Of all the train stations I visited while in Berlin this was the ideal; beautiful architecture due…read moreto its age. It has a shopping center district around it. Blocks away, bars, shops, restaurants with patio seating surrounds the area. This is its own tourist destination and not just a train station stop. I would not have guessed it opened in 1882. For such an old station it is not run-down nor dated - relatively clean too. The architecture is uncommon and quite amazing with lots of brickwork. What's more amazing is seeing trains going by above ground but within an enclosure!

The station opened in 1882!…read more Connection: S5 for Ostbahnhof, Ostkreuz, Strasberg Nord; S7 for Ostbahnhof, Ostkreuz, Ahrensfelde; S75 for Ostbahnhof, Ostkreuz, Wartenberg S5 for Hauptbahnhof(Central Station), Zoologischer Garten, Spandau; S7 for Hauptbahnhof(Central Station), Zoologischer Garten, Potsdam Hbf; S75 for Hauptbahnhof(Central Station), Zoologischer Garten, Westkreuz I would advise to go outside the station to check a weekly market held every Thursday and Saturday, shopping area around the Hackescher Markt square and the Hackesche Höfe

Brandenburger Tor is one of the nicer metro stations I visited on my trip to Berlin, as you can…read moretell with the name it serves the Brandenburger Tor which is basically the Brandenburg Gate which is one of the main and key attractions in Berlin. It is located on the U55 line which is quite useful for connections into Bundestag and Berlin Central Station, the overall journey across the line from Brandenburger Tor to the Hauptbanhof (Central Station) is 8 minutes and as I recall, this is the only line this station is on, meaning most likely you're going to have to visit another train station to change, being one of those two, to get the metro into Brandenburger Tor, perhaps because of this, it might just be easier to get the bus as I found to be easier when traveling from my Hotel. I called at this station by chance, hoping to get into Central Station so I used the U55 line to go the full length of the train route which is 8 minutes. There did appear to be one end of the station cornered off, which probably was the place you would get off the train for the U55 here at Brandenburger Tor, so they appeared to be turning and using the other plaform for some reason. This metro station did also seem bright and modern, it didn't seem old, dark and smelly like some trains on the network and also had lift access, warranting a solid three star rating which is supported by the location being meters away from the Brandenburg Gate. 3 star rating due to reasons discussed above, sadly I don't feel it is worth any higher as the station remains understaffed and of course it is only on the U55 line.

I first visited Berlin in the early 1980s, and when the wall was up. During my visit, I had the…read moreopportunity to ride the West Berlin S-bahn, which traveled in part under East Berlin and through the ghost stations or Geisterbahnhof . I remember the train slowing down through a brightly lit and empty station, except for an East German guard or two.. I still vividly remember the green tiles line the walls of the Unter den Linden (not Brandenburger Tor) station. I had the opportunity to return to the Brandenburger Tor station last year. I was walking down the Unter den Linden and heading towards the Brandenburg gate, where this time I could freely walk through unlike the Berlin Wall days. The station came into view in front of me and I immediately knew that I had been here before (albeit in passing underground). I walked downstairs, walked through the corridors and touched those green tiles. That's quite a reminder of what was and how walls could happen again.