City Statistics
Location
Berlin State, northeastern Germany.
Dialing code
49.
Population
3,388,000 (city).
Time zone
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard.
Average January temperatures
-0.5°C (31°F).
Average July temperatures
18°C (72°F).
Annual rainfall
580mm (23 inches).
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Overview
Berlin is back - back as the capital of a reunified Germany and back as one of Europe's greatest - and most vibrant - cities. After
WWII, Berlin was a crippled pawn, sandwiched between East and West, with a literal and metaphorical wall deeply dividing the two halves. The northeastern German city even suffered the ignominy of losing its capital status, as the West German government fled to Bonn. Today, the Cold War and the iconic events of November 1989, which saw the
Berlin Wall torn to pieces by those whom it had oppressed for so long, are starting to seem like a
distant memory and all the talk in Berlin is of the
future.
In the biggest construction project in Europe since WWII, a
new Berlin has emerged from the forest of cranes dotting the no-man's land that was the divided city's dead heart. Potsdamer Platz is the most voluminous project but the most
symbolic recent construction is at the Reichstag. British architect Norman Foster has rejuvenated the German parliament with an impressive glass dome that symbolises the new transparency in German politics - that of a nation with nothing to hide, which is attempting to distance itself from the ghosts of its past.
Coupled with this wave of recent construction is a city laden with
historical charm - from the
old streets of East Berlin, which are slowly being restored after remaining unchanged for 50 years, through to the
grand architecture of Museumsinsel and Unter den Linden, and the
green lung of the Tiergarten Park.
Tourism is on the rise, as visitors come to savor the intoxicating mix of old and new. Big
business, too, is booming and key
industries such as electronics, manufacturing and information technology reflect the dynamism of the German economy.
Contrary to the usual cliches about Germany, Berlin is a city with a
relaxed attitude and some of the
liveliest nightlife in Europe. In Berlin today, there is everything from authentic beer halls and old Soviet era haunts right through to buzzing style bars and Latino nightclubs.
Berlin's
climate is equally eclectic, with hot summer days giving way to occasionally freezing temperatures during the long grey winter. Today's quintessential Berlin experience is to laze through a summer day in the Tiergarten with the murmur of construction just out of earshot, sipping on a chilled Pilsner beer, while absorbing the rush and hum of one of Europe's finest capitals....
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Tourist Information
WalkingTours
Daily walking tours are offered by Insider Tour (tel: (030) 692 3149; website: www.insidertour.com). Walking tours start from the McDonalds opposite Bahnhof Zoo, at 10:00 and 14:30 (April to October) and at 10:00 only (November to March). These take between 3 and 4 hours to complete. All the major sites, such as the Victory Column, Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz and the Reichstag, are covered. Insider Tour also offers cycling tours with a similar itinerary from May to September. Original Berlin Walks (tel: (030) 301 9194; website: www.berlinwalks.de) has five different tours, including three in the city center. Their Jewish Life in Berlin tour runs May to September on Mondays at 10:00 from Meeting Point West. The tour lasts 3 hours. Free walking tours are offered by New Berlin Tours (tel: 0179 973 0397; website: www.newberlintours.com) who use local students to act as guides on a tips only basis. Tours start daily at 11:00, 13:00 (and 16:00 Mar-Oct only) in front of Starbucks by the Brandenburg Gate, and at 10:30, 12:30 (and 15:30 Mar-Oct only) in front of Dunkin Donuts by the Zoologischer Garten.
Bus Tours
A simple way for visitors to see the sights in Berlin is to board bus 100 as it journeys from the center of West Berlin to the East, traveling through the Tiergarten and passing the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate. A similar tour is possible on bus 200, which passes through Potsdamer Platz rather than the Tiergarten. However, buses in Berlin get very busy and you cannot be assured of a seat.
Guided bus tours are available from a number of companies, the summertime (April to October) option of including a 1-hour boat tour on the Spree. There are a number of pick-up points along the Ku’damm, between the Europa-Center and Uhlandstrasse. In City West, the best departure point is in front of the large department store, Kaufhas des Westens (KaDeWe), while in the City East, buses stop at the Brandenburg Gate (in front of the Café Meyerbeer) and at Alexanderplatz (in front of the Hotel Park Inn). Operators include Berolina (tel: (030) 8856 8030; website: www.berolina-berlin.com), tours daily 10:00-18:00; Berlin CityTour (tel (030) 6830 2641; website: www.berlin-city-tour.de), daily 10:30-16:30; and TempelhoferReisen (tel: (030) 752 3061; website: www.tempelhofer.de), daily 10:15-18:10.
Other Tours
Walking tours of Berlin’s architecture, neighborhoods and a variety of cultural institutions off the regular tourist trail are available from Berlin Guide (tel: 0173 828 4748; website: www.berlinguide.biz), which offers various historical walking tours. The general history tour runs daily at 10:00 and starts from Lustgarten. The tour lasts 3 hours. Individual walking tours on various themes, including Jewish Berlin, are offered by Berlin Tour and Guide (tel: (030) 6130 5861; website: www.berlin-tour-and-guide.de). Guides will come and meet you, tours last around 2-3 hours, prices on application.
Driving tours in a Trabant are run by Trabi Safari (tel: (030) 2759 2273; website: www.trabi-safari.de). You drive and the guide gives a commentary through the city. Tours last 90 minutes and run between 10:00-18:00. Pick-up by arrangement.
Guided bike tours are run by Fat Tire Bike Tours (tel: (030) 2404 7991; website: www.fattirebiketoursberlin.com). There is a basic City Tour and a Berlin Wall Tour - both start from the TV Tower by Alexanderplatz U-Bahn.
Helicopter tours of the city are run by Air Service Berlin (tel: 01805 708 708; website: www.air-service-berlin.de). Flights leave from Tempelhof airport, last around 15 minutes and take visitors over sights such as Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate.
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