Potentially Moving to Berlin

[happos2]

So might be moving to Berlin for work for a few years (will work on the outerloop south of Berlin). Been doing some reading and looking for areas to live. Any suggestions (Married and am 28 and we like to be social, no kids yet, love to travel, like the outdoors, like food). This is a very wide open question so feel free to elaborate on your thoughts.

Thank you!!

[ellekz]

Hey,

I'm assuming you also wanna live in the southern part of town since your work place is also there? It really depends on what kind of living situation you want and what your budget is. We have pretty much every type of neighborhood there is.

Lots of younger people (by younger people I mean 20-35) live in Kreuzberg, which is very active and is not lacking hipsters, clubs, bars, and eateries. If that's your kind of thing. A little bit further north/east is Friedrichshain which is also like Kreuzberg but a little bit more clean but has still the same vibe as Kreuzberg.
There's some good parts of town in the center and more to the north but it's gonna suck balls if you're planning on driving to work every day Most people take public transportation (it's really good in Berlin, but has its weirdos during non-commuter times).
If you're more into the "quieter and higher, house instead of apartment" type, check out Zehlendorf or Steglitz... maybe even Potsdam.

If you don't care how far work is, check out Prenzlauer Perg, Mitte and Charlottenburg as well. With public transportation you can usually reach most of the stuff in 30min if you're not planning on going all the way from the east, all the way to the west

In Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain you'll find most of the people are from somewhere around the world and English as a language is very dominant. You'll find most of the native English and Americans in Prenzlauer Berg though (with kids very often).

Neighborhoods to definitely avoid (IMO): Marzahn, Hellersdorf, Reinickendorf, some parts of Spandau, some parts of Lichtenberg, some parts of Treptow-Köpenick, some parts of Neukölln.

Also, definitely don't underestimate how hard it is to get an apartment. There's usually between 20 and 50 people coming to an open house viewing. 99% of the time the guy who makes the most money and seems low-risk is gonna get the apartment. You might luck out, but if you don't have any insider help, plan on spending at least 1 week full time looking at apartments. 2-4 weeks is more likely.

Well, I think that's enough basic information for now If you have further questions, feel free to ask.

[happos2]

Originally Posted by ellekz

...... .

Great information. I had a coworker live in Charlottenburg and loved it. He also mentioned Stigletz as a good place. Definitely want to live somewhere west / south to make the commute easier to work (I do plan on driving to work, commuting elsewhere in the city on weekends / evenings). English would be nice, but I respect other cultures and plan on buckling down and speaking german most of the time.

As for the vibe in Kruezberg, not sure I want to live there, but plan on visiting as needed.

I have heard it is difficult to get apartments. My company will help locate me, but I am still planning on putting in a lot of effort.

I greatly appreciate the reply and I am sure I will have more questions as things start lining up.

[happos2]

Definitely moving to Berlin, signed my contract!!! Really looking forward to the move!!

[ellekz]

Congrats. When are you leaving? If soon, be prepared for a harsh winter (well, not every year, but at times it gets to -5°F (yes, °F, that's -20°C)). Wintertime is also mostly time for everything to be just boring and gray So keep looking forward to spring and summer!

[happos2]

Originally Posted by ellekz

Congrats. When are you leaving? If soon, be prepared for a harsh winter (well, not every year, but at times it gets to -5°F (yes, °F, that's -20°C)). Wintertime is also mostly time for everything to be just boring and gray So keep looking forward to spring and summer!

Thanks!! They want me to start in December but I doubt the paperwork will be in order by then. Need to sell the house here as well... I love cold weather (big skiier) so that doesn't bother me. Last year we had a ridiculously harsh winter here in Indiana with many days in the single digits and a total of 55" of snow. I will be waiting for the nice weather though!!

I posted a seperate thread on car suggestions...any thoughts?

[happos2]

Looks like I will be flying out December 1st! Really looking forward to being in Germany!

[W///]

Originally Posted by happos2

Looks like I will be flying out December 1st! Really looking forward to being in Germany!

I lived in Munich for about 7 months and loved it.

In terms of cars, I'd recommend something small. The streets aren't as narrow as the ones I ran into in England, but parking is still much tighter than in the US.

Personally, I'd get a hatchback if I were to move back there (still a chance I do). They also have some nice beefy diesels there that would be fun to have.

Congrats on the new opportunity.

[happos2]

Originally Posted by W///

I lived in Munich for about 7 months and loved it.

In terms of cars, I'd recommend something small. The streets aren't as narrow as the ones I ran into in England, but parking is still much tighter than in the US.

Personally, I'd get a hatchback if I were to move back there (still a chance I do). They also have some nice beefy diesels there that would be fun to have.

Congrats on the new opportunity.

Thank you! I have been really looking at a VW Golf (5-door) with the Diesel. I want to really save my money for travelling rather than putting it into a super fun car. So, I need something efficient but still classy enough that I don't have driving it.

I did find a nice A4 diesel, but I think that is starting to get too big. Been looking at the BMW 1 series as well, but I feel you get a better bang for you buck out of VW.

[W///]

Originally Posted by happos2

Thank you! I have been really looking at a VW Golf (5-door) with the Diesel. I want to really save my money for travelling rather than putting it into a super fun car. So, I need something efficient but still classy enough that I don't have driving it.

I did find a nice A4 diesel, but I think that is starting to get too big. Been looking at the BMW 1 series as well, but I feel you get a better bang for you buck out of VW.

Well the new MK7 Golf's have been getting rave reviews, but of course that's a new car (I don't know what your budget is). A car that you can get there that I've always loved are the VW Scirocco's. They look so awesome!!!

Another fun car (although I don't know reliable it would be) is a MINI Cooper Sd (it's a diesel).

I would consider only diesels if I were you. While I was there for those months, I rented an E92 M3 a couple of times and it drained my wallet dry at the gas station.

Oooh. If you don't mind having a bigger car, but want to save $$$, I'd highly consider an E39 530d. Pretty reliable cars, I6 diesels are to die for (rented an F11 530d and the torque was nuts). I'm completely thinking out loud here

P.S. A BMW 120d or 123d would be a nice choice as well. They aren't overly expensive because they are pretty much everywhere in Germany, nice and compact (although not the best looking, but who cares), and handle like an E46.

[happos2]

Originally Posted by W///

Well the new MK7 Golf's have been getting rave reviews, but of course that's a new car (I don't know what your budget is). A car that you can get there that I've always loved are the VW Scirocco's. They look so awesome!!!

Another fun car (although I don't know reliable it would be) is a MINI Cooper Sd (it's a diesel).

I would consider only diesels if I were you. While I was there for those months, I rented an E92 M3 a couple of times and it drained my wallet dry at the gas station.

Oooh. If you don't mind having a bigger car, but want to save $$$, I'd highly consider an E39 530d. Pretty reliable cars, I6 diesels are to die for (rented an F11 530d and the torque was nuts). I'm completely thinking out loud here

P.S. A BMW 120d or 123d would be a nice choice as well. They aren't overly expensive because they are pretty much everywhere in Germany, nice and compact (although not the best looking, but who cares), and handle like an E46.

Diesel for me it is! Man I love searching for cars. I will look into the Scirocco as I haven't done that yet. If I can get a decent 120D, I might look into that as well. Petrol is ridiculously expensive and the diesels just get great gas mileage so yea, sticking with the diesel.

[W///]

Originally Posted by happos2

Diesel for me it is! Man I love searching for cars. I will look into the Scirocco as I haven't done that yet. If I can get a decent 120D, I might look into that as well. Petrol is ridiculously expensive and the diesels just get great gas mileage so yea, sticking with the diesel.

Yea I wouldn't even touch an NA gasoline engine there. Diesel is absolutely the only way to go, plus their resale value there is good.

I think they are definitely awesome looking cars:


Having said that, I do prefer the engine in the 120d though and they handle really well too (RWD).

I think you are on the right path though, save money so you can do travels. That's what I did (and the rest of the money went into a down payment for the E92 M3 when I came back Stateside).

I don't know how feasible it is (or how different Berlin is to Munich), but I'd even consider skipping on having a car completely. Why?
- Parking spots at these apartments are ridiculous expensive. And parking on the street was such a hassle because there weren't many spots. I spent 1 hour circling around my hotel trying to find a spot for my rental car
- The public transportation system is epic in Munich. Granted, my hotel was literally on top of a grocery store so that helped
- As we said, gas is expensive.
- For when you do need a rental car, they aren't too ridiculously expensive, and the offices are all over the place.

Just my 2 cents. It'd be a great way to pocket the money instead, but I do understand that we are comparing 2 3.5 month stints in Germany vs a 2 year move.

P.S. I might be moving to Munich in a couple of years myself (probably for 12 to 18 months) so I think about this stuff all the time