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One of Berlin’s best hotels, the charming Hackescher Markt, is situated right in the popular Mitte district. Service and furnishings are of a four-star standard, yet the prices are moderate. Best of all is the hotel’s central location in one of Berlin’s liveliest areas: it is only a few steps away from the Hackesche Höfe and the Scheunenviertel.

The former Hamburg railway station, now the “Museum of the Present Day”, holds a cross-section of contemporary paintings and the latest multi-media works of art and installations. One of the highlights is the private collection of Erich Marx, including works by Beuys and others. Apart from well-known artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Robert Rauschenberg, it also shows works by Anselm Kiefer and Sandro Chiao.

The Hansa estate west of Schloss Bellveue was built for the “Interbau” trade fair in 1957. World War II bombs had flattened Tiergarten, and 36 residential complexes were erected in the park, designed by distinguished architects from around the world, including Walter Gropius (Händelallee 3–9), Alvar Aalto (Klopstockstr. 30–32) and Oscar Niemeyer (Altonaer Str. 4–14).

A pleasant way to explore the district of Potsdam is a walk through the historic Old Town, with its art galleries, cafés and restaurants. Built between 1733 and 1742, the area originally served as a settlement for Dutch workers after whom it is now named. The small red-brick buildings are decorated with attractive stucco ornaments.

This new memorial, officially called “Memorial to the Killed Jews of Europe”, serves as Germany’s national Holocaust memorial. After years of debate, US star architect Peter Eisenman completed the memorial in 2005. It is comprised of a large field with dark grey steles of varying heights up to 2 m (6 ft) high, which symbolize the six million Jews and others murdered by the Nazis in their concentration camps between 1933 and 1945. Underneath the memorial there is an information centre which explains the causes and history of the genocide.

Docked on the banks of the Spree are some of the remaining few houseboats in Berlin – an idyllic haven in the middle of the city.

The East German regime undertook a perfect restoration of this idyllic street for Berlin’s 750th anniversary celebrations. A stroll through the leafy roads lined with houses from the Gründerzeit (the years after the founding of the German Empire in 1871) is one of the nicest ways to experience Prenzlauer Berg. Ancient-looking street lamps and signs, cobbled streets, antiquated shop signs and a few atmospheric pubs take the visitor back to the late 19th century.

The Jewish Museum is not only unique architecturally, but it is also one of Berlin’s most fascinating museums. Its collections present an overview of almost 1,000 years of German-Jewish cultural history; a special exhibition is devoted to everyday Jewish life in Berlin from the end of the 19th century (see Museums) .