Things to do in Berlin
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St Gaudy Cafe
In a former East German pub, this unpretentious hangout is as warm and welcoming as a hug from an old friend. It's run by expats for expats and offers plenty of fun programming, from concerts to quiz nights to the bi-weekly German-English Language Exchange. Fabulous cakes and meatfree dishes along with one of the best cappuccinos in town.
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Stern und Kreisschiffahrt
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Sta Tours Berlin
If you’re a German-film buff, first visit the Museum für Film & Fernsehen, then let celluloid expert Birgit Wetzig-Zalkind take you on van tours of the places where Billy Wilder, Leni Riefenstahl, Nastassja Kinski, Horst Buchholz, Marlene Dietrich and other legends lived and played.
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Sonntagskonzerte
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Schröder Reisen
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Sad Girl with Rabbit Ears Mural
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Rounded Heads Mural
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Rollberg Brauerei
Occuyping a tiny section of the massive defunct Kindl brewery, the private Rollberg Brauerei gets boutique brewery lovers salivating over delicious helles (light), rotes (ale) and hefe (wheat) beer. It's only sold in a few places around town for now, but it is really best sampled in the no-nonsense on-site pub anyway. Veer to the right as you enter the complex from Werbellinstrasse.
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Restaurant Wandel
Prices are hard to beat in this stylish cafeteria where German-French-Asian-peppered mains top out at €4.90. The place drowns with office drones at lunchtime, but is a relaxed spot just before and after the rush. Waist-watchers will welcome the salad buffet. Respectable coffee to boot.
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Reichstag
The Reichstag will likely give you more flashbacks to high-school history than any other Berlin landmark. This grand old building by Paul Wallot (1894) is where the German parliament, the Bundestag, has been hammering out its policies since 1999. This followed a total makeover by architectural top dog Lord Norman Foster, who preserved only the building’s historic shell while adding the striking glass dome which is accessible by lift. There’s almost always a long queue waiting to catch it, though, so budget some extra time - it’s worth it, especially in good weather. Once at the top, take in the 360-degree views from the terrace, then pick up a free audioguide and follow…
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Prenzlberger Orangebikes
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Potsdamer Platz
The lid was symbolically sealed on capitalism's victory over socialism in Berlin when this postmodern temple to Mammon was erected in 2000 over the former death strip. Under the big-top, glass-tent roof of the Sony Center and along the malls of the Legolike Daimler City, people swarm in and around shops, restaurants, offices, loft apartments, clubs, a cinema, a luxury hotel and a casino – all revitalising what was the busiest square in prewar Europe.
During the International Film Festival Berlin, Potsdamer Platz welcomes Hollywood A-listers. In between you can rub shoulders with German cinematic heroes – particularly Marlene Dietrich – at the Filmmuseum. There's also…
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Panorama Observation Deck
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Nowkoelln Flowmarkt
Setting up twice monthly along the Landwehrkanal, this flea market delivers secondhand bargains galore along with hand-made threads and jewellery.
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Naked Lunch
Nothing to do with the famous novel by William S Burroughs, this purist oasis tucked into a back courtyard of an all-women start-up complex has simple cafeteria flair by day but turns into a more grown-up restaurant at night. 'Naked' refers to the complete absence of artificial flavour enhancers.
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Museumsinsel
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Mogg & Melzer
Pastrami lovers rejoice behind big windows in the former Jewish Girls' School, for this is Berlin's first genuine New York–style Jewish deli. The juicy sandwiches come in two sizes on rye and are topped with melted Swiss cheese and paired with salted pickles. The arty 1930s-inspired surrounds, featuring purple-topped benches and Finnish designer chairs, are very Berlin indeed.
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Max Planck Science Gallery
Cutting-edge science discovered or developed by the smart folks of the Max Planck Society research institute is introduced to the non-geek public at this digital gallery. The boundaries between real and virtual worlds are blurred at 3D interactive stations in the minimalist cool one-room space. Exhibits change every few months.
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Lügentour
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Lads Mural
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Käthe Wohlfahrt
With its mind-boggling assortment of Yuletide decorations and ornaments, this huge shop lets you celebrate Christmas every day of the year. Many of the items are handcrafted with amazing skill and imagination.
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Hops & Barley
Conversation flows as freely as the unfiltered pilsner, malty dunkel (dark) fruity weizen (wheat) and potent cider produced right at this congenial microbrewery inside a former butcher's shop. Fellow beer lovers range from skinny-jean hipsters to suits swilling post-work pints among ceramic-tiled walls and shiny copper vats.
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Holocaust Memorial
The football-field-sized Memorial to the Murdered European Jews (colloquially known as the Holocaust Memorial) by American architect Peter Eisenman consists of 2711 sarcophagi-like concrete columns rising in sombre silence from undulating ground. You're free to access this maze at any point and make your individual journey through it. For context visit the subterranean Ort der Information whose exhibits will leave no one untouched. Audioguides are available.
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Hidden Path
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Hanf Museum
One of only four in the world devoted to the subject of hemp, the small Hemp Museum gives hobby botanists a chance to expand their knowledge about this versatile plant by studying its cultural, medicinal and religious significance. There are exhibits about the commercial uses of hemp as well as displays on the discussion about the legalisation of marijuana.
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