American Express-- Reiseland American Express offices are at Bayreuther Strasse 37 (tel. 030/2149830; U-Bahn: Wittenbergplatz), open Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm and Saturday 10am to 1pm; and at Friedrichstrasse 172 (tel. 030/20174012; U-Bahn: Friedrichstrasse), open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 1pm.

Business Hours-- Most banks are open Monday to Friday 9am to either 1 or 3pm. Most other businesses and stores are open Monday to Friday 9 or 10am to either 6 or 6:30pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. On langer Samstag, the first Saturday of the month, shops stay open until 4 or 6pm. Some stores close late on Thursday (usually 8:30pm).

Currency Exchange-- You can exchange money at all airports, at major department stores, at any bank, and at American Express offices and other currency exchange outlets. There is also a currency exchange office at the Bahnhof Zoo; it's open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 9pm and on Sunday from 10am to 6pm. ATM machines proliferate in Berlin, including virtually every branch of the Dresdner or Deutsche Bank, post offices, and railway stations. Two particularly convenient branches with 24-hour ATM service are Deutsche Bank at Wittenbergplatz (U-Bahn: Wittenbergplatz) and Dresdner Bank at Kurfürstendamm 237 (U-Bahn: Kurfürstendamm).

Dentists/Doctors-- The Berlin tourist office in the Europa-Center keeps a list of English-speaking dentists and doctors in Berlin. In case of a medical emergency, call tel. 030/310031. For a dental emergency, call tel. 030/89004333.

Drugstores-- If you need a pharmacy (Apotheke) at night, go to one on any corner. There you'll find a sign in the window giving the address of the nearest drugstore open at night; such posting is required by law. A central pharmacy is Europa-Apotheke, Osnabrücker Strasse 4 (tel. 030/3445656; U-Bahn: Kurfürstendamm), by the Europa-Center. It's open Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday to 6pm.

Emergencies-- To call the police, dial tel. 110. To report a fire or to summon an ambulance, dial tel. 112.

Hospitals-- Hotel employees are usually familiar with the locations of the nearest hospital emergency room. In an emergency, call tel. 112 for an ambulance.

Hot Lines-- If you're the victim of rape or sexual assault, call LARA, Tempelhoferufer 14 (tel. 030/2168888). For problems relating to drug use or drug addiction, call the drug help line at tel. 030/19237. Gays seeking legal or health-related advice should call Schwüles Uberfall (tel. 030/2163336). Gays can also call the Café Positif (tel. 030/2168654) for advice about AIDS and its treatment and prevention; and Man-o-Meter (tel. 030/2168008) for information about anything to do with gay life or gay events in Berlin or the rest of Germany. All of the above are staffed with some English speakers.

Internet Access-- You can get Internet access all over town -- ask at your hotel for the one closest to you. For a good place in the center of town, visit Easy Internet Café, Kurfürstendamm 224 (tel. 030/88707970; U-Bahn: Kurfürstendamm; bus: 109 or 129). Open Monday to Saturday 6:30am to 2am.

Laundry & Dry Cleaning-- Deluxe and first-class hotels offer laundry service, but prices tend to be high. You'll find laundromats (Wascherei) and dry-cleaning outlets (Reiningung) all over town. One that's relatively convenient is Wascherei Lindenberg, Curtius Strasse 13-14 (tel. 030/8331056; S-Bahn: Lichterfelde West). Otherwise, ask at your hotel for options.

Lost Property-- For items lost on the bus or U-Bahn, go to BVG Fündbüro, Potsdamerstrasse 182 (tel. 030/25623040; U-Bahn: Kleistpark); open Monday to Thursday 9am to 6pm and Friday 9am to 2pm. For items lost on the S-Bahn, go to Deutsches Bahn AG/8-Bahn Berlin GmbH, Mittelstrasse 20 (tel. 030/29743333; U-Bahn: Friedrichstrasse), Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday 10am to 4pm, Tuesday 10am to 6pm, or Friday 8am to noon. The general lost-property office, Zentrales Fündbüro, is at Platz der Luftbrücke 6 (tel. 030/75600; U-Bahn: Platz der Luftbrücke). Hours are Monday and Tuesday 7:30am to 2pm, Wednesday noon to 6:30pm, and Friday 7:30am to noon.

Post Office-- You'll find post offices scattered throughout Berlin, with particularly large branches positioned at Bahnhof Zoo, Hardenbergplatz (U-Bahn: Zoologischer Garten); at both Tel and Schönefeld airports, the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof), and in the town center at Joachimstalerstrasse 10. With a limited number of exceptions, most post offices in Germany are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturday from 8am to 1pm. None of them receive direct telephone calls from the public, but if you're interested in postal rates and procedures, click on www.deutschepost.de or e-mail kindenservice@deutschepost.de, or call tel. 0180/23333 for information about postal procedures throughout Germany. Know in advance that, unlike the old days, German post offices no longer offer the use of pay telephones for long-distance calls, and no longer send international telegrams. (A limited number, however, offer telegram service for destinations within Germany.) When you enter a German post office, know in advance that the yellow-painted windows are for issues about the mail; and that the blue-painted windows are for issues associated with money orders and banking rituals. If you just want to buy a stamp for mailing a letter, it's usually more convenient to buy it at any of thousands of small stores, newsstands, or tobacco shops throughout the country that stock them.

Radio-- Radio programs in English can be heard on 87.9 FM (or 94 FM on cable) and 1197 AM for the American Forces Network, and on 30 FM (87.6 FM on cable) for the BBC.

Restrooms-- A restroom is called a Toilette and is often labeled WC, with either F (for Frauen, "women") or H (for Herren, "men"). Public facilities are found throughout Berlin and at all terminals, including the Europa Center on Tauentzienstrasse. It's customary to tip attendants at least .25€.

Safety-- One unfortunate side effect of reunification has been an increase in muggings, bank robberies, hate crimes, and car break-ins. Residents of Berlin sometimes feel unsafe at night, especially in the dimly lit streets of Kreuzberg. Nonetheless, Berlin is still much safer than most large American cities. In case of a robbery or an attack, report the problem immediately to the police. You'll need a police report for any insurance claims.

Telegrams & Fax-- These can be sent from the post office (see "Post Office," above).

Water-- The tap water in Berlin, as in all German cities, is safe to drink. However, most Berliners prefer to ask for bottled water, either carbonated or noncarbonated.