Finding somewhere to stay in Berlin is pretty easy given the oversupply of places and the trusting nature of people here. I'll deal with hostels in another post, but for those wanting to stay for a few weeks or a few months then you'll want something a bit more stable, private and most of all cheap.
There's a big ex-pat community here, and that's where your best chance is of getting something short-term, as often it seems people go off travelling or back to their home country for extended periods. Best of all for me was craigs lists which has the added advantage of being mainly in English (as it started in the States). You may also want to try reading or posting an ad in the main ex-pat magazine, Exberliner. It's free, s0 why not. Toytown Germany is a mine of information and also carries a few ads.
Now be careful, as there are people on there taking the piss with their prices, and it's best have a clear idea about what's good value and what's not. You should expect to pay a bit of a premium for the freedom of not being bound by a contract. However not too much. Any Berliner will be able to tell you if it's a stupid price for the room size/location. Cheapest is to get a shared flat (a WG) that's inclusive of most bills ("Warm" as they say), but sometimes a 2 room flat isn't much more if you want privacy.
This is another great site for what are generally longer term rentals. It imaginatively called WG Gesucht (see what they did there?). Because of the way you can sort ads by area, it gave me a good idea about what costs what, where. Don't be surprised to find a lack of pictures, which is a massive frustration. People: cameras are now ubiquitous - use them!
0 comments:
Post a Comment