Berlin

Wall or no wall, during your visit to Berlin you'll soon see that a division between east and west still exists. There are actually two cities that are being reunited with might and main. Berlin is therefore building at a steady pace. Everywhere you turn you'll see cranes, excavations and new buildings. Great efforts are being made to reverse the 30 year division.

Berlin's historic heart lies around the broad Unter der Linden, with its elegant neoclassical and baroque buildings. You can dine well, go out and shop in this city with ease. You can visit big department stores like KaDeWe or the beguiling French galleries Lafayette on the Friedrichstraase. Eating well in Berlin also presents no problem. You'll soon discover that German cuisine consists of much more than just Bratkartoffeln, Speck, Zwiebeln und Sauerkraut! Berlin has much to offer on a culinary level as well.

In terms of area, Berlin is one of Europe's biggest cities. To give you an idea, the German capital is nine times bigger than the centre of Paris. That's because Berlin is actually an agglomeration of a series of various small towns like Schoneberg, Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg. It also boasts numerous parks, lakes and, of course, the River Spree.

Berlin has never had a fixed identity. It's a city in perpetual motion. The city's notorious history is still very much in evidence. Although the city endured hard times during WWII, plenty of authentic and historic places remain, like the baroque grandeur of the Gendarmen Market, the rustic rococo of the Nikolaiviertel, the Prussian ostentation of Unter der Linden and the Museum Island. The city's post WWII history is also worth looking into. Take, for example, two direct opposites like the Kurfurstendamm and Alexanderplatz. Remnants of an ideological conflict that's luckily now consigned to history.

If you feel like a weekend out in a very pleasant city, then make your way quickly to Berlin!