Berlin advice

^ you only get arrested if you have no money (:
if you want to borrow a bike for the day go to the Freitag Store near Alexanderplatz, just need id

^ Most of the artists left or got evicted towards the end of last year, a lot have moved south of the river towards Kruezberg/Treptow

I heard there was a 'three strikes' rule?
I don't have any strikes, seems a waste not to use them.

Is this the place?
http://www.freitag.ch/store-finder#freitagstoreberlin
(doesn't look like a free bike store)

Didn't get done in Berlin but in Freiburg. oh the shame
As a foreigner, they wrote me up a fine, then as I had an Oz address, likelihood of actually paying was reduced so they take you over to the cash machine and make you withdraw the money. Who knows if they pocketed the cash but my "receipt" was very official.
I then expensed it... I confess >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

if we are confessing crimes committed in germany
I got flashed by a speed trap on the side of the road on a motorbike.
It seemed odd because right up until that point I had been struggling just to keep pace with the average german driver.

Never received the actual fine.. sort of disappointed with german efficiency here.. had it happened in the UK the fine would have probably been on my doormat before I got home.

I still owe the Berlin police €120, and I keep thinking it's going to be flagged up whenever I fly back there.

(It's just for the privilege of them moving my car around the block to make way for Angela Merkel's motorcade as she visited a church, nothing particularly heinous, I should add)

I heard there was a 'three strikes' rule?
I don't have any strikes, seems a waste not to use them.

Is this the place?
http://www.freitag.ch/store-finder#freitagstoreberlin
(doesn't look like a free bike store)

I never said its a free bike store, if you want to borrow a bike for free go there, but then again it sounds like a lot more fun running from the polizei, try that instead or better yet go for May Day and see how the police are, also try the 'frog' march when heading to passport control, they always laugh at that one, best of luck and happy times

I've heard they operate a ticketless honesty system of payment?

I heard there was a 'three strikes' rule?

You should compile all this into some sort of guide book.

Long and short = you will get catched, they will take the (€50? €60?) fine off you. But tell 'em you didn't understand and some bloke told you blah blah, bet they never get anyone trying that.

The tickets didn't even seem that expensive when I went, l got a 4-week pass I think, this was a few years ago tho.

I had a lovely day at the badeschiff, but fuck did I get told off for not demonstrating a full showering technique prior to swimming. As for the lad who dived in wearing underpants....

My fiancee displays absolute terror of ticket inspectors despite the fact that the station we use in Kreuzberg never seems to have ticket machines that work!

You should compile all this into some sort of guide book.

Been thinking of just seeing how far into europe I could get oneday without a ticket.

Long and short = you will get catched, they will take the (€50? €60?) fine off you. But tell 'em you didn't understand and some bloke told you blah blah, bet they never get anyone trying that.

I think this would break the 2nd law of thermodynamics if true.

If you definitely will get caught.. then everyone would buy a ticket But if that was true, you wouldn't need any ticket inspectors.

I take the fact ticket inspectors exist as proof on average you wont get caught.. the more ticket inspectors the more my belief is re-enforced.

Not worth risking on the trains anyway, whenever I'm in Berlin I see plain clothes officers checking at least once a day on one of my journeys.

In my experience they patrol the trains to the airport like hawks so don't risk it there.

I got caught there.

I had a ticket, just not stamped. They wrote the date and time on and pointed at the machines on the platform while I stood there 'pretending' to be clueless.

blah blah blah

best of luck and happy times
.

Seems fare evading is required for the true berlin experience!
Thanks for the advice about the airport routes, makes sense that they will milk tourists.
But from then on im travelling like a true berliner.

http://www.vice.com/read/resist-control-a-guide-to-riding-berlin-public-transportation-for-free

http://thebillfold.com/2013/02/schwarzfahren-or-exploits-in-fare-evasion-while-living-in-berlin/

Just got back from an awesome few days in Berlin and want to thank all the contributors to this awesome Thread!

Landed on a late EasyJet flight to Tegel Airport, just walked to the S-Bahn and luckily the trains were still running. Ignored all the advice and didn't buy a ticket (I felt lucky)..

My first advice would be learn how to read the subway map before you arrive.. its not intuitively friendly to read at first or do what I did and ask someone/anyone.

http://subway.umka.org/maps/berlin.gif

I did not encounter a ticket inspector despite using both the S & U Bahns to get around and the people I spoke with rarely get controlled either. Admittedly I only schwarzfahren for the first day as my friend already had two strikes to her name so it would have been less fun getting caught.

However if you did want to buy a ticket learn how that machine works too.

Would recommend going to see the East Side Gallery along the Berlin Wall and the Holocaust memorial near the Brandenburg Gate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Gallery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Murdered_Jews_of_Europe

But the soviet memorial, in treptower park was the highlight - it just has a presence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_War_Memorial_(Treptower_Park)

Wouldn't bother with a bike in winter it was -7 in march.. id imagine Berlin in the summer is a completely different experience.

Minus 23 when I was there last year, -7 is positively balmy. Sounds like a good trip.

I'm going in June so hopefully it will be a bit warmer.

By June they will all be walking aroung the Tiergarten naked.

They probably do that in winter as well if you go in far enough...

another 20cm snow... oh man I need mudguards

Just got back from an awesome few days in Berlin and want to thank all the contributors to this awesome Thread!

Landed on a late EasyJet flight to Tegel Airport, just walked to the S-Bahn and luckily the trains were still running. Ignored all the advice and didn't buy a ticket (I felt lucky)..

My first advice would be learn how to read the subway map before you arrive.. its not intuitively friendly to read at first or do what I did and ask someone/anyone.

Glad to hear you had an awesome time it just gets better in the summer!
lol, my first advice would be to find out where you are though, then the maps become easier, I reckon you landed at Schönefeld!

Your right ... Schönefeld is connected to the S-Bahn.

I flewout from Schönefeld - took a get a taxi because it was insanely early takes about 20minutes from the city centre.

Apparently they are building a new all one which will take over for both.

you have schönefeld and tegel mixed up, schönefeld is the one conencted to s-bahn!

also, tegel may now remain open because BER will already be under-capacity by 2020

^Kolle, I think Tommy's being sarcastic, Berlin Wall EastSide Gallery? c'mon last sunday was mental(:

Fixed.
Your right.. I flew in and out of Schoenefeld but had to take an taxi to get an early flight to catch the Milian San Remo the next day.

In my defence I hadn't had any sleep for around the entire 48 hours I was in Berlin.

Okay yes the East Side Gallery is gimicky but at least its a free gimick.
Open to better suggestions on parts of the Wall and/or general street art to see for next time.

Sorry Tommy, lol i thought you were just messin' around.....schwarzfahren, easyjet landing at Tegel, could'nt read the maps and then Eastside Gallery last weekend
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTfG9XUsZLM"]David
Hasselhoff singt live an der East Side Gallery in Berlin - YouTube[/ame]