Berlin Travel Guide

Most cities only have one center, but Berlin has two. Although East and West Berlin have successfully interwoven to form a more-or-less homogeneous city, city planners are still trying to cope with the "problem" of two centers.

Brandenburg Gate For those in Berlin for the first time, a stroll down Unter den Linden, Berlin's most prestigious boulevard, is a must. Beginning at the Brandenburger Tor, situated on Pariser Platz, once the border of East and West Berlin but now Germany's most potent symbol of reunification, this broad, tree-lined avenue contains many of Berlin's historic landmarks. Next to the Reichstag, home of the German government, and the Brandenburger Tor, a huge field of concrete blocks dominate the scene: the controversial Holocaust Memorial. Restaurants are rare in this area, yet plenty of food stands provide visitors with refreshments and pretzels.

Friedrichstraße It's worth taking a turn onto Friedrichstraße, the focal point of Berlin's thriving nightlife during the "Golden Twenties," but now filled with ritzy shopping malls like Galeries Lafayette. Behind the Friedrichstadt-Passagen is Gendarmenmarkt, one of Berlin's most beautiful squares, dominated by the graceful Deutscher Dom and Französische Friedrichstadtkirche. Visit the popular Checkpoint Charlie to learn about the history of the Cold War. For an in-depth look into 2000 years of Jewish history, pay a visit to the Jewish Museum.

Museumsinsel The beautiful Schlossbrücke, which spans the Spree, brings you to Museumsinsel (Museum Island), whose four museums - Altes Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Pergamon-Museum and Bodemuseum - make up one of Europe's most impressive art collections. You will need at least one hour for each museum. The Neues Museum is undergoing a major reconstruction and shouldn't be open before 2009.

Berliner Dom Walking back towards the main street through the lovely Lustgarten, the former royal gardens once used by the Nazis and East Germans for military marches, you can't miss the enormous Berliner Dom which rears up on your left. Built in 1905 and modeled on St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, Berliner Dom was destroyed during the war and then painstakingly rebuilt over the ensuing decades. Across the road from the cathedral, you can still see the gloomy Palast der Republik, the former East German parliamentary chamber. It is supposed to be pulled down by February 2009. It was built on the site of the glorious 15th-century Berliner Schloss, the royal palace that was deemed unworthy of restoration and was demolished by East German authorities in the 1950s. The only remnant of the original palace is the triumphal arch-portal, which has been incorporated into the State Council Building on the south side of Schlossplatz.

Nikolaiviertel & Alexanderplatz If you turn left at the State Council Building and then venture down one of the narrow alleys that lead off to the right, you will reach the Nikolaiviertel, the historic birthplace of the city, and located next to the Red City Hall and Alexanderplatz with its famous Fernsehturm. Tastefully revamped by East German authorities for Berlin's 750th anniversary celebrations in 1987, the centerpiece of this historic city quarter is the 13th-century Nikolai Church. It's also worth visiting the nearby Knoblauchhaus.

Kurfürstendamm Starting from Berlin's oldest underground station at Wittenberg Platz, head down Tauentzienstraße, past the legendary Kaufhaus des Westens department store until you reach Breitscheidplatz, dominated by the ruins of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche. You might enjoy a visit to Zoologischer Garten Berlin, situated behind the Memorial Church. Continue down Joachimstaler Straße and take a right onto Kurfürstendamm, the smart shopping boulevard that runs through the heart of the western center. If you're feeling hungry, turn right into Knesebeckstraße and follow the road until you hit Savignyplatz. The Dicke Wirtin offers typical Berlin cuisine, and Bohemian-types will like Zwiebelfisch café.

Berliner Mauer The Berlin Wall is the symbol of a Europe divided for four decades by the uncompromising and unrelenting politics of the Cold War era. Let's go from north to south, starting where the Wall breaks away from the Spree. Beginning at the former border-crossing on Friedrichstraße, the Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears) conjures up memories of tearful goodbyes as Berlin's divided families bode farewell after an all-too-brief visit. Along Ebertstraße, red stripes on the road mark the route of the Wall that many would prefer to forget. To see the longest and most famous stretch of Wall, you'll need to take the S-Bahn to Ostbahnhof. This 1.3-kilometer (3/4 mile)-long stretch of Wall was painted by artists from all over the world in 1990 and has now been turned into an open-air exhibition known as the East Side Gallery.

Potsdamer Platz Gazing over the terracotta and glass skyscrapers on Cinemaxx Potsdamer Platz, it is hard to imagine that this was a no-man's-land of gray rubble just a few years ago. Now you will find entertainment and food options en masse: Boasting an enormous shopping center - the Arkaden - entertainment complexes such as the Cinemaxx and the Sony-Center, a Spielbank Berlin and a musical theater venue, Potsdamer Platz is a magnet for tourists and locals alike. On nearby Niederkirchnerstraße at the Topographie des Terrors, an exhibition is recounting the history of Nazi crimes.

Guided Tours Unwrapping History (http://www.unwrapping-history.de/) Tour-the-East (+49 30 4703 4747 / http://www.tour-the-east.com/)

Bus Tours Berlin City Tour (+49 30 68 30 26 41 / http://www.berlin-city-tour.de/) Berlin Sightseeing (+49 30 79 74 56 00 / http://www.berlin-stadtrundfahrt-web.de/) Oldtimer Berlin (+ 49 30 21 90 21 88 / http://www.oldtimer-berlin.com/) BBS (http://www.bbsberlin.de/sightseeing_english_berlin_hotel_incoming/index.htm)

A cheap alternative to an organized tour is a trip on the no. 100 bus departing from the bus station at Zoologischer Garten. The bus passes many famous sights along the way, including the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche on Kurfürstendamm, the Siegessäule and Schloss Bellevue in the Tiergarten, the Reichstag and Brandenburger Tor, the Staatsoper unter den Linden on Unter den Linden and the Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz. Buses run every ten minutes.

Boat Tours Reederei Winkler (+49 30 349 95 95 / http://www.reedereiwinkler.de/) Berliner Seegler-Verband (http://www.segeln-in-koepenick.de/) Berliner Wassertaxi (+49 30 65 88 02 03 /http://www.berlinerwassertaxi.de/)2008-08-02T07:29:22.000 9