Busabout Adventures

Most travellers endeavour to visit only eight of Berlin’s Bezirken (districts) – Charlottenburg, Tiergarten, Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Schöneberg and Wilmersdorf.

At the city’s centre, Unter den Linden, the fashionable wide avenue of aristocratic old Berlin, extends east from the Brandenburg Gate towards Alexanderplatz, once the heart of socialist Germany. En route are some of Berlin’s finest museums and the unsightly Fernsehturm (TV tower). The former western centre, around Zoo station, is still busy but is rapidly losing its privileged status as the Mitte district reasserts its central position.

Among Berlin’s 170 museums, the state museums (marked ‘SMB’ here) are reliable highlights. Unless otherwise noted, SMB museums are closed Monday and are free the first Sunday of each month; admission is by day pass (adult/concession €6/3), which generally allows admission to other nearby or related SMB museums.

Central Berlin
BRANDENBURGER TOR & REICHSTAG
At the western end of Unter den Linden is the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate), the symbol of Berlin and once the boundary between east and west. Built in 1791 by Karl Gotthard Langhans, it’s crowned by the Quadriga, a winged Goddess of Victory in a four-horse chariot.

Just north of the gate is the Reichstag (h8am-midnight, last admission 10pm), where at midnight on 2 October 1990 the reunification of Germany was enacted. Again the home of the German parliament, the Reich­stag has become Berlin’s number one attraction, thanks to Sir Norman Foster’s stunning 1999 reconstruction. The lift to the distinctive glass cupola is free and doesn’t require reservations; tours of the building’s interior can be arranged by writing to Deutscher Bundestag, Besucherdienst, Platz der Republik 1, 11011 Berlin.

ALEXANDERPLATZ
Soaring above the city, the restored 368m Fernsehturm (TV tower; %242 3333; Panorama­strasse 1a; adult/concession €6.50/3; h9-1am Mar-Oct, 10am-midnight Nov-Feb) is Berlin’s best-known landmark. Its aesthetic qualities are debatable, but the views are superb. On the opposite side of the elevated train station is Alexanderplatz (affectionately known as ‘Alex’), the square named after Tsar Alexander I, who visited Berlin in 1805. It was bombed in WWII and rebuilt in the 1960s Soviet style. The World Time Clock (1969) is another GDR curiosity.

MUSEUMSINSEL
Berlin’s famed Museum Island is a scene of heavy construction as its grand buildings are restored. On an island west of the Fernsehturm is the GDR’s Palace of the Republic (1976), which occupies the site of the bombed, baroque Berliner Schloss. During the communist era, the Volkskammer (People’s Chamber) used to meet in this monstrosity; intense discussion is currently under way about whether or not the original Schloss should be reconstructed in its place. North of Marx-Engels-Platz looms the great neo-Renaissance dome of the 1904 Berliner Dom (%202 690; Am Lustgarten; adult/concession €5/3; h9am-7pm Mon-Sat, noon-7pm Sun), the bombastic former court church of the Hohenzollern family.

Of the museums that give the area its name, the 1930 SMB Pergamonmuseum (%2090 5555; Am Kupfergraben; adult/concession €8/4; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun, 10am-10pm Thu) is an archaeologist’s dream, crammed with relics of classical Greek,
Babylonian, Roman, Oriental and Islamic antiquity. The world-renowned Ishtar Gate from Babylon (580 BC), the reconstructed Pergamon Altar from Asia Minor (160 BC) and the Market Gate from Greek Miletus (Asia Minor, 2nd century AD) are among the artefacts on display. Other good museums include the SMB Alte Nationalgalerie (%2090 5801; Bodestrasse 1-3; adult/concession €8/4; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun, 10am-10pm Thu), with classical sculpture and paintings by European masters, and Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s 1829 neoclassical SMB Altes Museum (%2090 5201; Am Lustgarten; adult/concession €8/4; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun), the first museum to be built on the Insel, with its famed rotunda area featuring statues of the Greek divinities.

NIKOLAIVIERTEL
The rebuilt, 13th-century Nikolaikirche stands at a jaunty angle amid the forced charms of the Nikolai quarter, conceived and executed under the GDR’s Berlin restoration programme (which actually involved razing many old streets). The monumental Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall), a neo-Renaissance structure from 1860, has been proudly restored and is once again the centre of Berlin’s municipal government. Across Grunerstrasse, the remains of the bombed-out shell of the late-13th-century Franciscan Abbey mark the position of the former Spandauer Tor as well as the earliest town wall.

UNTER DEN LINDEN
A stroll west of Museumsinsel along the Unter den Linden boulevard takes in the greatest surviving monuments of the former Prussian capital. The Deutsches Historisches Museum (%203 040; Unter den Linden 2; admission €2; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun) offers a collection on German history from AD 900 to the present in a former Zeughaus ­(armoury), built in 1706 and renovated in 2004. Special exhibits are housed in a spectacular extension by modernist architect IM Pei.

To the west, Bebelplatz was the site of the Nazis’ first book-burning on 10 May 1933. Just south lies Gendarmenmarkt, an elegant square and cultural fulcrum containing a trio of magnificent buildings: the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral), Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) and the statuesque Konzerthaus (Concert Hall). Nearby, Stasi – Die Ausstellung (Stasi Exhibition; %2324 7951; Mauerstrasse 38; h10am-6pm Mon-Sun) gives a fascinating insight into the practices of the GDR’s secret police, the regime’s ‘sword and shield’.

Tiergarten & Kreuzberg
POTSDAMER PLATZ
Europe’s busiest square before WWII, Potsdamer Platz was occupied by the Wall and its death strip until reunification. Since then it has been updated at a roaring pace and is now among the city’s main tourist attractions, with exceptional buildings by world-­famous architects including Renzo Piano, Arata Isozaki, Rafael Moneo and Helmut Jahn.

A major highlight here is the excellent Filmmuseum (%300 9030; Sony Center, Potsdamer Strasse 2; adult/concession €6/4; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun, 10am-8pm Thu), a multimedia journey through German film history with lots on the big Berlin names and a behind-the-scenes look at special effects.

JÜDISCHES MUSEUM
Even before it opened in 2001, the zinc-clad shell of the Daniel Libeskind–designed Jewish Museum (%2599 3300; Lindenstrasse 9-14; adult/concession €5.50/2.50; h10am-10pm Mon, 10am-8pm Tue-Sun) drew thousands of visitors. Now its collection covers 1000 years of
Jewish history in Germany in a manner that’s both admiring and wistful.

TIERGARTEN PARK & KULTURFORUM
The huge city park, Tiergarten, stretches west from the Brandenburger Tor towards Zoo station. Strasse des 17 Juni (named after the 1953 workers’ uprising in East Berlin) leads from the Brandenburger Tor through the park. In the middle of this street, the Siegessäule (Victory Column; adult/concession €2.20/1.50; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5.30pm Sat & Sun) was built to commemorate 19th-century Prussian military adventures; these days, however, it’s an unofficial gay symbol and the centre of the Tiergarten cruising area after dark.

The Kulturforum area abounds with stunning museums – check at the tourist office for details. The SMB Gemäldegalerie (Gallery of Paintings; %2090 5555; Matthäiskirchplatz 4/6; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun, 10am-10pm Thu) is the star attraction, focusing on European works from the 13th to 18th centuries with its collection including paintings by Dürer, Rembrandt, Botticelli and Goya.

THE BERLIN WALL
Almost nothing remains of the famous Checkpoint Charlie, a major crossing between east and west during the Cold War. However, the Wall’s history is commemorated nearby in the fascinating Haus am Checkpoint Charlie (%253 7250; Friedrichstrasse 43-45; adult/concession €9.50/5.50; h9am-10pm), with countless tales of successful and failed escape attempts.

Parallel to a section of the Wall is the site of the former SS-Gestapo headquarters, where the open-air Topography of Terror (%2548 6703; Niederkirchnerstrasse 8; h10am-8pm May-Sep, 10am-dusk Oct-Apr) exhibition documents Nazi crimes.

Over the river in Friedrichshain, the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall runs west from near Warschauer Strasse station. This 300m section was turned over to graffiti writers and artists who created the East Side Gallery, a permanent, open-air art gallery along the side facing Mühlenstrasse. The area can be a bit seedy, although it’s improving with gentrification. The gallery also has a showcase in Ostbahnhof.

Kurfürstendamm & Charlottenburg
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN
Once the commercial heart of West Berlin, the ‘Ku’damm’ is now largely an expensive shopping centre, and can become a tourist ghetto in summer. The stark and haunting ruin of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (1895) on Breitscheidplatz, left as a war memorial amid raging consumerism, is a world-famous landmark.

For light ‘relief’ try the Erotik-Museum (%866 0666; Joachimstalerstrasse 4; adult/concession €5/4; h9am-midnight), a surprisingly highbrow display on sexuality in world culture from Beate Uhse, the German queen of ‘playwear’.

SCHLOSS CHARLOTTENBURG
Originally a summer residence for Queen Sophie Charlotte, Schloss Charlottenburg (%0331-969 4202; Luisenplatz; day card adult/concession €7.50/5; hclosed Mon) is an exquisite baroque palace with several different sections, each charging separately. The winter chambers of Friedrich II, upstairs in the new wing (1746) to the east, are among the highlights, as well as the Schinkel Pavilion, the neoclassical Mausoleum and the rococo Belvedere pavilion. Allow a day to see the whole site; it may be difficult to get a ticket on weekends and holidays in summer.

OLYMPIA STADION
Built by Hitler for the 1936 Olympic Games, the 85,000-seat Olympic Stadium (%301 1100;
Olympischer Platz 3; adult/concession €2.50/1) lies southwest of Schloss Charlottenburg. One of the best examples of Nazi-era neoclassic­al architecture, it’s still very much in use –  it’s the home stadium of Berlin’s embattled Hertha BSC football team, and the finals of the 2006 World Cup will be played here.

Nightlife is a law unto itself in Berlin, with enough quality, quantity and variety to outdo any city in Europe. The most dynamic scenes are in Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain, where the feel is energetic, experimental and expanding. Western Kreuzberg is alternative with trendy touches, while eastern Oranienstrasse retains a rowdy, grungy feel despite gradually losing favour. In Schöneberg, you’ll find dozens of 30-somethings with pointedly alternative lifestyles. Clubs in southern Mitte tend to be overly exclusive, but the looser scene around Oranienburger Strasse and Rosenthaler Platz is still resisting gentrification.

Not much starts before 11pm, except for ‘after-work’ parties on weekdays and some Sunday sessions. Admission ranges from €3 to €15. Venues are always changing, so check listings and seek out insider tips for the best parties. Once a year Berlin holds a Clubnacht, where entry to most major parties is free.

Kaffee Burger (%2804 6495; Torstrasse 60) A corner­stone of Berlin’s alternative scene, decked out in original GDR ’60s wallpaper. Come here for indie, rock, punk and the legendary Russendisko (Russian disco).

SO36 (%6140 1307; Oranienstrasse 190) Kreuzberg’s punk heart is still going strong, with thrashy live gigs and a hugely popular range of gay and lesbian nights.

Tresor/Globus (%609 3702; Leipziger Strasse 126a) Berlin is still the home of techno, and this long-term survivor from the early rave days keeps flying the flag, though its location is threatened. New sister club 12/34 (%5207 2301; Stralauer Allee 1) has a housey vibe.

Watergate (%6128 0394; Falckensteinstrasse 49a) Berlin’s hottest recent arrival has a fantastic location with a downstairs lounge overlooking the Spree. The music is mainly electro, drum ’n’ bass and hip hop, and it seldom closes early.

WMF (%2838 8850; Karl-Marx-Allee 34) This classic electro/downtempo club is now on its sixth location – a great spacious ex-GDR lounge. Regular appearances by remix gods Jazzanova count among the best nights anywhere in Germany; Sunday is GayMF.

Berlin also has a thriving (or throbbing) scene of no-holds-barred sex clubs and parties. The notorious KitKat Club (%7889 9704; Bessemerstrasse 2-14) is the original and best.

Bicycle
Fahrradstation (%2974 9319; Zoo station) is Berlin’s largest bicycle-rental agency, with branches all over the city. Bikes cost from €10 a day with a €50 deposit.

Public Transport
Berlin’s public transport system offers services jointly provided by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG; %194 49), which operates the U-Bahn, buses, trams and ferries; and Deutsche Bahn (DB; www.bahn.de), which runs the S-Bahn and regional trains (rail-pass holders can use DB trains for free). The BVG Information Kiosk (Hardenbergplatz; h6am-10pm), outside Zoo station, provides free network maps, and also sells tickets.

One type of ticket is valid on all forms of transport. Unless you’re venturing to Potsdam or the very outer suburbs, you’ll need only the AB zone ticket. Taking a bicycle in specially marked carriages of the S-Bahn or U-Bahn costs €1.25. On the U-Bahn, bikes are allowed only between 9am and 2pm and from 5.30pm to closing time on weekdays (any time at weekends). Tickets range from Kurzstrecke (short trip; €1.20; three stops by U-/S-Bahn, six stops by bus or tram) to Tageskarte (day pass; €5.60). U-/S-Bahn tickets must be purchased in advance. Most types of tickets are available from vending machines; they must be validated at the platform entrances, at bus stops before boarding, or as you enter the bus or tram.

U-/S-Bahn services operate from 4am until just after midnight on weekdays; some 70 Nachtbus (night bus) lines fill the gap until morning services resume. At weekends, major U-Bahn lines run every 15 minutes all night, while most S-Bahns continue to operate hourly.

Taxi
Taxi stands are located around the city. Flag fall is €2.50 to €3, then €1.53 per kilometre; short trips (under 2km) cost €3. Call a cab on %194 10, %210 101 or %210 202.

Discount Cards
Berlin-Potsdam Welcome Card (72hr €21) Unlimited transport for three days and discounted admission to major museums, shows, attractions, tours and boat cruises.
SchauLust Museen Berlin (72hr €10) Free admission to over 50 museums.

Emergency
Police Headquarters (%6995; Platz der Luftbrücke 6) Beside Tempelhof airport.

Internet Access
Al Hamra (%4285 0095; Raumerstrasse 16; per 15min €1; hfrom 10am) Surfing goes exotic with waterpipes and cocktails.
Netz Galaxie (%7870 6446; Joachimstalerstrasse 19; per hr €1; h11am-2am)
Plan@t Internettreff (%209 488; Niederbarnimstrasse 4; per hr €2; hfrom 11am)
Surf & Sushi (%2838 4898; Oranienburger Strasse 17; per 30min €2.50; hfrom noon)

Medical Services
Kassenärztliche Bereitschaftsdienst (%310 031) 24-hour medical aid, advice and referrals.

Money
American Express (Friedrichstrasse 172)
Reisebank (Hardenbergplatz 1)
Thomas Cook ( Friedrichstrasse 56)

Post
Main post office (Joachimstalerstrasse)

Tourist Information
Berlin Tourismus Marketing (%250 025; www.berlin-tourism.de) Europa-Center (Budapester Strasse 45) Mitte (Brandenburger Tor) Alexanderplatz (Fernsehturm)
EurAide (Bahnhof Zoo; h8am-noon & 1-4pm Mon-Sat) English-language service.

Travel Agencies
Alternativ Tours (%881 2089; Wilmersdorfer Strasse 94)
Atlas Reisewelt (%247 5760; Galeria Kaufhof, Alexanderplatz 9)
STA Travel Prenzlauer Berg (%2859 8264; Gleimstrasse 28) Charlottenburg (%311 0950; Goethestrasse 73)

FESTIVALS & EVENTS
The Berlin events calendar is crammed with parties, festivals and celebrations all year round. The international Berlinale (%259 200; www.berlinale.de) film festival in February is the city’s highest-profile event, with film screenings and events happening all over the city.

Summer parties are the other huge draw, with several events taking over the streets around the Tiergarten. Christopher Street Day (%0177-277 3176; www.csd-berlin.de), in June, is one of the country’s largest gay events, while the Love Parade (%284 620; www.loveparade.de), in July, can still pull in hordes of technoheads when it actually happens.

Berliners love eating out, and the culinary community here is happy to oblige. You’ll never need to travel far to satisfy your cravings, as every neighbourhood has eateries running the gamut of cuisines. The blocks around Savignyplatz, Kollwitzplatz and Winterfeldtplatz are great places to browse.

Restaurants
Gosch (%8868 2800; Kurfürstendamm 212; mains €6-15) A stylish but good-value fish bistro, serving take-out sandwiches (€2 to €3.50) as well as proper ‘pick-your-own-fish’ meals.

Monsieur Vuong (%3087 2643; Alte Schönhauser Strasse 46; mains €6.40) Even with a limited daily menu, the cooked-to-order Vietnamese fare here is rapidly acquiring cult status –
be prepared to queue for a seat.

Nil (%2904 7713; Grünberger Strasse 52; mains €1.80-4) Unique in Berlin (and probably elsewhere), this Sudanese Imbiss (snack bar) dishes up fuul (mashed beans), falafel and other Arabic titbits.

Seerose (%6981 5927; Mehringdamm 47; mains €3-7) Vegetarians in the know flock to this eat­ery, which tempts tastebuds with delicious casseroles, soups, salads, pasta and juices.

Zum Nussbaum (%242 3095; Am Nussbaum 3; mains €6-9) For old-time Berlin flair and gut-busting traditional cuisine, this touristy but no-nonsense pub in the Nikolaiviertel is on the money.
To take advantage of student prices, try the Technische Universität Mensa (Hardenbergstrasse 34; lunch €3-6, nonstudents €5-8; h11am-2.30pm).

Cafés
The number and variety of cafés in Berlin is simply astonishing. They’re wonderful places to relax over coffee and cake, and many also honour the great Berlin tradition of serving breakfast all day.

Beth Café (%281 3135; Tucholskystrasse 40; mains €2-9; n) This is a good-value kosher café-bistro with a delightful inner courtyard, perfect for enjoying a leisurely lunch.

Café Seidenfaden (%283 2783; Dircksenstrasse 47) Near Hackesche Höfe, this is a pleasant lesbian hang-out.

Morgenland (%611 3183; Skalitzer Strasse 35; mains €5-12) This eastern Kreuzberg café is a top spot for breakfast, especially on Sundays.

Schwarzes Café (%313 8038; Kantstrasse 148; mains €4.50-9) Founded in 1978, this 24-hour food ’n’ booze institution must have seen half of Berlin pass through it’s doors at some point.

Quick Eats
Berlin is also paradise for snackers on the go, with international Imbisse throughout the city. Grill & Schlemmerbuffet Zach (%283 2153; Torstrasse 125; kebabs €1.10-5) is widely tipped as the best doner in town; while Witty’s (%853 7055; Wittenbergplatz; sausages €2-4) has the edge amid the sausage crowd.

To prepare your own food, try Aldi, Edeka, Lidl or Penny Markt supermarkets. There are also some farmers markets around town; the most famous is held on Winterfeldtplatz (hWed & Sat).

With a long history of subsidising the arts, Berliners take culture almost as seriously as fun, and there’s no shortage of edifying options to raise your brow a bit.

Classical Music
Berliner Philharmonie (%2548 8132; Herbert-von-Karajan Strasse 1) The Potsdamer Platz ‘circus tent’ is famous for its acoustics; current director Sir Simon Rattle has consolidated its supreme musical reputation. All seats are excellent.

Deutsche Oper Berlin (%343 8401; Bismarckstrasse 35) Specialising in Wagner, the staple diet here includes classical works by mostly Italian and French composers, plus contemporary works.

Konzerthaus (%250 025; Gendarmenmarkt) Home to the world-renowned Berlin Symphony Orchestra.

Theatre
Berlin has around 150 theatres, ranging from the stoically traditional to the screamingly experimental. In the former east, they cluster around Friedrichstrasse station; in the west they’re concentrated along the Ku’damm.

Deutsches Theater (%250 025; Schumannstrasse 13a) The historic German National Theatre offers classic productions as well as modern ones.
Friends of Italian Opera (%691 1211; Fidicinstrasse 40) Berlin’s only English-language theatre venue.

Volksbühne (%247 6772; Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz) Nonconformist, radical and intense, director Frank Castorf’s provocative programming pulls in a sharp young audience, with moments of genius amid the frequent controversy.

Bars & Pubs
Dachkammer (%296 1673; Simon-Dach-Strasse 39) See both sides of Berlin in one bar: downstairs it’s the traditional rustic pub look, while upstairs you get cocktails and ’50s flashback flavour.

Dicke Wirtin (%314 4952; Carmerstrasse 9) A traditional Berliner Kneipe (pub) par excellence, saved from insularity by its fashionable location and regular influxes of students seeking cheap food and booze.

Erdbeer (Max-Beer-Strasse 56) The red colour scheme and €7 pints of daiquiri make drinking here pretty sweet, and the no-frills approach separates it from standard Mitte cocktail joints.

Feuermelder (Krossener Strasse 21) Defiantly not part of Friedrichshain’s lounge explosion, punks, rockers and other leather-clad folk seek solace in this loud music bar.

Kumpelnest 3000 (%8891 7960; Lützowstrasse 23) Once a brothel, always an experience – the Kumpelnest has been famed since the ’80s for its wild nights. Much of the original whorehouse décor remains intact.

Möbel Olfe (%6165 9612; Reichenberger Strasse 177) Livening up the flagging Kottbusser Tor area, this sparsely furnished beer hall is good for at least a couple of hours after the regular places close.

O&G (%2576 2667; Oranienburger Strasse 48-49) Sporting tasteful retro pastels, this unironically cool bar was one of the first joints to open here after the Wende, and while the interior’s grown up a bit it still pulls in a friendly young crowd.

X Bar (%443 4909; Raumerstrasse 17) Not for the indecisive, this smart cocktail/sushi bar has the biggest drinks menu you’ll ever see. Of course, with drinks containing up to eight different spirits it’s probably a good idea to take your time.

Live Music
A-Trane (%313 2550; Bleibtreustrasse 1; admission €5-20) Still the place in Berlin for jazz. Entry is free most Mondays and Tuesdays when the local boys play.

Junction Bar (%694 6602; Gneisenaustrasse 18; admission €3-6) Live music of all shades, 365 days a year – check your lungs and eardrums at the door before descending into this bastion of Kreuzberg chaos.

Gay & Lesbian Venues
Forget Amsterdam – Berlin is about the gayest city in Europe. Consult gay and lesbian freebie Siegessäule or strictly gay Sergej magazine, or contact Mann-O-Meter (%216 8008; Bülowstrasse 106).

SchwuZ (%693 7025; Mehringdamm 61) On Saturdays the Melitta Sundström café out front turns warm-up bar for this mainstream dance club, with flamboyant drag queens and two dance floors.

Sonntags-Club (%449 7590; Greifenhagener Strasse 28) This friendly, relaxed lesbigay café-bar is open to all and holds frequent events.