city guide.
berlin
NEIGHBOURHOODS
MITTE
Core of the city; luxury boutiques, local designers and upmarket department stores; stylish people-watching along cobblestone streets
CHARLOTTENBURG/KURFÜRSTENDAMM
Celebrated shopping street Ku'damm with chain flagships, department store KaDeWe and high-end boutiques; now attracting the creative crowd
KREUZBERG
Hangout for hipsters and the media scene; vintage shops and one-off boutiques; thriving art scene; vibrant nightlife
SCHÖNEBERG/TEMPELHOF
Traditional upper-class neighbourhood with independent boutiques; growing art and fashion scene at Potsdamer Strasse, and former airport Tempelhof now turned into a huge park around the former runways
FRIEDRICHSHAIN
Young, bohemian crowd makes up a vibrant nightlife; independent boutiques and concept stores; Volkspark Friedrichshain
PRENZLAUER BERG
Picturesque; home to well-to-do families; traditional cafes; distinctive retail offerings and flea markets
NEUKÖLLN
Burgeoning creative nightlife and restaurant concepts; individual designer stores behind graffiti façades; creative concepts; 1980s and 1990s vintage
WEDDING
Fast-changing and upcoming neighbourhood in Berlin; working-class quarter with a young bohemian scene; attractive spaces with art galleries, concept shops and restaurants
48-HOUR RECOMMENDATION
BERLIN CITY GUIDE | 48 HOURS
Wake up at...
Almodóvar Hotel, which is fully sustainable, from the vegan deli to the organic cotton sheets. Take a stroll to Goodies Deli for a healthy breakfast and check out Loveco, one of Berlin's finest sustainable stores, on the way. Walk towards East Side Gallery, which shows the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall, and cross the river into Kreuzberg. Find some one-off stores while walking towards Oranienstrasse, such as Overkill, Folkdays, VooStore or UVR Connected. This area is great for people-watching. Head for lunch at Markthalle Neun and its many food stalls. After, take a short walk to discover some hidden treasures, including Damur, Marin et Marine and coffee shop % Arabica.
Spend the afternoon...
Spend the afternoon... At Hackeschen Höfe and dive into Mitte with its series of courtyards, cobblestone streets and whimsical stores featuring products and designers from Berlin. Münzstrasse and Alte Schönhauser Strasse are filled with one-of-a-kindboutiques such as Wood Wood, Freshlabels, Ecoalf and H&M's first super-local store, Mitte Garten, as well as a few edgier high-street brands such as & Other Stories and Weekday. Not-to-miss Mulackstrasse is home to many inspirational smaller designer stores, most of them offering local and up-and-coming talents, such as C’est Tout, Baerck, A Kind of Guise and Sal Bazaar.
Spend the evening...
Torstrasse for more great shops, including Soto, Hannes Roether, The Store and MCM, a gallery-meets-store by the German accessories brand. For dinner, head to Frea, Berlin's first zero-waste restaurant, and enjoy its vegetarian cuisine, or try some Korean specialties at Coréen. Want to stay in the area for after-dinner drinks? Try Neue Odessa Bar or Buck & Breck for a tasty cocktail.
Wake up at...
Skyscraper Motel One Berlin-Ku'Damm, in a room overlooking Charlottenburg (don’t miss the spectacular rooftop bar). Get ready for the day ahead with a strawberry pancake at A Never Ever Ending Love Story, before heading to concept shopping centre Bikini Berlin, making sure not to miss the Artek concept store, Mykita and Adddress, as well as the innovative concept boxes on the ground floor featuring a rotation of young designers. Across the street, behind the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, lies shopping boulevard Kurfürstendamm, with a selection of high-street brands at one end and luxury boutiques at the other. For lunch, head to the indoor food market Kantini, with plenty of different food options and a great view of the zoo.
Spend the afternoon...
Potsdamer Strasse, an up-and-coming area with frequent openings of stores and galleries. Stop for a coffee at Oliv for a fresh and healthy meal while people-watching through the huge windows. Afterwards, explore Berlin’s famed concept store Andreas Murkudis and 77, presenting a well-selected edit of fashion, interiors and design wares. Also along the street, discover small shops and stylish galleries, such as Acne Studios, the Fiona Bennett hat shop, Odeeh, Maisonnoée, Paul Smith, Galerie Thomas Fischer and Viu Eyewear.
Spend the evening...
The stores in Neukölln, wandering about this upcoming neighbourhood. Here you will find some of the vintage stores responsible for Berliner style, such as The Good Store and Neuzwei, or check out some of the many smaller designer stores, such as Shio, Wood Stories or C\V Corvera Vargas. End the night with dinner and drinks at Kindl Stuben for an authentic neighbourhood feel, or at Paolo Pinkel, a space that combines three different cuisines with a bar.
BERLIN CITY GUIDE | FAST FACTS
FLUGHAFEN TEGEL AIRPORT (TXL)
Tegel is situated northwest of Berlin, approximately five miles (8km) or 25 minutes from the city centre. As well as buses 109 and 128, the Express Bus TXL connects the airport to the main train station Hauptbahnhof. The Express Bus X9 leaves from the train station Zoologischer Garten. Bus or subway tickets cost 2.80, or 3.40 for trips to city surroundings. A taxi from TXL costs 25-40.
BERLIN SCHÖNEFELD AIRPORT (SXF)
Southeast of Berlin and approximately 11 miles (18km) or 30 minutes from the city centre, this airport is connected with central Berlin by the S-Bahn (suburban train) lines S49 and S9 as well as with several Airport Express trains that run to and from Hauptbahnhof, Zoologischer Garten, Friedrichstrasse, Alexanderplatz and Ostbahnhof every 30 minutes. Tickets for these trains or the S-Bahn cost 3.40. S45 and S9 trains take about 45 minutes to the city centre; all trains and the S-Bahn stop at the station Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld. A taxi from SXF costs around 30- 45.
HEATHROW (LHR) Taxis to central London take between 45-60 minutes, and cost £60–£100. The Heathrow Express train system costs £34 return/round trip and takes less than 20 minutes to central London (Paddington). Heathrow airport is also accessible by tube.
GATWICK (LGW) Taxis to central London take about one hour,
and cost about £60–£100. The Gatwick Express trains to London
Victoria Station run every 15 minutes, with a journey time of 30
minutes. A one-way ticket costs £19, return/round trip tickets cost
around £36.
LONDON CITY AIRPORT (LCY) A black cab to Central London takes no more than 30 minutes, approximately £35–£50 one-way. You can also book an Uber. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) makes for easy access into the city, with a ticket costing £3–£5.
tipping guide
At hotels, leaving a few euros for the room cleaners is
appreciated, and a service charge is typically included in
the bill. Restaurant bills always include a service charge
(bedienung), but most people add 5% or 10%.
Waitstaff: 10-20%
Bartender/Cocktail waitress: 1 per drink
Porter/Doorman: 1-2 per bag
Taxis: it's customary in Berlin and the rest of Germany to
tip a small amount, between 5% and 10%
SHOPPING HOURS
Most shops are open between 9-11am to 7-9pm on
weekdays and Saturdays. Stores are generally closed on
Sunday, except for the five weeks leading up to Christmas.*
*This is a general guideline as hours are flexible and different for each store.
Please check store websites or call for more specific information
other
Time Zone: Central European Time (CET/CEST) GMT +1/+2
Electricity: 220-240V common
Language: German
