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

Berliner Motorradtage

The international meeting of bikers is a noisy event.
Berliner Neujahrslauf

The New Year’s Day Run is a race for those who are fit and not afraid of the cold.
Berliner Rathaus

Berlin’s proud town hall is the office of the Governing Mayor and is the political centre of power in Greater Berlin. The Rathaus was built in 1861–9, according to plans by Hermann Friedrich Waesemann on the site of an older town hall. It was designed to demonstrate the power and the glory of Berlin, and the architect took his inspiration for the new governmental building from Italian Renaissance palazzi .
The building is also known as the “Red Town Hall” – not a reminder of its Socialist past, but a reference to the red bricks from Brandenburg province from which it is built (see Historic Buildings) .

Heraldic animal at the Rathaus
Berliner Rathaus

Berlin’s Town Hall, also known as “Red Town Hall” because of the red bricks from Brandenburg Province with which it is built, harks back to the proud days when Berlin became the capital of the new Empire. Built in 1861–9 according to designs by Hermann Friedrich Waesemann, the town hall was one of Germany’s largest and most magnificent buildings, built to promote the splendour of Berlin. The structure was modelled on Italian Renaissance palaces, and the tower is reminiscent of Laon cathedral in France. The exterior was decorated with Die steinerne Chronik (the stone chronicle) in 1879, depicting scenes from the city’s history (see Central Berlin: Around Alexanderplatz) .
Berlinische Galerie

Huge collections of mostly German, east European and Russian painters, photographers, graphic designers and architects from the 20th century, such as Baselitz, Grosz and Kirchner.
Bertolt Brecht

Born in Augsburg, Bavaria, Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) wrote some of his greatest works, such as the Threepenny Opera , in a small apartment in Charlottenburg. In the Third Reich, the playwright emigrated to the US, but he returned to Germany after World War II and founded the Berliner Ensemble in East Berlin in 1949. Until his death, Brecht lived in Chausseestraße in Berlin-Mitte, with his wife, Helene Weigel. His renovated apartment has been turned into a museum.
Beth-Café

Small Jewish café of the Adass-Jisroel community, serving Jewish snacks.
Birken-Paradies

This is the shop to visit if you are looking for decorative wood carvings, ranging from wooden toys to elaborate Christmas decorations.
Bleibtreu-Hotel

Here, you’ll fancy yourself in Tuscany – the hotel’s stylish interior courtyard and bright, tastefully furnished rooms are an oasis of tranquillity in the bustle of the western half of the city. The international clientele is equally stylish. The hotel has its own restaurant, pool, sauna, massage and much more on offer, and there are shops right outside.
Blockhaus Nikolskoe

Traditional German fare is served in this historic log cabin, built as a Russian dacha.

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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
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