Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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Germany : Berlin - February 2008

Country Code: Dial for Germany

Getting around

Tempelhof Airport is located in the southcentral borough of Tempelhof- Schöneberg.

Train: The airport is connected to the city centre by U-Bahn line 6, which can be picked up from Platz der Luftbrücke station. The journey takes 10 to 15 minutes and tickets cost €2,10.
Taxi: The trip into the city centre takes around 15 minutes and costs about €12.
Tourist information: There are offices at the Brandenburg Gate and the main railway station (0025, visitberlin.de).

MITTE

The heart of the city, Mitte is home to many of Berlin’s key landmarks and night spots.

Sleep soundly – The serviced apartments of Lux 11 (9-13 Rosa-Luxemburg Straße, tel. , www.lux-eleven.com, rooms from €165) give direct access to an Aveda Hair and Beauty Spa and the new Ulf-Haines Store. It’s a tranquil tonic in a city where burning the candle at both ends is obligatory.

Culture vultures – The Kunst-Werke (KW) Institute for Contemporary Art (69 Auguststraße) packs in five floors of contemporary art.

Must eat – Rock ’n’ roll, dirty blues, rockabilly and deliciously unprintable names for burgers and fries make White Trash Fast Food (6-7 Schönhauser Allee, tel. ) a fast ride. » Must drink Housed in the historical Postfuhramt (post office) building, Rodeo Club (35-36 Oranienburger Straße) is a restaurant-cum-party venue. Gatecrash the guest list to sip Berliner Weisse (wheat beer) in the domed room upstairs.

Dance the night away – Picknick (90 Dorotheenstraße) takes revellers through a grand courtyard into dark, winding caverns to hear 80s electro.

Shop til you drop – RSVP Papier (14 Mulackstraße) is a writer’s paradise full of quirky stationery from the likes of Parkhaus Berlin and Landkartenpapier – miles more stylish than a postcard.

PRENZLAUERBERG

A former hangout for punks, it’s now dominated by gentrified boulevards and brunch joints. The nightlife here is still refreshingly underground, though.

Sleep soundly – The central location of the friendly EastSeven Berlin Hostel (7 Schwedter Straße, tel. , www.eastseven.de, from €12 per person in a dorm) is perfect for budget travellers.

Culture vultures – Head to the Berlin Rock Photo Gallery (32 Kastanienallee) for star-studded private views.

Must eat – Two eggs in a glass? Just one of the tasty breakfast options at Weltempfänger (27 Anklamer Straße, tel. ). Follow Saturday brunch here with farmer’s market snacks in Kollwitzplatz Markt.

Must drink – Pay testament to Berlin’s thriving international scene with vodka, Russian beer and borscht in Bar Gagarin (22-24 Knaackstraße).

Dance the night away – Ditch the heels and catch live rock music acts in the suitably low-key Magnet (Greifswalder Straße), followed by DJ sets until the early hours.

Shop til you drop – Make extra luggage space for value retro finds from Sunday’s Flohmarkt am Arkonaplatz, including vinyl, clothing and books.

KREUZBERG

Nearby Friedrichshain is giving Kreuzberg a run for its money in the gritty cool stakes, but this multi-cultural area still packs an edgy punch.

Sleep soundly – Housed in a former chocolate factory, the Hotel Pension Sarotti-Höfe’s (57 Mehringdamm, tel. , www.hotel-sarottihoefe.de, rooms from €78) first priority is comfort. Aesthetes may not be keen on its yellow walls, though.

Culture vultures – Coolhunters should make a bee line for Peres Projects (Schlesische Straße), a small private gallery that shows young artists.

Must eat – If you’re hankering for a döner or kebap – and a good one at that – make a date with one of the stalls of the Türkischer Markt (Maybachufer).

Must drink – Roses Bar (187 Oranienstraße) takes kitsch to another level while the classic house tunes warm up clubbers for a night on the tiles.

Shop til you drop – ‘Clothes by the kilo’ is a concept long gone in London. But if you’re here on a Wednesday and have enough stamina to trawl, then supermarket sweep your way through Colours (102 Bergmannstraße).

Compiled by Sonja Patel