Since I got some great advice here two years ago when I went to Prague, I was wondering if anyone has some knowledge about Berlin to share as well.

My sister is going to do volunteer work in Berlin this summer. She'll be there for three weeks, having to work only five mornings a week. So that leaves a lot of time to explore the city. Any information about interesting places, bars, shops, museums, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

Alas, I last visited Berlin in 1991 (du heiljer Schreck!), so most of my practical information is likely to be out of date. As a result of its history there are very few old building: in fact, it's hard to find anything dating from before 1820 ...
That said, Schloss Charlottenburg (which is older) is worth a visit, so too is the tiny historic centre, part of which has been reconstructed - and looks rather obviously artificial. Stroll down Unter den Linden, explore Prenzlauer Berg and also Kreuzberg including the Viktoria-Park.

Berlin is famous for its museums, especially the Pergamon-Museum and the Museumsinsel more generally.

It's a very lively, vibrant city. Unless things have changed out of all recognition since my last visit Oranienburger Strasse is worth a visit late in the evening.

Incidentally, in the older parts of the city, the buildings aren't numbered in the standard way: instead they are numbered the full length of one side of the street, e.g. 1-200 north to south, then say 201-400 south to north on the other side of the street. So in the case of Friedrichstrasse, which is about 2.5 km long it can be a nuisance. Better street plans give details of the house numbers.

Of course, much of the centre has lots and lots of new buildings, and I've heard it's still a vast building-site and not particularly cheap ...

Btw, I hope the more nationalistic locals have finally dropped the habit of calling the city the Reichshaupstadt . The only German-speaking city that qualifies for that label is Vienna.

Bloomsby, do you know if the Zoo Bunker is still standing? Prime real estate, so I'm guessing no, but I recall seeing pictures of it that didn't appear to be that old.

I ddidn't notice the Zoo Bunker in 1991, but the station isn't exactly salubrious or the sort of place where I wanted to do anything other than get on to or off a train. Some guidebooks even used to describe the place as smelly.

As for real estate, for well over 150 years there's been a saying in Berlin "That was the time to buy real estate". In the 1850s some Berliners looked back wistfully to prices in the 1820s-1840s and then by the 1870s people were looking back to prices in the 1850s - and so it's gone on ever since with the exception of the Great Depression and the late 1940s. By all accounts, it's now well and truly back on the path of explosive expansion.

Quote: Any information about interesting places, bars, shops, museums, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

Ahh....Berlin. It can be said that some cities are "alive", and this is certainly true of Berlin. If one says that Las Vegas is the "capital of sin", Tokyo is the "capital of cute" and Hong Kong is the "capital of shopping", then Berlin is certainly the "capital of cool". This city oozes charisma and has a lively yet gentile night cafe and bar scene. I was last there in December 1999 and I stayed at the "Hotel Avant Garde" (which the hotel certainly wasn`t).

To soak up some of the atmosphere, one of the things you can do is take a late night stroll down Kurfuerstendamm. There are numerous bars and so on and the illuminated Gedaechtniskirche is breathtaking (this was a place of worship partially destroyed in WWII - the remains were left as a reminder of the destructiveness of war). I`d also recommend you take the subway to Alexanderplatz and take a wander - any direction will do - the buildings will almost whisper their history to you as you walk by.

As far as a specific bar recomendation goes, well I hate to admit it but the only name I can remember is the "Europa Center" (located on Ku`damm) - there`s a great Irish pub in there (not very local but hey?).

Enjoy your trip!

ps Before any of you Germans correct the lack of an Umlaut in the places above, my Japanese operating system doesn`t allow me to type them

I was in Berlin while in high school. I was only 16 and was on a school-sponsered trip, so we only did the "wholesome" side of Berlin. The Schloss Charlottenburg palace was lovely. The "Fernseturm", which is a tall TV tower with a rotating restaurant, similar to the Space Needle in Seattle, WA, was fun. They left up a section of the Berlin Wall and various artists painted huge murals all along it on the East Berlin side. It's called the "East Side Gallery" and is well worth a look. Of course there are the government buildings, the Victory Arch, the old church which was left bomb-scarred as a reminder of the destruction of WWII.

I didn't visit any bars, don't know much about the nightlife of Berlin beyond the penny poker games in our hotel rooms. But I have a "brother" in Berlin, a former foreign exchange student with whom my family has stayed close, who works at a bar. I can't remember the name, I've been trying to think of it for weeks. I thought it was Solare, but I think that's not right unless there's a German spelling of it. Anyway, if she meets a sickeningly pretty German boy with LOTS of tattoos, and he's tending bar in a nightclub that has pictures of nude women on the walls, have her tell him "Hi" from Mel.

A fantastic City.

I was stationed there for 2 years in the late 80's whilst serving in the RAF. Infact, I got posted back to UK about a week before the wall came down!

Being in my early twenties when I was there, I can't really tell you too much about the culture ,but I can tell you as nightlife around the World goes, Berlin takes (or did take) some beating.

As has been mentioned, The Kurfurstendam (or Ku'Dam as the locals call it) is a good place to start. In my 2 years out there, I don't think I managed to visit all the hostelries, but gave it a pretty good go. Jo Am Ku'Dam was the place to be seen if I remember correctly. Spending an evening in there will certainly open your eyes. A great place to people-watch. The Irish Pub in The Europa Centre brings back many happy memories too. (Go in at the main entrance, down the stairs and it's on your right, I think? )

However, don't just visit the main tourist areas. Berlin has a massive under-belly. Take the time to explore the lots of little side streets and alleyways in the centre. It's worth it.

Kaiser Friedrich Strasse is an area to be avoided unless you really want to experience the seedier side of Berlin's nightlife.

A visit to The Checkpoint Charlie Museum is a must. As is a visit to the many old East German areas of the city. Bullet holes are still clearly visible on buildings from the ferocious street fighting when the Soviets arrived. I know there's been a massive rebuilding programme in the City since the wall came down, but I'm pretty sure if you look hard enough you'll find the evidence.

I've been back to Berlin a couple of times since I left. Speaking to many locals on my first visit back there, they were wishing that the Wall had never come down. It was definitely the easy life for the West Berliners when the wall was up. I don't really know what the feeling is like now.

Your sister is a lucky girl Leau. I think she'll really enjoy herself. Ask her to raise a glass of ice-cold Berliner Kindl to me while she's over there.

wez

Sorry it took me a while to respond to this thread. I've printed everything out for my sister and she was very happy with it, so thanks for all the information!