City break in Berlin

rubble2

I am looking at taking a short break to Berlin (probably early September). I have always tended to wait to near my departure date in the past and always been able to get a decent deal.

I just wondered what the recommendation were regarding booking in advance, would I get a better deal if booked early ( I imagine flights would be cheaper) but hotels might be cheaper if I leave the booking to nearer the departure date.

Any advice please?

Doshwaster

Really depends on your budget and the type of accommodation you want. I got a good deal to Berlin recently through BA City Breaks (http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/destinations/berlin/city-breaks-in-berlin) of flights + 3 nights in a city centre 4* for about £200 but you could do it cheaper by using a budget airline and stopping in a hostel.

Berlin is a fantastic city for a short break - lots to see and do, very easy to get around and it's relatively cheap compared to other western European capitals.

richardw

BA are starting flights from LCY with some STN weekend flights, so they'll be more to choose from. I've noticed some of the easyJet/Ryanair middle of the day/afternoon flights are sometimes cheaper.

pogofish

IME August is about the cheapest month to go to Berlin - Its when the Government virtually shuts down and a lot of residents take a long holiday.

So many surprisingly good hotels can be got more cheaply than at other times of year. For me it was a comfortable business hotel just off the Ku'damm at about £1k cheaper than at any other time but there were plenty cheaper-yet alternatives like the budget/hostel type accommodation

The downside is that it can get very hot indeed during the day and stifling on the U-Bahn/non air conditioned spaces.

This of course means long, balmy fun-filled evenings as there are so many things going-on when it cools down at night. The real hard-core can go to a club and go totally nocturnal for the duration. There are hotels that cater for this trade, although they can seem disturbingly "wipe-clean" to the average punter. Great thunderstorms too - and they cool the place very nicely.

Either way, there will still be plenty going-on in Sept and I found the best prices were about 6-9 weeks before departure. As you got closer they tended to rise again.

They do have the Biennialie this year, which may impact a bit on hotels overall.

rubble2

Thanks for all the answers, unfortunately BA only seem to fly out of London airports so by the time you factor in a connecting flight to London it is not very competitive.

I will keep looking on Expedia etc and see what deals come up, BTW budget is about £250 per person.

Thanks

pogofish

My last visit was flying via Frankfurt and it was pretty competitive. I also remember getting quite good prices going via Paris.

bigadaj

Budget airlines fly direct from many uk airports, have a look on skyscanner.

Doshwaster

rubble2 wrote: »

Thanks for all the answers, unfortunately BA only seem to fly out of London airports so by the time you factor in a connecting flight to London it is not very competitive.

I will keep looking on Expedia etc and see what deals come up, BTW budget is about £250 per person.

£250 per person should be easily achieved. You might even stretch to a 5* for that price.

What's the best airport for you? Looking on http://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/ I can see a lot of big choice from Manchester in September for 3 nights for around £200 each for a couple.

katejo

I got a good hotel deal with IBIS chain last June. A good point was that you could cancel the hotel with no penalty up to about 48 hours before the date of booking. There are 2 IBIS hotels right next to each other. One is IBIS budget and the other is slightly more expensive but still very reasonable. Both are walking distance from many main attractions (very close to the location of the original Berlin Wall). I stayed in the budget one but would probably book the other if I went back.