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The Brandenburger Tor, Berlin’s most famous sight, is located in Pariser Platz, where the famous Hotel Adlon and the embassies breathe a modern, stylish elegance (see Brandenburger Tor & Pariser Platz)

No other building is a more potent symbol of Germany’s history than the Reichstag. Since its redesign by Sir Norman Foster in 1997–9, the structure has become one of the most popular sights in Berlin. Visitors are attracted by its vast egg-shaped dome, affording fantastic views across the city (see Reichstag) .

The magnificent, tree-lined boulevard in the eastern part of the city has always been a central axis. Berlin’s most important historic buildings are assembled here (see Unter den Linden)

The new heart of the old metropolis beats on Potsdamer Platz, where exciting new structures, such as the Sony Center, have been erected. With its restaurants, film museum, cinemas, shops and musical theatre it is a unique world of entertainment (see Potsdamer Platz) .

Berlin’s most impressive museum, a mecca for those interested in culture, houses the famous Pergamon Altar from ancient Greece (see Pergamonmuseum) .

Berlin’s most impressive museum, a mecca for those interested in culture, houses the famous Pergamon Altar from ancient Greece (see Pergamonmuseum) .

Berlin’s much visited strolling and shopping avenue is the main thoroughfare in the heart of the western city. New restaurants and stylish boutiques have increased the hustle and bustle along this grand boulevard (see Kurfürstendamm) .

The tower ruins of the memorial church, built to commemorate Kaiser Wilhelm I, still stand today as a silent reminder of the horrors of war (see Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche) .

The historic rooms of the former Hohenzollern summer residence invite visitors to experience a slice of Prussian history, while the Baroque-style gardens, among the most beautiful in Germany, are perfect for strolling and sunbathing (see Schloss Charlottenburg) .

This complex of museums, which includes the famous Gemäldegalerie (gallery of paintings), the Kunstgewerbemuseum (museum of arts and crafts) and the Neue Nationalgalerie, as well as concert halls such as the Philharmonie, guarantees a unique cultural experience for visitors to Berlin (see Kulturforum) .

Germany’s oldest zoo and aquarium, in the centre of the city, is the largest animal park in the world, boasting some 14,000 animals and over 1,800 different species (see Zoologischer Garten) .

Berlin’s largest art and antiques market specializes in genuine antique furnishings and fittings, cutlery and porcelain, books, paintings, clothing and jewellery. The traders are professionals and demand high prices, but in return you are assured of buying something splendid. With its street artists and buskers, the market is an ideal spot for browsing, dawdling and people-watching (see Shops & Markets) .

The vast, largely desolate square in the centre of East Berlin, called “Alex” by Berliners, was one of the most vibrant places in Berlin before World War II – and no doubt it will be again some day. Alfred Döblin beautifully captured the rhythm of the city in his world-famous novel Berlin Alexanderplatz . Not much remains today of the once frenzied atmosphere, although there is plenty of hustle and bustle around the Kaufhof Galleria department store (see Shops & Markets) .

Originally, Alex was a cattle and wool market. Not many of the prewar buildings survived – only Berolinahaus and Alexanderhaus, next to the historic S-Bahn station Alexanderplatz, remain, both dating back to 1929. The square was almost completely laid to waste in World War II, and most of the surrounding soulless tower blocks were built in the 1960s. There are now plans to build skyscrapers on Alexanderplatz.

Only pitiful fragments remain of the railway station that was once the largest in Europe. The giant structure was erected in 1880 by Franz Schwechten as a showcase station: official visitors to the Empire were meant to be impressed by the splendour and glory of the German capital as soon as they reached the railway station. In 1943 the station was badly damaged by bombs and in 1960 it was pulled down. The waste ground behind the façade was meant to become a park; today the Tempodrom is based here, hosting concerts and cabaret shows.

The 365-m (1,197-ft) high TV tower is the tallest building in Berlin, affording views of up to 40 km (25 miles) in good weather. There is a viewing platform at 203 m (666 ft). The Tele-Café above rotates once around its own axis every 30 minutes. The tower, visible from afar, was erected in 1965–9 by the East German government to signify the triumph of East Berlin, their “capital”.

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

After a long day, the ideal place for resting and reviving tired children’s feet and legs – and those of their parents – is a visit to the blub Swimming Paradise, one of Germany’s largest water parks with water slides, outdoor pool, saunas and children’s pool.

An elegant town hotel, based in a 19th-century manor house. The lobby is traditionally furnished and the rooms are in a sobre Bauhaus-style. The Michelin-starred Quadriga restaurant specializes in French cuisine.

Bertolt Brecht, one of the 20th century’s greatest playwrights, lived here with his wife, Helene Weigel, from 1953–6. Original furnishings are on display alongside documents and photographs. There is also an archive of his work.

Bertolt Brecht, one of the 20th century’s greatest playwrights, lived here with his wife, Helene Weigel, from 1953–6. Original furnishings are on display alongside documents and photographs. There is also an archive of his work.

The carillon , officially dedicated in 1987, is the largest of its kind in Europe. The 68 bells are rung every day at noon and 6pm in the 42-m (138-ft) high black tower.

The Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, next to the former crossing point for the Alllied forces, has an exhibition on the history of the Berlin Wall and the various means people used in trying to escape from East to West Berlin, ranging from a hot-air balloon to a car with a false floor. Only a replica of the control hut remains of the former border.

The Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, next to the former crossing point for the Alllied forces, has an exhibition on the history of the Berlin Wall and the various means people used in trying to escape from East to West Berlin, ranging from a hot-air balloon to a car with a false floor. Only a replica of the control hut remains of the former border.

Original Viennese restaurant serving typically Austrian food.

The Alex Café, below the TV tower, has a huge breakfast buffet – start your tour of East Berlin here.

Set in a vaulted cellar and sunny greenhouse annex, this rustic, child-friendly restaurant offers local and international fare.

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

There is always an excellent atmosphere in this old Berlin restaurant, based in a pumping station and serving rustic German fare.

Large beer garden with a lengthy menu, offering excellent wines and desserts.

International and German cuisine, served in a former border control point on the banks of the Landwehrkanal. Try the house speciality: Brandenburger Landente aus dem Rohr – a roast duck dish, or dishes with wild mushrooms, when in season.

This tiny café in Köpenick’s Old Town serves coffee and cakes, outdoors, in summer, on a small veranda.

Ana e Bruno’s is one of the best restaurants in Berlin, and certainly serves the best Italian food in the city. Don’t be shocked when you see the menu: the numbers refer to the calories in a dish rather than to the price – although these are also at the top end (see Restaurants) .

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

This gay parade openly and brashly celebrates alternative lifestyles. At the end of June, up to 500,000 gays and lesbians from around the world boisterously dance, drink and celebrate in the streets of Central Berlin (see Gay & Lesbian Attractions) .

Alte Schönhauser Straße is one of the oldest streets in Spandauer Vorstadt. The lively road is still characterized by a colourful jumble of traditional and trendy new shops.

An impressive classicist building designed by Schinkel and rebuilt in 2004 to house the Berlin offices of Bertelsmann.

A detour to the Russian colony in Potsdam feels like a journey to Russia itself. Decorated log cabins with picturesque gardens were built here in 1826 for a Russian military choir.

One of Berlin’s most important publishing houses was based in this Art Nouveau corner house in the former newspaper district.

The old town hall, built in 1753, is decorated with sculptures and Potsdam’s coat of arms – two gilded Atlas figures, each carrying a globe.

The area round this road is one of the closest to the original old Scheunenviertel, featuring old interior courtyards and many buildings that have not yet been restored.

This theatre, established in 1891–2 by Heinrich Seeling, was the main venue for Bertolt Brecht’s plays.

The log cabin, built in1819, was a present from King Friedrich Wilhelm III to his daughter Charlotte and his son-in-law, future Tsar Nicholas I. The wooden Russian-style dacha was restored after a fire in 1985.

The log cabin, built in1819, was a present from King Friedrich Wilhelm III to his daughter Charlotte and his son-in-law, future Tsar Nicholas I. The wooden Russian-style dacha was restored after a fire in 1985.

The most attractive of five former town gates was built by Gontard and Unger in 1770 in the Neo-Classical style to celebrate Prussian victory in the Seven Years’ War.