march-2013

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Berlin
germany
81,305,856 +49 4°C
Euro (EUR)
five times daily
Jeroen van Marle
It’s still chilly in Berlin, so retreat to cosy
cafés and art galleries
MITTE
Once part of East Berlin, the
city centre district has changed
enormously. With easy access to
many of the city’s major sights
and cultural hubs, it makes a
great base for visitors.
SLEEP The 1930s-built former Danish
Embassy is now home to a new,
much talked-about hotel, Das Stue
(Drakestrasse 1, (0)30 311 7220,
das-stue.com, rooms from €180). It
combines sleek contemporary design
with views of Tiergarten Park, and the
antelopes in the adjacent zoo.
EAT Pauly Saal (Auguststrasse 11–13.
(0)30 3300 6070) is Mitte’s latest
dining sensation, serving fresh, regional
German cuisine. The three-course €32
lunchtime menu might include chestnut
soup with celery, or roebuck haunch
with homemade pasta. It, too, is set in
a monumental 1930s building, this time
a Jewish girls’ school.
CULTURE It’s 80 years since the Nazis
rose to power in 1933, and the free
Destroyed Diversity exhibition at the
German Historical Museum (Unter
den Linden 2) kicks off a year of special
events. Near Checkpoint Charlie, the
new Wall Panorama (Friedrichstrasse
205) is a fascinating 900m2 painting of
the Berlin Wall as it looked in the 1980s.
LATER Judging by the old photos in
the hallway at Clärchens Ballhaus
(Auguststrasse 24), not that much has
INFO
Berlin Tegel Airport
is 8km north west of
the city centre.
Bus
Bus TXL connects
Tegel airport with
Hauptbahnhof
(main) station, Mitte
(the city centre) and
Alexanderplatz. Bus
X9 connects Tegel to
Zoo Bahnhof station
in the western city
centre. Journeys
take 20-40 minutes
and tickets cost
€2.40.
Taxi
A taxi into the city
centre takes about
20 minutes and
costs around €20.
Tourist offi ce
There are tourist
offi ces at the
Brandenburg Gate,
Hauptbahnhof
station,
Kurfürstendamm 21
and the Reichstag,
(0)30 250025,
visitberlin.de
changed since this legendary ballroom
opened a century ago. There’s still
dancing almost every day – tango on
Tuesday, wild swing on Wednesday,
and live bands at the weekend.
CHARLOTTENBURG
The former heart of West Berlin is
set for revival, with a new five-star
hotel and several ambitious
building projects.
SLEEP An elegant, 31-storey
skyscraper overlooking the Kaiser
Wilhelm Memorial Church houses the
brand new Waldorf Astoria Hotel
(Hardenbergstrasse 28, (0)30 814
0000, waldorfastoriaberlin.com, rooms
from €255). The luxurious rooms have
spectacular views, and the restaurant,
Les Solistes, is top-notch.
EAT Opposite the Schaubühne theatre,
Gianni runs the charming Locanda
(Lehniner Platz 2, (0)30 3180 6968) as
a one-man show, serving simple but
delicious Italian fare while he sings and
potters about in his tiny kitchen. On
Sundays, visit the Duke (Nürnberger
Strasse 50-55, (0)30 6831 5400 0)
for an excellent brunch accompanied
by live jazz music – its namesake,
Duke Ellington, often performed here
when it was a club.
CULTURE After years of renovation,
the scaffolding is finally coming down
around the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm
Memorial Church (Gedächtniskirche,
Once the Danish
Embassy, Das Stue is now
a sleek, modern hotel
Breitscheidplatz), which was left in
ruins after the war as a warning to
future generations.
SHOP An unusual but charming
combination of teas from around the
world, tea paraphernalia and irresistibly
pretty paper products is sold at Paper
& Tea (Bleibtreustrasse 4).
FRIEDRICHSHAIN
The young international crowd
that hangs out in this lively, former
East Berlin workers’ district knows
how to party.
EAT The unique Scheers Schnitzel
(corner of Warschauer Strasse and
Stralauer Allee) serves delicious
SchniPoSa – schnitzel with potatoes
and salad, for just €5. Spontaneous
parties often happen late at night.
For a calmer lunch, head to Wahrhaft
Nahrhaft (Grünberger Strasse 83),
a delightful café with great bagels,
salads and cakes.
LATER Overlooking Boxhagener
Platz, the quiet Macondo Café
(Gärtnerstrasse 14) brings a slice
of South America to Berlin; try an
authentic mate tea. The graffitiscrawled
RAW Gelände railway yard
hosts a number of excellent bars and
concert venues; Badehaus Szimpla
(Revaler Strasse 99) is a musiksalon
with a fantastic programme of Balkan
boogie, hip-hop jams, jazz-rock nights
and electric gypsy disco.
74 march 2013
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