|
Berlin
- A city that has been the centre
of European and world history -its seems that the past has simply
rolled over Berlin. The imprint of the past is everywhere -visit
Norman Foster's dome at the top of the Reichstag, the Television
Tower, Checkpoint Charlie, Libeskind's Jewish Museum, Postdamerplatz,
the Zoo or many other Museums, Galleries and Concert Halls.
-
Getting there and getting around:
- As befits a city whose history
has been much influenced by flight, Berlin has two airports -Berlin
Brandenberg in Schonefeld and Berlin International in Tegel -see
the Berlin Airport website (www.berlin-airport.de)
for more information. Direct flights are available from Bristol,
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London (Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton,
Stansted), and Nottingham with British
Airways, Easyjet,
BMI, Ryanair
and Lufthansa.
-
- For rail travel to the rest
of Germany, see the national railway Deutsche Bahn (www.bahn.com).
Sightseeing, events, tours and information:
 Hire
a solar boat at Berlin Köpenick from Solar Water World
(www.solarwaterworld.de)
who offer a range of small self drive boats for hire by the hour.
Alternatively you can charter a solar powered passenger catamaran,
the Solon (www.schiffskontor.de),
that can accommodate up to 60 people for an alternative silent
view of the city thanks to its 24 roof mounted solar panels.
Passengers can also enjoy a range of snacks in the elegant lounge
bar in this emission free boat.
For walkers
who want to explore the countryside around the city, the 'route
of 66 lakes', circles the city, taking in forests, lakes, villages,
castles and country houses -the start and finish of each section
can be reached by public transport -maps at www.wander-bahnhoefe-brandenburg.de.
-
- The are a some really awesome
music venues in the city. The state opera house, Staatsoper Unter
den Linden (www.staatsoper-berlin.org)
is currently undergoing a three year renovation programme, but
the Berlin Philarmonic (www.berliner-philharmoniker.de)
which performs under the leadership of Simon Rattle in Hans Scharoun's
stunning concert hall is well worth an evening out.
- Berlin
tourist information -
Tourist information bureau online.
-
- The
Tempodrom - The Tempodrom
is a cultural arena set in a circus tent that offers a varied
and constantly-changing programme of events.
- The
Reichstag - The German
parliament building -visit Norman Foster's glass dome at the
top of the meeting chamber.
-
- Berlin television tower - Fantastic building offering views over Berlin
with a revolving restaurant
-
- Potsdamerplatz
- Ultramodern complex
of shops, cinemas and bars in downtown Berlin
- Olympic stadium
- TThe Hertha Berlin stadium built in 1936 has been completely
refurbished ahead of the 2006 FIFA World cup of Football and
now features 75,000 covered seats while retaining the famous
Marathon Gate.
- Berlin
Zoo - One of the world's
largest and oldest zoos featuring one of the most important animal
collections in the world.
-
- Botanical Garden - Huge botanical gardens featuring over 20,000
species of plant.
- Berlin
Concert hall - Major
concert hall originally designed as a theatre but now featuring
over 500 performances a year!
- Insider
tours - Walking and cycling
tours around Berlin
- Museums and Galleries -
- Berlin wall Eastside gallery -The worlds largest open air gallery with 106
graffiti artists from 21 countries featured on a stretch of the
wall.
- The
Grunewald Tower - Museum
in the tower built for the first Kaiser Wilhelm with an observation
platform, which offers a panoramic view of the Havel landscape.
- Jewish
museum - incredible museum
in the shape of a broken star of David showing aspects of Jewish
history as well as the holocaust exhibition.
- Mauer
Museum -small museum
of the Berlin Wall located near Checkpoint Charlie
- Staatliche
Museum of Berlin -listings
of exhibitions in a variety of galleries and museums.
- Tacheles
art house - Formerly
an abanndoned department store now a modern art house featuring
contemporary art, cinema and design
Hotels, Bed & Breakfast:
- Open Summer 2012, Almodovar
Hotel, (www.almodovarhotel.de)
on Boxhagener Straße in the District of Friedrichshain
is the first vegetarian organic hotel in Berlin. It offers 60
rooms, suites and apartments individually decorated in a modern
style using natural materials. Food is served from the organic
kitchen and they offer a Wellness and Spa area high above the
rooftops of Berlin in the sauna or Japanese-inspired Onsen bath.
-
- Circus Hotel (www.circus-berlin.de)
is a centrally located hotel with a strong corporate social responsibility
policy that centres around supporting local business and operating
in an ethical way.This is backed up with green measures, including
generating some of their own energy and using natural products.
-
- Bleibtrau (www.bleibtreu.com)
modern hotel on the Kurfürstendamm in the heart of Berlin.
-
- Künstlerheim Luise, Berlin (www.luise-berlin.com)
Located near to the Reichstag, the design of this hotel has been
fully integrated with the display of art work. It offers 50 individual
rooms in a mixture of classical and modern accommodation, and
also has its own gallery for functions. It has a fantastic history
-this extract from the website "We had the idea even before
the Berlin Wall fell: starting as an artists' hotel in the center
of Berlin, a place where artists and friends of art could live
and work, where people play music and gather."
-
- For a different (and fun) experience,
the Hüttenpalast Hotel (www.huettenpalast.de)
gives you a choice -set in a former vacuum cleaner factory, you
can spend the night in an old caravan, a wooden hut or slightly
more conventionally, in a room!
-
- Loock Hotels -(www.loock-hotels.com)
the amazing designer 'Q' Hotel and Hackesher Market in Berlin.
- Mitart (www.mitart.de) a central
Berlin hotel and café in a listed building, with easy
access to the cultural life of the city. The café serves
organic food, sourced locally, and they support local artists,
whose work is on display in the hotels 30 individually styled
rooms.
Propellor Island (www.propeller-island.com)
describes itself as a habitable work of art......
Hostels and budget accommodation:
- Die
Fabrik, Berlin
-http://www.diefabrik.com
- Hotel for backpackers, offering
rooms for 7 or 8 persons, set in a restored turn of the century
factory in Berlin Kreuzeberg. The hotel maintains a quiet atmosphere
with no tv or phone in the rooms. Solar collectors on the roof
of the hotel provide hot water and support the heating system.
-
- JetPak
Hostels, Berlin -http://www.jetpak.de
2 environmentally run and extremely popular (No. 4 in the world)
hostels in downtown Berlin, family run and offering great access
to all of Berlin's attractions and nightlife. The power all comes
from renewable sources, the heating is co2 neutral, solar panels
heat the water and all waste is separated.
more Hostels in Germany
Holiday cottages and Apartments
- Apartments and Holiday homes
in Germany
- Restaurants, Bars and Clubs:
- Eat
the World -offers culture
& food tours -guides traverse the legendary, multi-cultural
Kreuzberg taking their guests through the authentic Berlin far
from the well-beaten tourist track. Each tour includes delightful
samples of classic restaurants and smaller diners, plus an insight
into Berlin life -history, culture, architecture and entertainment.
Search this site with Google:
- home | transport
| accomodation | general
information | holiday activities
| weekend breaks | contact
|
 |
