Berlin’s best museum imho is the Pergamon Museum. It is on Museum Island which has (with German obviousness) other museums! These include the one with the famous bust of Nefertiti.
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I didn’t list ALL of the obvious things.
Bugger the bikes…hire a Trabant…the East German piece of crap that is laughingly called a car.
It’s pretty kitsch but a fun time. I would recommend it
Unfortunately, The Pergamon Museum is closed until further notice due to the need for major renovations. (I was going to post about it but read up on it first and found out about the renos).
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Dachau is an easy day trip from Munich.
Berchtesgaden is do-able from Munich but far easier and more convenient from Salzburg.
The Deutches Technikmuseum was one I thought was on Museuminsel, but my memory was misplaced. That, and the one on the Iser in Munich are both worth a visit.
I’d be interested in doing the DDR Museum if I were to go back to Berlin…which is currently projected for next year.
I’d had an idea the Trabant Museum was near Checkpoint Charlie.
So because I have a meniscus tear I’m not going to do my normal May holiday of choose a country, and travel city to city visiting museums, galleries, parks, monuments and other cultural sites. I can’t do the walking/standing required. Instead, I’ll probably just go to a resort and play in the pool, sea and read. I’ve identified a resort in Thailand’s south that looks promising.
I’ve never been to Thailand so hoping for some answers to a few questions?
- Any issues going there in May?
- Should I stay a few nights in Bangkok or go straight to the resort?
- If I stay in Bangkok, any must dos?
- The resort is in the region of Khao Lak. Any knowledge/suggestions around that area?
- Is there a better option than Thailand for a single traveller? I was considering Fiji for the shorter flights but a friend said it’s more expensive and the beaches aren’t as good.
May is the start of the wet season in Khao Lak and hotels are usually at their cheapest but ive found it’s a great time to visit. Resorts are usually a bit quieter and less tourists about especially the Russians. Weather is really unpredictable as even in May you might get little to no rain or it will dump down for a few hours and clear. If you are really unlucky you might get 3 days of solid rain. I’m not really into diving or snorkelling but a few friends are and they avoid the area around that time as the sea gets a bit choppy and visibility is poor but if you are like me and are happy to stay in the resort pool you are fine. Beaches might close at resorts of weather gets bad.
Beautiful part of the world and most resorts are of good standard and if you want to relax it’s perfect. As to Bangkok it’s a marvellous city and easily worth several days visit but depending on any connecting flights/arrival times you can avoid it and go straight to your resort. Phuket airport is your closest airport to Khao Lak and is about an hour away and taxis/transfers are normally about $80-100 (I haven’t been since pre Covid so may need to check it out) Krabi airport is about 2hrs away and some people fly into there but personally I think the connections to Phuket from Bangkok are far better. With Phuket airport being an International hub you also have direct flights from Australia with Jetstar most days and great connections via Singapore with multiple daily’s and inmost people I know actually prefer to go via Singapore to avoid backtracking and prices are often better. If you do go to Bangkok make sure your flights to Phuket are from the main airport and not Don Mueang which many LCC’s carriers use as the airports are miles apart
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Thailand is a great place to holiday. Unlike @Aceman , I am not a fan of Bangkok, probably because I visited there so often on business. Busy place, lots of traffic, good food though.
Phuket is nice, lots to do and some great hotels. Koh Samui is great, a bit quieter with great hotels as well. Pattaya is OK , but still a bit sleazy.
My current favourite is Hua Hin; great weather, lots to see, great hotels, food and the people are friendlier than anywhere else I have been.
Actually doesn’t matter where you go as everywhere is good.
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Thank you. So very useful! And encouraging.
Thanks.
The good thing about Phuket as Ace says, is that it is so easy to get there.
Last few times, we did QANTAS to Singapore on points and then JetStar Asia to Phuket in about two hours for less than $360 return.
We’ll be in New Zealand in August and have booked a car for a few days. The difference between picking up the car at the airport as opposed to picking the car up in Auckland city was incredible - $NZ 311 v $NZ 1059. Same car, same hire company, same pick up/drop off details except the location. So I’m going to pay $80 odd for a taxi out to the airport, pick up the car, and save a packet!
and now I’m second guessing myself - is there something I’ve overlooked? why on earth is it such a huge difference?!
out of interest, I checked to see if it was similar in Melbourne - it’s the reverse! for the same car it’s $306 for two days when picking up in West Melbourne, but $559 from the airport!! $240 difference!
EDIT - for clarification, when I say ‘same car’ I don’t mean it was the same car as the one we’re getting in Auckland, I mean I was just comparing the same car across the two locations in Melbourne 
Day 3 here in Taipei, spent in Beitou (a hot spring area kinda like Daylesford).
More when I have some time, but I love this city. Parts remind me of Hong Kong, others of Singapore and others still of Shanghai, perhaps even KL. Like a melting pot of all the above, and so easy to get around.
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Agree. It’s a truly wonderful city and an amazing country. If you get the chance to return definitely do it and get out into the country it’s absolutely stunning
Car hire companies work on a complex matrix. Usually there is an airport tax for picking up or dropping off off at an airport and then things like one way fees, availability, inventory etc. As a rule even with airport tax it’s often cheaper to pick up at the airport as the agencies will have the bulk of the stock as most people drop off cars at the airport not in the city. The first week on back in Australia I’ve got a work meeting in Melbourne on the Thursday and I’m going to take Friday off and drive up to my folks and the car agency wanted $790 for the 3 days to pick up in the City or $340 to collect at airport.
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And the local Russian population are very friendly.
You forgot your sarcastica font…
A lot of the “bad ones” have been run out of town. 