Berlin

Where the Wall ran until 1989, a strip of cobblestones now cuts across streets and squares – a quiet reminder in the middle of one of Europe's most vibrant metropolises. A trip to Berlin takes you through centuries of German history, past world-class museums, and into neighborhoods with distinct personalities of their own. Few city breaks offer so much variety: classical music at Gendarmenmarkt, street art in Kreuzberg, techno until Sunday afternoon.

From Royal Residence to Divided City

The twin towns of Berlin and Cölln on the Spree grew into the seat of the Hohenzollerns, the capital of Prussia, and, from 1871, of the German Empire. In the 1920s, Berlin was a world city of art, science, and entertainment. Under the Nazis, persecution and war were planned here; in the end, the city lay in ruins. Divided afterward, West Berlin became an island in the East, supplied by the Berlin Airlift in 1948–49. In 1961, East Germany built the Wall, which fell on November 9, 1989. Since 1991, Berlin has again been the capital of a united Germany, and the move of the government brought buildings such as the Chancellery and the glass dome of the Reichstag.

Berlin Sights

Almost every walking tour starts at the Brandenburg Gate. A few steps away stand the Reichstag, whose walk-in dome is open to visitors after free registration, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe with its 2,711 concrete slabs. Unter den Linden, the grand boulevard, leads past the State Opera and Humboldt University to the reconstructed City Palace, where the Humboldt Forum presents collections from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Gendarmenmarkt, with its concert hall and two cathedrals, is considered the city's most beautiful square. On Bernauer Straße, the Berlin Wall Memorial preserves a section of the border strip with a watchtower, and at the East Side Gallery in Friedrichshain, artists have painted the longest surviving stretch of the Wall. Checkpoint Charlie recalls the former Allied border crossing, and the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz offers a panoramic view from more than 200 meters up.

Museums and Culture

Museum Island in Mitte is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Neues Museum is home to the bust of Nefertiti, the Altes Museum shows antiquities, the Alte Nationalgalerie 19th-century painting, and the Bode Museum sculpture. The Pergamon Museum is currently undergoing extensive renovation and is partly closed. The Kulturforum is home to the Gemäldegalerie, the Neue Nationalgalerie in Mies van der Rohe's glass hall, and the Philharmonie. The Jewish Museum in Kreuzberg, designed by Daniel Libeskind, and the Topography of Terror on the site of the former Gestapo headquarters are among the most powerful places of German remembrance culture. Berlin has three opera houses and numerous theaters, and in February the Berlinale draws film stars.

Neighborhoods with Character

Berlin is made up of many cities. Mitte holds the government quarter, museums, and the Hackesche Höfe, with galleries and boutiques in the Scheunenviertel. Prenzlauer Berg, with its renovated Gründerzeit buildings, Kollwitzplatz, and Mauerpark and its Sunday flea market, feels relaxed and middle-class. Kreuzberg is multicultural and alternative, with the Landwehr Canal, market halls, and Turkish shops on Oranienstraße. In Friedrichshain, the monumental Karl-Marx-Allee and the pubs around Boxhagener Platz set the tone, while Neukölln has turned into a hip scene neighborhood. In the west, you'll find Charlottenburg with its palace and the Kurfürstendamm, Schöneberg with its queer scene around Nollendorfplatz, and the genteel Wilmersdorf.

Eating in Berlin

Berlin cuisine is hearty: pork knuckle with sauerkraut, meatballs, smoked pork loin, and Königsberger Klopse. Culinarily, though, it's mostly immigrants who shape the scene. The döner kebab in bread became popular in West Berlin, and the currywurst is a postwar classic sold at snack stands beneath the elevated railway. Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg hosts street food markets, and Neukölln and Kreuzberg are full of Vietnamese, Arab, and Korean restaurants. Restaurants in Berlin range from snack stands to Michelin-starred dining, and on weekends brunch is a ritual. A Berliner Pfannkuchen, called a "Berliner" elsewhere in Germany, goes with your coffee.

Nightlife

Berlin is a world capital of electronic music. Legendary clubs open on Friday evening and don't close until Monday, doormen decide who gets in, and photography is banned in many clubs. There are also pubs, jazz cellars, variety theaters, cabaret, and, in summer, beach bars on the Spree. Especially in Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, and Neukölln, one bar follows the next, and there is practically no closing time.

Getting Around and Best Time to Visit

BER Airport lies southeast of the city and is connected to the center by S-Bahn and regional train in about 30 minutes. The Hauptbahnhof is one of Europe's largest rail interchange stations. The U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams in the east, and buses cover the city densely; the Ringbahn circles the inner city. Many Berliners get around by bike. The best time to visit is from May to September, when beer gardens, lakes, and parks such as the Tiergarten and Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport, invite you to linger. Excursions lead to Potsdam with Sanssouci Palace, to the Spreewald, and to the lakes around Wannsee. In the Grunewald and at Müggelsee in the southeast, you can see how green the capital is: almost a fifth of the city's area is forested. With the Deutschlandticket or a day pass for fare zones ABC, you can also reach Potsdam and the airport without an additional ticket. If you travel in winter, you'll find more than a hundred Christmas markets in Berlin and a dense cultural program that makes you forget the short days.