Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [69]
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Berlin
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HISTORY
ORIENTATION
Maps
INFORMATION
Bookshops
Discount Cards
Emergency
Internet Access
Internet Resources
Left Luggage
Media
Medical Services
Money
Post
Tourist Information
SIGHTS
Mitte
Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten
Kreuzberg
Friedrichshain
Prenzlauer Berg
Charlottenburg
Southwestern Berlin
Eastern Berlin
ACTIVITIES
Cycling
Running
Swimming
WALKING TOUR
BERLIN FOR CHILDREN
TOURS
Bus Tours
Bike Tours
Boat Tours
Walking Tours
Speciality Tours
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
SLEEPING
Mitte
Prenzlauer Berg
Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten
Kreuzberg
Friedrichshain
Charlottenburg
EATING
Mitte
Prenzlauer Berg
Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten
Kreuzberg
Friedrichshain
Charlottenburg
Schöneberg
DRINKING
Mitte
Prenzlauer Berg
Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten
Kreuzberg & Kreuzkölln
Friedrichshain
Charlottenburg & Schöneberg
ENTERTAINMENT
Listings
Tickets
Nightclubs
Live Music
Cabaret & Varieté
Cinemas
Theatre
Sport
SHOPPING
Department Stores & Malls
Farmers Markets
Flea Markets
Made in Berlin
Music
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Bus
Car & Motorcycle
Train
GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airports
Car & Motorcycle
Public Transport
Taxi
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‘Berlin is the newest city I have come across’, observed Mark Twain in 1891, and a modern-day visitor to the German capital might well echo the sentiment. Twenty years after German reunification, Berlin is a city throbbing with vitality, still struggling for an identify, yet poised for a great future. Head-spinning museums to eclectic galleries, grand opera to guerrilla clubs, gourmet outposts to ethnic snack shacks – no matter whether your tastes run to posh or punk, you can sate them in this city.
Chronic fiscal woes aside, when it comes to fashion, art, design and music, Berlin is the city to watch. A global influx of creative spirits has turned it into a cauldron of cultural cool on par with New York in the ’80s. What draws them is an experimental climate infused with an urban grit that gives this eternally unfinished city its street cred.
All this trendiness is a triumph for a town that’s long been in the crosshairs of history: Berlin staged a revolution, headquartered fascists, was bombed to bits, ripped in half and finally reunited – and that was just in the 20th century! Perhaps it’s because of its historical burden that Berlin is throwing itself into tomorrow. Cafes are jammed at all hours, drinking is a religious rite and clubs host their scenes of hedonism until the wee hours. Sleep? Way overrated.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Royal Encounters Make a date with Nefertiti and her entourage at the splendid Neues Museum
Chill-out Float Let the sights drift by while sipping a cool drink on the deck of a river boat Click here
Life’s a Beach Check out sexy bods while chilling and bronzing on the unique Badeschiff, cargo barge turned lifestyle pool Click here
Fashionista Fever Put together the distinctive Berlin look by scouring the local designer boutiques of the Scheunenviertel
Panoramic Pleasures Get high on the knock-out views from the Reichstag roof Click here or the Fernsehturm, Germany’s tallest structure
Party Animals Hit the bars of Kreuzberg for a night of tabloid-worthy drinking and debauchery Click here
Wall Stalker Look for traces of the elusive Berlin Wall by following a GPS-guided Mauerguide
Eccentric Sleeps – Spend the night in a floating bed, in a prison cell, a kaleidoscope or any of the other wacky rooms at Propeller Island City Lodge
TELEPHONE CODE: 030
POPULATION: 3.43 MILLION
AREA: 889 SQ KM
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HISTORY
By German standards, Berlin entered onto the stage of history rather late and puttered along in relative obscurity for centuries. Founded in the 13th century as a trading