Berlin is the capital of Germany and also the biggest city of this country, with 3.5 million inhabitants. Between 1949 and 1990 Berlin was divided in East and West Berlin, by the so well known Berlin Wall. After the reunification, the city took a quite long period of time to reinvent itself from its ruins.

This former division between the “communist” East and the “capitalist” West for many years is probably the cause of why the architecture of Berlin is so fascinating and diverse. In Berlin we can find a never ending number of museums, theatres, churches, synagogues, mosques, magnificent buildings and also the biggest botanical garden of Europe.

REASONS TO GO

For the architecture lovers, visiting Berlin is obligatory. The coexistence of the Classics with the recent creations of vultures like Foster, Gehry and Eisenman is really something!

The arts and the clubbing scene are really worth it!

The spirit of the European history of the XX century – you will see remains of the World War 2 and also of the Cold War.

AVOID

The shops and nightlife at Kurfürstendamm - it can get too crowded and confusing!

ORIENTATION

In the heart of the Brandenburg region, the city is located on the banks of the Havel and Spree rivers and is crossed by many canals. In what concerns to the architecture and the urban landscape, the differences between East and West Berlin are very interesting to observe and understand.

BEST TIME TO GO

The winter in Berlin can get really tough, going down to negative temperatures. Unless you plan to spend your time at Cafés or going to the Berlin Film Festival, you would better visit this beautiful city between May and September. Then you can also enjoy the green parks, the picnics, the Spree borders with their esplanades and good walks through the city.

HOW TO GET THERE

From the two international Berlin airports – Tegel and Schönefeld – it’s easy to get to the city.

From Tegel’s Airport you can reach the western city centre within 15 minutes. Apart from the buses 109 and 128, you also have the JetExpressBus TXL that connects the airport to the main train station Hauptbahnhof. The Express bus X9 leaves from the train station Zoologischer Garten.

Schönefeld is connected with the city by the S-Bahn (suburban train) lines S49 and S9 as well as with some Airport Express trains that run from/to Hauptbahnhof, Zoologischer Garten, Friedrichstraße, Alexanderplatz and Ostbahnhof every half an hour. Taxi to the city centre costs around 23 euro.

Hauptbahnhof is the central station Berlin, opened in 2006, with a new concept for railways and stations. All train stations are well coordinated with the public transports. Deutsche Bahn, the German national railway company, has its site available in English (www.bahn.de). The central bus station is the Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof (www.iob-berlin.de).

TRAVELLING AROUND

This huge city has a cultural vibe like no other: 180 museums, over 500 churches, over 5000 bars (with about 6800 different German beer brands), 135 Theatres, 4 Operas, Parks, Monuments, Art Galleries and much more! 

You can make use of the great bus, tram, train and underground services to move around in the city. The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (www.bvg.de) has a detailed fare list on all this transports timetables.

There are Metro lines (buses and tram) that run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cycling is an additional great way to explore Berlin as there are many bicycle paths (Radwege) all over the city. Bicycles are a very popular means of transportation among Berlin inhabitants.

INFO

www.berlin-tourism.de