Berlin

From MaxTravelz

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and one of the 16 constituent states (Länder) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Berlin is the largest city in Germany and has a population of approximately 4.2 million within its metropolitan area (3.4 million people within the city limits). Berlin is best known for its historical associations as the German capital, for its lively nightlife, for its many cafes, clubs, and bars, and for its numerous museums, palaces, and other sites of historic interest. Berlin's architecture is quite varied: though badly damaged in the final years of World War II (in which Berlin formed the backdrop to Nazi Germany's downfall), Berlin has reconstructed itself greatly, and it is now possible to see representatives of many different historic periods in a short time within the compact city center, from a few surviving medieval buildings near Alexanderplatz, to the ultramodern glass and steel structures in Potsdamer Platz.

Contents 1 Districts 2 Understand 3 Get in 3.1 By air 3.2 By bus 3.3 By train 3.3.1 Stations 3.4 By car 4 Get around 4.1 By train 4.2 By tram 4.3 By bus 4.4 By cycle 5 See 5.1 Museums 5.2 Landmarks with observation decks 5.3 History 5.4 Zoo 5.5 Further remarkable constructions (not accessible for tourists) 6 Do 6.1 Explore 6.2 Recreation 6.3 Festivals 6.4 Parades 6.5 Theatre, Opera, Concerts, Cinema 6.6 Sport 6.7 Spa 7 Learn 8 Work 9 Buy 9.1 Flea Markets 9.2 Shops for Berlin Fashion 10 Eat 10.1 Waiters and tipping 10.2 Restaurants 10.3 Breakfast 11 Drink 11.1 Clubs 11.2 Bars 12 Sleep 12.1 Budget 12.2 Mid range 12.3 Splurge 13 Talk 14 Contact 15 Stay safe 16 Get out

Districts

Since Berlin was a divided city for such a long time, there is not really one city center. Berlin has many districts, called Bezirk, and each district has its unique style. Each Bezirk is composed of several Kiez - a Berlin term referring to "neighborhood", with their unique style. Some districts of Berlin are more worthy of the traveller's attention than others. Following are the districts of greatest interest:

• Mitte - the historical center of Berlin and the nucleus of the former East Berlin. Many cafes, restaurants, museums, galleries and clubs throughout the district, along with many sites of historic interest.
• Unter den Linden - The royal showpiece street in central Berlin, it leads from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate. Many historic buildings line the street, such as Humboldt University and the German Opera .
• Museuminsel ("Museum Island") - Largest accumulation of art and historic museums. The famoust museum is the Pergamon museum with the original temple
• Alexanderplatz - home to the Fernsehturm (TV Tower), an icon of Berlin and the second largest structure in Europe (after Moscow's TV Tower), which is easily visible throughout the city's central districts. Visitors can ride to the top of the tower in an elevator for amazing views of the city. Also home to the Galeria Kaufhof, a large shopping center.
• Ku'Damm - the lively Kurfürstendamm district, the nucleus of West Berlin, has many shops (from Gucci to C&A), restaurants and just starts reviewing. The main interest points lay between U-Bahnstation Wittenbergplatz and Kurfürstendamm
• Potsdamer Platz - divided in two by the Berlin Wall, this area has been newly developed since reunification in a modern style. It has a large shopping center and movie theatre complexs (3D IMAX).
• Tiergarten - a district of parks and monuments, sandwiched between the two main centers of the city. In the middle is the Neue See an oasis in the town and worth relaxing after a long walk
• Charlottenburg - centered around the Schloss Charlottenburg
• Schöneberg - cosy area for ageing hippies and young families. Famous are the markets on saturdays, the street cafes (e.g. Akazienstrasse)and the laisser faire live style
• Kreuzberg - associated with the left wing youth culture and Turkish immigrants, this district is somewhat noisier than most
• Prenzlauer Berg - a trendy area undergoing regeneration, north of the city center. Popular with students, lots of cafes and bars
• Friedrichshain - a trendy area as well - younger, less academic and much more punk between Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg. Students, bars, restaurants and a fancy flea market on Sundays also feature.
• Scheunenviertel Oldest area of Berlin with remarkable restores houses
• Neukölln Working class borough in the south with big contrasts

Berlin has been officially divided into 12 large districts (Bezirke) since January 2001, a simplification of the previous 23 smaller districts (Stadtteile, Bezirke) that was undertaken purely for administrative efficiency. The smaller districts remain foremost in popular conceptions of the city, however, and are generally of a more practical size and cultural division for the purposes of the traveller.

	New borough	Old boroughs
I	Mitte	Mitte, Tiergarten, Wedding
II	Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg	Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg
III	Pankow	Prenzlauer Berg, Weissensee (Weißensee), Pankow
IV	Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf	Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf, (unofficially shared between these two) the Ku'Damm district
V	Spandau	Spandau (unchanged)
VI	Steglitz-Zehlendorf	Steglitz, Zehlendorf
VII	Tempelhof-Schöneberg	Tempelhof, Schöneberg (Schöneberg)
VIII	Neukölln	Neukölln (unchanged)
IX	Treptow-Köpenick	Treptow, Köpenick
X	Marzahn-Hellersdorf	Marzahn, Hellersdorf
XI	Lichtenberg-Hohenschönhausen	Lichtenberg, Hohenschönhausen
XII	Reinickendorf	Reinickendorf (unchanged)

Understand

The foundation of Berlin was very multicultural. The surrounding area was populated by Germanic Swabian and Burgundian tribes, as well as Slavic Wends in prechristian times, and the Wends have stuck around. Their modern descendants are the Sorbian Slavic-language minority who live in villages near the Havel and Spree rivers.

In the beginning of the 13th century two cities (Berlin and Cölln) existed on each site of the river Spree. With the growth of people transiting through the river both fusioned and Berlin got a city of traders and farmers.

Starting in the 1600s, with large numbers of French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution, Berlin has welcomed asylum seekers, religious, economic or otherwise. In the second half of the 20th century Turkish Gastarbeiter (guest workers) and large numbers of immigrants from communist countries, including the former Yugoslavia and Vietnam, not to mention Soviet soldiers who refused to return home, have made Berlin more multicultural than ever.

Berlin is also a youth-oriented city. Before German unification, West Berliners were exempt from the West German civil/military service requirement. Social activists, pacifists and anti-governmental people moved to Berlin for that reason alone. Musicians and artists were given state subsidies, it was easy to stay out all night thanks to liberal bar licensing laws, and studying for years at the university was a great way to kill time. In constrast to most of Germany, Prenzlauer Berg is said to have the highest baby-per-capita rate in Europe.

Berlin is a relatively young city by European standards, dating only to the thirteenth century, and it has always had a reputation as a place filled with people from elsewhere. Someone who has lived in Berlin for ten years will see themselves as a "true Berliner," looking down on the person who has only been there for five. It's sometimes tough to find someone born and raised here! This is part of Berlin's charm: it never gets stuck in a rut.

But it's not all beer bashes and café-sitting. One of the most important "products" produced in Berlin by both academic and company-sponsored institutes is research. Research is exported around the world just like something tangible. German labor is highly efficient but comes at high cost. Strong trade unions, lower subsidies (Berlin-Zulage) and high administrative regulation forced a change to high quality and expensive products to maintain the current systems. Students striked in Berlin for no tuition fees in the last years, the universities have grown to their limits and most schools do not get enough money for material. The 18% unemployment rate in Berlin is calculated without students, house wifes and self employed people (Scheinselbständige).

Some famous artists of the region and their best-known works include Lucas Cranach the Elder, Lucas Cranach the Younger, Johann Gottfried Schadow, Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel), Leni Riefenstahl (Triumph of the Will), Bertold Brecht (Threepenny Opera), Käthe Kollwitz, Kurt Tucholsky, Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, FW Murnau (Nosferatu), Fritz Lang (Metropolis), Volker Schlöndorff, Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire (German: Der Himmel über Berlin)), Blixa Bargeld/Einstürzende Neubauten, Christopher Isherwood, Gunter Grass (The Tin Drum), members of the Bauhaus architectural movement.

A certain uneasy detente still exists between some former residents of East and West Berlin (and Germany). Wessi evolved as a derogatory nickname for a West German; its corollary is Ossi. The implication here is that after reunification, the West Germans automatically assumed the way they do things is the right way, and the way the Easterners should start doing it, too. Westerners got a reputation for being arrogant. They saw the Easterners as stubborn Communist holdouts only interested in a handout from the "rich West". Consider a shirt for sale in a shop inside the Alexanderplatz Deutsche Bahn station: Gott, schütze mich vor Sturm und Wind/und Wessies die im Osten sind ("God, protect me from the storm and wind, and Wessies who are in the East").

Berlin, especially the former East, has evolved into a cultural mecca since the reunification. Artists and other creative souls flocked to the city in swarms after the wall fell, primarily due to the extremely low cost of living in the East. Despite the increased prices and gentrification as a result, Berlin has become a center for art, multimedia, electronic music, and fashion among other things. The particularly high number of students and young people in the city has only helped this cause. Just stroll down a street in Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, or Mitte to get a glimpse of the new East Berlin.

Berlin is a beautiful city so allow good time to get to see the sights; a good map, such as the Rough Guide Berlin map, is highly recommended. Whilst the public transport system is superb it can get confusing, due to lack of signposting in some of the larger stations, so a good rail map is also essential. Roads into Berlin can be confusing so plan your route and drive carefully. This also applies to cyclists.

Berlin's Tourist Information Office is an excellent resources in finding out more about Berlin providing a wealth of practical information and useful links.

Get in

Due to the cold war in Berlin most major infrastructural items like e.g. airports were build up twice. One in the east and in one in west Berlin. The challenge today is to combine this two former systems and build a infrastructure that serves all people in the metropolitan Berlin area.

By air

Berlin has three airports :

• Tegel International Airport (TXL) - located in the north-west of the city; the main airport for the flagcarriers (Lufthansa, BA, Air France, KLM, Delta etc) and hub for domestic flights as well as those from western Europe and the USA

• Schönefeld (SXF) - southeast of the city centre; increasingly the focus for low-cost airlines (e.g. Ryanair, Easyjet and GermanWings)and charter flights in addition to traffic from Asia and eastern Europe.

• Tempelhof (THF) - a small relic of the pre-war era due for closure at some point, Tempelhof is located immediately south of the city centre but has only a small number of connections serviced mainly by domestic and european flights (Eurowings, Windrose Air, SN Brussels and numerous minor business carriers)

There are plans to move all flights to Schönefeld and rename it Berlin Brandenburg International Airport. BBI is due to open by 2009. At that point some or all of the other airports, located within the city, are due to close, moving air traffic away from the centre of Berlin.

Various airlines, such as Lufthansa,British Airways and Air France have direct flight connections between Berlin and major German and European cities. Lufthansa, the German flag carrier airline, has several own counters in Tegel. It can be difficult to find a direct flight to Berlin from outside of Europe. Most airlines will fly to their major hub airports such as Frankfurt and Munich and offer connecting (or code-share) flights to Berlin.

Since end of 2005 Delta and Continental Airlines have established daily direct flights from New York (JFK and Newark).

By bus

As with all major cities, many bus companies offer connections to Berlin, both national and international, from over 350 destinations in Europe. Long distance buses arrive at Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof (Central Bus Terminal) in Charlottenburg.

By train

Berlin is served by IC, ICE, EuroCity and InterRegio trains. The German train corporation Deutsche Bahn (DB) offers ICE connections between Berlin and most other large German cities. If you arrive in Berlin on DB, you are entitled to use your ticket to travel by S-Bahn (local commuter), but not U-Bahn (the city underground system), to your destination as because the S-Bahn is a part of DB.

Several night trains from/to Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich and Vienna travel every day. They are popular with backpackers, so better have a reservation. There are although some long-haul trains leaving to Eastern European Cities (Warsaw, Kaliningrad and Moscow). Most of these trains leave from Bahnhof Lichtenberg in Eastern Berlin. Make sure you have a reservation because these rides a very popular.

Stations

During the times of its division, Berlin had two main train stations: Zoologischer Garten (Bahnhof Zoo for short) in the West, and Hauptbahnhof in the East. After the fall of the wall the former Hauptbahnhof has been renamed Ostbahnhof while a brand new main station is being built close to the Reichstag called Berlin Hauptbahnhof (currently only served by S-Bahn). This is due for completion in May 2006.

By car

The easiest way to get around Berlin is my foot. Most places are better accessed while walking since some someplaces don't have roads going straight to them. All main roads and motorways join the Berliner Ring, or the A10, from which you can access the inner city. The city motorway is usually very crowded during rush hour.

Get around

Berlin's city center is conveniently compact and most of the major sights and venues can be accessed easily enough on foot. Failing that, or in case of bad weather or little time, the traveller can make use of the excellent bus and train services to get around. Taxi services are also easy to use but more expensive. You can hail a cab (the yellow light on the top shows the cab is free), or find a taxi stand (Taxistand). Be sure you get the driver's attention before you get in at a taxi stand; he or she may be asleep. Taxi drivers are in general able to speak English.

Check the Berlin route planner (in English) to get excellent maps and schedules for the U-Bahn, Buses, S-Bahn and Trams, or to print your personal journey planner. The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) have a detailed fare list on their web site . There are vending machines selling all ticket types on the platforms at every station of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn. They offer instructions in many languages including English, but if you need assistance most larger stations have staffed ticket counters where you can ask questions and buy tickets. Before you get on the train you need to validate your ticket using the yellow machines on the platform (or in the bus). You will most likely need to pay a €40 fine if you are caught with an unvalidated ticket. A ticket is valid on all the different types of transportation, with unlimited changes. If you don't know how to get somewhere, or how to get home at night call 030 (for Berlin) 19449 , the 24 hour Customer Service from the BVG. There are also facilities in most U-Bahn stations to contact the Customer Service directly. In 2005 the BVG introduced Metro lines (buses and tram) that will run from June 2006 onwards 24 hours a day on seven days the week. All lines are marked with a big orange plate and a white M.

In some places like Zoologischer Garten and Eberswalderstrasse people will try to sell used tickets to you. It is not legal, but generally safe to use (check the validation stamp!) and widely accepted. Don't pay more than half price. You might as well want to give your used tickets to those who are going to buy them from the machine instead of encouraging illegal transactions.

One thing confuses most tourist and non-Berliners. The house number on streets not necessarily run in one direction (up or down). Actually a lot of streets the numbers accend on one side and descend on the other. Especially on long streets check the structure first before your feet start burning...

By train

The Berlin U-Bahn (subway) is something to behold; it is so charmingly precise! There are no turnstiles to limit access, although trying to scam rides can lead to a ticket that can easily be more than €50 (and most residents claim to see ticket checkers once a month; if you're determined to scam, the morning papers print the lines with controllers for the day -- but this is not really helpful as a lot of "undercover" patrols check other lines as well). Also remember that the more people scam the more honest passengers will have to pay for increasing ticket prices to keep the transports running. In addition, all U-bahn stations now have electronic signs that give a time of the next train, and its direction based on sensors along the lines.

Detailed maps can be found in every U-bahn station on the trains. Don't be confused by the alternative tram maps. U-Bahn stations can be seen from far by their big, friendly blue U signs. Together with the S-Bahn (which is administered by Deutsche Bahn and mostly runs aboveground), the U-Bahn provides a transportation network throughout greater Berlin that is extremely efficient and fast. On Friday and Saturday nights, as well as during the Christmas and New Year holidays, most U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines run all night, so returning from late night outings is easy, especially given the average start time of most 'parties' in Berlin (10-11 p.m.). Some U- and S-Bahn lines now run 24 hours seven days a week to give the party people a convenient way home. Please check with staff which lines it will be, because the concept has just started.

For a single journey you can buy a cheap Kurzstrecke for €1.20, but this is only for travelling 3 stops. For a longer single journey you must pay €2.10. This is valid for anywhere in zone A & B. Alternatively spend €5.80 on a zone A & B day travelcard (Tageskarte). This is valid on trams and the S-bahn too. You are unlikely to need to go beyond zone A & B except on trips to Potsdam. This is a very large area, even including Schönefeld airport. A pass for one week for all trains and buses in the city costs around €25 and can be purchased near most stations.

By tram

The trams are mostly in East Berlin, as in the West the tram lines were removed to facilitate more vehicular traffic. If you don't have a ticket already, you can buy one inside the tram.

Two types of tram service are available. Metrotrams are similar to what English-speakers call Light Rail, with stops spaced farther apart than on local access routes, and with traffic priority measures. Tram routes not so identified stop more frequently and may even include picturesque single-track rides through forested areas far east of the Mitte Bezirk (borough).

Perhaps the most picturesque line in the city, known to transit system officials as "the most beloved tram line in Germany" due to its customers' passionate opposition to reducing service, is Line 68. In off-seasons it has more scenery than people, but when hot weather comes its lakeshore meanderings and the tiny, gemuetlich village of Alt-Schmoeckwitz at the line's outer terminal draw so many customers that extra trams are pressed into service. Line 68 may be best accessed at the Berlin-Gruenau S-Bahn station, where all types of convenience food and shopping are available.

Beyond the village center and tram terminal, a large forested area of lakefront parkland offers hiking and bicycling possibilities. This was once the home neighborhood for expatriate American, international music and film star Dean Reed. The Line 68 tram itself had one brief moment of glory, in 1936. In its former incarnation as Line 86 it was the best route to the Olympic rowing events and some structures, street names, etc. still reflect that high point.

By bus

Buses are the easiest way to see the city.

The most famous bus line is 100, which leaves from Zoo Station ("Berlin Zoologischer Garten") or U-Bahn station Alexanderplatz, and crosses most of historic Berlin, including many of the sites listed here. For the price of a city bus ticket or daily pass it's possible to see much of the city from one of these double-decker tour buses. Sit up top as it's easier to see the Reichstag, as well as the many historic buildings on Unter den Linden. If you're lucky, you'll get the legendary bus-driver who delivers a commentary (in Berlin-accented German) on the trip. New bus line 200 takes nearly the same route, but through Potsdamer Platz. Either ride is a most do on any trip to Berlin.

By cycle

Bicycle is another great way to tour Berlin. Berlin offers many bicycle paths (Radwege) throughout the city (although not all are very smooth), and has very few steep hills. Bicycles are a very popular method of transportation among Berlin residents, and there is almost always a certain level of bicycle traffic. Bicycle rentals are available in the city, although the prices vary. In addition, the Deutsche Bahn (DB) placed many public bicycles throughout the city in 2003. These can be unlocked by calling a number on the bicycle with a cellphone (handy). Seeing Berlin by bicycle is unquestionably a great way, that will acquaint the traveler with the big tourist sites, and the little Sprees and side streets as well. Although it's good to carry a map, in Berlin maps can be found at any U-Bahn station, and many Bus Stations, thus often eliminating the need to carry a map at all times.

See

Museums

Berlin has a vast array of museums. Most museums and galleries charge admission - usually about €6 or thereabouts for an adult, normal concessions apply. However, many of the state run museums, including most of the ones below, are free on the first Sunday of each month. Nowadays a lot of museums grant free entrance four hours before closing every Thursday.

• Museuminsel. Literally "Museum Island", this district is best known for the vast Pergamonmuseum, which houses a very extensive collection of ancient Greek, ancient Middle-Eastern and Islamic art and architecture.
• Alte Nationalgalerie Art from the 19th Century Works from Adolph von Menzel, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne. Bodestraße 1-3 ,10178 Berlin-Mitte, Tel.: 20 90 55 77
• Deutsches Historisches Museum German historical museum Unter den Linden 2, 10117 Berlin-Mitte, Tel.: 20 30 40
• Brücke-Museum Works from the Dresden art collaborative called "Die Brücke" Bussardsteig 9, 14195 Berlin-Zehlendorf, Tel.: 831 20 29
• Gemäldegalerie About 2700 European paintings from the 13th to the 18th century. Works from Dürer, Raffael, Tizian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Rubens. Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin-Tiergarten, Tel.: 266 29 51
• Neue Nationalgalerie Art from the 20th Century Potsdamer Straße 50, 10785 Berlin-Tiergarten, Tel.: 266 29 51
• Hamburger Bahnhof Modern Art Invalidenstraße 50-51, 10557 Berlin-Tiergarten, Tel.: 39 78 34 39
• Museum für Verkehr und Technik Interesting museum for science and technology with many interesting objects. The Museum für Verkehr und Technik has also an outdoor area with a windmill. Address: Trebbiner Strasse 9, 10563 Berlin
• Museum für Naturkunde Interesting museum with big collection of fossils and minerals
• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe An recently opened abstract artwork covering an entire block near the Brandenburg Gate, including an underground museum with extensive details on the Holocaust and the Jews who died during it.
• Museum für Post und Kommunikation, Museum for telecommunication and post with many interesting historical objects.

Landmarks with observation decks

While Berlin has relatively few high-rise buildings, there are several monuments with observation decks. Of special interest is the Fernsehturm, the tallest tower in Germany and second largest in Europe, which has a rotating café at the top spinning 360 degrees in just 30 minutes! 40 seconds is all it takes to reach the top by lift. Another, the Funkturm, is an old lattice steel tower which is the only observation tower standing on insulators. Another famous landmark with observation deck is the victory column (Siegessäule). The Siegessäule is a histric momument and therefore it has no elevator but the beautiful view on the Tiergarten and the historic center is worth climbing up.

• Reichstag - the German parliament near the Brandenburg gate building has a large glass construction on top with a great view of Berlin. Be prepared for long lines and an extensive security check.
• Berliner Funkturm - 150 meter high lattice tower, with open-air observation deck 124 meter above ground. Only observation tower on insulators! Located in the Western fair district, out of city center.
• Berliner Fernsehturm on the Alexanderplatz - Germany's tallest construction, 368 meters high. Observation deck 204 metres above ground.
• Park Inn Alexanderplatz - the tallest multistory building in Berlin at 132 meters. There is a panorama restaurant in the upmost floor.
• Victory column - an old monument with panoramic view. Unfortunately no elevator.
• Grunewaldturm - historic observation tower
• Glockenturm Olympic stadium
• Bierpinsel - a small tower restaurant in Berlin-Steglitz
• Müggelturm - an observation tower without elevator in Southeast Berlin, from which you can see that there is a great deal of forest around Berlin

History

Berlin does not attempt to hide the less savoury parts of its history: a visit to the Topography of Terror (Mitte), for example, provides interesting but sobering insights into the activities of the Gestapo in Berlin during the Nazi years (1933-1945). Many of the walking tours also discuss scenes both of Nazi activity and Cold War tension and terror.

• Berlin Wall A large stretch of intact Wall can be found to the east of the city centre along the River Spree near the Oberbaumbrücke. Known as the East Side Gallery, it is a section of the wall that is preserved as a gallery. This can be easily reached from Ostbanhof or Warschauer Strasse. It has many beautiful murals, politically motivated and otherwise. Another place to try is near the Martin Gropius Bau museum, currently under reconstruction.

• Berlin Wall Memorial (Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer). (U-Bahn Bernauerstrasse U8 or S-Bahn Nordbahnhof S1, 2, or 25, follow the signs in the stations - wall is Mauer in German). Often missed by tourists but an absolute must for anyone interested in this part of the city's history. It's a memorial to those who died crossing so you won't, fortunately, get the tackiness of the Checkpoint Charlie area; instead you will be left with a haunting feeling of what life with the wall may have been really like. The monument itself is a gigantic wasted opportunity, blank and featureless. The inscription on the outside, declaring it a monument to the victims of the "communist reign of violence", has sparked emotional debates and angered many local residents. The documentation center across the street on Bernauer Str. is excellent although most of the documentation is in German. The viewing platform gives you a tiny hint of the true scale of the Wall and how terrifying the "no man's land" between the two sections of walls must have been.

The Memorial is on Bernauer Strasse which itself is a street with a great deal of Wall history: the first recorded Wall related death of the notorious Peter Fechter was here, as was one of the famous tunnels and that famous photograph of the GDR border guard leaping over the barbed wire. Various monuments can be found along the entire length of the street, documenting nearby escape attempts and tunnels; captions are in German, English, French, and Russian. The Memorial itself is a complete section of 4th generation wall - both inside and outside sections, and you can peer through from the east side to see the remains of the electric fence and anti-tank devices in the death strip. It really helps you understand what an incredible feat it was to get from one side to the other -- and why so many died doing it.

• Checkpoint Charlie. Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing point between East and West Germany during the Cold War, is no more. Formerly, it was the only border crossing between East and West Germany that permitted foreigners passage. Residents of East and West Berlin were not allowed to use it. This contributed to Checkpoint Charlie's mythological status as a meeting place for spies and other shady individuals. Now the remains of the Berlin Wall have been moved to permit building, including construction of the American Business Center and other institutions not given to flights of John Le Carré-inspired fancy.

At the intersection of Zimmerstrasse and Charlottenstrasse is the famous "You Are Now Leaving the American Sector" sign. The actual guardhouse from Checkpoint Charlie is now housed at the Allied Museum on Clayallee. For a more interesting exhibit go to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. This is a private museum with kitschy memorabilia from the Wall as well as the devices GDR residents used to escape the East (including a tiny submarine!).

Checkpoint Charlie gained its name from the phonetic alphabet; checkpoints "Alpha" and "Bravo" were at the autobahn checkpoints Helmstedt and Dreilinden respectively. Checkpoint Charlie's atmosphere was not improved at all on 27 October 1961 when the two Cold War superpowers chose to face each other down for a day. Soviet and American tanks stood approximately 200 meters apart, making an already tense situation worse.

• Hugenottenmuseum, in Französischer Dom, Platz der Akademie. The Hugenottenmuseum represents the ongoing influence on Berlin by the Huguenots who emigrated from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Crown Prince Friedrich William encouraged them to settle here because most of them were skilled workers or otherwise useful to the kingdom. One memorable artwork, in room nine of the museum, pictures Crown Princess Dorothea exclaiming "But he's a refugee!" upon being presented a very valuable set of jewels by Pierre Fromery. The generally agreed-upon view of refugees as poor, without resources let alone diamonds, was blown apart by the talented French Protestants forced to leave their country due to religion.

One of the most notable effects of having such a large French population was their influence on the infamous Berlin dialect. Berlinerisch words such as Kinkerlitzchen (from French "quincaillerie" - kitchen equipment) and Muckefuck (from French "mocca faux" - artificial coffee) are unique to the area.

The Französischen Dom (cathedral) itself was built to resemble the main church of the Huguenots in Charenton, France, destroyed in 1688. It has housed the museum since 1929.

• Käthe Kollwitz Museum. Käthe Kollwitz's reputation as a social activist who used art as a means to express her support of pacifism was hard-won. Her son was killed in the first World War, after which her art took a turn for the morose. When her grandson was killed in World War II, her art became even darker and more brooding as she contemplated the huge loss of life Germany had suffered. Both her own personal losses and those of the nation affected her art. After the war ever-present artistic themes for Kollwitz - death, violence, war, misery, guilt and suffering - took shape as the drawings, prints, sculptures, original posters and woodcuts housed in this museum.

• Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium). Built by Hitler for the 1936 Olympic Games, the Olympic Stadium is already crumbling! (So much for 1000-Year-Reich architecture lasting that long). It is one of the better examples of Nazi-era neoclassical architecture and is still used for sporting events. It is the home of the most successful soccer/football team of Berlin, Hertha BSC, and between 2000 and 2004 was renovated for the FIFA World Cup in 2006. A visit to a Bundesliga football match can be safely recommended, as football is a main ingredient of German public life (matches start Saturday 3:30PM or Sunday 5:00PM; be there at least half an hour earlier). The Olympic Stadium is where African-American athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals and disproving Hitler's Aryan superiority theory wrong.

The neoclassical architecture is supposed to remind the viewer of the splendors of Greece or Rome and of the universally-acclaimed great civilizations; it was thus intended as another part of Nazi propaganda. By reusing time-tested architectural components, such as columns, instead of pushing forward with a genuinely modern twentieth-century, entirely new architectural concept, did they think their designs would garner more positive attention? To the west of the Stadium itself is the Maifeld with the Langemarck hall and the Olympic Stadium Bell Tower, Glockenturm , (with observation deck), both of which can be visited.

For a glimpse at the Olympiastadion in its original state, rent Leni Riefenstahl's movie Olympia. Riefenstahl has been accused of purposefully producing propaganda for the Nazis, though in her autobiography she denies it. There is no argument, however, that she is an excellent filmmaker. Though the Nazis may have helped fund some of her productions, Riefenstahl's artistic vision is undeniable.

• Tempelhof airport was used in the Berlin Airlift (Berliner Luftbrücke) in 1948 and 1949, and featured in movies like Billy Wilders "One Two Three" with James Cagney, Horst Buchholz and Lilo Pulver. The terminal building is still fascinating: the halls and neighbouring buildings, intended to become the gateway to Europe, are still known as the largest built entities worldwide, and have been described by British architect Sir Norman Foster as "the mother of all airports".

Zoo

Berlin has two Zoos and one Aquarium. The Berlin Zoo in the City West is the historic Zoo that has been a listed company since it's foundation. It's an oasis in the city and very popular with families and schools.

• The Berlin Zoo is the zoo with the largest range of species in the world. It lays direct in the heart of the City West (opposite Bahnhot Zoo at Hardenbergplatz) and is especially famous for it Panda bears. The Elephant Gate (Budapester Straße) is the second entrance next to the Aquarium and a traditional photo stop for most visitors because of the architecture.
• The Tierpark Berlin is located in Friedrichsfelde and is spacier than the historic Berlin Zoo but has only 50 years of existence.
• The Aquarium is part of the Berlin Zoo and is located at Budapester Straße in an historic building. Still the biggest Aquarium in Germany and hosts an amazing variety of fishes, crocodiles etc. One of the best places on a rainy day with children.

Further remarkable constructions (not accessible for tourists)

There are some facilities not accessible for tourists, which attract attention because of their height, their design or their special history. Some of them may be visited if you try to make appointments well before your arrival.

• Power Station Berlin-Wilmersdorf - a gas fired power station which won a prize for architecture (property of Vattenfall Germany formerly BEWAG )
• Fernmeldeturm Berlin - a telecommunication tower built of reinforced concrete in south west Berlin. Used until 1990 for over-horizon direction link to Lower Saxony
• Richtfunkstelle Berlin-Frohnau - a facility for directional radio in Northern Berlin, used until 1990 for directional radio to Lower Saxony. The guyed mast of this facility is 358.5 metres high and one of the tallest constructions in Germany
• TV Tower Berlin-Mueggelberge - an incomplete TV tower. The tower remained incomplete because it would have endangered air traffic at Schönefeld Airport
• Radio mast Berlin-Britz - Berlin-Britz had, from 1946 to 1992, been the main transmission site of RIAS. Now it is used for Deutschlandradio. It has two guyed masts for MW and FM broadcasting and two short-wave transmission antennas. One of the transmitters used for transmitting the programmes of RIAS can be seen at the Museum für Verkehr und Technik.
• Radio mast Berlin Olympia stadium - a 180.7 metre high guyed mast for FM transmission near the Olympic stadium
• Radio mast Berlin-Scholzplatz - a 230 metre high guyed mast for FM/TV-transmission
• Radio mast Berlin-Stallupöner Allee - a 126.5 metre high guyed mast for MW-transmission

Do

Explore

• Go on a Walking Tour of Berlin - the Mitte and surrounding districts are sufficiently compact to allow a number of excellent walking tours through its history-filled streets. You'll see amazing things you would otherwise miss. Details are usually available from the reception desks of hostels and hotels. Some options include:

• New Berlin Tours - http://www.newberlintours.com/ Run on a tips only basis. English and Spanish tours starting at 11am and 1pm and 4pm some of the year outside Starbucks at the Brandenburg Gate. Entertaining and performed by young people living in Berlin and interested in its history.
• The Original Berlin Walks - http://www.berlinwalks.de/
• Brewer's Best Of Berlin Walking Tours - http://www.brewersberlintours.com/
• Humboldt Tours Berlin- http://www.humboldttoursberlin.com/

• If you prefer a private tour, there are several offer including, for example,

• Berlin Tour Guide - http://www.geocities.com/nadavgablinger/
• Berlin Trials - http://www.berlin-trails.com/. Offers several unusual guided tours ending in a beer tasting at a typical, authentic German brewery or pub. Sights include the hidden Bunkers of Berlin, the Stasi prison and city sightseeing tour although individual tours are also available.

• Berlin is also great for cycling. Check out

• New Berlin Free Bike Tour - http://www.newberlintours.com/freebike.htm
• Fat Tire Bike Tours - http://www.fattirebiketoursberlin.com/ Non-strenuous and entertaining city bike tours of Berlin. Tours start daily at the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz at 11am (and 4pm in summer months) and stop every couple hundred meters to discuss the sights as well as at a traditional beer garden in the park.

Recreation

• Parks

Berlin has many great parks. They are very popular in the summer. Green Berlin operates the biggest three public parks and give good details:

- Tiergarten is Berlin's largest park and in July hosts the Love Parade. In the summer and on weekends you will see loads of families with their bbq

- Britzer Garten 1984 national floral show garden with amazing varierty of plants. Playgrounds for children, small beach on the lake, very famous with families and seniors on weekends

- Viktoriapark offers superb panoramic views across south Berlin.

- Volkspark Mariendorf is favoured by young people and students and boasts an open-air cinema.

- Japanese Garden in Marzahn is a project by the city partnership of Berlin and Tokyo. Built by Zen priests and spiritual park. Guided tours on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays every 30 min from 10:30 until 12:30. The park is open from 1st April until 29th October.

• Lakes/Beaches

- The Wannsee is called Berlins "bath tub". The Strandbad Wannsee is the most famous bathing area with locals. Take the S-Bahn lines S1 or S7 to the station Wannsee and follow the crowd!

- Sunbathing on the banks of the Havel and Spree Rivers

- The Müggelsee in the south east of Berlin is a popular swimming spot

• Boat trips

- Stern & Kreis is by far the biggest boat company in Berlin. On all lakes they offer tours

• The Berliner Funkturm and the Berliner Fernsehturm both offer a view over the city, for a fee. There is also a good restaurant on the top of the Fernsehturm in Alexanderplatz ().

• Pick up a copy of Exberliner the monthly English-language paper for Berlin to find out what's on when and where. It provides high quality journalism and up-to-date listings.

• If you understand German, the activity planners for the city zitty and tip are available at every kiosk. Be prepared to choose among a huge amount of options.

Festivals

• The Berlin Film Festival / Berlinale . The city's largest cultural event and an important fixture in the global film industry's calendar (up there with Cannes and Venice...). 150,000 tickets sold, 500 films screened and a host of associated parties and events. In contrast to e.g. Cannes, most screenings at the Berlinale are open to the public. Tickets are inexpensive and relatively easy to get for the "International Forum of Young Film" screenings and the "Berlinale Panorama" (movies which are not in the competition).

Parades

• Loveparade This massive techno parade takes place every summer. It is back in 2006 after a two year hiatus.

• Fuck/Hate Parade The Fuckparade is at the same time as the Loveparade but with a big difference: the Fuckparade is political. The general motto of the Fuckparade is "against the destruction of the club scene". The other difference is the music played: underground club, goa, gabber, gothic...

• Hanf Parade End of August. The Hanfparade is the biggest European political demonstration for the legalization of hemp for use in agriculture and as a stimulant.

• Christopher Street Day The CSD is a well-known annual political demonstration for the rights of the gay culture organized in all major German cities. Even if you are indifferent about the issue, the Christopher Street Day is usually a worthwhile sight as many participants show up in wild costumes.

• Fête de la Musique In June. Everywhere in Berlin there is different music on this day, which co-ordinates with a similar day in several French cities.

• Karneval der Kulturen In May or June. The idea of the "Carnival of Cultures" is a parade of the various ethnic groups of the city showing traditional music, costumes and dances. Other more modern, alternative and political groups also participate. Similar events are also held in Hamburg and Frankfurt.

Theatre, Opera, Concerts, Cinema

Berlin has a lot of theater houses, cinemas, concerts and other cultural events going on all the time. Here are some of them

Theatre

• Deutsches Theater - Classical theater with impressive line up of actors and directors
• Volksbühne am Rosa Luxemburg Platz - sometimes controversial, modern theater
• Schaubühne am Leniner Platz -
• Schillertheater -
• Theater am Kurfürstendamm -
• Theater des Westens
• Grips Theather Famous children theatre with a light political touch, european recognition for a the musical "Linie 1"
• Friedrichstadtpalast - Cabaret Shows and Revues with actresses from the former eastern German ballett
• Kabaret Theater Distel - Cabaret and Comedy, political satire in german
• Maxim Gorki Theater - sometimes play the "3 Pennys Opera" by Brecht
• Berliner Esemble - contemporary theater

Opera

• Komische Oper More modern operas
• Deutsche Oper Classic opera house of West Berlin
• Staatsoper Unter den LindenImpressive building and royal history make the building alone a visit worth
• Neuköllner Oper voted several times best off-opera house and known for its modern and contemporary pieces. Most in German an usually relating to developments in Germany. Very creative and innovative

Cinema

• Movimiento - independent movies, some in English
• Cinemaxx - have English program
• Cinestar - The "Cinestar Original" Cinema located inside the "Sony Center" at the Potsdamerplatz shows only movies in English.

It should be noted that all movies which need translation to German are released later in Germany.

Concert Houses

• Philharmonie Berlin Philharmonic orchestra is one of the best in the world. Famous building and outstanding musicians make a reservation essential. Cheaper tickets are available if they house is not sold and will be sold usually 2-4 hours before the start.
• Konzerthaus

Sport

In Berlin you can do virtually all sorts of sports.

1. Most famous sport is football/soccer. It's play in all places. The Berlin FA lists all clubs
2. Public swimming pools are in every corner of the city. Under BBB you find all pools and opening times
3. Sailing on one of the many lakes. There are sailing club, most universities have ships
4. Golf gets popular as well, at U-Bahnstation Gleisdreieck is a driving range with an amazing view on Potsdamer Platz. Around Berlin are several golf clubs (although for non-members, Motzen has one of the best)

Spa

Spas are getting very trendy.

• Day Spa in Riverside hotel (next to the Friedrichstadtpalast)
• Club Olympus Spa in Grand Hyatt Hotel at Potsdamer Platz

Learn

Berlin has three major universities:

• Freie Universität Founded after world war II in West Berlin and today still biggest university by number of students and with a impressive range of possible faculties
• Humboldt Universität Oldest university in Berlin with big reputation of former students and professors (e.g. Einstein). During the cold war the main East Berlin university and after reunification substainal efforts to bring it to shine
• Technische UniversitätTechnical university founded in East Berlin after world war II

There are several smaller universities and colleges in Berlin but the current restruction of the university makes it difficult to give an overview. The responsible senator of the City of Berlin has a good overview page

For children, technical interested people and on rainy days the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin is worth a day visit with almost indefinite possiblities to explore the industrial and mechanical explorations of the last 150 years. Original steam trains, planes and oldtimer cars.

Work

The current economic climate isn't good, so work is difficult to find in Berlin. If you don't have a sound level of German it's unlikely that you will find work easily. Any kind of skills (especially languages) that seperates you from the mass will defintely improve your chances for a job.

If you are an EU citizen, a student or have a work permit you may be able to scrape by teaching English (Spanish, French, Latin are although good) or working in a bar but it'll be tough, there's not much work around. Chances are better when big trade fairs or conventions are in town, so apply at temp agencies. Hospitality and call centers are constantly hiring but the illegal workforce is keeping wages low.

Berlin has a growing media and filming industry. For daily soaps, telenovelas and movies most companies looking for extras with something specific. Apply at the bigger casting and acting agencies.

Buy

Since shopping hours were extended until 8pm on a Saturday in most places shopping has become much easier. Sunday opening is still sadly not on the horizon, though if you have time to queue you can go to Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten, Friedrichstrasse, Innsbrucker Platz or Ostbahnhof Stations to supermarkets there on Sundays. However, there are usually some bakeries and small food stores open on Sundays around Oranienstraße in Kreuzberg 36.

Ku'damm remains the main shopping street even now that the Wall has come down. KaDeWe (Kaufhaus Des Westens) at Wittenbergplatz is a must visit even if just for the vast food dept (which has an extremely confusing layout). It's reputedly the biggest department store on Continental Europe and still has an old world charm, with very helpful and friendly staff. Be aware that on a Saturday this shop can be unbearably busy, and seems to be full of rich and arrogant customers, so go during the week if you can.

Friedrichstrasse ist the upmarket shopping street in the former East Berlin with Galerie Lafayettes and Quartier 204 etc as main areas to be impressed with wealthy shoppers.

For some affordable but still very fashionable shopping there is Prenzelberg with a lot of young designers opening shops. Constant changes make it hard to recommend place, but Shopping guides in the bi-weekly papers Tip or Zitty can help.

Flea Markets

• Strasse des 17. Juni, in front of Ernst-Reuter-Haus, take the S-bahn to Tiergarten Station, Saturdays and Sundays 10.00 to 17.00
• Arkonaplatz, Prenzlauer Berg/Mitte Sundays 10.00-17.00
• Am Kupfergraben/ Museumsinsel Saturdays and Sundays 10.00 -16.00
• Boxhagener Platz, Friedrichshain, Sundays 10.00-18.00
• Treptow, Eichenstraße 4 , Sundays

Shops for Berlin Fashion

• Flagshipstore, Oderberger Strass 53, Prenzlauerberg Mon-Sat 12.00 - 20:00

Take the U-2 to Eberswalder Strasse, the shop is at the corner of Oderberger and Kastanien Allee.

• Hit In TV, Oderberger Strasse near "Mauer Park" Tue- Fri 12.00 - 19.00 /Sat 12.00-18.00

Eat

Eating out in Berlin is ridiculously cheap compared to any other West European capital or indeed even most other German cities. The city is very multicultural and most cultures' cuisine is represented here somewhere, although it's often very highly modified to suit German tastes.

For eating out, note that it is best to ask if credit cards are accepted before you sit down - it's not that common to accept credit cards in restaurants in some parts (especially the former East) of the city. Most likely to be accepted are Visa or Mastercard all other will be only accepted in posh restaurants.

Vegetarians can eat quite well with a little bit of research and menu modification despite it seeming like a meat eaters heaven with all the sausage stands. Kebap restaurants have a lovely selection of roasted veg and salad. The falafel they serve is an unusual processed entity but yummy and meat free. Yellow Sunshine is an excellent vegan restaurant serving realistic fake sausages in several german varieties. Get there from Warschauer Strasse SBahnhof and cross the river then ask a German where it is.

As restaurants change quite fast, it is recommended to buy the "Speisekarte 2006" (Menu 2006)where are listed about 1000 restaurant with all kind of cuisines in all areas of Berlin.

One of the main tourist area to eat is Hackescher Markt / Oranienburger Strasse. This area has dramatically changed from what it was even two years ago. Once full of squats and probably not entirely legal bars and restaurants it had some real character and was a great place to be. However, it is rapidly becoming developed and corporatized, even the most famous squat, the former Jewish-owned proto-shopping mall "Tacheles" has had a bit of a face lift.

So this means that while there is a now a good choice of restaurants and bars in the area, the food quality is not always worth the price. The "Assel" (Woodlouse) on Oranienburger Strasse furnished with DDR cast off furniture is still relatively authentic and worth a visit, especially on a warm summer night.

Oranienburgerstrasse is also an area where prostitutes line up at night, but don't be put off by this. Prostitution is legal and the area is actually very safe.

For extremely cheap and good food (especially from Turkey and the Middle East) you should try Kreuzberg and Neukölln with their abundance of Indian, Pizza and Döner Kebap restaurants. (Neukölln was the birthplace of the Döner Kebap some 30 years ago.) Prices start from 1 EUR for a Kebap and 1.50 EUR for a pizza.

For good, cheap food Kastanienallee is better, again not what it once was since the developers moved in but still not yet as exploited as Hackescher Markt. It's a popular area with artists, and students and has a certain Bohemian charm. Try Imbiss W, at the corner of Zionskirchstr. and Kastanienallee, where they serve superb Indian-fusion food, mostly vegetarian, at the hands of artist-chef Gordon W. Further up the street is the Prater Garten, Berlin's oldest beer garden and an excellent place in the summer.

Waiters and tipping

Note that the custom here is to tell the waiter how much you're paying (including the tip!), when you receive the bill, rather than leave the money on the table. Normally 5-10% is ok (or round small amounts up to the nearest Euro or next Euro) but waiters don't get paid much anywhere so if the service has been good feel free to tip more. Waiters in Europe are not dependent on tips to make a living, as they are in the U.S., and it is perfectly possible to survive, albeit not luxuriously, on just one's hourly wage.

Berlin is famous for rude service, though my experience generally is that it's rarely bad per se, just a little cold in some places.

Restaurants

Kreuzberg

• Morgenland - Oriental breakfast buffet at weekends (reservation!), restaurant and bar every day with good food for mid-range prices, Skalitzer Str. 35 (U-Bahn Görlitzer Bahnhof), 10999 Berlin, T:030-611 32 91
• Hannibal - Famous for it burgers and weekend buffet breakfast, good cocktails in the evening, Wiener Str. 69 (U-Bahn Görlitzer Bahnhof), 10999 Berlin, T:030-611 51 60
• Kuchenkaiser - Institution for generation 68, breakfast till 4pm and global kitchen highlights every week, Oranienplatz 11-13, T:030-614 02 697

City West

• Mar y Sol Excellent tapas and Spanish food, Savignyplatz 5, 10623 Berlin, T:030-313 25 93
• Lusiada Portugiese restaurant with excellent mussels, Ku'damm 132a (5min walk from S-Bahnstation Halensee), 10711 Berlin, T: 030-891 58 69
• Eiffel Good french restaurant with good value business lunch sets and interesting dinner variations, Ku'damm 105 (3min walk from S-Bahnstation Halensee), 10711 Berlin, T: 030-891 13 05
• Good Friends Best original chinese food in Berlin, Kantstr. 30 (cnr. Schlüterstr) T:030-312 24 88
• 12 ApostelExcellent italian food and one of the best pizzas in town, Bleibtreustr. 49 (oppsite S-Bahnstation Savignyplatz), 10623 Berlin, T:030-312 14 33 two new branches in Steglitz and Mitte
• Marché Good self service restaurant just in the middle of the Ku'damm shopping district, managed by Mövenpick

Akazienstrasse (closest entry point is U7 station Eisenacher Str)

• Buddha house No. 27 - Mixture of Nepalese and Thai food, cheap lunch card(from 5 Euro)! you can reserve traditional tables (sitting on couchins not on chairs), T: 030-70 50 99 59
• Gottlob No. 16 - Italian inspired kitchen with excellent weekend buffet or a la carte breakfast, T: 030-78 70 80 95
• Cafe Bilderbuch No. 28 - Cafe with newspapers and hundreds of books to rest and relax. Good cakes and sometimes on Sunday "Tanztee" (nipping tea and dancing), T:030-78 70 60 57
• Phuket No.3 - Good restaurant with original thai kitchen (hot means hot!), T:030-78 47 015

City East

• Brecht Keller - Famous basement restaurant in former house of Brecht with Austrian inspired kitchen (receipts from Helene Weigel), reservations essential!, Chausseestr. 125 T: 030-2823843
• Kasbah - Maroccian restaurant cafe and bar, Gipsstraße 2, 10119 Berlin, telephone: 030 - 27 59 43 61

Friedrichshain

• Nil - Sudanese fast food shop, serves excellent falafel and other arabic sacks together with its famous peanut souce

Gendarmenmarkt

• VAU 1 Michelin star, 17 points from Gault Millau, reservations essential, very famous with politicians (reservations essential!!!)
• Aigner Haute cuisine mixture with influences from Berlin and Vienna (reservations essential!!!)
• Lutter & Wegner Berlin cuisine in top style, since 1811 own sparkling, red and white wine selections, waiters wear white gloves

Prenzlauerberg

• Malzcafe - Good modern german kitchen for budget travellers. Famous with locals, Knaackstr. 99, T: 030-440 47 227
• Kauf Dich glücklich - European kitchen, very hip and in, Oderbergerstr. 44

Breakfast

It is very common to go out for breakfast. Here are some tips:

For children

• Charlottchen - buffet breakfast and institution for parents and prepared for children of all ages, indoor play room! Droysenstraße 1, 10629 Berlin, T: 030-324 47 17
• Strandbad Mitte - playground next to the restaurant and good breakfast, Kleine Hamburger Straße 16, T: 030-24 62 89 63

Buffet breakfast

• Gottlob (see Berlin#Restaurants)
• Morgenland (see Berlin#Restaurants)
• Cafe Sarotti-Höfe - located in a former chocolate factory with buffet for 5 Euros!, Mehringdamm 57, T: 030-61 62 09 39
• Operncafé - sundays a Jazz brunch with live music in roccoco atmosphere (reservation!!!), all other days although nice buffet, Unter den Linden 5, T: 030- 20 26 83
• Grüne Lampe - Exellent russian breakfast buffet! Uhlandstraße 51, T: 030-88 71 93 93

Individual style

• Café Sur - Part of a deli shop and mediterrian gourmet breakfast Akazienstraße 7, T: 030-782 04 39
• Cream - Urban coffee hous culture with own breakfast creations linked to the film "Herr Lehmann" and own coffee creation! Schlesische Straße 6, T: 030-61 07 49 80
• Tiki Heart - Asian, polynesian and south american breakfast! Very innovative & creative Wiener Straße 20, T: 030-61 07 47 03
• Telecafé - Right at the top of the Fernsehturm, enjoy breakfast and city view, Panoramastraße 1a, T:030-242 33 33
• Dachgartenrestaurant Käfer - At the top of the Germany's parliament, breakfast only from 9-10:30 am, Platz der Republik 1, T: 030 -22 62 99-0

In style

• Café im Literaturhaus - classical style, waiters in livreé, excellent food, Fasanenstraße 23, T: 030-882 54 14
• Desbrosses - The Ritz Carlton imported a whole french Brasserie which freshly bakes bread, Potsdamer Platz 3 T: 030-337 77 64 00
• Fischers Fritz - Royal style and offers japanese breakfast in Regent hotel, Charlottenstraße 49, T: 030-2' 33 63 63

Drink

If you want to get some tap water in a bar ask for "Leitungswasser" (if you just say "water" (Wasser), you will receive mineral water), it is common if you drink coffee. They should not charge you for it but you should order some other drink as well...

• At Warschauer Straße (which you can reach via S-Bahn and U-Bahn station Warschauer Straße) and more specifically Simon-Dach-Straße you can find a wide variety of bars, from sport bars to comfy waterpipe bars. It is common for locals to meet at Warschauer to go to a bar there.

• Cafe Einstein is one particular example of a home grown coffee chain which has nice staff, great coffee and is fairly priced. In particular, the Einstein on Unter den Linden is as far from "junk coffee" as it's possible to be.

• There are lots of Irish bars all over the city, as there are in all European cities. If you like off-the-shelf Irish bars or watching the football in English then you won't be disappointed, but in a city with new cool bars opening pretty much daily and a huge range to choose from, you'll find that these cater mostly to the Irish construction workers and Germans attracted by Irish music, which is often played in them. Famous is the Irish pub in the Europacenter at Tauenzien Strasse (prolongation of Ku'damm 250m opposite the KadeWE at Wittenbergplatz). In the basement of this skyscraper you will find a big Irish pub and a rowdy crowd on the weekend.

• The LuisenBrau next to Schloss Charlottenburg has excellent brewed beer. You can have either a helles (light) or a dunkles (dark). Although the beer is quite excellent, the atmosphere is quite touristy, and clearly not as antique as it strives to be.

• The Ostzone bar near the S-Bahn station "Hackescher Markt" is an Ostalgie themed bar with many relics from communist-era East Berlin. It is meant to be a refuge for people who are nostalgic about memorabilia from the communist-era.

Clubs

• Delicious Doughnuts Rosenthaler Strasse 9 10119 Berlin Mitte, U-bahn Rosenthalerplatz. Very cozy venue with a relaxed atmosphere. Definately non-pretentious with a diverse and friendly crowd. Remember to ring the door bell and wait for the door to be opened before you walk in. There is usually a small entry fee.
• SO36, http://www.so36.de/ Oranienstrasse 190, Berlin / Kreuzberg legendary Club whose roots are punk, nowadays plays different alternative mainstream concerts. Don't miss the GAYHANE, the turkish gay party.
• 40 seconds, http://www.40seconds.de/ Potsdamer Straße 58, 030-890 642 41 Posh club with dinner area and amazing view over the Potsdamer Platz
• [http:/www.goya-berlin.de Goya] Former theatre now club with excellent bar, people usually above 30 and from salsa to house everything. Most nights have special topic
• Rosi's, http://www.rosis-berlin.de/ Revalerstraße 29, Berlin Friedrichshain. Rosi's features grungy underground - best club in town if you love that. Nice Grill outside with lots of chairs for the warm days, has one chill out floor and one main stage almost in ront of a very nice bar. freiday: 1.+3. Saturday of the month:drum'n'bass, 2.4. Saturday:house electro and on other days alot of concerts and rockpartys.
• WMF, Stralauer Strasse 58, 10179 Berlin-Mitte, U Klosterstrasse, S+U Jannowitzbrücke http://www.wmfclub.de/ (electronic Music)
• Dunckerclub, Dunckerstr. 64, 10439 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg (Alternative, Hardrock, Independent)
• BERGHAIN http://www.berghain.de/ Only Berlin could offer such a huge techno cathedral.The best new night club in Europe? Extremely good techno music in the most amazing vast location but be prepared for a tough door policy! Not for teenagers.
• Magnet http://www.magnet-club.de/ Greifswalder Str. 212/213, 10405 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg (Alternative). Some indie Concert and club nights. Take care, there is also a FC Magnet Bar in Veteranenstrasse, which is a cool place, too.
• Kinzo www.kinzo-berlin.de Situated under the TV tower at Alexanderplatz.
• KITKATCLUB http://www.kitkatclub.de/index.html Some people like to say that without the "KITTY" Berlin wouldn't be Berlin. Some other pretend that it's one of the best night club in Europe today because of its unique concept. It's anyway a very famous Berlin address, unique clubbing concept mixing extremely good techno/electro/trance music to sexual freedom, be careful...be open minded enough and be aware of the strict dress code...! NON STOP party from Saturday night to Sunday evening. Bessemerstrasse 2/14, 12103 Berlin Schoeneberg
• Watergate http://www.water-gate.de Great location , directly at the Spree river, 2 floors, they play DnB sometimes, alot of other stuff too, so check the schedule. The regular Drum and Bass night is called Hardedged, usually fridays. Take the U1 to Schlesisches Tor or the Tram 20 from Eberswalder Strasse to Warschauer Strasse (last stop) and then cross the bridge.
• Icon http://www.iconberlin.de/ DnB every saturday, some Hip Hop and a monthly Ninja Tune night. Walking distance from Eberswalder Strasse Station. Cantianstrasse 15 . Check the map on the Website.
• Maria am Ostbahnhof http://www.clubmaria.de/ Used to be a underground techno club called deli, they play softer music now, but still very very cool location. Lots of live sets. Go to Ostbahnhof with a train , then walk to Schillingbrücke (Map on the website)
• Dr Pong, Eberswalder Strasse 21, Very Berlin style club where you can play table tennis and drink cheap beer, very friendly place
• NBI http://www.neueberlinerinitiative.de/ Nice small little club, not really for dancing , with nice people and live sets. Schönhauser Allee 36
• Bastard Kastanienallee next to Prater Beergarden
• Havanna Largest latin music club in town (4 floors from RnB to Salsa/Merengue and Bacchata), Hauptstraße 30 open on Wed, Fri and Sat

Bars

Berliners love to drink cocktails and it's a main socialising point for young people. Usually most people go before they go Clubbing to meet the friends in a cocktail bar. Prenzelberg (Eberswalder- & Danzigerstrasse, Kulturbrauerei), Kreuzberg (close to Görlitzer Park), Schöneberg (Bergmannstrasse) and Friedrichshain (Simon-Dach-Strasse) are the main areas. There aren't so many illegal bars than in the nineties but name and location close faster than a breath. Best to check out are bar and cocktail guide from the bi-weekly magazines Tip or Zitty. Although Kneipen Suchecan help you track down places when you know some names.

Some place are outstanding:

1. Victoria Bar Excellent bar with huge varierty of cocktails, Potsdamer Straße 102, T: 030-25 75 99 77
2. Kulturbrauerei Close to U-Station Eberswalder Strasse in a former brewery are located several bars. Most famous is the Soda Club with an excellent bar
3. Haifischbar Bar with sushi and excellent cocktail and whiskey selection. Arndtstr. 25, 10965 Berlin, T: 030-691 13 52
4. Orient Lounge Relaxing lounge with good drinks, Oranienstr. 13, T:030 - 69 56 67 62
5. Train at U-Bahn station Kleistpark and just opposite the headquarter of the public transport company there is a bar in an old S-Bahn waggon.
6. Coma Detmolder Str. 61 near U-/S-Bahn station Bundesplatz, made up with sand on the floor and two pool tables. XL-Cocktails will kick you faster than you think...
7. Newton Bar Poshest bar in town and must hang out place for beauties, celebs and rich people, excellent cigar and whiskey selection, Charlottenstr. 57 (direct at Gendarmenmarkt),T:030-20 61 29 90
8. Habermayer nice relaxing bar in Friedrichshain with layed back people, Gärtnerstr. 6, Tel. 030-29 77 18 87

Sleep

After the end of the Cold War Berlin witnessed a construction boom of hotels and offices. So today there are to many hotels which results in comparatively cheap prices even in the 5 star sector. If you travel over the weekend most hotels offer substantial discounts. In the week you still get discounts but prices will not be as low as on weekends. Best place to check out hotel rates is the German internet hotel agency HRS which offers hotels and hostels for all budgets.

Budget

• Amstel House Berlin - Waldenserstr. 31, 10551 Berlin, Tel. +49 (0)30 395 40 72, info@amstelhouse.de, A newly refurbished guest house a art nouveau style building. Four-bedded dorms from €15/person/night. Single and twin rooms en-suite also available. 7 mins. away from the central station, 15 mins. from Tegel airport, 2 stops with the U-Bahn from the Zoo station.

• Jugendgästehaus Berlin International - Kluckstr. 3, 10785 Berlin, Tel. +49 (0)30 261 10 97, service@jugendherberge.de, four-bed rooms start at 21 € (depending on age), ten-person-dormitories start at €15, all overnights including breakfast and bedsheets. Central location near Potsdam Square thus quiet surrounding! HI-Hostel-membership required, international guests may also pay €3.10 extra for an overnight membership.

• Mitte's Backpacker - Chausseestr. 102, 10115 Berlin (Mitte), Tel. 28 39 09 65, Fax 28 39 09 35, info@backpacker.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €22 per person, Sleeping hall starts at €13, U-Bahn Zinnowitzer Str. This hostel boasts a super central location, only 10 minutes from all the main sights of the city. The theme rooms are astonishing !

• BaxPax - Skalitzer Straße 104, Berlin (Kreuzberg), Tel. ++49(0)30 695 183 22. This hostel is supercentral located in an area that boasts excellent nightlife. Your visit to Berlin isn't complete without at least one overnight stay in this hostel.

• Alcatraz - Schönhauser Allee 133a, 10437 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg), Tel. 48 49 68 15, Fax 41 72 58 04, ok@alcatraz-backpacker.de, Double Rooms start at €22 per person, Common Room starts at €13, U-Bahn Eberswalder Str.

• A&O - Boxhagener Str. 73, 10245 Berlin (Friedrichshain), Tel. 2 97 78 10, Fax 29 00 73 66, hostel@web.de, Double Rooms start at €24 per person, Sleeping hall starts at €10, S-Bahnhof Ostkreuz

• Helter Skelter Hostel Berlin (former Clubhouse Hostel) - Kalkscheunenstr. 4-5, 10117 Berlin (Mitte), Tel. 280 44 99 7, Fax 290 44 717, E-Mail: info@helterskelterhostel.com, 2-Bed Rooms start at €46/room, big dorms start at €13, U-Bahn Oranienburger Tor, S-Bahn Friedrichstrasse

• Heart of Gold Hostel Berlin - Johannisstr. 11, 10117 Berlin (Mitte), Tel. 2900 3300, Fax 290 44 717, E-Mail: bridge@heartofgold-hostel.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €48/room, big dorms start at €13, U-Bahn Oranienburger Tor, S-Bahn Friedrichstrasse, S-Bahn Oranienburger Straße

• Corner - Driesener Str. 17, 10439 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg), Tel. 437343 53, Fax 43 73 42 06, corner-hostel@t-online.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €20 per person,Sleeping hall starts at €14, U-/S-Bahnhof Schönhauser Allee

• David's - Cozy Backbacker Hostel, Bredowstr. 35, 10551 Berlin (Tiergarten), Tel. 3 93 53 59, Fax 39 03 84 20, reservation@hostel-berlin.org, 2-Bed Rooms start at €15 per person, Sleeping hall starts at €9, U-Bahn Birkenstraße

• Die Fabrik - Schlesische Str. 18, 10997 Berlin (Kreuzberg), Tel. 6 11 71 16, Fax 6 18 29 74, info@diefabrik.com, 2-Bed Rooms start at €49/room, Sleeping hall starts at €18, U-Bahn Schlesisches Tor

• Generator - Storkower Str. 160, 10407 Berlin (Friedrichshain), Tel. 4 17 24 00, Fax 41 72 40 80, hello@generatorhotels.com, 2-Bed Rooms start at €23 per person, Sleeping hall starts at €10, S-Bahn Landsberger Allee

• Jet Pak - Pücklerstr. 54, 14195 Berlin (Zehlendorf), Tel. 8 32 50 11, Fax 83 22 79 05, hostel@jetpak.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €19, Sleeping hall starts at €12 per person, Bus X 10

• Lette'm Sleep - Lettestr. 7, 10437 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg), Tel. 44 73 36 23, Fax 44 73 36 25, info@backpackers.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €24 per person, Sleeping hall starts at €15, U-Bahn Eberswalder Straße

• Meininger 10 - Meininger Straße 10, 10823 Berlin (Schöneberg), Tel. 78 71 74 14, Fax 78 71 74 12, welcome@meiningerhostels.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €23 per person, Sleeping hall starts at €12.50, U-Bahn Bayerischer Platz. Also Meininger 12, Hallesches Ufer 30, 10963 Berlin (Kreuzberg)is part of this hostel

• Odyssee - Grünberger Str. 23, 10243 Berlin (Friedrichshain), Tel. 29 00 00 81, Fax 29 00 33 11, odyssee@globetrotterhostel.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €45/room, Mehrbett ab €13, U-Bahn Frankfurter Tor. Also Sunflower, Helsingforser Str. 17, 12243 Berlin (Friedrichshain) is part of this hostel

• Pegasus - Straße der Pariser Kommune 35, 10243 Berlin (Friedrichshain), Tel. 29 35 18 10, Fax 29 35 11 66, hostel@pegasushos tel.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €19 per person, Sleeping hall starts at €13, U-Bahn Weberwiese

• The Circus - Weinbergsweg 1a, 10119 Berlin (Mitte), Tel. 28 39 14 33, Fax 28 39 14 84, info@circus-berlin.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €21 per person, Sleeping hall starts at €13, U-Bahn Rosenthaler Platz. Also Circus, Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 39, 10178 Berlin (Mitte)is part of this hostel

• Transit Loft - Immanuelkirchstr. 14, 10405 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg), Tel. 48 49 37 73, Fax 44 05 10 74, loft@hotel-transit.de, 2-Bed Rooms start at €71.50/room, Sleeping hall starts at €15 per person, U-Bahn Senefelderplatz. Also Transit, Hagelberger Str. 53-54. 10965 Berlin (Kreuzberg) is part of this hostel

• Blockhaus-Rehbrücke - Thomas-Mann-Str. 19, 14558 Nuthetal, Tel.: 033200-81413, NorbertAlbrecht@blockhaus-rehbruecke.de, is your fully equipped holiday-apartment with own kitchen situated between Berlin and Potsdam for 2 (€49) up to 4 persons (€69). Travellers are welcome to wash their laundry in the washing machine.

Mid range

Another great solution is to rent an apartment. Many companies, including Old Town Apartments, offer high quality apartments in various locations around Berlin. These are great for families, as a four person apartment will run you 65-100 euro) - it may be cheaper than a hostel, and is a lot cosier. Be sure to check the map when reserving an apartment, some of them are not in the city center.

Splurge

• InterContinental Berlin Hotel Located in heart of the government quarter and host to most visiting presidents, close to the historical center and just a few steps away from the renowned shopping district of Kurfürstendamm. Excellent restaurant and benchmark for all hotels in town
• Hotel Adlon, Pariser Platz, Unter den Linden Managed by the Kempinski chain and is famous for the best and most expensive hotels in Germany. The Adlon is their flagship hotel in Berlin (the place where Michael Jackson almost dropped his baby out of the window)and try to establish it at the 1st adress in town address Unter den Linden 77, 10117 Berlin, phone +49 (0)30 2261-0 fax +49 (0)30 2261-2222 email Adlon@Kempinski.com, cf. Wikipedia article (in German)
• Hyatt Located direct at the Potsdamer Platz within walking distance to major attractions. One of the best business hotels in town. During the Berlinale film festival the hotel to stay because all locations are in walking distance
• The Regent Former Four seasons hotel now managed by Radisson SAS. Located next to Gendarmenmarkt and in the heart of the City East
• Maritim pro arte Good location corner of Friedrichstrasse und Unter den Linden. One of the best breakfasts and popular with wealthy tourists. Has a good spa and nice pool. Internet and discounted rates start from 110 Euro per night
• Swissotel Brandnew and stylish design hotel direct at the Ku'Damm. Just a step away from anything in the City West and offers good weekend rates.

Talk

Most people under 40 in Berlin are able to speak English in a varying degree of fluency, but it might not be as widely spoken as you might expect, so a few key German phrases are worth having.

Some people are afraid of speaking English due to their limited experience in talking to foreigners. So a lot of people pretend not to speak English but might understand your intention if you explain your desire with some gestures. Basic French and Russian is partly spoken because French in the West Berlin and Russian in East Berlin were taught in schools.

There are some words in Berlin that differ from regular German, especially in the former East Berlin the language preserved a certain level of dialect.

Stulle: Sandwich

Broiler: grilled chicken

Pfannkuchen: doughnut (without a hole in the middle but with filling) / bismarck

Contact

In all parts of the city you will find internet cafes and telephone shops where you can call with low fares. Shop around for the telephone shops because most have a focus region in the world.

A lot of bars, restaurants and cafes offer free W-Lan for their guests. The mobile network covers although the U- und S-Bahn but all is on GSM. So if you are a visitor from a non-GSM standard country (eg. North America) you will need a triband mobile.

Stay safe

Berlin is a safe place compared to most other cities of it's size but still there are crime problems as well. In general no specific rules apply with the exception of public transportation and tourist areas where pickpockets are a problem. Watch your bags during rush hours and at larger train stations. No borough of Berlin would be much of a comparison to American "ghettos" in terms of crime.

There are localized riots at Labour Day (1st May). These riots normally take place in Kreuzberg. They usually erupt in the night before May 1st especially at the Mauerpark and again at the evening of May 1st in Kreuzberg. Better stay out of these areas at those times (7pm until sunrise). Vehicles should not be parked in these areas either.

The police in Berlin is competent and not corrupt. They are generally helpful to tourists, particularly in the run up to the football/soccer world championship in June/July 2006. Some of the officers are able to speak English, so don't hesitate to approach them if you are frightened or lost.

Prostitution is legal but human trafficking and illegal immigrants are major problems. There are regular police raids. If this doesn't stop you, tabloids have a classified section.

Get out

• Sachsenhausen is a quiet suburb housing the remains of one of the Nazi concentration camps on German soil.
• Escape to Köpenick and other wooded areas scattered around the city on the weekend
• Potsdam is a city not far away west of Berlin and makes a perfect day trip. You can get there with the S-Bahn S1 or Regional-Bahn RE1 to the endstation Potsdam Hauptbahnhof.
• The Raststaette Grunewald at the S-bahn Nikolassee is a good spot for hitching if you're heading south or west.
• the Müritz lake region to the North is a national park
• Frankfurt (Oder) on the Polish border is within easy reach
• the beautiful Baltic seashore (e.g., Usedom or Wolin) is near enough for a day trip by train
• Szczecin) in Poland is about one and a half hours by train
• to the South, Dresden is about two hours by train

This is a guide article. It has a variety of good, quality information including hotels, restaurants, attractions, arrival and departure info. Plunge forward and help us make it a star!