Berlin, Germany: City Guide

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 5 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #720 in Local, #69,015 overall

Berlin: A Beautiful City of History and Culture

Berlin is a beautiful and historically fascinating city and has probably changed more than any other European city in recent times. Since the reunification of East and West Berlin and the removal of most of the infamous Berlin Wall, old landmark buildings have been renovated, new ones built, mostly on the site of the wall and some removed completely. It is still possible to follow the path of the wall and in a few places see sections of it that act as a reminder to future generations.

Berlin has many museums and galleries and plenty of shopping opportunities, but it is also famous for its beer-drinking culture, nightlife, all-night nightclubs and bars, cool music scene and some good quality restaurants and hotels at reasonable prices (when compared to the likes of Paris, Rome or London). Beer Gardens (biergarten) are the most traditional German drinking establishments, but there are many road-side cafÈs and more modern trendy establishments too.

Berlin, Germany

Map of Germany 

Where is Berlin?

Getting to Berlin 

Traveling to and from Berlin, Germany

Most scheduled flights use the small, compact and convenient Tegel airport, just 8km (5 miles) from Mitte (the centre of Berlin) A short taxi ride costing less than Euro 20 or an inexpensive bus ride (Euro 2.10) to Zoologischer Garten (Zoo station or Bahnhof Zoo).

There is also Schonefeld Airport, the former East Berlin Airport, 18km (11 miles) from the centre of Berlin often used by British budget airlines.

British Airways flys from London Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5 to Tegel, Berlin, taking less than 2 hours.

Related european travel articles 

Berlin Boat Trips

Guide Books for Berlin, Germany 

Photo: The Last Remaining Watch Tower, Berlin Wall

Getting Around Berlin

Transport in the city

Transport In and Around Berlin 

Trains, Boats and Taxis

The main railway station is Berlin Hauptbahnhof and there is a network of local trains: the U-Bahn and S-Bahn, buses and trams.

Taxis are the easiest way to get around, but can be expensive.

Boat trips and tourist buses are also available in the centre of Berlin.

Driving in Berlin should be easy compared to many European cities, although parking could be a problem.

Related Articles 

Photo: The Reichstag

Where to stay in Berlin?

Where is the Best Place To Stay in Berlin? 

The most central location in Berlin for tourists

Mitte is the most central district of Berlin (meaning middle) The roads Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse run east-west and north-south through Mitte. Linden is a grand avenue ending at Alexanderplatz (centre of old East Berlin)

A good hotel in Mitte: The Westin Grand, Berlin, Friedrichstrasse 158-164, Berlin 10117 Germany

Phone: (49)(30) 20270 Fax: (49)(30) 20273362

The Westin Grand Hotel is indeed a grand hotel with foyer open right up to an ornate ceiling on the 7th floor. Reasonable sized bright rooms with fairly poor air conditioning. Nicely decorated if a little sombre in some areas. Just Euro 130 per night for a double make it rather less expensive than a similar hotel in Paris, Rome or London, although breakfast is not included in the price and at Euro 29 each it is probably worth venturing out to a good cafe. The buffet breakfast was a slightly superior version of the usual posh hotel fayre, although I'd still rather have a proper breakfast cooked for me, rather than have to fight the hungry bleary-eyed hoards. Eggs cooked to order.

The hotel Westin Grand, also has a good outdoor bar with a small section of the Berlin Wall on display and a more subdued foyer bar with Grand Piano. They serve a pleasant Dunkel Weissenbier my favourite German tipple (cloudy brown wheet beer although prone to inducing borborygmi)

Please See Other European Hotel Recommendations

Map of Berlin 

Map of Mitte and Tiergaten, Berlin

Inside The Westin Grand Hotel, Berlin

Where to Eat and drink

Where is the Best Place to Eat in Berlin? 

There are many good places to eat in Berlin, but here is a small selection:

Restaurant: Aigner Gendarmenmarkt, Franz%u02C6sische Strasse 25, near hotel in Mitte. Very good germanic food. Sat outside. Euro 73 for 2 courses each and 0.5l table wine.

Lutter and Wegner Laggner, a pleasant restaurant with a good wine selection on Charlottenstrasse: hearty german soups and meaty main courses in a restaurant with ambiance: wine bottles floor to ceiling. The service was far too quick though, for such filling food.

The hotel Westin Grand has a good outdoor bar with a small section of the Berlin Wall on display and a more subdued foyer bar with Grand Piano.

There are many "Einstein Cafes" in Mitte which are generally good, but can be crowded. Similar in concept to Starbucks.

Lunch at Gendarmerie, corner of Behrenstrasse and Charlottenstrasse. Good Modern European food. Outside seating is available.

Featured Lensmaster 

Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburger Gate) Berlin

Current Weather in Germany 

What is the Climate like in Berlin, Germany

Current weather conditions in Cologne, Germany

Local Pollen Reports

2°C (Feels like 0°C)

Last update: 12/24/09 12:50 AM Local Time

Humidity: 87%
Visibility: 10.0 km
Dew Point: 0°C
UV Index: 0 (Lawn and Garden Weather)
Barometer: 997.0mm steady
Moon: Rush Hour Traffic
Wind: 8km/h From: Airport Conditions
powered by weather.com

Tonight


Low
Low: C
Sunrise: 8:33 AM
Sunset: 4:29 PM
 

Thursday
Dec 24 


N/A
High: C
Low: C
Sunrise: 8:34 AM
Sunset: 4:29 PM

Friday
Dec 25 


Rain / Snow Showers
High: C
Low: C
Sunrise: 8:34 AM
Sunset: 4:30 PM

Saturday
Dec 26 


Rain / Snow
High: C
Low: C
Sunrise: 8:34 AM
Sunset: 4:31 PM

Other European Destinations 

Things to See and Do in Berlin

Photo of Section of The Berlin Wall

Attractions in Berlin 

Tours, Museums, Galleries, Clubs etc...

The Reunification of Berlin Tour:

Checkpoint Charlie (Kochstrasse & Friedrichstrasse) the famous border crossing for non-Germans is in Mitte and easily walkable from most central parts of Berlin. US Army control hut is a fake for the benefit of tourists, but good info about the Berlin Wall is displayed along the road.

Walk along the path of the Berlin Wall marked with a double row of cobbles and at Niederkirchnerstrasse a 200 metre section of the wall, almost intact and protected by wire fence. Last remaining watch tower at Erna-Berger-Strasse.

Finish the walk at Denkmal fur die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe) the Brandenburger Tor the Tiergarten and the Reichstag.

Art Galleries and Museums in Berlin

Many of the main galleries and museums are in or near the central Mitte region of Berlin

Nationalgallerie (The Old National Gallery) which has Germany's largest collection of 19th century art including German artists: Adolph Menzel, Caspar David Friedrich, Max Liebermann and Carl Spitzweg and some early impressionist art

Deutsches Historiches Museum (The Museum of German History) which covers German History from Germanic tribes around 1000 years BC to modern times, including good coverage of the world wars and Berlin's involvementin them.

Other Galleries, Museums and Attractions in Berlin:

Altes Museum: Art Gallery, formerly the Royal Museum

Berliner Dom: The Berlin Cathedral built in Italian Renaissance style

Denkmal fur die ermortdeten Juden Europas: the Murdered Jew of Europe

Pergamonmuseum: Berlin's Archaeoligcal museum.

Other regions in Berlin

Prezlauer Berg, Tiergarten, Charlottenburg, Schoneberg, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain

Photo: Memorial and Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin National Gallery

What's On?

Diary of Events in Berlin 

What is on in Berlin? Winter Events.

January:

Tanztage - a 2-week dance event

International Grune Woche - 10 day German food and drink festival

UltraSchall - 10 day music festival

Bread & butter - 3 day fashion event

Lange Nacht der Museen - 200 museums stay open late

February:

Transmediale - digital art and culture

Berlin International Film Festival

What's on in Berlin? Spring Events 

March:

MaerzMusik - Festival f¸r aktuelle Musik - contemporary music

International Tourism Fair

Zeitfenster - Music Festival

May:

Qatar Telecom Ladies German Open

Thetertreffen Berlin - theatre competition

Karvenal der Kulturn - mutlicultural parade

Photo: Berlin Wall (close-up)

Things to do in Berlin: Summer Events 

June:

Berlin Philharmonie at the Waldbuhne - candle lie open air classical concert

Fetes de la Musique - summer solstice music event

Schwul-Lesbisches Stassenfest

Christopher Street Day Parade

July:

Classic Open Air Concert

Love Parade

Bread & Butter - fashion fair

Deutsch-Amerikanisches Volksfest - American style family fun

August:

young.euro.classic - classical music

Internationales Berliner Bierfestival -
Berlin Beer Festival

Fantasy Film Festival - Sci Fi, fantasy, horror films

Tanz I'm August - dance festival

Kreuzberger Festliche Tage - family fun and beer

Camera Equipment 

All photographs in this article were taken with a Canon Powershot G10 Compact digital camera

Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Wall

Things to Do in The Autumn and Christmas in Berlin 

September:

Popkomm

Musikfest Berlin - classical music with the Berlin Philharmonic

International Literature Festival

Art Forum Berlin Messegelande am Funkturm

Berlin Marathon

October:

Spielzeiteuropa - theatre and dance

Tag der Deutschen Einheit - Day of German Unity

Venus Berlin - Trade Fair

JazzFest Berlin: 4 day jazz event

November:

Christmas Markets

Berliner Marchentage - fairytale festival

Verzaubert: Queer Film Festival

December:

Heilier Abend - Christmas Eve

Weihnachten - Christmas Day

Stephanstag - St Stephen's Day / Boxing Day

Berliner Silvesterlauf - fun-run

Silvester - New Year's Eve

More Travel Articles 

All About Me 

Lensmaster AndyPo has been a member since July 7 2008, has rated 2,028 lenses, favorited 1,944, and has created 206 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "The Rocky Mountaineer Train, Canada". See all my lenses

Check out these great lenses...

lens image
Make Money From Home
There are many ways to make money from home and there is a lot of money out there on the internet to be had, but there are also a lot of people chasing the money. This article is about my research: The methods I have tried and the results I have achi... view lens
lens image
Wildlife & Travel Photo Gallery
After many years of traveling the world and taking photos, mostly of wildlife and nature and I have published some of them in a Zazzle Gallery. Here is a selection of some of these photographs and links to the associated Zazzle productions; cards and... view lens
lens image
Safari and Wildlife Viewing
Here is a selection of articles and reviews of safari holidays and wildlife viewing vacations in various parts of the world: Africa (Namibia and Botswana), Borneo, Canada, USA and Asia... Lots of photographs, travel tips, advice and recommendations,... view lens
lens image
European Travel Highlights
A quick photographic tour of Europe to some of my favourite bits and links to a few more of my more detailed european travel articles, including: Tuscany in Italy Loire Valley and Brittany, France Gibraltar, U.K. (Near Spain) Richmond, London, Engla... view lens
lens image
Great Investment and Money Making Ideas
Have you ever been stuck for investment ideas? What should I invest in at the moment? Which stocks are good value? Which markets or investment vehicles should you invest in?This article attempts to cut through some of the jargon and provide some safe... view lens

Please Leave Some Feedback 

submit

Some Related Articles 

by AndyPo

Hi, I am Andy. I live in the U.K. but have worked and travelled all over the world. I am a semi-professional wildlife and travel photographer (i.e. I... (more)

Explore related pages

Create a Lens!