A beginning expatriate guide to Berlin

Settling into a new city can be difficult and when there is a language Barrier it can be even harder.

Berlin is better than most because there are many nationalities and most people speak some English, though an effort to speak German is always appreciated and school German can be understood more easily by non English speaking non-Germans. The first things to consider are food and having a place to sleep. After that there are legal rituals to be followed and the simple problems of getting from one place to another and locating an address once you find the right street can be challenging.

Hopefully this note will help with at least some of the initial difficulties.

You will probably spend the first week or two in a Hotel, Hostel or Bed and Breakfast. The hostel I used for the first few weeks gave a lowest price guarantee and demanded cash on arrival, even though the website said they took credit cards, the room had not been cleaned since the last guest left, and their bedding was till there. Nobody made an effort to clean the room while I was there ad there were constant arguments between staff and customers. I eventually found a cheaper Bed and Breakfast then moved into an apartment. My recommendation if you insist on a hostel or hotel is to book for a week then extend: but check for major events that might soak up all the hotels and guest houses in the city.

You can find good bed and Breakfast accommodation on http://www.bedandbreakfast.de the booking process is not instant but is reliable.

When looking for an apartment there are a few traps you might fall into. There are two types of rent, Warmmiete and Kaltmiete : warm and cold rent, basically inclusive (warm) or exclusive (kalt) of bills, sometimes confused with furnished and unfurnished. Kaltmeite is cheaper.

When renting get a clear statement of what is included or you may arrive to find the fitted kitchen or even the bath has gone. You need to be clear whether the rent includes utility bills and the TV licence. Not many landlords will try to cheat you but the culture is probably very different. from what you have been used to.

When you take up a flat you will normally have to pay a month's rent in advance, a month's rent s deposit and about one month's rent to the agency introduced you to the landlord. You may also find the agent's terms of business let them demand a further commission from you if you extend the lease

If you are coming to Berlin to work take advice on accommodation from fellow expats especially as to good and bad locations: There are parts of Berlin for example where non-whites may be at risk. Anglophone expats may find useful advice on http://www.toytown.de but things change rapidly and good Google search is recommended.

Every expatriate has to register with the town hall as soon as they move out of a hotel into an apartment. You must inform the authorities if you change address. These rules apply to German Nationals and I think you have to re-register your car if you move to another city. If you are not an EU national extra rules apply.

You can register at any registration office in the city and can ring to make an appointment. You can ask for an English speaker ( Or whatever your language is) and may even get one. You need to bring you passport and a copy of your rent agreement and a completed registration form which can be downloaded from the internet.

In Berlin you are unlikely to need a car, even if you have a family. Public transport is good, and there are a lot of cycle tracks: you are legally obliged to use any available cycle track by the way.

Berlin's public transport network is divided into three zones, A, B and C. AB is enough for almost everyone. Tickets are available from machines in underground stations but not on most trams or buses. Short trip tickets ( up to three stops), single tickets ( unlimited travel for two hours no round trip allowed) or day tickets valid till three am need to be stamped using machines on the station platform. You can also buy monthly tickets from these machines and the monthly tickets do not need stamping. There is an option to specify the start date for a monthly ticket – look for the words “Gleitend” (Flexible). All tickets let you use the underground, trams, S.Bahn and regional trains in the zones where it is valid. If you travel without a ticket and are caught it's a 40 Euro fine and you may end in court. If you have a dog or a bicycle you have to pay extra. However children can apparently travel free evenings and weekends if accompanying a ticket holder.

The underground is fast and frequent so you need not worry about missing a train and many services are 24/7. In the centre of the city you may find a journey takes 20 minutes by underground and five on foot so be ready to experiment. The underground map is not hard to understand but there is no index to tell you which station is on which line. The Tram map is harder to follow and I have yet to find bus map. After while though the system will seem obvious.

One last tip: smoking is forbidden on the underground.