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Location map chez Google here.
Transportation to the IETF 96 venue - the InterContinental Berlin
(Please note the Pullman Berlin Schweizerhof is across the street from the InterContinental Berlin on Budapester Strasse, so the transportation instructions need little change to get to the Pullman.)
Arrival Coordination - For ease of finding someone to share a taxi to the IETF venue from the airport.
Departure Coordination - For ease of taxi sharing back to the airport after IETF 96.
The official language of Berlin is German. Time zone: CEST = UTC+2
Berlin has a very good public transportation system. The U-Bahn (underground or subway) system operates from 4am-1am on weekdays and 24 hours on weekends. Bus lines starting with M operate 24/7 with a maximum interval of 30 minutes (less during daytime)
Ticket information and maps for S-Bahn and U-Bahn and the Berlin city bus system can be found here (includes information about multi-day tickets): Fares and Route Maps
Additional site with more information.
From Tegel airport, the X9 bus runs every ten minutes to the Zoo station. From Zoo, it's about a 10 minute walk to the Intercontinental, or you can take the 200 bus which stops across the street from the hotel.
The trip requires an AB ticket, available for €2.70 at a kiosk or one of the ticket machines at the airport. If you expect to travel around Berlin, a week AB pass is about 30€.
The InterContinetal Berlin offers pool and whirlpool, saunas, fitness centre and solarium (there is an extra charge for sauna use).
The Pullman also has a spa, swimming pool, and gym. Sauna and Turkish steambath are included, but massages are extra.
There are jogging trails in the nearby Tiergarten. Online running routes in Berlin can be found here.
IETF 96 Hackathon, July 16 and 17, 2016
ACM, IRTF, & ISOC Applied Networking Research Workshop 2016, Saturday, July 16, 2016, Berlin, Germany (co-located with IETF96)
IETF 96 Bundle Name Bar BOF, Wed. July 20, 2016
Bad Attitude Pecha Kucha, Thursday, July 21, Time 22:30; Room TBD.
Banks are usually open Mo-Fr from 10-17 h.
Just a 10 minutes walk from the convention center there's a travelers' bank called “Reisebank” outside Zoologischer Garten train station. They offer currency exchange, acceptance of traveler cheques and are open daily.
Bank of America partners internationally with Deutsche Bank so customers of BoA may use the Deutsche Bank ATMs without incurring the BoA out-of-network usage fees (however, according to the BoA site, they will assess an international transaction fee).
Togo Waschwelt, Uhlandstraße 53, 10719 Berlin, Germany - 2.5km from the InterContinental Berlin - open 6am-10pm
If you want to go shopping in Berlin and if you are looking for things and fashion which are typical for the city, a good tour is to walk up (and down) Kastanienallee with a side trip to Oderbergerstrasse.
There are plenty of shops with Berlin Fashion and small gifts:
Makers Market Makers Market (Outdoor, Sundays and check website)
and much more. There also many shops around Hackescher Markt (take the “S-Bahn” from Zoo); and don't forget to visit Hackesche Höfe. Most shops can be found in “Alte Schönhauser Strasse” Major attractions usually have also gift shops scattered around the attraction.
KaDeWe (“Kaufhaus des Westens”) is the largest department store in continental Europe and in walking distance. They have a very large Gourmet Floor which is really worth a visit:
KaDeWe Walking Distance
Short walk from the meeting site:
Conrad Electronic Kleiststraße 30-31, 10787 Berlin
There are two large electronic chains in Germany: MediaMarkt and Saturn. Both have very large stores at Alexanderplatz. Take the underground or S-Bahn from Underground stop “Zoologischer Garten” (about 15 Minutes travel time):
Mediamarkt Alexanderplatz locate inside Alexa Shopping Mall (Pink Building)
Apple Store at Kurfürstendamm Walking distance
if you need electronic components you find them at Conrad (sometimes a little expensive) or at a small local store:
segor electronics, Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 94 electronic parts
Information given on the 96attendees mailing list:
Eplus is available at many supermarkets/drugstores, and is reported to be 15 Euros for 640 MB of Internet. It uses an app installed on the device.
Blau sim cards are available at the airport. Although it was mentioned the activation has an only German-language menu.
US T-Mobile customers with their Simple Choice plan, they are providing free full-speed LTE data roaming in Europe this July and August, rather than their usual limited-speed roaming.
For a start, tipping in Berlin is not obligatory. Serving staff in Germany earn a living wage and don't depend on tips.
Nevertheless it is very common to leave a tip if you enjoyed your meal and service. 5- 10% of the bill is a common amount for a gratuity.
Do so by either:
Do not leave money on the table! Of course the servers would probably get it but it is not the custom, and someone else could easily come along and take it in a crowded restaurant.
Restaurants at the InterContinental
At the Hotel Pullman Berlin Schweizerhof
Note: Not all Restaurants in Berlin accept credit cards.
SocialEventTicketExchange - the exchange is self-organized.
Cafe Einstein Kurfürstenstr 58, 10758 Berlin 15 minute walk
Starbucks Kurfürstenstr 231, 10758 Berlin 15 minute walk
Schwarzes Cafe Kantstr. 148, 10623 Berlin 20 minute walk. Open 24 hours, except on Tuesdays (they close from 3am to 10am)
Quasimodo Kantstr. 12a, D - 10623 Berlin 15 minute walk, big patio