Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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Germany : Berlin - April 2009

Country Code: Dial for Germany

Berlin is a city known for its long winters, so Berliners sure know how to make the most of the spring. Join the locals and sit idly in outdoor cafés, stroll along the canals or relax with a picnic in the park. This month, the first ever Long Night of Opera and Theatre (25 April) sees 60 venues stage short programmes, perfect for peripatetic audiences. René Blixer heads down there

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

Home of Berlin’s cultural and historical core, Mitte is an essential stop.

Sleep soundly – Arcotel Velvet (52 Oranienburger Straße, tel. , arcotel.at, rooms from €108) has stylish rooms at reasonable rates and is located right in the thick of things.

Culture vultures – C/O Berlin (Postfuhramt, corner Oranienburger Straße/Tucholskystraße, co-berlin.info) hosts excellent photography exhibitions. Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005 is showing until 24 May.

Must eat – Bandol sur Mer (167 Torstraße, tel. ) serves excellent French food in an intimate single room with an open kitchen. Service is a bit dicey, but there are plenty of good wines to enjoy.

Must drink – Weinerei (57 Fehrbelliner Straße) pioneered the pay-what-youwant wine bar concept in Berlin. Top up your own glass at the bar and give generously when you leave.

Dance the night away – The legendary Kaffee Burger (60 Torstraße) holds literary readings (on the last Wednesday of every month they’re in English) and concerts nightly. Around midnight it turns into a laid-back disco.

Shop til you drop – Do You Read Me? (28 Augustraße) is a magazine junkie’s idea of heaven.

KREUZBERG

Kreuzberg is the city’s most diverse district, famous for its Turkish immigrant population and huge alternative scene.

Sleep soundly – The budget Die Fabrik hotel (18 Schlesische Straße, tel. , diefabrik.com, rooms from €38) is housed in a renovated factory building right near Schlesisches Tor, Kreuzberg’s best street for nightlife.

Culture vultures – The zinc-clad Jewish Museum (9-14 Lindenstraße, jmberlin.de) is a Berlin must-see – if just for its intriguing zigzag architecture.

Must eat – Dig into traditional Black Forest grub such as roast pork and Maultaschen (giant German ravioli) at Zum Alemannen (42 Görlitzer Straße, tel. ). The restaurant also has a separate smoker’s lounge.

Must drink – Retro café-bar Bierhimmel (183 Oranienstraße) is always buzzing with a very mixed crowd.

Dance the night away – The rowdy Wild at Heart (20 Wiener Straße) is a magnet for Berlin’s punk rock and rockabilly scenes, with concerts by German and international bands almost nightly.

Shop til you drop – Overkill (195A Schlesische Straße) carries a great range of streetwear, with a focus on premium trainers.

FRIEDRICHSHAIN

Friedrichshain is a bit rough around the edges, but it’s packed with groovy bars and cheap restaurants. Expect a mix of students, punks and the upwardly mobile.

Sleep soundly – The Eastern Comfort floating hostel boat (73-77 Mühlenstraße, tel. , eastern-comfort. com, rooms from €76) is moored on the Spree River. Stay here and be gently rocked to sleep by the water.

Culture vultures – The East Side Gallery is a 1km remnant of the Berlin Wall that stands on the banks of the Spree. Take the S-Bahn to Ostbahnhof and it’s impossible to miss.

Must eat – At Hops and Barley brewpub (22/23 Wühlischstraße, tel. ) the focus is, of course, on fresh beer made on the premises. But they serve cheap, mostly organic pub grub to go with it.

Must drink – The popular Astro Bar (40 Simon-Dach-Straße) has a trashy sci-fi theme, live DJs every night and closes very late.

Dance the night away – Get a taste of the Berlin underground at the bunkerlike Maria am Ufer (34 Stralauer Platz), a club that hosts indie live acts and great local electronic musicians.

Shop til you drop – The slick Berlinomat store (89 Frankfurter Allee) is a platform for Berlin designers of all kinds. Great for clothes, trainers and oddities like inflatable Berlin TV towers.

Compiled by René Blixer