Berlin

Whenever we go on holiday we do the guidebooks, we look at all the websites, but when we actually get there we have to do all the finding-out that many people have done before. We don't want you to have to duplicate our work. So while this page isn't everything about Berlin, it's the things that might save you a bit of time.

Getting to Town If arriving at Tegel airport, there are several options for getting to town, depending on where you're staying. Before you set off, buy a 7 Day Card for 25 Euro, either from one of the ticket machines (which are often broken) or the German-speaking ticket office. Don't forget to validate it at the start of your first journey The TXL bus runs all the way through to the East of Berlin, down Unter Den Linden to Alexanderplatz. The X9 goes to Zoo station in the West. For travel information, visit link Somewhere to Sleep The Park Inn Hotel on Alexanderplatz has 35 floors with fantastic views from every one of its 1006 rooms, all recently refurbished. It's really convenient for all U-bahn and S-bahn lines, and has a bar and casino. 030 2389-4333, link Or try the Radisson SAS, with a gigantic aquarium in the foyer, close to Berliner Dom, Karl Liebknecht Strasse 5, 030 238 280, link Eating Out Noodle Kitchen, in the Radisson SAS, Karl Liebknecht Strasse 5. Go down the steps by bridge after Berliner Dom, or through the hotel. It has a cool tick-box tear-off order form gimmick, and great food! And after dinner, visit the AquaLounge next door. 030 23828-3464, link Freischwimmer means open-air swimmer, and it's a fish restaurant on the bank of a branch of the Spree. It's a great place to g, by day or night. Vor dem Schlesischen Tor 2, 030 6107 4309. Take the U-bahn to Schlesisches Tor, and then walk parallel to the river over two bridges, and you'll see it signposted down a track to the left. link Dinner and a movie? Visit the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz, the tallest skyscraper in Berlin. The multi-screen cinema shows films mainly in English, and there are lots of bars and restaurants too. link Before your morning flight out, grab breakfast at the Red Baron balcony cafe in Tegel Airport. Shopping There are loads of big department stores, Ka De We, Karstadt and Galeries Lafayette in the West, and Kaufhof in the East. Innovative kitchenware design can be found at WMF, on Karl Liebknecht Strasse 11 just by Alexanderplatz. Cover City Music, Kudamm 11, has a wide selection of CD and vinyl, as well as posters and DVDs. Just follow the stairs up to the big yellow shop! There are lots of boutiques and design shops on Neue Schonhauser Strasse and the surrounding area. Kantstrasse starts up in Charlottenberg and ends near Zoo station. It has a wide range of shops, including those for the local Russian and Polish communities, and some big design stores. Art Deutsche Guggenheim, Unter den Linden 13/15. The art is usually a bit mad! It has a good shop and cafe. link Bauhaus Archiv, Klingelhofer Strasse 14, 030 254 002-0, closed Tuesday, bus 100 U-bahn Nollendorfplatz. Find out more about Germany's design movement of the 20s and 30s, in a building that still looks fresh and modern. link Hamburger Bahnhof, a train station converted into a gallery of modern art, very nice cafe with good soup, S-bahn Hauptbahnhof. link Must-See SIghts The 100 and 200 buses run from Zoo station round either side of the Tiergarten. Get an early bus or fight past the queues of French schoolchildren, and sit at the front of the top deck. Reichstag, Platz der Republik. Built in 1884, ablaze 1933, renovated 1994 with a big glass dome with mirrored cone. Any of the buses TXL, 100 or 200 will get you there - nice and early and then you can watch from the top as all the tour groups arrive. link Tempelhof Airport was built in 1923, used in the Berlin Airlift, and now is only for private jets, budget airlines and you can book a flight in a bomber or a balloon. More groovy architecture. U-bahn Platz der Luftbrucke. Take a river cruise from Nikolaiviertel, on the river just behind Palast der Republic (if it's still standing). It goes past the Reichstag, through the new Embassy district and round the north of the Tiergarten. link The Olympic Stadium was built for the 1936 Olympic Games, and is now the home of Hertha BSC, as well as the venue for the 2006 World Cup Final. It has fantastic architecture and is well worth a visit. The nearest station is on line U2. link The Fernsehturm is the TV Tower on Alexanderplatz. Great for breakfast and views in the revolving restaurant. link Flip Flop Flyin' Guide to Berlin Craig from Flip Flop Flyin' lives in Berlin and put together this guide for visitors that's so good, I had to let you see it. link

Alexanderplatz Reichstag Olympic Stadium Marx and Engels look East to the Fernsehturm Tempelhof

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