Introducing Berlin
Twenty years after its post-Wall rebirth, Berlin is a scene-stealing combo of glamour and grit, teeming with top museums and galleries, grand opera and guerrilla clubs, gourmet temples and ethnic snack shacks. Whether your tastes run to posh or punk, you can sate them in Berlin.
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When it comes to fashion, art, design and music, the German capital is the city to watch. A global influx of creatives has turned it into a cauldron of cultural cool reminiscent of New York in the ’80s. What draws them is Berlin’s legendary climate of tolerance, openness and experimentation infused with an edgy undercurrent that gives this ‘eternally unfinished’ city its street cred. Cheap rents don’t hurt either.
All this trendiness is a triumph for a town that’s long been in the cross-hairs of history: Berlin staged a revolution, was headquartered by fascists, bombed to bits, ripped in half and finally reunited – and that was just in the 20th century! Famous landmarks such as the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and what’s left of the Berlin Wall are like a virtual 3-D textbook in a city where you’ll find history staring you in the face every time you turn a corner.
Perhaps it’s because of its heavy historical burden that Berlin is throwing itself into tomorrow with such contagious energy. At times the entire city seems to be bubbling over into one huge party. Cafes are jammed at all hours, drinking is a religious rite and clubs host their scenes of frenzy and hedonism until the wee hours. Sleep? Fuhgeddaboutit!
Yet despite its often hectic pace, Berlin functions on an exquisitely human scale. Traffic flows freely, public transportation is brilliant, you can walk without fear at night, clubs have no velvet ropes and your restaurant bill would only buy you a starter back home. Come and join the party and be swept away by the riches, quirks and vibrancy of this fascinating city.
Ready to go?
- Download our new German Offline Translator app. Simply talk or type, and it translates. Available for iPhone, iPad and Android. Also check out the Lonely Planet Berlin City Guide app available via iTunes.
- Sit down for an evening with dinner at Charlottenburg Palace
- Explore Berlin with the City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
Last updated: 20/01/2012
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Berlin
Things to do
- All things to do (815)
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- Entertainment (214)
- Restaurants (154)
- Shopping (137)
- Sights (250)
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Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Berlin
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1 Get high at the TV Tower
Take in unbeatable 360-degree views of Berlin from the Fernsehturm, Germany's tallest structure
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2 Revere the Reichstag
Stand in awe of history at Germany’s political power nexus
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3 Visit the Checkpoint Charlie Museum
Stand in a hot spot of the Cold War, location of the famed tower that symbolised East-West tension
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4 Catch the art express at the Hamburger Banhhof
Admire the star-studded collection of contemporary art at this converted 19th-century train station
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5 Catch a cabaret show at Bar jeder Vernunft
Flash back to Roaring Twenties glamour at this dazzling art nouveau-style tent hosting cult cabaret shows
Our favourite Berlin Blogs (beta)
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UNESCO World Heritage Site #167: Berlin Modernism Housing Estates
Blog: Everything Everywhere - 24 December 2011
From the World Heritage inscription: The set of housing estates in the Berlin Modern Style provides outstanding testimony to the implementation of housing policies during the period 1910 – 1933 and especially during the Weimar Republic, when the city of Berlin was characterized by its political, social, cultural and technical progressiveness. The housing estates reflect, [...]
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The Best Christmas Markets in the World*
Blog: Inside the Travel Lab - 23 December 2011
So, to celebrate gingerbread, gluhwein and twinkling bright lights, I bring you this post: the Best Christmas Markets in the World. (Only, it's not really the whole world. Just the countries between Turkey and Germany. But let's face it, that wouldn't make such a good title...
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Travel Guide: Berlin, Germany
Blog: Pommie Travels - 23 December 2011
Walking through the streets of Berlin stirs up mixed feelings- on the one hand the city is very modern and [...]
