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The Area
No longer divided, this city is now a thriving, modern and exciting destination, welcoming tourists and business visitors alike.
Much of Berlin has been rebuilt or restored and there is some wonderful architecture, both old and new, standing side by side. Many come here for the exceptional nightlife alone, while others prefer the spectacular sights offered by the city.
There are countless landmarks throughout the city and popular sights include :
The Brandenburg Gate - the former city gate and now an iconic symbol of Germany;
The Potsdamer Platz - one of the busiest squares in Europe, full of shops, bars and cafés. This area is only 15 minutes walk from the Novotel am Tiergarten.
The Reichstag - home to the German parliament and just as impressive today as when it was completed in 1884.
Also see the Victory column in Tiergarten Park minutes from the Novotel am Tiergarten Hotel.
The Television Tower at the Alexander Platz offers a wide view over the city and beyond.
Nightlife
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Berlin is home to 300 clubs and 7,000 bars and restaurants - many of which are open around the clock. Lose yourself in the vibrant city lifestyle and enjoy an unpretentious, affordable, and unforgettable night out in the city that really never sleeps. For a birds eye panoramic view of the city at night, try the Solar Bar located on the 17th floor of the Anhalter Bahnhof. www.solarberlin.com)
Berliiners recommend the Oranienburger Straße for cool cocktails & a diverse range of restaurants.
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Eating Out
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From a quick snack to a gourmet meal at a fine restaurant - the choice for eating out in Berlin are endlessly varied. Traditional Berlin cuisine tends to be rustic and hearty - Berlin meatballs and currywurst (sausage with a curry sauce) are typical examples. Eisbein (knuckle of pork) and "Berliner Weisse" (speciality beer) are also Berlin specialities.
Besides Oranienburger Straße another good location for eating out in quirky restaurants is the Käthe-Kollwitz-Platz area.
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Berlin
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The capital of Germany is located at the heart of Europe. Today Berlin is characterised by its dazzling modernity and breathtaking architecture. Berlin is reinventing itself once again and few cities have been shaped to such an extent by history and undergone as much transformation as Berlin.
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Arriving by Plane
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You can fly to Berlin from many international airports. Tegel (TXL) and Schönefeld (SXF) are Berlin's two airports with many international flight connections served by all major airlines. There is easy and inexpensive connection from the airport to the city center using the public transportation network. Alternatively, taxi cabs are available.
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Arriving by Train
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You can reach Berlin from all directions by using the fast Intercity Express, Intercity, Euro City and InterRegio Trains. The new central station connects all BerlinTrain transport. For more timetable details check the Online-Service of German Railways (Deutsche Bahn).
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Arriving by Car
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All motorways to Berlin lead to the Berliner Ring (A10). From there you can get to the inner city on various access roads.
Berlin's districts and main sights are well signposted, so that drivers who are unfamiliar with the city will easily be able to orientate themselves.
However, only cars with a green sticker that means they meet the emission standard, sold in authorized garages will be allowed inside the inner city area. You can apply for a sticker online at » www.berlin.de.
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Arrival by Bus
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» www.visitberlin.de
There are many possibilities to get to Berlin by coach. The city's largest long-distance coach station is situated in Charlottenburg near the Exhibition Centre (ICC). Scheduled buses cover over 350 destinations all over Germany, serving all major cities. Further information and tickets for "Berlin Linienbus" are available in any Berlin info store.
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Public transportation network
Berlin offers a superb network of public transportation consisting of the underground (U), the S-Bahn train (S), the tram and bus lines. All of them are connected in the same fare system and can be used with the same ticket. Single tickets, day passes, tourist tickets for 48 and 72 hours and weekly passes are available. For information please visit BVG at » www.bvg.de.
Berlin Welcome Card: allows you to travel the Berlin metro, bus and train system for either 48h (€16.90), 72h (€22.90) or 5days (29.90). Prices include a map and a Berlin insider’s guide as well as many discounts on tourist attractions. - Highly recommended!
Berlin Tourist Card AB + Museumsinsel
Valid for 72h and grants you free access to the about 60 museums on the Museumsinsel - for only €31,50.
Shopping
- The Potsdamer Platz is also home to a shopping mall combining shops of textiles, design objects, shoes and more at three floors in an architecturally modern atmosphere. The Potsdamer Platz ARKADEN is defiantly worth a visit.
- On five levels the new shopping and leisure centre ALEXA offers visitors a new mixture of shopping and entertainment with 180 shops of fashion, beauty, electronics and culinary specialties. One outstanding highlight is the model railway exhibition LOXX » www.alexacentre.com
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- Last but not least there is the Kurfürstendamm ("Kudamm") located in the west side of the town. Here you can find a lot of shops and the famous "KaDeWe" with his impressive gourmet food market spread all over the sixth floor.
Museums
With over 170 museums and galleries Berlin welcomes millions of visitors each year.
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Berlin's German Historical Museum newly inaugurated in 2006 is a stunning chronicle of 2,000 years of German history. The permanent exhibition's presentation of the past is arranged by epoch and contains over 8,000 exhibits. The German Historical Museum also houses a specialist academic library.
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The library there contains 225,000 volumes, 10,000 rare books, 40,000 periodicals and newspapers, and 5,000 works on military history. The picture archive has over 500,000 prints relating to German and European History.
Charlottenburg Palace
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Built by Elector Friederich III in 1699 as a summer palace for his wife Sophie Charlotte, this regal estate, the largest palace in Berlin, is framed by a baroque-style garden. Inside, a collection of 18th century French paintings is the largest of its kind outside France.
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Visitors can see the Old Palace, with its baroque rooms, royal apartments, Chinese and Japanese porcelain collections and silverware chambers, as well as the New Wing, with its rococo splendor and fine furniture, added by Friederich the Great.
Tickets for each section are sold separately but admission to the gardens is free.
Pergamon Museum
The latest attraction of Berlin is the Pergamon Museum which has been reopened after restoration last year. It was built in 1910 - 1930 to a design by Alfred Messel. Included in the ancient arts you can admire the bust of Nofretete. More information you can find on the following website: » www.berlin.de
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Music
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If you are fan of classical music a concert in the Berliner Philharmoniker is a must (www.berliner-philharmoniker.de). This specatular concert hall can be found across the Potsdamer Platz. It is not easy to overlook as this building enjoys the unique feature of a golden roof.
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Charité - University Medicine Berlin
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One of the most famous hospitals in the world to enjoy such a long history. The Charité was built three hundred years ago as a place to provide medical help to thousands of patients suffering from pestilence.
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Today the Charité is Europe´s biggest university hospital consisting of at least four campus’. On the Campus Charité Mitte you can find the "Historical Museum of Medicine" full of interesting articles & artefacts.
Sanssouci Palace & Park
A little further afield in the area of Potsdam, you will find the large Sanssouci Park. It contains several palaces, the most famous being the Schloss Sanssouci & Neues Palais.
The Park Sanssouci was originally an orchard near Potsdam. This was the favourite retreat of King Friedrich II - later known as Friedrich the Great. Here he could stay without worries (hence the name sans souci,
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In 1744 the King commissioned architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff to build a summer palace, the Schloss Sanssouci (Sanssouci Palace). Here he could leave all the formalities of the royal court behind and spend time on his hobbies like music and philosophy.
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In the central room, the Marmorsaal which was loosely based on the Pantheon in Rome, he would invite famous philosophers like Voltaire.
The design of the Sanssouci Palace was based on sketches made by Friedrich the Great himself. The relatively small palace with only 12 rooms was completed in 1747. It is located on top of a terraced vineyard, known as the Weinberg (wine mountain). The palace is only one storey high, but beautifully decorated in rococo style.
Neues Palais
Over the years, several other buildings were added to the grounds of the Sanssouci park. The most impressive of all is the Neues Palais, a large baroque palace. It was commissioned by King Frederick the Great in 1750 but construction only started in 1763 after the 7 Year's War, which solidified Prussia's status as a powerful nation.
The Neues Palais is one of Germany's most impressive palaces; in contrast to the Sanssouci Palace, which is rather modest, the imposing sumptuous palace contains more than 200 lavishly decorated rooms spread over two storeys. The central ballroom is topped by a large dome.
This area is well worth a visit for anyone staying on in Berlin.
Park Sanssouci borders the city center of Potsdam, which can be reached from Berlin via S-Bahn nr 7.
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