geneva or berlin?

whizzkid_3

there are cheap flights available pretty much all the time with easyjet to geneva and berlin so i was wondering...

given the choice which one would be the best to go to in early march?

i appreciate there may be pluses for both so any advice at all would be appreciated!

thanks

Voyager2002

Berlin is supposed to be a lot of fun, but would be rather cold then.

Geneva is beautiful, surrounded by mountains, on the shores of the lake and everything, but be prepared for high prices.

Also bear in mind that in Geneva they speak French, while in Berlin the language most frequently used is Russian (it was in the part of Europe that was liberated by the Soviet Union after WWII). But they say that if you speak English very clearly and very loudly, all natives understand you, particularly if you obviously have lots of their money.

GlennTheBaker

Voyager2002 wrote:

.........while in Berlin the language most frequently used is Russian.......

Funny, when I was there last August, everyone spoke German (being in Germany and all that)

Voyager2002

GlennTheBaker wrote:

Funny, when I was there last August, everyone spoke German (being in Germany and all that)

Perhaps you were in the wrong part of Berlin. I understand that a bit of the city was occupied by English-speakers (Britain and USA) while the Soviet forces were liberating the most important areas.

GlennTheBaker

We went all over the city, both East and West Berlin, and the language in use was most definitely German.

lisyloo

Went to Berlin last year and it was great although it was cold (in November).

We don't speak German (or Russian) and had no problems at all speaking English in the city. Like most cities everyone doing trade speaks several languages, English being quite common.

I couldn't compare it with Geneva because I haven't been there but there is absolutely LOADS to do in Berlin.

Voyager2002

whizzkid wrote:

there are cheap flights available pretty much all the time with easyjet to geneva and berlin so i was wondering...

given the choice which one would be the best to go to in early march?

i appreciate there may be pluses for both so any advice at all would be appreciated!

thanks

Actually, I have been looking for flights to Switzerland recently, and I find Easyjet to Geneva rather expensive. The website for the airline Swiss offers return fares from London for less than a hundred pounds (including all taxes and charges), while for the dates I have checked the Easjet fares are nearly double this.

Pity that Swiss do not fly from the Southwest (where I am).

GlennTheBaker

I can't comment on Geneva but as lisyloo says, there's tons to do and see in Berlin. We were only there for 2 days but crammed 3 days worth of sightseeing in. Public transport is cheap and reliable too, the tickets are transferable between buses, trams and the U-Bahn (underground) so getting around is a breeze.

richardw

Have been to Berlin in January and June, it was very cold and snowed in Jan which was good, an exciting capital city. I have been to Geneva and would say Berlin is much more interesting.

The best thing about Geneva is that you can get trains from the airport that go to other places such as Lausanne and Berne and yes swiss trains run on time, are very clean and the scenery is good.

Bokken_2

We were there for several years and visited the East Berlin several times and they all spoke German and English,it was never a problem.You often find as you are speaking their language they then switch to English so that they can practise their English skills.
I found this from a previous post hope it helps.

The Europe shopping centre in the mitte(centre )of Berlin is good and free,the zoo next door to it is excellant but there is a fee.
There are lots of museums to see,the opera house,the Teir garden near the Brandenburg Tor(Gate),The Reichstag building the home of the new German governent they do guided tours worth it just to see the pictures of how the building finished up at the end of the war.
There are lots of parks in Berlin all worth a strole around.
Charlottenberg Palace amazing,a strole along the Lake Grunewald and a stop at one of the moored boats they have as a cafe is excellant.
Strole along the city centre roads the Kudamm (Kurfursterndamm) eat or just sit at the street cafes or look in the shops the Ka De Fe is very expensive and on par with Harrods but amazing non the less.
Strole around the Havel lake and visit the Kleinglienicke Palace and come out and walk across the Kleinglienicke Bridge where the Russians and the Allies used to exchange cold war spies including Gary Powers the U2 Pilot.
have a great time ,
Visit Bernauer Strasse and follow whats is left of the wall,
Visit Check Point Charlie museum and marvel at the many ways to escape the Old East Germany.
Want a beach visit the Wannsee in the south of Berlin.Take a boat trip over to Peacock Island and visit the white castle.
Visit the Russian memorial to the fallen soldiers who took Berlin at Treptow park .Take a river cruise or walk along the banks of the river Spree throught the centre of Berlin.View the water features near the Europe centre and the sculptures throughout the city.
Is that enough for you?
There is Spandau the oldest part of Berlin,The Grunewald Tower,I'll stop now.

Lil2002

I used to live in Berlin, and it's a great city - loads to do, and easy to get around.
I like the Berlin tourist information site for an overview of what to see and do.
(And we definitely spoke English and German only :rotfl: )
http://www.berlin-tourist-information.de/index.en.php