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Charlottenburg & Spandau : Overview & Top 10

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Charlottenburg is the essence of Berlin. Here, the capital is more urbane and more cosmopolitan, more bohemian and more elegant than anywhere else. The historical streets off Ku’damm feature small cafés, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques, based in stout residential houses from the beginning of the 20th century. These streets and Charlottenburg’s proud town hall remind us that this district was once the richest town in Prussia, which was only incorporated into the city of Berlin in 1920. Spandau, on the other hand, is rural in comparison, a part of Berlin with a special feel. Spandau’s Late Medieval old town and the citadel make this district on the other side of the Spree and Havel seem like a small independent town.

Spandau: www.Berlin.de/ba-spandau/index.html Ku’damm: www.kurfuerstendamm.de Käthe-Kollwitz-Museum: www.kaethe-kollwitz.de
  • Morning

    Begin your tour of Charlottenburg at Breitscheidplatz and stroll down Kurfürstendamm in a westerly direction. Turn left into Fasanenstraße to visit the Käthe-Kollwitz-Museum and to see the Literaturhaus . You could stop for a mid- morning breakfast at Café Wintergarten in the Literaturhaus, before going back up Fasanenstraße in a northerly direction. On the left you will pass the Kempinski Hotel Bristol Berlin , and on the right you can see the Jewish House and the Ludwig-Erhard-Haus. Diagonally opposite, on the other side of Kantstraße, stands the Theater des Westens. Continue along Kantstraße on the left side until you reach the shopping centre Stilwerk, a place no one has ever been known to leave without buying something!

    On Breitscheidplatz
    Afternoon

    A good place for lunch is the restaurant Soultrane in Stilwerk shopping centre. Afterwards, continue along Kantstraße to Savignyplatz . Now explore the small streets around the square, Grolman-, Carmer-, Knesebeck- and Mommsenstraße. Small shops invite you to browse and spend your money, and the Café Savigny is a good place for a fruit flan with whipped cream and a cup of coffee. For the early evening, Schell is recommended; here you could try fresh pike-perch or one of the Mediterranean dishes.

  • Morning

    Start with a journey on the U-Bahn. From the centre of town, take a U2 train in the direction of Ruhleben, and at Bismarckstraße station change to the U7 train in the direction of Rathaus Spandau. Ten minutes later you will have reached the centre of Spandau Old Town , where you can visit Breite Straße and Nikolaikirche.

    Before returning to Charlottenburg, make sure you visit the Zitadelle Spandau . There, in the museum café, you can also enjoy a late breakfast. Return by U-Bahn. This time, get off the train at the Wilmersdorfer Straße station, one of the few pedestrianized areas in Berlin. This is a particularly good area for shopaholics and bargain hunters.

    Afternoon

    From Wilmersdorfer Straße a 20-minute walk along Kaiserdamm in a westerly direction will take you to the Funkturm and the Messegelände with the “Ehrenhalle”. You could have lunch at the Funkturm-Restaurant , and enjoy the magnificent views. Nearby, the Haus des Rundfunks (broadcasting house) and the Georg-Kolbe-Museum are worth visiting.

    After your museum visit, if you still have some time and energy, you could take bus No. 218 from here to the Olympiastadion. In the evening, return to Charlottenburg and Savignyplatz by bus No. 149. Here you can enjoy the justly famed, delicious Franconian cooking at Florian’s.

  • Chef Karl Wannemacher (one Michelin star) dishes up good international and German food.

  • Warm, friendly and extremely tasteful, Ana e Bruno is the best – and most expensive – Italian restaurant in Berlin.

  • Berlin’s largest antiques, art and flea market, selling excellent items (see Shops & Markets) .

  • The tables of regulars are marked with brass plaques, but anyone will enjoy the French menu and outstanding wine list.

  • Berlin’s leading arts and photography bookseller is tucked away within three arches under the S-Bahn viaduct.

  • Butter Lindner

    This traditional Berlin store specializes in fresh, home-made foods and delicatessen. Of its numerous branches the most attractive one is in Charlottenburg.

  • This modern café, based in an S-Bahn arch, forms part of an architectural gallery.

  • One of several modelled on the US Starbucks chain, this café is opposite the Technical University.

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