Dial +49 for Germany
Text Nadja Vancauwenberghe
For the last decade, Berlin has been a magnet for non-conformist, creative young people from around the world. They’re drawn by the city’s unique, ever-changing nightlife and art scene, cheap rents and the special feeling of freedom and tolerance that locals call Berliner luft (‘Berlin Air’).
Berlin’s first Golden Age was the 1920s, with its decadent cabarets, wild nightclubs and famous gay scene. Now those times seem to be back. Berlin is more happening and more cosmopolitan than ever, and what’s more, a good time won’t cost you an arm and a leg. The city is vast, though, and it can be hard to get a grasp of everything there is to see and do there. Start with our guide to the most exciting parts of town.
Mitte
The centre of it all
Mitte (literally, ‘middle’) is the historical, political and cultural centre of Berlin. It’s Berlin’s artiest and trendiest district, as attested to by the countless cafés and bars, designer shops (on Alte Schönhauser Strasse) and galleries (on Auguststrasse/Linienstrasse) that line the streets.
Be sure to visit the KW Institute of Contemporary Art (69 Auguststrasse, kw-berlin.de), a large space always showing something on the forefront of contemporary culture. On Oranienburger Strasse you will find photography space C/O Berlin, alternative culture centre Tacheles and the New Synagogue, plus dozens of bars and restaurants.
The Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, houses five world-class museums, including the newly re-opened Bode Museum (1–3 Bodestrasse). From here, wander down Unter den Linden – it’s the city’s most famous boulevard, extending from the Brandenburg Gate past the sorrowful remains of the much-debated Palace of the Republic, East Germany’s former parliament building.
At sunset, head back to Alexanderplatz and look down on the sprawling city from the rotating café of the unmistakeable TV tower. For a fast, delicious dinner of Vietnamese noodles, trendy Monsieur Vuong (46 Alte Schönhauser Strasse) is the place to go. Equally chic is the austere Schwarzenraben (13 Neue Schönhauser Strasse, tel. (0)30 2839 1698), an upscale café and Italian restaurant that’s frequented by media and film types. From Thursday to Saturday, end the night at Weekend (5 Alexanderplatz), a slick club on the 12th floor of an office building on Alexanderplatz.
Kreuzberg
An alternative vibe
For decades, Kreuzberg has been home to a huge Turkish population – and every revolutionary movement of the late 20th century. It boasts the largest Turkish market outside of Turkey (Tuesdays and Fridays, along the Maybachufer canal), and is host to over 120 different languages.
After decades of student revolts, squats and riots, Kreuzberg is more gentrified today, though much of its edgy, renegade vibe remains. Stroll down Oranienstrasse to check out the bar and club scene, the most famous part of which is SO36, a legendary venue for political punk, left-wing events and the monthly gay Turkish disco night, ‘Gayhane’.
A daytime must-see in Kreuzberg is the famous zinc-clad zig-zag facade of the Jewish Museum (9–14 Lindenstrasse, jmberlin.de), designed by star architect Daniel Libeskind. A few steps away is Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous crossing point between West and East Berlin.
The area around the Schlesisches Tor underground stop is now home to the trendiest nightclubs in the city – venues like Watergate (49 Falckensteinstrasse) and 103 (47 Falckensteinstrasse) – as well as funky bars such as the weird and wonderful Barbie Deinhoff’s (16 Schlesische Strasse).
Potsdamer Platz
High-tech and culture
Berlin’s glittering, brand new downtown area, Potsdamer Platz, is testament to the city’s attempts to catapult itself away from its sinister history and into the 21st century. Twenty years ago it was patrolled by border guards and laden with landmines, but all that is gone, except for a token stretch of wall looking rather out of place amid all the glass and chrome office buildings.
Here you’ll find the Berlin Philharmonic (1 Herbert-von-Karajan Strasse) and the excellent New National Gallery (50 Potsdamer Strasse, neuenationalgalerie.de). Under the high-tech circus tent of the Sony Centre is the English-language (or, at least, undubbed) CineStar, the Arsenal art house cinema, the film museum and various eateries. Every February, Potsdamer Platz rolls out the red carpet for the world-renowned Berlin International Film Festival.
Prenzlauer Berg
Bourgeois bohemian
Built on a low hill north-east of the city centre, Prenzlauer Berg was one of the areas least damaged in the war. Most of its 19th-century buildings are intact, giving it a certain charm. A Bohemian stronghold even in communist times, Prenzl’berg, as the locals call it, is still known for its alternative feel, despite gentrification and rising property prices. Now you’ll find more well-dressed mums and young professionals than punks or students.
The area around Kollwitzplatz and Rykestrasse is the poshest, with tasteful interior design shops, upmarket baby outfitters and pleasant cafés. Café Gagarin (devoted to the Russian cosmonaut) and neighbouring Pasternak (22 Knaackstrasse, tel. (0)30 441 3399) serve delicious Russian grub, and both do allyou-can-eat Sunday brunches. For great Alsatian cuisine (a Franco-German culinary love affair), head to the excellent yet moderately priced Gugelhof (37 Knaackstrasse, tel. (0)30 442 9229).
Slightly trendier and younger is the leafy Helmholzplatz, where you’ll find Drei (30 Lychener Strasse, restaurant-drei.de), a fashionable fusion-style café-restaurant, or warm up with high-end hot chocolate at the plush Kakao (10 Dunckerstrasse, kakao.biz). Soothe your itch for gourmet chocolate at the In’t Veld Schokoladen chocolate shop next door. The area is dotted with interesting boutiques like Tausche Taschen (8 Raumerstrasse, tel. (0)30 4030 1770, tausche-berlin.de), which sells hip messenger bags with interchangeable flaps.
Zoo/Ku’damm
Glam in the west
Kurfürstendamm boulevard in western Berlin is lined with department stores, brand name outlets, luxury boutiques and plenty of restaurants. Attention was lavished on the former East Berlin for years after the wall came down, but now Ku’damm is going through a bit of a revival. Take a fascinating trip through Berlin’s history at Story of Berlin (206 Kurfürstendamm, story-of-berlin.de), a well-presented multimedia exhibition. Berlin Zoo, with its excellent aquarium complete with crocodiles and sharks, isn’t far from here. No visit to Berlin is complete without a stop at KaDeWe (21–24 Tauentzienstrasse, www.kadewe.de), Europe’s biggest department store, which has an incredible gourmet floor.
To escape the masses go to nearby Savignyplatz, which is brimming with restaurants, shoe shops and designer furniture shops. Here, Mr Hai (1 Savignyplatz, tel. (0)30 3759 1200) serves delicious Vietnamese food, while nearby Ottenthal (153 Kantstrasse, tel. (0)30 313 3162, www.ottenthal.com) serves top-notch Austrian cuisine.
Where to stay
Mitte
Crash out at the cosy Honigmond Hotel (12 Tieckstrasse, tel. (0)30 284 4550, www.honigmond-berlin.de), or for the filthy rich, there’s the luxury Hotel Adlon Kempinski (77 Unter den Linden, tel. (0)30 22610, www.hotel-adlon.de) overlooking the Brandenburg Gate.
Kreuzberg
Here you’ll find Die Fabrik (18 Schlesische Strasse, tel. (0)30 611 7116, www.diefabrik.de), an affordable and friendly hostel/hotel.
Potsdamer Platz
Hotels here are mostly high-end, such as the Ritz Carlton (3 Potsdamer Platz, tel. (0)30 337777, rooms from €235) and Marriott (1 Inge-Beisheim-Platz, tel. (0)30 220000, rooms from €129). A really cheap option is the nearby Three Little Pigs Hostel (66 Stresemannstrasse, tel. (0)30 3266 2955, beds from €11).
Prenzlauer Berg
For a good night’s sleep, try the charming Myer’s Hotel (26 Metzer Strasse, tel. (0)30 440140, myershotel.de). Transit Loft (Greifswalder Strasse, tel. (0)30 4849 3773, www.transit-loft.de) is a cheaper hotel that’s housed in a former factory building.
Zoo/Ku’damm
The affordable Hotel Bogota (45 Schlüterstrasse, tel. (0)30 881 5001, www.bogota.de) has been catering to the international art and literary crowd for decades.
Focus sur Berlin
Toujours plus cosmopolite, Berlin est la ville où tout se passe, et qui plus est, où l’on peut vraiment s’amuser à moindre frais. La ville est vaste, ce qui rend impossible l’éventualité de tout visiter ou de tout faire, c’est pourquoi nous vous avons concocté un tour guidé des quartiers les plus affriolants.
Mitte est le centre historique, politique et culturel de Berlin. C’est le quartier du Berlin artistique et branché, comme l’attestent les innombrables bars et cafés, les boutiques de design (sur AlteSchönhauser Strasse) et les galeries (sur Auguststrasse/Linienstrasse).
Depuis des décennies, le Kreuzberg abrite la plus forte concentration de population turque et l’on y trouve même le plus grand marché turc en dehors de la Turquie (le long du canal Maybachufer). C’est aussi l’endroit incontournable pour sortir jusqu’au bout de la nuit. Autour de la station de métro Schlesisches Tor, c’est l’ambiance, avec les boîtes les plus déjantées de la ville.
La Potsdamer Platz héberge l’Ensemble Philharmonique de Berlin et l’excellent Musée d’art moderne ‘Nationale galerie’. Et chaque année en février, la Potsdamer Platz déroule le tapis rouge pour le grand Festival International du Film de Berlin, de renommée mondiale.
Construit sur une petite colline au nord-est du centre, le district du Prenzlauer Berg fut un des quartiers les plus épargnés par les bombardements durant la guerre. Attendez-vous à des magasins de design trendy, des boutiques de vêtements d’enfants griffés, des boutiques de goût et des brasseries agréables.
Enfin, le quartier du Zoo/Ku’damm reprend petit à petit son essor. Il est pourvu aujourd’hui de grands magasins (dont notamment la plus grande chaîne en Europe, KaDeWe), de magasins de marques, de boutiques de luxe et d’un nombre infini de restaurants.
Focus op… Berlijn
Berlijn is bruisender en kosmopolitischer dan ooit. En wat meer is, een verblijf kost er geen stukken van mensen. De stad is echter niet van de kleinste en het is onmogelijk om er alles te zien en te beleven. Maar dit overzicht van de meest levendige stadsdelen helpt je al aardig op weg.
Mitte is het historische, politieke en culturele centrum van Berlijn. Het is het meest artistieke en trendy district, met ontelbare cafés, bars, designershops (aan de Alte-Schönhauser Strasse) en galerieën (aan de Auguststrasse/Linienstrasse).
Decennialang al woont in Kreuzberg een grote Turkse bevolkingsgroep, en de wijk gaat prat op de grootste Turkse markt buiten Turkije (langs het Maybachuferkanaal). Het is ook dé plek voor laat avondvertier: in de buurt van de Schlesisches Tor metrohalte liggen de hipste nachtclubs van de stad.
Aan de Potsdamer Platz vind je de Berliner Philharmonie en het museum voor 20e-eeuwse kunst (Neue Nationalgalerie). Elk jaar wordt hier in februari de rode loper voor het wereldvermaarde Internationale Filmfestival van Berlijn uitgerold.
Ten noordoosten van het centrum op een heuvel ligt Prenzlauer Berg, een van de stadsdelen die het meest ongeschonden uit de oorlog kwamen. Verwacht hier smaakvolle interieurzaken, de betere babywinkels, leuke boetieks en gezellige cafés.
Zoo/Ku’damm ten slotte beleeft een heropleving. Hier vind je een groot aanbod warenhuizen (waaronder KaDeWe, Europa’s grootste warenhuis), outlets van grote merken, luxueuze boetieks en tal van restaurants.
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