as a soundtrack for driving through exactly that scenery.
    The first stop was Öndverdarnes, to admire the two orange lighthouses and the vertiginous cliffs, home to hundreds of noisy birds. On the way there there are a few beaches patterned with yellow and black sand, one is big and signalled with a parking space, but before that we found another one. Only accessible via a relatively easy climb down big rocks, this beach was little and pristine, not one footprint on the sand and secluded by black rocks which are also quite fun to climb on.

    Geology rocks!

    Back on the 574 we aimed at Saxholar, which we just managed to spot because it’s a huge volcano in a vast green flatland. Don’t expect signs to clearly indicate you every point of interest: be always on the look and be ready to u-turn and drive back.
    It’s possible to climb the volcano, a modest ascent of 5 minutes, and from the top you can see both the bowl where once was the crater, and the land around for miles and miles. We also spent the better part of a hour browsing through the astonishing variety of stones: some spongy, some like hardened blobs, some black, some brown with green and purple reflections. We could have spent hours there but we had so many things to do, so we took a couple of rocky souvenirs and left.

    The glacier disappeared

    Our frequent stops made us run behind schedule so we decided to skip the Vatnshellir caves and the Djupalonssandur – we’ve seen enough sand for a day – and head to the glacier.
    Past the Arnarstapi lighthouse the roads split, and the F570 climbs the side of the mountains to the thick clouds and Snæfellsjökull. We kept going for 6/7 kms and our Jimmy was struggling to cope with the bumpy road and the challenge with other bigger, newer 4WDs. On the map it looked easy: drive around the mountain until you reach the glacier; but the clouds were down low and we weren’t quite sure whether we reached the glacier and, if we did, we probably wouldn’t have noticed.

    Muddy waters

    After a brief but vicious snowball fight we were back in the car, hurling it down the same bumpy road at top speed. Destination: the warm waters of Lysuholl pool.
    It’s barely signalled and the sign can only be seen 20 meters before the turn, which is a bit too late. To avoid slamming on brakes, or u-turning after the missed junction, follow the signs to Kast Guesthouse.
    Lysuholl doesn’t really account as a village to our standards, is more like a few houses scattered within 100m from each other. For this we easily found the pool, spotted by the unusual amount of cars (four) in the parking lot. The building is a simple wooden hut, with a strong DIY feel; the facility is basic but very clean. Nothing fancy: one small pool where to swim and two circular tubs for relaxing, and it was only populated by local families. The water is warm and smelly: the unmistakable sign that it’s geo-thermally heated, and it’s a great way to end a day, taking the fatigue off, the muscles melting in the warm embrace of nature.
    The entrance is quite cheap (650ISK), and remember to shower thoroughly, without swimsuit, before entering the pool.

  • Visa Myanmar: How to Get it in Few Easy Steps

    If you live in the UK the only Embassy of Myanmar is in London. According to their website applications can be made personally, or by a representative, between 10am and noon. Alternatively you can do it via post, as we did. The latter method is actually pretty simple and smooth but I failed to fully get all the necessary info so, to avoid you the same pain, I wrote down a postal visa for dummies guide. For people like me who fear bureaucracy.

    What you’ll need

    • A filled copy of your visa application form (download the PDF)
    • 2 recently taken passport photos (make sure it adheres to the UK passport photo standard)
    • Valid passport (at least 6 months validity)
    • £14 cash

    Application via post

    If you’re sending your application via post you’ll need all of the above plus the following:

    • The £14 fee has to be sent via postal order (addressed to “Embassy of Myanmar”)
    • A pre-paid special delivery envelope 500gr stamp (so they can send you the passports back).

    The parcel has to be sent to Embassy of Myanmar, 19A Charles St, London W1J 5DX.

    The total cost of the operation will have to include the cost of a postal order (£3.50), the secure delivery (£7) and the pre-paid envelope (£7.15). You might consider spending a couple of days in London ans visit some museums while you’re there.

    eVisa

    Until some time ago it was possible to apply for a eVisa only if you entered the country via Yangoon but now, minutes after sending our application via post, this was divulged:

    We are pleased to announce that eVisa is now extended to Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay International Airports. You may use your eVisa to enter Myanmar through Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay International Airports even if you have chosen Yangon International Airport as port of entry.

    The eVisa can be processed online via this website and costs USD50. Which is more than the £14 requested by the embassy in London but, considering the extra costs listed above, it actually turns out to be cheaper.

    Visa on Arrival

    Visas can be issued upon arrival in Yangoon only for citizens of the following countries:

    Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Denmark, France, Germanu, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA

    It looks to me it’s mainly for business purposes, here you can find all the details: http://www.mip.gov.mm/portfolio/the-required-terms-and-conditions-for-visa-on-arrival/

    Embassy of Myanmar in London

    Surely we were  a bit worried to put our passports in an envelope, together with money and the other stuff needed, and hope they would come back with a visa. Maybe it’s because we’re Italian, therefore naturally suspicious of mail service and bureaucracy, for there is always something missing between you and whatever you want to obtain.

    As a matter of fact there was something missing: the pre-paid envelope. But someone form the Embassy of Myanmar called me asking to send it to her attention so that they could send us the passport back. Moreover they’ve been pretty helpful when I called them (phone: 0207 1480740) asking for more details. We finally got our passports back within a week.

  • Don’t Be A Tourist! Become a Travel Pro with these Simple Tips

    Don’t Be A Tourist! Become a Travel Pro with these Simple Tips

    Traveling for business or for pleasure can be extremely enjoyable.You will have to do your homework though on the right way to plan for traveling. The following article offers excellent advice that can help with your future trips.

    Don’t use public computers in your hotel or anywhere else they offer free internet while you are on vacation. There is something called a keylogger that is tracking your banking information as you type the keys on the computer.

    Be aware of food allergies when visiting a foreign country or new place. If you have had severe reactions to certain foods, it is important for you to learn terminology for words pertaining to foods and their preparation so that you can prevent an allergic reaction. This will give you the ability to alert your waiter or waitress of the foods that you are trying to avoid.

    Do not hope that an airline to cater to your whims when you as comfortable as necessary on a flight. If you really need headphones, a blanket and a pillow to be comfortable while flying, a light blanket and comfortable headphones. You should also think about bringing some snacks so you can have something substantial to eat during your flight.

    You can use it to help keep a door closed as well.

    If you’re traveling somewhere where you’ll need tickets, find out if online tickets are available, and print them beforehand. The small fee per ticket for this service is worth it to avoid long lines. If the park you are visiting has a timed entry, printed tickets can also be used to get around the admission line.

    These sheets can be a flat surface for kids to color on or coloring books on.

    It will be more expensive to just ride into the lot and park.

    Jet Lag

    Jet lag can be uncomfortable for travelers who cross time zones. You can’t completely avoid jet lag, so you should try and sleep as much as possible before you leave. You should also try sleeping during the flight if possible.

    You can’t really lose something written on the mirror using a dry-erase marker because it’s hard to overlook. You can use dry-erase markers will easily wipe off of mirrors with just a little bit of tissue paper.

    Try getting the rate at the hotels when you travel. Some hotels cut locals a local rate on their rooms to decrease unoccupied rooms. If you’re traveling to a place in which you know a person living there, see if they can help you find a good local hotel rate. This can save you save a lot of money.

    If you are flying for several hours, take along non-liquid snacks.

    Plan service stops when going on a road trip. When taking road trips, you can run across long stretches in which there are not many stops or any stops for helping you to maintain or service your vehicle. Plan your route and while doing so look for viable service stations that can fix your vehicle. Keep these numbers handy in case you just in case.

    Prepare in advance and do not procrastinate while traveling. While all the info shared here may not be valid on every trip, some of them will make your travels better.

  • A Day at the Markets of Mandalay

    A Day at the Markets of Mandalay

    Our second hotel in Mandalay, the Sahara, didn’t host the same crazy roof parties as the first but turned out to be a good deal: cheaper yet equally comfortable, closer to the Royal Palace and to the AirAsia shuttle bus. Breakfast here was also remarkable: a bit of continental, a timid tentative of British and, mainly, fantastic noodles and rice. With a full belly we ambled towards the Zegyo Market to dip into the local culture.
    Before we found the market, the market found us: as we were still counting the streets we realized to be surrounded by fruit stalls and busy people hurrying back and forth. What a beautiful mess! It’s difficult to render the extent of the chaos reigning over the narrow alleys of the market with the tidy, rigid structure of a computer font. Bikes and carts were pushing their way through the stalls while pedestrians negotiated the little space left available. Kids were sleeping in wicker baskets, impervious to the bedlam, as their mums communicated with us trading smiles and gestures for pictures.

    We hate the “zoo approach” of tourists in exotic countries so Martina refrained from taking photos of people and only asked them if she could shoot their products. But they insisted that she took photos of them, and of us with them. Some of them also took photos of us and after every snap we showed each others the results laughing like old friends. Unsurprisingly, and to my relief, the fact I was wearing the traditional Longyi attracted lots of favourable attention. I might have looked like a tool to a western eye but most men gave me an approval nod pointing at my knot, as they know how hard it is to master that skill! Also wearing a skirt with that hot weather is incredibly comfortable, who knew!?

    In the afternoon we headed to the jade market, the biggest of its kind in the world and the hub where most of Burmese money is traded every day. It’s probably not a good idea to buy there unless you know exactly what you are doing, as there are lots of fake stones and skilled sellers. Our driver Sean (I don’t know how to spell his name but he liked the idea of being compared to Sean Connery), told us many interesting details on Mandalay and Burmese life as he pedalled us in his trishaw along the dusty roads. A trishaw is an old Chinese bike with a hand-made sidecar attached, it can be very heavy – I couldn’t lift one – but they’re much smoother to ride than expected. I pushed Sean and Martina for a few blocks without a drop of sweat (maybe just a little bit), even though it was quite hard to control.

    It’s quite a long way to the market so we stopped to give Sean a break at the Shwenandaw monastery. The building is incredible, all made of teak, carved with a meticulous care for details and, despite being the most beautiful thing we had seen in Mandalay thus far, it was completely deserted. Just the two of us, not a tourist, not a monk…not even Sean.

    We finally arrived at the market after its activity had reached the peak: people were leaving, stalls were emptying, only few were still working the stones while the majority was busy discussing the day’s business and gambling. It’s interesting to see how gems are crafted with rudimentary tools and precise skills. There are some dodgy characters around giving the market an interesting shady vibe, without feeling threatening. More for locals than tourists, as a matter of fact – once more – we were the only tourists around.

    Back to the hotel we waved goodbye to Sean, he’s a really good man and I would suggest anyone to take a trip with him. You’ll find him stationed next to the Hotel Sahara entrance.
    We started walking towards the Kywe Zoon Jetty which is where the ferry to Bagan departs but also, according to the guide, offers a majestic show on sunset with the water buffaloes dragging logs across the calm waters of the Ayeyarwady river. With the disappointing Icelandic seals still vivid in our memories we didn’t expect any buffalo. In fact we didn’t see any, but the spectacle still exceeded our expectations. In an almost surreal scenario, from our vantage point above the river banks we could see the lives of those dwelling in bamboo huts washed by the ocher light of the evening.

    Again the darkness surprised us, it seems that in Myanmar the passage between day and night is less gradual. The idea of walking the 22nd road back in such condition was not the most appealing but one thing one never needs to worry about in Mandalay is finding a mean of transportation. In 15 minutes we were back to our hotel, after an exhilarating ride on two scooters, whizzing in the rush hour traffic.

  • DIY Amusement Park and Osteria: Ai Pioppi

    DIY Amusement Park and Osteria: Ai Pioppi

    The first time I heard of this place it was via a long and twisted connection. A Spanish colleague, living in Scotland, sent me an article, from an American magazine, about some special place in Italy, little more than 1 hour drive from Martina’s home town.

    It sounded so amazing we were surprised not to have heard about it, despite having lived nearby for more than 20 years. But this is a painful proof of how little we know sometimes of what surrounds the place where we live.
    So, in occasion of a visit to Italy, we jumped on a car and drove to Nervesa della Battaglia, the location of “ai Pioppi“, the legendary and secretive osteria.

    But what is so special about it? Is it the simple but tasty traditional food? Or the relaxed and festive atmosphere of the outdoor area? Yes, sure, all of that, but what dragged us there all the way from Sheffield is its amusement park. During the past 45 years signor Bruno, the restaurant and land owner, spent his spare time building an amusement park in the forest he calls his garden. This is probably what people did before the Internet.

    And I’m not talking about some DIY swings and slides, I’m talking proper roller-coasters. The park is big and the rides are partially concealed in the trees, so that you are never quite sure of the size of it. Sure it is impressive and, thinking that it has been single-handedly built by a hobbyist it’s rather unbelievable.
    Even the most hazardous attraction is not powered by electricity: you have to push or pedal your way to the top and let gravity do the rest. If you don’t dare that much there are also simpler rides… even though climbing a 10m high slide or hurling yourself down a slope sitting on a little unstable metal sheet might be pretty hair-raising.

    How can Ai Pioppi be still open is a mystery to me. Maybe it’s because the park is private property and people use the attractions at their own risk, maybe it’s some loophole in the Italian legislation or the generally lax attitude and subjective interpretation of laws, that this time turned a blind eye on this free-for-all clever creation and not to the usual multi-millionaire developers.

    This park seems to be located in another era. It can be reached only by car (or by bike) in an area that is not densely populated and very green. Town and street names are suggestive reminders of war, mapping like scars the whole territory.

    Here in a rare place where fun comes without electricity, mobile phones are forgotten in their pockets and adults forget to be adults competing with children on the metallic colourful creations of Bruno.

  • Citybike Wien: Vienna’s bike rental scheme

    Vienna’s own citybike is an ideal way to explore the city: it’s cheaper than the public transport and, given the reduced size of the city, a very fast way to move around. It takes little more than 30 minutes to go from Museum Quarter to the Prater, and a ride along the canal, admiring the graffiti all the way to Hundertwasser’s waste incineration plant, is highly recommended.

    A wise choice

    The best thing to do is to sign up in advance online. You’ll have to register on their website, providing your credit/debit card details. Once you’ve done that you’ll have an account number and a password (pro tip: choose a short password!).

    If you don’t do that you can always register at any Citybike Terminal, but you’ll still need a card.

    How to use Citybike Wien

    Citybike Vienna logoTo pick up a bike you’ll have to insert your card in the terminal, select one of the bikes available and digit the password. To return it you’ll simply have to put the bike back in an empty slot, until the light on the bikebox is steady green.

    Although the service is great, the stations are not exactly around every other corner and not always have enough bikes or empty slots. If the station is empty (or it’s full and you’re trying to return your bike) you can check on the terminal the nearest stations available.

    How much is for the bike rental?

    The registration fee is just 1 euro and the 1st hour of every ride is free of charge. In order to “reset” your free hour you’ll have to wait 15 minutes after depositing the bike. If you keep a bike for longer than that you will be charged a hourly rate:

     

    (rates might vary, double check the official site first: www.citybikewien.at)

    Other options

    If you don’t want to hop from one Citybike station to another or simply want to use a different bike, there are plenty of private bike rental options in Vienna.
    We suggest you to get in touch with the guys at Brillantengrund: a great hotel, a Filipino restaurant and also bike rental.

  • Getting Around Berlin

    We arrived to Berlin pretty clueless. We had a couple of itineraries worked out of a Lonely Planet, a beautiful crumpled map, and a couple of reservations. Nothing more. Let’s call it a good half way between a perfectly scheduled holiday and a wild break. So, we roughly knew what to do but we didn’t know how to do it.

    After my second visit I wrote a simple and clear guide to the best solutions for travel cards in Berlin. But here’s some useful info that we would have loved to know after landing in Berlin:

    How to reach Berlin form Schönefeld

    The RE7 train from Schönefeld Airport goes directly to Ostbanhof in little more than 20 minutes, the train platform can be reached leaving the airport building and following the covered path to the left hand side (Berlin Schönefeld Airport Map). More info on tickets and rates can be found on the vbb.de website. Alternatively the lines S45 and S9 reach other strategical part of town… check the Berlin Transport Network Map (PDF) for more details.
    Right outside the airport building there’s a bus stop, the line 171 goes to Neukölln all the way to Hermannstrasse (S47, S41/42, U8).
    Buying a pass for the AB areas will require the purchase of an extension ticket for zone C (where the airport is).

    U-Bahn and S-Bahn

    Public transport in Berlin is ridiculously efficient, which is not too surprising knowing we’re in Germany. U-Bahn, S-Bahn, busses and tram quickly connect virtually every corner of the city. The U-Bahn is the classic underground line while S-Bahn is the overground train. The underground looks like it’s a bit overkill for the amount of people using it, at least compared to the London Tube, so you are quite unlikely to travel with your face smashed on the window. But if you’re not in a hurry is better to choose overground transport and look around, as we learnt that Berlin is plenty of little details to offer, amusing eyes and heart of the visitor, from the ubiquitous street art to the fascinating architecture… it’s impossible to list them all so sit back and enjoy the show.
    Bus and tram lines however can be sometimes more efficient than the underground trains, cutting lots of time for walking to the metro station and eventually changing line. For this I always check the journey planner before leaving home. If your smartphone is better than mine and you can actually use it, then you might be interested in Öffi, the public transport app, available for android.

    CityTourCard

    Obviously there are convenient options for visitors (which they’re kind enough not to call “tourists”). Despite being usually averse to this kind of offers we opted for the “CityTourCard” that can be easily purchased form the automatic vending machines at any station. For less than €30.00 we got 5 days of unlimited travel, discounts on museums and other attractions, and peace of mind. It also comes in the 48 and 72 hours versions. This is what you get: CityTourCard Discounts (PDF)
    With some careful calculations and some extra walking we could have probably saved money, but I honestly don’t think it’s worth it, unless you rent a bike… which was not an option when we visited the city in December!