Youâll need to plan carefully for a thorough exploration of Berlin; with a total area of 880 sq km (340 sq miles) it is bigger than most European capitals. Since the reorganisation of the municipal transport system, virtually the whole of the city is accessible via underground (U-Bahn), district railways (S-Bahn), bus or tram. You should have no difficulty in reaching the outlying areas, including Grunewald and Potsdam, by public transport, which runs 24 hours a day. There is absolutely no need for a car in Berlin.
Berlin Cathedral
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A good orientation exercise is to start with an organised sightseeing tour. Many bus tours depart from the eastern end of the KurfĂŒrstendamm in west Berlin or from Alexanderplatz on the eastern side of the city and are hop-on/hop-off. Alternatively, cruises on the Landwehrkanal or Spree and Havel rivers offer a more leisurely way of taking in areas of eastern and western Berlin that are not normally covered by the tour buses.
A good initial way of getting the measure of Berlin is to take the S-Bahn around the centre, from Zoologischer Garten to Alexanderplatz. From the elevated track you get impressive views of some major landmarks, including the Reichstag.
This guide takes in the sights of Central Berlin from west to east, starting at the KurfĂŒrstendamm, then on to the Tiergarten Area, and through the Brandenburg Gate to Unter den Linden. In the west, a tourist information centre can be found at Europa-Center on Breitscheidplatz and is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm; the helpful staff will assist you with maps, leaflets and any questions you may have about your visit.
Around the KurfĂŒrstendamm
West Berlinâs main thoroughfare, literally âPrince Electorâs Embankmentâ, is known to Berliners as the Kuâdamm 1 [map]. It extends for 3.5km (about 2 miles) through the western part of the city centre, forming a triangular area enclosed by Lietzenburger StraĂe, HardenbergstraĂe, LeibnizstraĂe and TauentzienstraĂe. Here you will find a vast array of shops, cafĂ©s, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and art galleries, as well as no-frills fast-food stands and the inevitable souvenir sellers.
Impressed by the prolongation of the Champs-ElysĂ©es in Paris to the Bois de Boulogne, Bismarck wanted to extend the Kuâdamm out as far as the Grunewald forest. However, such pretentions were never realised, and finally the avenue linked Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church to nothing grander than the Halensee railway station.
The avenue lost almost all the Jugendstil architecture of its Wilhelminian heyday during World War II, and only a few vestiges survive. Otherwise the street is resolutely modern â gleaming glass, steel and an occasional touch of marble â but still a magnet for fashion-conscious shoppers.
Next door to the KÀthe-Kollwitz-Museum is the Literaturhaus, where readings, seminars and discussions are held. The villa is surrounded by a delightful garden, and there is a pleasant café, the Café Wintergarten.
Kranzler Eck
Like so much of the city, this neighbourhood is in a constant state of redevelopment. The Kranzler Eck (Kranzler Corner), where the cityâs most stylish citizens once stopped off for coffee and cakes, has been transformed by the addition of a stunning 16-storey glass skyscraper, designed by Helmut Jahn of Chicago and completed in 2002. As well as offices, the City Quartier has shops and restaurants.
Off the Kuâdamm at FasanenstraĂe 79, you will find the JĂŒdisches Gemeindezentrum (Jewish Community Centre). Framing the entrance is the domed portal from the synagogue, which was burned during the fateful Kristallnacht (âNight of Broken Glassâ) of 1938 (for more information, click here). The modern building serves as a cultural centre for the 12,000 Jews living in Berlin today â in 1933 they numbered some 170,000.
At FasanenstraĂe 24 stands the intimate KĂ€the-Kollwitz-Museum (www.kaethe-kollwitz.de; daily 11amâ6pm). On display is a comprehensive collection of sketches, drawings and sculptures by the artist KĂ€the Kollwitz (1867â1945), whose work resounds with compassion as she makes appeals on behalf of the working poor, the suffering and the sick.
It is worth exploring some of the other side streets off the Kuâdamm. As well as FasanenstraĂe, you will discover many other elegant tree-lined boulevards studded with beautiful, balconied villas, antiques shops, art galleries and exclusive designer boutiques. A little to the north, Savignyplatz provides a focus for first-class art and architecture bookshops and art galleries, located in the arches beneath the overhead S-Bahn railway line. Here you will find an abundance of literary cafĂ©s, bistros and bars, with plenty of outside seating.
Breitscheidplatz
To the east of the Kranzler Eck, the Kuâdamm leads through to Breitscheidplatz, a large pedestrianised area at the base of the Europa-Center and a busy gathering place for shoppers and sightseers during the day. In the centre of the square is Joachim Schmettauâs granite Weltkugelbrunnen (or Fountain of the World), which locals have cheerily christened the Wasserklops (âaquatic meatballâ).
Soaring above it is an enduringly powerful symbol of the city, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-GedĂ€chtniskirche 2 [map] (Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church; www.gedaechtniskirche-berlin.de; daily 9amâ7pm; free). The 1943 bombing, combined with artillery fire at the end of the war, left the tower with the broken stump of its spire â 63m (206ft), compared with its original 113m (370ft) â as a monumental ruin recalling the cityâs destruction. Flanking it, a modern octagonal church to the east and a chapel and hexagonal tower to the west represent the cityâs post-war rebirth. Stained glass made in Chartres and set in walls of moulded concrete casts a mysterious bluish glow over the Kuâdamm at night.
Built between 1891 and 1895 to honour Wilhelm I, the remains of this neo-Romanesque church constitute a memorial hall to celebrate the Hohenzollernsâ pious monarchism. A mosaic representing Christ the King is set above friezes and reliefs of Prussian monarchs from Friedrich I (1415â40) to the last crown prince, Friedrich Wilhelm. On one wall, Wilhelm I confers with Chancellor Bismarck and Field Marshals Moltke and Roon. With their taste for irreverent nicknames, Berliners have deflated the monumentsâ imperial or pacifist intentions by dubbing the original church the âbroken toothâ and the two main additions the âlipstickâ and âpowder compactâ.
Christ the King mosaic in the Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church
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Beyond the church is the enormous Europa-Center, between TauentzienstraĂe and Budapester StraĂe. The centre was built in the 1960s and houses scores of shops, rest...