This guide aims to highlight some of the many must see places in Berlin. Whether you are visiting to remain in an alcohol induced haze, to blow your mind with some incredible street-art, to sample foods from around the world, to enjoy the history of a great city and of ancient worlds or just to enjoy a leisurely break from the usual hustle and bustle; Berlin is the one city that will fulfil every desire.

1. T H E
BEST
A N D
T H E
WURST

2. EDITORIAL
EDITOR
Jason Bosworthick
SECTION EDITORS
HISTORY AND LANDMARKS
Chris Meigh
ACCOMMODATION
Victoria Brown
THE ARTS
Anna Paul & Lucy Richardson
FOOD AND DRINK
Ben Kendall
MUSEUM ISLAND
Kate Martin
BARS AND NIGHTLIFE
Ben Kendall
LEISURE AND OUTDOORS
Jason Bosworthick
SHOPPING
Victoria Brown
LANGUAGE
Rosalind Lakka
SURVIVAL GUIDE
Natalie Perry & Laura Phelan
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jess Astbury, Hannah Dowds, Sarah Slater, Louise Gill, Hera Sparnon
ART DIRECTOR
Hannah Dowds
LAYOUT
Hannah Dowds, Sarah Slater & Hera Sparnon
PHOTO EDITOR
Louise Gill

3. INTRODUCTION
When asked about the great cultural cities of the world it would come
as no surprise to hear London, New York, Paris or Rome amongst the
immediate answers. Somehow though, none of these places deliver quite
the same vibe of creativity, of history and of sheer adrenaline fuelled,
outrageous and insurmountable night-life that Berlin does.
Home to more museums, more art galleries, open-air exhibitions and in-
genious street-art pieces, Berlin offers an eclectic mix to sate any artistic
or historical thirst you might have.
The cultural plethora that makes up Berlin amounts to an incredible
range of cuisine. Anything from Turkish kebabs to Korean speed-fried
chicken, from fine dining in pitch darkness to a simple Kaffee und Kuchen
(coffee and cake) on a summer’s day is sure to satisfy any hunger pang.
As the founding city for techno music it comes as no surprise that Ber-
liners party harder than anywhere else. Refurbished factories house
some of the world’s greatest clubs; pumping knee-shaking bass nightly
and hosting infamous all-weekend raves. As well as this there is no end
to bars and clubs blasting out almost every music genre that’s out there;
some even inventing new ones.
This guide aims to highlight some of the many must see places in Berlin.
Whether you are visiting to remain in an alcohol induced haze, to blow
your mind with some incredible street-art, to sample foods from around
the world, to enjoy the history of a great city and of ancient worlds or
just to enjoy a leisurely break from the usual hustle and bustle; Berlin is
the one city that will fulfil every desire.
Jason Bosworthick

4. THE BEST AND THE WURST
CONTENTS
5 Map of Berlin 14 Shopping
7 History of Berlin 15 Internet Access
10 Survival Guide 17 Language
11 Transport 19 Berlin on a Shoestring

5. THE BEST AND THE WURST
22 HISTORY AND LAND 95 Berghain
MARKS
46 ACCOMMODATION 111 Clarchens Ballhaus
54 THE ARTS 114 MUSEUM ISLAND
69 A Recycled City 120 LEISURE AND
OUTDOORS
72 FOOD AND DRINK 121 Sanssouci Park
73 Flavours of Berlin 138 SHOPPING
94 BARS AND NIGHT 151 Writers Profiles
LIFE

6. THE BEST AND THE WURST
MAP OF BERLIN
CHARLOTTENBERG Berlin’s most prestigious museums
for ancient antiquities and art. Burst-
Home to both the Tiergarten and the ing with shops and eateries, Mitte is a
Hauptstadt Zoo, any tourist has more hotspot for tourists and locals alike.
than enough reasons to venture into
the district of Charlottenburg. This PRENZLAUR BERG
affluent locality is mostly famous for
it’s shops due to the Savignyplatz and A beacon of by-gone bohemianism,
it’s stones-throw distance from the Prenzlauer Berg is now an elegantly
Ku’damm; both fine shopping sites and decked-out haven popular with artists,
a true shopaholics mecca. It should be gays, young families and creative types.
noted that the prices here will gener- Whether you want to calmly caffein-
ally prove higher than elsewhere in ate amid the sparrows, blond babies
Berlin, so it is probably not the most and ‘macchiato mothers’, indulge in a
ideal of places to go if you’re spending spot of relaxed shopping or party in
on a budget. But hey, a little window the myriad cool bars and Berlin’s on-
shopping never hurt anybody. line central sound-proofed club, it’s the
perfect district.
MITTE
FRIEDRICHSHAIN
Aptly named Mitte (which translates
into English as middle or centre) is the Freidrichshain could be perceived as
very heart of the city. As Berlin’s his- the ‘chameleon district’ as it assumes a
torical core, it encompasses dynamic number of different guises. It proudly
landmarks from former East and West assimilates itself with squatters and
Berlin areas such as the Brandenburg has an exciting vibe with it’s funky
Gate, the Holocaust Memorial and the bars and clubs offering space for the
Reichstag. It also includes key areas young, poor and sexy to rub shoulders
such as Potsdamer Platz, Alexander- in reckless abandon. It’s boundaries
platz and Unter den Linden. Mitte is also house the famous East Side Gal-
the home of the famous Museuminsel lery which serves as a busy tourist trap,
or Museum Island, the site of five of especially in the height of the summer
5

7. INTRODUCTION
PRENZ-
LAUERBERG
TIERG-
ARTEN
MITTE FRIED-
CHARLOTTENBERG
f
RICH-
SHAIN
KREUZBERG
SCHON-
EBERG
n
neu
NEUKOLLN TREPTOW
months. However, venture into the
quieter back streets such as Koperni-
kusstrasse and you will stumble across
edgy urban designer boutiques and a
host of subdued coffee shops where
you can do as the daydreamers do and
wistfully relax, whiling away the hours
in a state of cool calm.
the city itself, with abundant elegant
streets and edifices.
SCHONEBERG
TREPTOW
Famously once home to none other
than Christopher Isherwood, Mar-
Formerly a district belonging to East
lene Dietrich, Iggy Pop and David
Berlin this leafy area is dominated
Bowie, Schöneberg has maintained its
by the beautiful Treptower Park
renown for unbridled hedonism since
which occupies several kilometres and
the 1920s. Accommodating the largest
merges into the Planterwald forest.
gay district of Berlin, it is never short
The park offers a leafy haven from
of a good party. Not to be outdone in
the livelier party street, Schlesische
other respects though, the district is a
Strasse, which links Treptow to the
bustling multi-cultural microcosm of
district of Kreuzberg.
6

8. THE BEST AND THE WURST
CHRIS MEIGH ian having spent the last year living
Though graduated in Journalism and there. He studies classics and is unable
Criminology, Chris is our resident his- to function without his morning coffee
tory, literature and film buff. A long- fix. Ben is a self-proclaimed café enthu-
term Berlin-lover, he is never short of siast and the only thing more extensive
some factual titbit, quirky suggestion than his vocabulary is his cardigan and
or information of an otherwise use- blazer collection.
lessly fascinating type – particularly
when fuelled by his new-found fond- JASON BOSWORTHICK
ness for a good, chilled Riesling. Meet our editor Jason: Creative writ-
er, dodgy joke teller, and one half of
KATE MARTIN CTR’s very own super couple, “Jackie”
Kate is a Journalism and Creative (Jason and Vickie). With a damn fine
Writing student who enjoys sampling taste in music and an extensive knowl-
German cuisine and historical sites. edge of film, Jason is an all-round cool
She has managed to last a month in kid. Having been assigned the role of
Berlin unscathed, despite her pen- editor by his fellow team members,
chant for impersonating german ac- he had the mammoth task of sifting
cents. When she’s not nearly being through all 150 reviews in this guide,
robbed by fake deaf people or acciden- and for this we thank and applaud him.
tally gate crashing legalize marijuana
demonstrations, she likes a ‘gid’ night VICTORIA BROWN
out, which usually ends by jumping in Adding comedy value to even the dull-
a rivers, or with a kebab or burger (no est of subjects, Vickie belongs on a
salad). stage. Her hilarious impressions and
animated utterances would regularly
BEN KENDALL leave the group in stitches, and spiced
Ben has a passion for all things Ital- up some grueling hours spent in the
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9. WRITERS PROFILES
project rooms. When’s she’s not im- LUCY RICHARDSON
personating, Vickie is an avid napper Within minutes of meeting Lucy you’ll
and claims she’s still catching up on feel like you’re best friends. Holding
lost sleep from her childhood. But de- claim to a delightfully, bubbly person-
spite this, she still manages to keep su- ality this Oxford girl will effortlessly
per organised and always stays on top charm you. A lover of music; rock, in-
of every task at hand. die and electro, and adorned with the
music aficionado’s obligatory pierc-
LAURA PHELAN ing you’ll be sure to find her happily
Oh Laura, Laura, Laura. There is far tapping her foot as her laptop pumps
too much to say about this bubbly tunes or dancing the night away like
blonde from London/ Brighton to be it’s 1984. Lucy is also a keen shopper
able to condense into so few words, and whether it’s venturing through
so I’m not going to try. I could talk stalls at the local flea market, diving
about her adoration for concoctions of through the high-street stores or just
Vietnamese food, but I won’t. I could window shopping at the more expen-
discuss how wholeheartedly she has sive luxury department stores a good
thrown herself into the programme, bargain is something that can rarely
particularly exploring the outdoor evade her keen eyes.
activities available in Berlin, and how
much she has developed as a result of HERA SPARNON
her passion, but I shall not. I could ex- If she’s not singing her heart out at
postulate at length about how she is some Kareoke bar, or bartering for
undoubtedly the messiest, most hilari- a second hand guitar at the local flea
ous and nicest roommate a girl could market, Hera can normally be found
wish for, but to be honest, I really can’t frequenting one of the many pubs or
be bothered! clubs that Berlin has to offer. Keen
to talk about anything from obscure
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10. THE BEST AND THE WURST
bands to graffiti and street art, Hera’s Berlin, Jess has red hair bondage spiked
a girl who has seen it all and still isn’t shoes and a love of all things bizarre.
finished exploring. Spending her free time exploring aban-
It’s probably worth making an ap- doned and transformed buildings and
pointment with her though – between vehicles, catch her either in a bunker
late nights and her globe trotting or eating ice cream on an old school
tendencies, this punk-haired rocker bus. She provides a refreshing outlook
is constantly on the move. Blink, and on what to do in Berlin if you’re just a
you’ll probably miss her. little bit weird. She has sacrificed both
of her legs in her mostly by-foot pur-
SARAH SLATER suit of kookiness, and although now a
If ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ swallowed near cripple, she has successfully guid-
a Thesaurus, you would get Sarah ed other group members towards many
Slater! The English teacher’s won- new and exciting experiences.
derful way with words, combined with
her contagious positive energy certify NATALIE PARRY
her status as a creative catalyst within With her incredible encyclopaedic
the group. Though incompetent with knowledge of film, music and more
directions, the modest Miss Slater’s recently the kebabs of Berlin, there is
multi-talents have unofficially secured never a dull (or quiet) moment with
her the positions as layout team, proof Natalie around. Natalie is the queen
reader and editor. of look-a-like spotting and a night out
won’t feel complete without her 80’s
JESS ASTBURY dance moves and glass of Absinth.
Singlehandedly tracking down the With her amazingly creative reviews,
weird and wonderful curiosities of you may even pick up a new word or
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11. WRITERS PROFILES
two. a healthy-eater who is seemingly im-
mune to spicy food, and loves meeting
ROSALIND LAKKA new mates on the underground.
As the most proficient German speak-
er, Rosalind came in particularly useful LOUISE GILL
when asking for directions and fend- A fun, happy go lucky girl to say the
ing off creepy guys for the rest of the least. With her vivacious smile and
group. Her writing isn’t too shabby endless amounts of energy it’s hard
either, particularly when it comes to not to warm to this eccentric lady, even
food. From gummy bears to potatoes, when she rolls in at 6 am with a cheeky
Rosalind did her best to eat up Berlin. smile on her face, ready to throw her-
Buffets everywhere, look at this face, self into the next challenge (bar) she
and beware. Apart from eating and comes across.
translating, Rosalind has spent her
time coaxing terrified full-grown men
out of labyrinths, attracting probing
looks from passersby with her short
shorts and playing Harvest Moon.
ANNA PAUL
When she isn’t losing her posses-
sions, or getting lost herself, Glasgow
gal Anna can usually be found wan-
dering one of Berlin’s art galleries.
A dab hand at photography, English
Literature and Film student Anna is
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