Berlin Destination Guide

The once-divided city of Berlin is a rollicking European capital where art, food and music are in excess. Whether you’re visiting to stroll around Potsdamer Platz or hankering for a helping of schnitzel, Berlin has it all. In East Berlin, neighbourhoods like Mitte are home to chic shopping boutiques like Redwing and posh hotels such as the Soho House and Casa Camper. In February, film buffs can take in a week of new releases at Berlin’s annual International Film Festival, the Berlinale. In summer months Volkspark Friedrichshain is a verdant oasis, perfect for whiling away an afternoon, as are little gems such as Cafe Jacques, a darling place along one of Berlin’s six canals that serves excellent pastries and schnapps. Half the delight of a trip to Berlin is discovering its myriad of diverse neighbourhoods, like its Turkish quarter, Kreuzberg or West Berlin’s glitzy Charlottenburg, home to interesting sites like the 18th century Baroque castle, Schloss Charlottenburg. Berlin is a sprawling metropolis but thankfully well connected by affordable overground trains and buses, and good links to regional airports and nearby cities.