Things to do in Germany
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Reichstag
The quarter's historical anchor is the 1894 Reichstag, where the German parliament, the Bundestag, has been hammering out its policies since 1999. This followed a total makeover by Lord Norman Foster who preserved only the building's historical shell while adding the striking glass dome. It's well worth queuing for the lift ride to the top to take in the knock-out panorama and close-ups of the dome and the mirror-clad funnel at its centre. Queues are shortest early morning and at night. You can skip 'em altogether if you're disabled, happen to have a kid in a stroller, are on an organised tour or have reservations for the pricey restaurant on top. In these cases, proceed…
reviewed
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DDR Museum
In East Germany kids were put through collective potty training, engineers earned little more than farmers and everyone, it seems, went on nudist holidays. Such are the fascinating nuggets you’ll learn at the small, interactive DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) Museum dedicated to teaching the rest of us about daily life behind the Iron Curtain. Small and delightfully interactive, this is where you can turn the ignition key of an authentic Trabant car or learn how to dance the Lipsi, the GDR’s answer to rock ‘n’ roll. A must for Good Bye Lenin! fans. Lest you get the impression that life in the GDR was cute and wholesome, though, you might want to follow up a…
reviewed
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Kölner Dom
Cologne’s geographical and spiritual heart – and its single-biggest tourist draw – is the magnificent Kölner Dom. With its soaring twin spires, this is the Mt Everest of cathedrals, jam-packed with art and treasures. Its loftiness and dignified ambience leave only the most jaded of visitors untouched.
Construction began in 1248 in the French Gothic style but proceeded slowly and was eventually halted in 1560 when funds ran out. The half-built church lingered for nearly 300 years and even suffered a stint as a horse stable and prison when Napoleon occupied the town. A few decades later, a generous cash infusion from Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV finally led to…
reviewed
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Burgermeister
It's green, ornate, a century old and… it used to be a toilet. Now it's a burger joint on a traffic island beneath the elevated U-Bahn tracks. Don’t fret, don’t shudder: the plump all-beef patties are top-notch and best paired with fries and home-made dips such as peanut and mango curry.
reviewed
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Kunsthaus Tacheles
After the fall of the Wall, this graffiti-slathered art squat became a permanent fixture on Oranienburger Strasse, drawing locals and tourists to its galleries, cultural venues, bizarre sculptures and beer garden. Although over time it lost much of its anarchic edge, it was still one of the few bastions of alternative spirit in this heavily gentrified area. Now the Tacheles too has fallen victim to development. Things started going downhill in 1998 when the land was sold to property investors. The group went bankrupt and so the creditor bank decided to recoup its losses by auctioning off the plot. Initial attempts to evict the artists and clear the space in summer 2010…
reviewed
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NS Dokumentationszentrum
Cologne's Third Reich history is poignantly documented in the NS Documentation Centre. In the basement of this otherwise mundane-looking building was the local Gestapo prison where scores of people were interrogated, tortured and killed. Inscriptions on the basement cell walls offer a gut-wrenching record of the emotional and physical pain endured by inmates. Executions often occurred in the courtyard.
reviewed
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Brandenburg Gate
A symbol of division during the Cold War, this landmark now epitomises German reunification. The 1791 structure by Carl Gotthard Langhans is the only surviving one of 18 city gates and is crowned by the Quadriga sculpture, a horse-drawn chariot piloted by the winged goddess of victory.
reviewed
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Zwölf Apostel
A pleasant pit stop between museums, this place beneath the railway arches has over-the-top religious decor and tasty thin-crust pizzas named after the 12 apostles.
reviewed
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Dada Falafel
'Eating is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art'. This quote by a 17th-century French author François de La Rochefoucauld is the motto of this teensy exotic takeaway with attached gallery. One bite of Dada's freshly prepared felafel doused with a tangy homemade sauce and you too will understand why there's always a queue of local loyalists, despite usually perfunctory service.
reviewed
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Dolores
Dolores is a bastion of California-style burritos – fresh, authentic and priced to help you stay on budget. Select your preferred combo of marinated meats (the lime cilantro chicken is yummy) or tofu, rice, beans, veggies, cheese and salsa and the cheerful staff will build it on the spot. Great homemade lemonade, too.
reviewed
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Deutsches Museum
If you’re one of those people for whom science is an unfathomable turn off, a visit to the Deutsches Museum might just show you that physics and engineering are more fun than you thought. Spending a few hours in this temple to technology is an eye-opening journey of discovery and the exhibitions and demonstrations will certainly be a hit with young minds.
There are tons of interactive displays (including glass blowing and paper-making), live demonstrations and experiments, model coal and salt mines, and engaging sections on cave paintings, geodesy, microelectronics and astronomy. In fact, it can be pretty overwhelming after a while, so it's best to prioritise what you…
reviewed
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Eisgrub-Bräu
Grab a seat in this down-to-earth microbrewery’s warren of vaulted chambers, order a mug of Dunkel (dark) or Hell (light) – or even a 3L/5L Bierturm (beer tower; €18.90/29.40) – and settle in for people watching. The Monday-to-Friday lunch (€5.90) and the weekend breakfast buffet (€6.90; available 9am to 11.30am) offer great value. It’s a good idea to make reservations (by phone or internet), especially for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
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Schwarzwaldstuben
In the mood for a Hansel and Gretel moment? Then join the other 'lost kids' in this send-up of the Black Forest complete with plastic pines and baseball-capped Bambi heads. We can’t get enough of the 'geschmelzte Maultaschen’ (sautéed ravioli-like pasta) and the giant schnitzel. Everything goes down well with a glass of Rothaus Tannenzäpfle beer, straight from the Black Forest.
reviewed
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Cafe Jacques
A favourite with off-duty chefs and local foodies, Jacques infallibly charms with flattering candlelight, warm decor and fantastic wine. It’s the perfect date spot but, quite frankly, you only have to be in love with good food to appreciate the French- and North African-inspired blackboard menu. Charismatic owner Ahmad or his staff will happily recommend the perfect matching wine. Reservations essential.
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Rathaus
Hamburg’s baroque Rathaus is one of Europe’s most opulent, renowned for the Emperor’s Hall and the Great Hall, with its spectacular coffered ceiling. There are no fewer than 647 rooms here, but the guided 40-minute tours only take in a small number.
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Bergwolf
At this favourite pit stop for night owls, the poison of choice is Currywurst, a sliced spicy sausage provocatively dressed in a curried ketchup and best paired with a pile of crisp fries. Hangover prevention at its tastiest.
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Moviemento
Berlin’s oldest cinema, this three-screen independent place (with a maximum capacity of just over 100) shows a good range of nonblockbuster mainstream foreign and German movies.
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Jules Verne
Jules Verne was a well-travelled man, so it’s only fitting that a cafe bearing his name would feature a globetrotting menu. French oysters, Austrian schnitzel and Moroccan couscous are all perennial bestsellers. It’s also a great ‘greet-the-day’ spot with substantial breakfasts named after Verne’s books served until 3pm and an entire quality buffet at weekends.
reviewed
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Rosenthaler Grill- und Schlemmerbuffet
One of the best doner kebabs in town. Enough said.
reviewed
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Curry 36
Day after day, night after night, a motley crowd of tattooed scenesters, office jockeys, noisy school kids and savvy tourists wait their turn at this top-ranked Currywurst purveyor that's been frying 'em up since 1981.
reviewed
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Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest costs around €8, payable with special tokens sold by the tents) More than 6.2 million people guzzled 6.7 million litres of beer during Oktoberfest 2007. Blame it all on the 'Mass'; that towering mug holding a full litre of golden nectar that sets you back about eight euros - and right back on your heels. Oktoberfest is indeed the world's largest drink-a-thon where normally prim and sober citizens from every country in the world lurch around like drunken rats.
'Tradition' may be everything at the Oktoberfest, but 'convention' gets thrown right out the window.
It's all eerily disciplined, even quiet, until - at the stroke of noon - the Munich mayor opens the…
reviewed
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Grosse Freiheit
Just north of the S-Bahn station is the Grosse Freiheit . Grosse Freiheit literally means 'great freedom' street, an apt name with its bright lights, dark doorways and live sex nightclubs. Smarmy doormen try to lure the passing crowd into clubs; if you're interested, ask about the conditions of entry.
Admission tends to be fairly low, but it's the mandatory drink minimum that drives up the cost. Ask at the bar how much drinks cost; we've heard reports of people being charged nearly €100 for a couple of watery cocktails.
As for Reeperbahn itself, even those not interested in strip shows usually pay a quick trip to Hamburg's vast red-light thoroughfare of the Reeperbahn…
reviewed
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Baden-Baden Casino
Inside the palatial Kurhaus - besides lavish festival halls used for balls, conventions, concerts, dance competitions and weddings - is the opulent Baden-Baden Casino, opened in 1838 and reminiscent of the 19th century or a 1970s James Bond film, depending on your proclivities.
Its décor, which seeks to emulate - indeed, outdo - the splendour of France's famed chateaux, such as Versailles, led Marlene Dietrich to call it 'the most beautiful casino in the world'. After observing the action here, Dostoevsky was inspired to write The Gambler.
You need your passport or European national ID card to enter, and cell phones must be switched off. Games include French and American…
reviewed
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Teufelsberg
It may have a terrifying name, but at 115m high, the Teufelsberg (Devil’s Mountain), just south of the Olympic grounds, ain’t no Matterhorn. It is, however, the tallest of Berlin’s 20 ‘rubble mountains’, built by citizens, initially most of them women, during the clean-up of their bomb-ravaged city after WWII. It took 20 years to pile up 25 million cubic metres of debris. The curious domed structure up on top used to be a listening station operated by the Allies during the Cold War. The hill that was born from destruction is now a fun zone, especially in snowy winters when hordes of squealing kids toboggan or ski down its gentle slopes. At other times you can explore the…
reviewed
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Black Forest
Home of the cuckoo clock, the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) gets its name from its dark, slightly sinister canopy of evergreens: this is where Hansel and Gretel encountered the wicked witch. The vast expanse of hills, valleys, rivers and forests stretch from the swish spa town of Baden-Baden to the Swiss border, and from the Rhine almost to Lake Constance.
Twenty minutes walk - or a five-minute bike ride - fom populated spots will almost always put you out in nature - in the middle of quiet countryside dotted with traditional farmhouses and amiable dairy cows, perhaps, or in a thick forest where Little Red Riding Hood's wolf may lurk.
The northern section, with its hilly but…
reviewed