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Berlin Guide: Inside itinerary

In this town, nothing seems to stay in place for very long. But here are a few spots you can count on. at least for now.

  • Published Oct 21, 2002

Atrium at the Hotel Adlon.  
(Photo: Mark Arbeit)

Where To Stay

  • Regent Schlosshotel
    regenthotels.com
    Designed by Karl Lagerfeld, it's Berlin's only five-star hotel (doubles from $250).

  • Hotel Adlon
    hotel-adlon.de
    Centrally located on Unter den Linden, in the shadow of the Brandenburg Gate (doubles from $320).

  • Art'otel Mitte
    artotel.de
    Each room in this small hotel features works by painter Georg Baselitz (doubles from $130).


Paris Bar on Kantstrasse.  
(Photo: Mark Arbeit)

Where To Eat

  • Paris Bar
    Kantstrasse 152
    It's the Elaine's of West Berlin, with solid French food.

  • Monsieur Vuong
    Alte Schönhauser Strasse 46
    A French-Vietnamese restaurant with a view of East Berlin's hip young things, both inside and outside the windows.

  • Mao Thai

    Wörther Strasse 30
    Walk down the Fasanenstrasse and settle in at this peaceful, antique-filled Thai restaurant.

Where To Shop

  • Claudia Skoda
    Alte Schönhauser Strasse 35
    Local designer Claudia Skoda delivers edgy clothes you won't find outside Berlin.

  • Quartier 206
    Friedrichstrasse 71
    With ornate Art Deco staircases, this elegant, high-end department store pays lots of attention to the tourist who prefers Dior and Yves Saint Laurent.

  • Stilwerk
    Kantstrasse 19
    Bring a little Bauhaus back to your house from this four-story shopping center devoted to modern furniture.


The nightclub E-Werk.  

Nightlife

  • WMF Club
    Schillingstrasse and Karl-Marx-Allee
    Perhaps the strongest lineup in Berlin, from minimal-techno label Kompakt to Berlin's flavor of the moment, BPitch Control.

  • Ostgut
    Mühlenstrasse 26–30
    Sprawling, two-tiered space near the crumbling remnants of the Berlin Wall; hosts top-notch house-music nights.

  • Sternradio
    Alexanderplatz 5
    This boxy club is home to big-name D.J.'s like Juan Atkins and local favorites like Tobi Neumann.

  • NBI
    Schönhauser Allee 157
    Tiny, sixties-themed lounge with one of the best nights in the city: "Casiotone," a Tuesday-night party of ambient music.

More on Berlin

  • The New City: Berlin Calling
  • The New Prague: Bohemian Rhapsody in Berlin

    • Galleries

    • Camera Work
      Kantstrasse 149
      Artists like Rankin and Ruben Toledo show in this tranquil Charlottenburg space.

    • Eigen + Art
      Auguststrasse 26
      A comprehensive roster of interesting German and Eastern European shows.

    • Kunst-Werke Auguststrasse 69
      Directed by the chief curator at P.S.1. Currently on display: "Mexico City: An Exhibition About the Exchange Rates of Bodies and Values."

    Architecture

    • Jewish Museum
      9–14 Lindenstrasse
      Designed by a Jewish-American architect, the museum houses a permanent exhibition on the history of Berlin's Jews.
      Jewish Museum Website

    • The Reichstag
      Platz der Republik
      The 1894 building has been burned down, bombed, wrapped up by Christo, and, finally, renovated by Sir Norman Foster.

    • Bauhaus-Archiv
      Klingelhöferstrasse 14
      Make sense of West Berlin's mid-century modern gems with a visit to the Bauhaus-Archiv.
      Bauhaus-Archiv Website

    Sight-Seeing Must-Sees

    • The Brandenburg Gate
      Pariser Platz, Unter den Linden
      The symbolic and literal center of the reunified city is undergoing a face-lift.

    • Checkpoint Charlie Museum
      Freidrichstrasse 43–44
      Worth it for the detailed accounts of escape efforts and an incredibly moving documentary on the events of 1989.

    • Museumsinsel
      With five museums, the Berlin Cathedral, and the Lustgarten, this island in the Spree is the densest of Berlin's historical sites.

    • Stasi Museum
      Ruschestrasse 103
      Don't miss the office of infamous Stasi chief Erich Mielke and the various bugs employed to spy on East German citizens, at the former headquarters of the GDR's secret police.

    Web Guide

    General Information
    Berlinfo.com
    Berlin Tourism
    Berlin.de
    Berlin Wall.com
    Berlin Gay Guide

    Listings & Tickets
    Zitty
    Tip
    BTS Events

    Hotels & Accommodations
    Trip Advisor: Berlin
    Berlin Hotels

    Arts
    Berlin Film Festival
    Berlin Philharmonic
    Deutsche Staatsoper
    Jewish Museum
    Neue Nationalgalerie
    Gemaldegalerie
    Arena Music Venue


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