The German capital is one of the most dynamic metropolises in Europe. She knew, despite her metamorphoses, to keep her alternative side, without settling down too much. East-West, a mixture of genres and cultures, Berlin can be visited without moderation, until the end of the night. This capital has remained bohemian and that’s why we love it!

Great walks in history

Berlin may have been transformed in the past twenty years, but the wind of history continues to blow there very strongly. Meet at the foot of the legendary Brandenburg Gate which was, at the time of the Wall, the symbol of the city’s division.

A stone’s throw away, the Reichstag (renamed Bundestag, photo), surmounted since 1999 by the magnificent glass dome of Norman Foster, probably remembers the fire of 1933 by the Nazis or the red flag which floated on its roof during the capitulation of 1945. The Holocaust memorial, erected in the center of the capital, shows that Germany is not afraid to confront its past.

From the door, a stroll on Unter den Linden, the Berlin Champs-Élysées, takes us through two centuries of history. It was at Humboldt University that Hegel taught and at the old library that Lenin studied. The Staatsoper onBebelplatz is a fine example of classical architecture, while in the Berliner Dom (cathedral) lie the Hohenzollerns.

Still on Unter den Linden, the Neue Wache, a building from the beginning of the 19th century, houses a memorial to the victims of war and tyranny, symbolized by a moving statue of Käthe Kollwitz. Next to it, a Baroque building serves as a backdrop for the Deutsches Historiches Museum, which traces German history since the Middle Ages.

At the end of Unter den Linden, the statues of Engels and Marx are still a stone’s throw from the TV tower at Alexanderplatz, the archetype of Stalinist architecture.

A broth of Kultur

A city of history, Berlin is full of places of culture. The Museum Island , between Unter den Linden and Alexanderplatz, serves as a treasure island: at the famous Pergamon Museum , you can admire the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate, Friedrich’s paintings can be found at Alte Nationalgalerie , while the bust of Nefertiti has taken up residence at the Neues Museum .

As for Potsdamer Platz, the Kulturforum brings together three major museums: the Neue Nationalgalerie houses a remarkable collection of German expressionists (Kirchner, Nolde, Schmidt-Rotluff…) and contemporary artists presented in the form of rotating exhibitions.

Also worth seeing are the Gemälde Galerie with its 2,700 works from the 13th to the 17th centuries (Dürer, Botticelli, Memling, Rembrandt, etc.) and the Kunstgewerbemuseum, devoted to the Decorative Arts (reopening in 2014).

An architectural feat signed by Daniel Libeskind, the Jüdisches Museum has analyzed the relationship between the Jewish and German communities for 2,000 years. A highlight of your trip to Berlin.

In the Charlottenburg district, after visiting the castle, you should not miss the museum dedicated to the sculptor Käthe Kollwitz and the Berggruen museum with its collection of Picasso paintings.

We should also mention the excellent museum of contemporary art installed in the former Hamburger Banhof train station, the Potsdamer Platz cinema museum or the Bauhaus Archiv to learn all about this revolutionary movement.

The bohemian life

Culture in Berlin lives on a daily basis. Nothing to do with a museum city. Thanks to its cheap rents, Berlin attracts creative people from Germany and elsewhere, seduced by the excitement of the city. There are some 20,000 independent artists. Things are moving in all areas: music, fashion, architecture and design (nearly 7,000 branches!).

The trendy districts are mostly to the east, with the exception of Kreuzberg around Bergmannstrasse. If real estate developers have had the skin of the former alternative squat Tacheles, pioneer of Berlin destroy in the 90s, the neighboring district of Prenzlauerberg remains one of the coolest corners of Berlin.

Former haunt of artists and outsiders, it has become the district of Berlin sores. Restored, the beautiful buildings of Prenzlauerberg have taken on pretty pastel colors. Mauerpark and Kollwitzplatz host cool markets. Kastanienallee is a trendy mecca with its cafes and pleasant terraces.

Even further east, Friedrichshain can claim the title of alternative district of Berlin. Take a tour of the East Side Gallery, a portion of the Berlin Wall covered with frescoes by 120 artists. Behind the wall, you can lie down on sunny days on the sand of Spree Beach.

Finally, Neukölln, east of Kreuzberg, is the rising district, especially between Hermann Platz   and the Landwehrkana l. With its trendy art galleries, restaurants and bars, Neukölln is compared to Brooklyn. And, for many, this is now where it happens.

Party-Stadt, party capital

Berlin has always been a night owl. The musical Cabaret is a testament to the bustle of the metropolis in the 1920s. After the fall of the Wall, raves and techno evenings flourished in squats and abandoned factories in the city, the center of which was a real no man’s land. The clubbers of the 90s have not forgotten the crazy parties of legendary clubs like the E-Werk or the Love Parade which attracted more than a million revelers.

Today, the Berlin night is still moving. Alternative, urban and extreme. One of the best clubs in the world, the Berghain, is located in Friedrichshain: it is a temple of techno with a sulfurous reputation, installed in an old power station. Hosting the best DJs, the Berghain drains up to 2,400 partygoers per evening. Long queue and drastic selection at the entrance. The other two major techno clubs in Berlin are Watergate in Friedrichshain and the historic Tresor in the Tiergarten district.

The Berlin night is not limited to techno. To find out about the evenings, consult Tipp and Zitty magazines. There are all kinds of places to party. Among the most unusual, the banks of the Spree in summer – in Friedrichshain or Mitte – and the Roter Salon, a box on the first floor of the Volksbühne.

The countryside in the city

Nine times larger than Paris, Berlin is full of green spaces. The green lung of the capital, the Tiergarten park covers 200 hectares in the heart of the city.

Former hunting estate, the Tiergarten has kept its wild aspect, with woods, clearings and ponds. The ideal place for outdoor activities, walks, soccer games, bike rides, even Sunday grills or sunbathing (naturist section).

Within easy reach of the metro and S-Bahn, Lake Wannsee unrolls its beautiful beaches for bathers, in a superb natural setting. Not far from there, Potsdam, the German Versailles, is worth a detour, for those who have the time. It was here, at the Château de Sans-Souci, a little Rococo gem, that Voltaire stayed as an adviser to Fréderic II of Prussia.

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