DK Travel : Berlin

Berlin is Germany’s liveliest city and one of the most fascinating capitals in the world. You’ll find no other place where art and culture, museums and theatres, entertainment and nightlife are more diverse and exciting than on the banks of the Spree River. Once reunited, Berlin quickly developed into a cosmopolitan city, and today there is an air of energy and vibrancy about it.

Multi-lingual tourist information: www.berlin.de or: www.btm.de

Citystay hostel

Lovely hostel, in central Berlin looking onto the tv tower in Alexanderplatz, and close to the train station. Nice new dorm rooms, with lift to all floors. There are also double bedrooms. Quite cheap, and bar downstairs with large courtyard with hammacks and chairs to sit out in the sun with.
Clärchen’s Ballhaus

One of Berlin’s last remaining dancehalls, where dance-crazy Berliners of an uncertain age dance the waltz and sing along.
Confiserie Leysieffer

Café Leysieffer, one of Berlin’s oldest patisseries, is based in the former Chinese embassy.
Connection

Connection is perhaps not the best, but certainly one of the most popular gay discos in Berlin. Late at night, this is where gays mainly from the scene meet and dance to house and techno rhythms. In the basement under the club is a labyrinth of darkrooms.
Courtyard Berlin-Köpenick

The slightly sterile and impersonal atmosphere of the Marriott is more than made up for by its perfect location. It is right in the centre of the southeastern district of Köpenick, on the banks of the Dahme River – and both Müggelsee and Schönefeld Airport are only a few minutes’ drive away by car or S-Bahn.
Crowne Plaza Berlin City Centre

Part of an American hotel chain, the Crowne Plaza offers attentive service, tasteful rooms and all the creature comforts that business travellers expect, plus a central location, in the western part of the city.
Currywurst and the Kebab!

You can't visit Berlin and not try the local cuisine! Currywurst is a true German experience - a delicious German bratwurst covered in curry powder and served with chips. And while you're at it why not try a traditional Turkish kebab. They actually originated from Berlin when the Turkish emmigrated to the city. There are plenty of kebab and currywurst outlets - Oranienberg Strasse is a hot spot!
Cycling

The large green spaces in Berlin and Potsdam are ideal for cycling excursions. Districts such as the Scheunenviertel or Dahlem are also well suited for exploration by bike. There are several places where you can hire a bicycle – for example, in the centre at Friedrichstraße station (see Getting Around Berlin) .
Dahlem Museums

These four museums in south Berlin, dedicated to foreign cultures and peoples, feature one of Germany’s best ethno-cultural collections. The Ethnological Museum holds around one million items from around the world, especially artistic and cult objects from Africa, as well as exhibits from North-American Indians. Full-scale wooden huts and boats from the island populations of the South Pacific as well as a large collection of ceramic and stone sculptures from the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas are particularly impressive. The Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, focusing on 1,000 years of Far-Eastern culture, displays mainly objects in porcelain and lacquer from Korea, China and Japan. The shiny green jade exhibits from ancient China are just as amazing.
Dahlem Museums

The five museums based in southern Berlin are a fantastic resource of exotic cultures. Four museums are devoted to Far Eastern, Indian, North American and African art, from prehistory to the present day. Among the star exhibits are bronzes from Benin and Japanese woodcuts. The Ethnologisches Museum (Museum of Ethnology), devoted to the cultures of the Pacific area, is equally impressive. Among its exhibits are gold treasures of the Inca (see Grunewald & Dahlem) .

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Hotel price categories

Price for a standard double room per night, with breakfast, taxes and other charges included.
- under €60
- €60–100
- €100–150
- €150–200
- over € 200