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

Opera Houses

Berlin is an absolute must for opera lovers or those who want to give it a go. There are three opera houses in the centre of Berlin; all are heavily subsidised, resulting in modestly priced tickets without any sacrifice of quality. The most prestigious, where you are likely to find world class stars, is the Staatsoper on Unter den Linden, it has all the red plush and opulence of tradition. The Komisch Oper, also on U d L, is a charming, mirrored confection of a building which produces a wide variety of operatic offerings from Mozart to Lehar via Verdi. Finally the Deutsche Oper in Charlottenburg, again producing a wide variety of operas often adventurously and originally directed and starring internationally renown singers. Mingle with Berliners and have a drink/coffee and cake before the performance in an opera house bar. Choose your seat and buy your tickets on line, the sites are all easily navigated and located. I have a photograph but it's too large and I'm unable to manage shrinking it. Sorry...
Operntreff

Completely furnished in leather, this small but elegant bar in the historic Opernpalais is an ideal stopping-off point for night owls, after an evening at the opera.
Oranienburger Straße

Like no other street, Oranienburger Straße, in the centre of the old Scheunenviertel, symbolizes the rise and fall of Jewish culture in Berlin. Traces of its Jewish past are visible all along the street, such as the Neue Synagoge and several Jewish cafés and restaurants (see Restaurants & Cafés) . Some 18th- and 19th-century buildings bear witness to the street’s former splendour – the Postfuhramt (see Central Berlin: Scheunenviertel) , for example, or the house at No. 71–72, built in 1789 by Christian Friedrich Becherer for the Grand Lodge of the Freemasons of Germany.
Oranienplatz and Oranienstraße

Kreuzberg’s main square and unofficial high street specialize in all things alternative.
Oranienstraße

Oranienstraße is the heart of Kreuzberg. It is the wildest, most colourful and most unusual street of the district, where alternative shops and pubs jostle for space with doner kebab take-aways and Turkish greengrocers. All aspects of life and politics in Kreuzberg are centred around this road.
Osteria No. 1

The Italian local par excellence: noisy and expensive, but serving unique pizzas and excellent pasta dishes. Later you can just decamp to the wine bar next door.
Oxymoron

This small café and restaurant in Hackesche Höfe, featuring chintz decoration, serves light German meals.
Palais am Festungsgraben

The Baroque palace of 1753 has maintained its original elegant interior.
Palais Podewil

The light yellow Baroque palace, built in 1701–4, has been transformed into Podewil, a cultural centre and one of the best places for contemporary music.
Palais Schwerin and Münze

Two adjoining buildings with elegant 18th-century façades: Palais Schwerin has beautiful window cornices; Münze (the mint) is decorated with a Neo-Classical frieze.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and charges included.
- under €20
- €20–30
- €30–45
- €45–60
- over €60