Berlin, Germany

The city of Berlin is a fascinating place. Emerging as an important European center, Germanys capital has been through wars both civil and worldly, with grim historical moments and political catastrophes, yet still surviving and for the past few decades flourishing to become one of Europes finest epicenters.

When to go

Berlin is a wonderful place to travel to year-round, but if you wish to accentuate your visit, or avoid certain situations, here are some helpful guidelines: Most visitors travel to Berlin during the extended summer season, which roughly translates to the timeframe between May and September, when weather is pleasant on a consistent basis. Wintertime is lovely when the ground is covered in snow, but it can get quite cold, and the wind-chill isnt particularly friendly either. Essentially if you wish to avoid these conditions, simply book your reservations and such during either the spring or autumn seasons.

Getting there and around

Berlin receives very few direct international flights to either of its two major airports, although flights are frequent from cities such as Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris, or London. At arrival, travel to your destination is very easy, with trains, buses, and/or taxicabs continuously running. We recommend using the buses. They arent the quickest way to get around, but they are the most comfortable, and allow you to take in some of the sights on the way. Once youre settled and acquainted with your accommodations and such, head out, and youll notice the abundance of public transportation options. Rent a bike, ride the bus, take a train, even a ferry, and Berlins U/S Bahn is know for its efficiency as you will discover. We do not recommend driving a car, as the city streets can get quite congested and theres always peace of mind in using the citys trusty transportation.

Where to go

If you yearn to visit Berlin during the winter, youre in luck, because in February, the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) is held, and its a wonderful event to experience if youre a movie buff or just want to try something new.

For those not sure, or open to visiting any time of year, staples of the city are numerous, and one monument to visit is Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor). The gate was built in 1791, once the mark of the boundary which separated East and West Berlin. Even though the Berlin Wall was torn down, Brandenburg Gate stills stands as both a symbol and memory of Berlins long history. Today, traffic passes freely beneath it.

A museum highly worth visiting is the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, standing as a memorial and symbol of the famous tower that essentially stood as a mark of the East-West struggle during the Cold War. The tower itself is gone, and has been gone for more than a decade, but a replica guardhouse was erected on-site. The Checkpoint Charlie Museum holds fascinating memorabilia and historic devices which display what some people used for escape attempts from, what was, East Berlin. Some visitors will undoubtedly be reminded that this was the site where critical historical events with global impact took place. A visit to the nearby East Side Gallery will provide a view of a piece of the real Berlin Wall, with decorations/graffiti from more than a decade ago.

Another site worth a visit is a church, which held and still holds immeasurable importance to Berliners. The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche. It was bombed during World War II, and since been reconstructed; the church was built again, with beautiful blue stained-glass, and work by the renowned Chagall.

Berlin also holds a few wonderful concert halls. One is the Berliner Pihlarmonie, which is known for its superb acoustics. Another, the Kammer musikaal (Chamber Music Hall), is also noteworthy. Art galleries are many as well, but if you only have time for one possible visit, the front-runner is undoubtedly the Gemaldegalerie, which holds a great number of European paintings dating back all the way to the 13th century.