Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [95]
Trabi Safari ( 2759 2273; www.trabi-safari.de; cnr Wilhelmstrasse & Zimmerstrasse; 1/2/3/4 passengers per person €60/40/35/30) Spend an hour exploring Berlin’s Wild East behind the wheel – or as a passenger – of a GDR-era Trabant (Trabi for short). Live commentary is piped into your vehicle.
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Berlin is very much a party town with a busy year-round calendar of concerts, street parties, mega sports events, trade shows and festivals celebrating everything from film to fetish, music to movies, travel to fashion. Berlin’s tourist office (www.visitberlin.de) has a searchable events calendar and can also help you book tickets. To get you planning, we’ve listed a few highlights:
Berlinale ( 259 200; www.berlinale.de) The world’s stars and starlets, directors and critics invade in February for Berlin’s glamorous international film festival.
Internationale Tourismusbörse ( 303 80; www.itb-berlin.com) A virtual trip around the globe at the world’s largest travel expo (more than 10,000 exhibitors) held in February or March and open to the public at the weekend.
Karneval der Kulturen ( 6097 7022; www.karneval-berlin.de) Exuberant three-day festival in the streets of Kreuzberg culminating in a parade of costumed dancers, singers, DJs and musicians. Pentecost weekend in May or June.
Christopher Street Day ( 2362 8632; www.csd-berlin.de) People of every sexual orientation paint the town pink at one of Europe’s biggest gay-pride parades and parties held in late June.
Internationale Funkausstellung ( 3069 6924; www.ifa-berlin.de) Huge international consumer electronics fair in early September showcases the latest gadgets everyone will want for Christmas.
Berlin Marathon (www.berlin-marathon.com) Some 50,000 runners sweat it out at Germany’s biggest street race that has seen nine world records set since 1977; in September.
Art Forum Berlin ( 303 80; www.art-forum-berlin.com) This established international contemporary art fair brings together leading galleries, collectors and the merely curious; September or October.
Jazzfest Berlin ( 2548 9100; www.jazzfest-berlin.de) This top-rated jazz festival doo-wops through Berlin with performances by fresh and big-time talent in November.
Christmas Markets Plenty of shimmering ornaments and potent mulled wine at dozens of Yuletide markets held throughout December in such locales as Breitscheidplatz (Map) and Alexanderplatz (Map).
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SLEEPING
Berlin boasts more than 100,000 beds and plenty more are scheduled to come online in the next few years. Just about every international chain now has a flagship in the German capital, but more interesting options that better reflect the city’s verve and spirit abound. You can sleep in a former bank, boat or factory, in the home of a silent-movie diva, in a ‘flying bed’ or even a coffin. Standards are high but fierce competition has kept prices low compared to other capital cities.
In fact, Berlin is nirvana for budget travellers. The hostel scene is the most vibrant in Europe and consists of both classic backpacker hostels with alternative flair, and modern ‘flashpacker’ hostels catering for lifestyle-savvy city-breakers. Of late, new competition has come from budget designer hotels, such as the Motel One chain.
Design-minded travellers with deeper pockets can choose from plenty of lifestyle and boutique hotels as well as Kunsthotels (art hotels), which are either designed by artists and/or liberally sprinkled with original art.
Nostalgic types seeking a unique ‘Old Berlin’ flavour should