Getting There

By plane: Berlin is served by three airports - Tegel, Schönefeld and Templehof. From Tegel, buses #109, #128 and #X9 will bring you to the city centre. From Schönefeld the easiest way is via train. Templehof is mainly used by domestic flights.

By train: Trains travelling to Berlin from other European cities either arrive at Zoo Station (West Berlin) or Lichtenberg Station (East Berlin).

By bus: Travelling to Berlin by bus, you will end up in the city's main bus terminal on Messedamm in Charlottenburg, West Berlin.

Getting Around

On foot: Berlin is one of Europe's largest cities but most of its main sights (particularly in East Berlin) are within walking distance. You will probably need to use public transport at some stage though.

By U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Berlin's underground system (U-Bahn) is quick, efficient and serves most of the city. The S-Bahn (overground) connects all the city centre's main stations.

By bus/tram: Buses also serve most part of the German capital. Buses #100 and #200 are very useful for tourists (see 'Budget Tips'). A tram network is still in operation in East Berlin.

Berlin is a city that enjoys warm, sunny summers, that rarely get unbearably warm during months like July and August. You could find yourself wearing only a t-shirt up until mid-October but it is then that temperatures begin to drop. Winters are cold but not extreme. Spring and autumn are very pleasant times to visit.

Embassies

USA: +49 (0)30 238 5174
UK: +49 (0)30 204 570
Canada: +49 (0)30 203 120
Australia: +49 (0)30 880 0880
South Africa: +49 (0)30 220 730
Ireland: +49 (0)30 220 720
Spain: +49 (0)30 254 0070
Italy: +49 (0)30 254 400
New Zealand: +49 (0)30 206 210
France: +49 (0)30 5900 39000

Schlotzsky's Deli, Friedrich Str. 200, Mitte Blatantly cashing in on its proximity to Checkpoint Charlie, Schlotzsky's Deli deals in hunger-busting sandwiches rammed with ingredients you'd expect to find in any American deli. Choose from a wide range of sandwiches for between €3 and €5 or save a few euros by getting one of the combo-meals which start at €4. Open daily from 9am-6.30pm.

Bagels & Bialys, Rosenthaler Str. 46-48, Mitte Located just opposite busy Hackesche Höfe, this is the perfect place to fill up morning, noon or night. Here you can choose from a wide range of American-style bagels while more Arabian-type delicacies such as 'shouarmas' are also to be sampled. Open daily from 8am-5am.

Trattoria La Scala, Rosenthaler Str. 13, Mitte Also found on Rosenthaler Str., what this restaurant lacks in atmosphere it makes up for in value. Until 5pm Monday to Friday you can take your pick from a wide range of oven-baked pizzas and a drink to wash it down with for a mere €6. Pastas in the same promotion cost €5.50. Worth checking out. Open daily from 11am-midnight.

A Berlin Institution Currywurst Imbiss Stands, various locations Scattered all over the German capital are Imbiss stands - stands that sell currywurst, a chopped up sausage, doused in ketchup and sprinkled with a touch of curry powder. The most famous one is under Eberswalder Str. U-Bahn station.

Oranium, Oranienburger Str. 33/34, Mitte Of all the restaurants that line this busy street, Oranium is the most vibrant. Popular with young people, you can get everything from a grilled sandwich from €4 to a main course for no more than €10. For the best value get one of the tapas deals where €12 will get you (and somebody else) four portions. Open daily from 11am-1am (until 3am Sat & Sun).

Café Zapata, Oranienburger Str. 54-55, Mitte If somebody was to tell you this unique venue was originally a part of 'The Matrix' set you'd tend to believe them - old tins, barbed wire, metal and other materials decorate this large bar. The building itself was meant to be destructed before squatters took over and saved from its ill-timed fate. Open daily from 10am-open end.

Wohnzimmer, Lette Str. 6, Prenzlauer Berg This cosy bar is one of the most intimate places in the city. Within five minutes of sitting down with a beer and a friend you'll feel as if you're relaxing in your own sitting room. Funnily enough, its name translated into English means 'living room'. Open daily from 10am-4am.

Aufsturz, Oranienburger Str. 67, Mitte While most bars on Oranienburger Str try to fall into some type of category, Aufsturz doesn't. This is a typical German bar that attracts hundreds of Berliners every weekend. There are many types of beers to choose from and, if you're peckish, various German dishes to tank up on also. Open daily from 12pm-2am.

OstZone, Monbijoupark, Mitte The words 'undergound' and 'bar' will either draw someone to a bar or deter them. If are one of the ones who likes underground bars take the time out to visit this one beneath an S-Bahn railtrack. At the weekends it bar gets extremely lively with live music entertaining those who find it. Open daily from 12pm-3am.

Silberfisch, Oranienburger Str. 36, Mitte Silberfisch is an 'after dark' venue in every sense. Make your way down the bar's steps to discover a small bar that entertains those who are there from the early hours or who have just crawled in from one of the city’s clubs. Open Sun-Thurs 9pm-6am, Fri & Sat 8pm-8am.

Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz, Mitte Rembarkably untouched during both World Wars, the Brandenburg Gate was originally commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II to represent peace. Ironically, it was later incorporated in the Berlin Wall. Today Berlin's most instantly recognisable landmark is a symbol of the reunification of East and West.

A Culture Vulture's Dream Come True Museumsinsel, Mitte Museumsinsel (Museum Island) is where you will find five of Berlin's top museums. At time of writing, only 3 were open - Altes Museum which houses one of the world's most important ancient Egyptian collections, Altes Nationalgarie which is a must for art lovers and the Pergamonmuseum which houses a collection of classical antiquities. Museums open daily from 10am-6pm (until 10pm on Thurs); admission €8.

Reichstag, Platz der Republik 1, Mitte Crowned by a glass cupola making it easily distinctive among the rest of East Berlin's buildings, the Reichstag has been home to the Bundestag (German Parliament) since 1999. Visitors can visit the roof terrace of the building which boasts amazing views of the city as well as the aforementioned cupola which documents the building's colourful history. Open daily from 8am-10pm; admission free.

East Side Gallery, Mühlen Str., Friedrichshain Of all the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, the East Side Gallery is by far the best preserved. Stretching a total of 1.3km, it is decorated with 106 paintings by artists from all over the world.

Potsdamer Platz, Mitte If you're one who likes your bright lights in a big city and need a break from buildings steeped in history, get down to Potsdamer Platz. Berlin's answer to Times Square has lights blinking all night long and the square's most intriguing building by far is the Sony Center.

January - Lange Nacht Der Museen Every January over 150,000 culture vultures take to the Berlin streets to visit the city's museums after dark. Taking place on the last Saturday, one ticket covers all museums. There is street entertainment too.

February - Berlin International Film Festival Germany's largest film festival attracts movie makers from both home and abroad, some of whom compete for the coveted 'Golden Bear' award.

March - Spandau Spring Festival You may have to travel to the suburb of Spandau for this festival deep in West Berlin, but do and you'll be treated to funfairs, parades and more.

April - Britspotting Film Festival Showcasing the best in independent British cinema, 'Britspotting' has become an extremely popular festival among film buffs in Berlin.

May - Carnival of Cultures Lasting four days, this street festival in the city's Kreuzberg district is one of the most colourful festivals of the year. Street parades and parties are just part of the festivities.

June - Christopher Street Day Berlin's biggest gay celebration commemorates the Stonewall riots which took place in New York in 1969. The highlight of the day is Berlin's most outlandish gay parade.

July - Fuckparade Founded in 1997 as a counter-demonstration against the commercialisation of the Love Parade, this is more a demonstration than anything else.

July - Loveparade Arguably the world's most famous parade, Berlin's infamous techno event attracts millions to the streets each year.

August - Hemp Parade Yes, that's right - another parade! This one is dedicated to everything hemp. Don't be surprised if you see one or two people floating rather than walking.

October - Festival of Lights Visit Berlin during this week-long festival when all its main sites are illuminated and you will never see the city look as beautiful after dark again.

December - New Year's Eve Celebrations If Berlin is your chosen capital to ring in the New Year pick your spot early down at the Brandenburg Gate where hundreds of thousands congregate for the year's biggest fireworks display.

Global Callcenter, Budapester Str. 45, Charlottenburg This cybershop is in the busy Europa Center in West Berlin. It's a quiet place, but it's right in the middle of things in the west side. Open from 9am-midnight; €2 per hour.

easyEverything, Kurfürstendamm 224, Charlottenburg You could easily miss this easyEverythingcafé as it is white and not bright orange like so many of its counterparts. Here you will find PCs with flatscreens and speedy internet access in the heart of the West. Open daily from 6.30am-2am; rates vary.

Surf & Sushi, Oranienburger Str. 17, Mitte This small eatery/internet café is a good place to stop and send a few mails. You can also get lunch (Mon-Fri) where a generous bowl of soup and a healthy portion of sushi will cost you just €5. Open Mon-Sat 12pm-open end, Sun 1pm-open end.

Plan@t Group, Niederbarnim Str. 4, Friedrichshain If you don't like sharing other people's smoke, or you enjoy blowing up other people in cyberworld, this internet café is perfect for you thanks to its non-smoking room and game centre. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-3am, Sun 1pm-3am; 40c for 15 mins.

Netz Galaxie, Joachimstaler Str. 19, Charlottenburg Is it a net café? Yes! Is it a casino? Yes again! Is it a pool hall? Why, yes again! That’s right, this place to connect yourself to the world wide web is all three! Open daily from 10am-2am.

Galeries Lafayette, Friedrich Str. 76, Mitte Just like all the Galeries Lafayette stores, it is worth taking a peak into this enormous shopping centre whether you fancy buying something or not. There are four floors in total, most of which specialise in designer brands. At the weekends they sometimes have DJs playing music to the whole centre. Open Mon-Sat from 9am-8pm (until 10pm at weekends).

Kurfürstendamm/BreitscheidPlatz, Charlottenburg Extremely busy at the weekends, this street and square in West Berlin is where you will find shops belonging to all the world's top brands. Nike, Levis, H+M and more all have shops here.

You Never Know What You Might Find Kurfürstendamm Market, Mitte At this busy weekend market just minutes from Museumsinsel you never know what you might pick up. Some stalls are full of nothing but dusty mugs, rusty badges and prehistoric vinyl, but with clothes, jewellery and bags on others it's worth moseying down for a look. Open Sat & Sun from 11am-7pm.

Wertheim, Kurfürstendamm Taking over no less than 7 floors in a building on West Berlin's Kurfürstendamm, pretty much everything imaginable is under this large roof. The bottom floor is where you'll find electrical gadgets and the store's food hall. There's even a salon if you fancy a quick snip before painting the town red. Open Mon-Sat from 9.30am-8pm.

Rosenthaller Str., Mitte Trendy shops, trainer shops, shops specialising in second hand clothes – you’ll find it on this street which is definitely one of Berlin's most eclectic. Make sure to check out a shop called 'Waahnsinn Berlin'.

Embark on a free walking tour Yes, that's right - a FREE walking tour! Where and when I hear you ask? Get down to the Starbucks Café on Unter den Linden (opposite the Brandenburg Gate) at 11am, 1pm and 4pm where the tours, which take in the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and more depart daily. All it will cost you is a tip, and if you get a guide as informative as the one I got, you'll be sure to tip generously.

Get into top museums for free If you plan on visiting any of Berlin's National Museums, leave your visit until Thursday evenings (after 2pm) when they are all free. There are 16 in total. This includes all the museums on Museumsinsel, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Tiergarten, and the Museum of Indian Art on Taku Str.

Visit Berlin's churches Some of Berlin's most fascinating buildings are its churches. Marienkirche, overlooked by the TV Tower and dating back to 13th century shouldn't be missed. Neither should Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche in Charlottenburg in the West, which is a chilling reminder of the war. Most have free admission.

Get On the Bus Bus #100 or #200 Travelling from one side of Berlin to the other, buses #100 and #200 are the perfect (and cheap) way to take in all the main sites. Just part with €2 for your ticket and take bus #100 from Alexanderplatz to Zoo Station, passing the Reichstag among other buildings. Then jump aboard bus #200 back the other way and travel through Potsdamer Platz.

Save money on public transport As Berlin is one of Europe's largest cities, you may find yourself using public transport quite a bit. Rather than up to €2.40 for each single journey, buy a 'Tageskarte' (day ticket). Costing €6.10 for 2 zones (that will be enough) they are valid until 3am of the day of purchase and cover all modes of transport.

After breakfast visit the Reichstag (below), one of Germany's most popular attractions. Queues are always quite lengthy so you're better off getting in the line early!

Get down to Starbucks on Unter den Linden for Berlin's free walking tour. Taking in all the main sites like the Brandenburg Gate, it shouldn't be missed.

Stop for a deli-style sandwich in Schlotzsky's Deli across from Checkpoint Charlie. They do good combo-meals from €4 that will keep you full for hours.

Complete the rest of the walking tour which passes through Gendarmenmarkt, one of Berlin's most beautiful squares, and finishes on Museumsinsel.

Marvel at the buildings on Museumsinsel as all the island's museums look like Greek temples. Afterwards visit Alexanderplatz, home to the TV Tower.

Visit the East Side Gallery, the best preserved section of the Berlin Wall. Covering over 1.3km, it has some extremely thought-provoking paintings.

Go for a bite to eat before hitting the town. Oranienburger Str. lends itself to numerous restaurants. If you're looking for German fare check out Aufsturz.

Oranienburger Str. is also lined with many of Berlin's best bars. A bar crawl which departs at 9pm from the top of the U-Bahn station on the same street brings you to the best ones.

End the day in one of Berlin's top clubs. One of these is Matrix, a banging nightclub with three dancefloors to get busy on.