BMW to Berlin

Hi chaps. Just decided that me n' the missus will take our first overseas jaunt this year on the trusty GS. Weve decided that a trip to Germany would be both rewarding and an interesting introduction for Karen to overseas biking. Personally Id like to visit the BMW bike factory and I understand that visits can be arranged. In short, Im looking for anyone thats carried out such a trip from the UK who would be in a position to give me advice / tips regarding best crossing in relation to the Channel, bike friendly stop-overs, places to stay once on site etc etc. As ever, regards and respect MJK :monkyswin

Berlin

When are you thinking of going? Might be able to point out some places to stay etc. Couple of us here on this site are about 4 hours away from Berlin. Let us know.

Macca

Are you planning to camp or looking to do it Posh ?

I'm in Belgium so happy to show you some of this boring little country

I took the bike over to Berlin last May. I used the tunnel (partly for curiosity as I'd never been on it before, and partly for speed - an impressive 25 mins) to cross the Channel. My main intention was to see some of the World War II sites, eg Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Arnhem, the Airbourne Museum in Oosterbeek etc. I guess your wife may not be overly keen on the military history, so why not take the ferry to Amsterdam. Link to Eurotunnel prices etc HERE

It took me 2 days to get to Berlin itself. The first day was spent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. I ended the first day in a town called Bad Bentheim just over the German border. The second day I spent travelling along the Autobahn directly to Berlin (with an approx 90 mile round trip detour to visit Bergen Belsen). If I'd gone directly, it would have taken approx 5 hours riding time. Using the Autobahns mean you can cover big distances in a shortish time, but a word of advice - be very careful when changing to their equivalent of Lane 3. Although I didn't see an accident, I saw several "near misses" and the speeds some of the cars travel at don't give a big margin of error. You could be cruising along quite happily in Lane 3 one second and literally within 10 seconds, you would see a pair of headlights in your mirror approaching at speed.

I would definately recommend GPS. I took a paper map as a back up but I don't think I looked at it once. In your case (with 2 of you) guiding by map would be easier, but the GPS made the trip a joy.

I also found the GPS superb for finding places to stay, but the only hotel I booked before leaving was the Ibis Hotel in Berlin. The secure underground car park was the best I have used, and was worth paying a bit extra for the peace of mind that the bike was safe. If you need the tel no, address etc PM me. Somehow sorting out the accommodation while on the road, added to the adventure.

I only spent 2 days in Berlin - which wasn't enough. If I find myself in that area again, I would definately go back for a second visit. I'm sure you will love it.

Thanks thus far chaps. Probably looking to travel April / May time and would like to stay 'in residence' as opposed to 'under canvas' !. Actually, now that you come to mention it - perhaps the old tunnel under the briny may not be a bad idea. What do they or DID they charge for a bike + passengers ? Thanks for the offer of help and assistance....just beware because we may just give you a call ! Regards MJK.....have one on me !

GSdude said:

Actually, now that you come to mention it - perhaps the old tunnel under the briny may not be a bad idea. What do they or DID they charge for a bike + passengers ?

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Can't remember what I paid, but using the link above and picking a date at random in April gave me £59 for a return ticket. Not bad IMHO.

Ibis Berlin

Sorry to hijack the thread, but two of us are off on a trip at the end of April via Berlin, so if Taff has those Ibis details they'll come in very handy for me (esp. if it's close to lots of bars and restaurants!).
It looks as though I can hit Berlin in one hit from the Hook overnight ferry, and thoughts on this?
Cheers.

You need to book in advance to visit the factory. Your contact is a guy named Frank Sensenschmidt and you can find all you need here.

It's a 2-day ride to Berlin, but there are some great places to visit both en-route and on a tour of the area.

We had a Tossers tour in 2004 - you might get some ideas by reading this thread.

Greg

berlin trip

In response to Beefy, I did Hook to Berlin in one last year as I was heading for Poland. Certainly do-able as it's motorway almost all the way (except for a short stretch at Bad Oyenhausen near Osnabruck. I reached a hotel on the south side of Belin at about 4.30 having stopped once for fuel and another couple of times for a coffee break.

Mike

Britishbeefy said:

.. so if Taff has those Ibis details they'll come in very handy for me (esp. if it's close to lots of bars and restaurants!)..

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I stayed at the Ibis Hotel, 4 Anhalter Strasse, Berlin. N52.50473 E13.38355

Tel: 0049 3026 1050 - just 15 mins walk from the Brandenburg Gate.