Germany: 7 reasons to visit Berlin

It’s more than 15 years since the wall came down and Berlin is still on the up. The German capital blends an intriguing past with a multi-cultural influence unseen in any other German city, creating a truly vibrant short-break destination.

It is unmissable for its restaurants, bars and frenetic cultural mix: where dirty blues clubs sit next to trendy bars, and flea markets nudge up alongside designer boutiques. It’s safe, easy to get around, good value for money and just over an hour’s flight from London.

Cresta Cities product development manager Ian Lomas said: “The whole city has come alive since reunification. Customers can enjoy a cocktail by the river and a performance at the opera one night and then a meal in a Moroccan restaurant and a live guitar set the next. It really does have something for everyone.”

Travel Weekly highlights seven reasons to visit the city.

1. On yer bike

Despite an extensive public transport system that’s clean and feverently punctual, the best way to get around the city is by bicycle. Racks of gleaming new bikes, complete with lights, maps and kiddie seats, sit ready and waiting across the city. Clients can hop on one of these free-of-charge two-wheelers and join the lines of fresh-faced locals on the wide cycle paths around the city. Once they’ve reached their destination, they simply deposit the bike at the nearest rack and continue on their way.

2. Shopping

Whether it be upmarket, designer, offbeat or underground, Berlin’s designer shops, boutiques, department stores and flea markets can supply anything from tailor-made suits to GDR relics.

Fashion is prominent with a new show – B in Berlin –hoping to attract big-name designers and models to its catwalks to showcase the German capital as a city for fashion alongside London, Rome and Paris. Shopaholics should buy a two-day £10 welcome card for free public transport and head to Potsdamer Platz for chain stores, Friedrichstrasse for designer labels and Tiergartenstrasse for Berlin’s best flea market.

3.Street food

Chinese, Turkish and Greek inhabitants mix with traditional German stalls to create a street food culture that is second to none. Turkish kebab houses and Chinese huts supply hot snacks for a few euros a piece. At weekends, these eateries become places to meet, greet and start the weekend, with cheap bottled beer washing down the duck pancakes, falafel rolls and lamb and feta kebabs.

4. Cocktail hour

Orangienstrasse in the former East comes alive at night with a mish-mash of converted squats selling hard liquor and swanky bars mixing some of the best Mojito’s this side of Cuba.

Clients should head to the converted railway arches of Hackescher Markt for well-designed bars selling draught beer and international snacks to young, semi-affluent guests.

5. All that jazz

Encompassing everything from pub jams to international festivals, Berlin’s jazz scene is beginning to get the attention it deserves. With 30 venues, international acts play anything from traditional to modern… and everything in between. Admission varies from free to around £10 depending on the venue. B-Flat in Rosenthaler Strasse is particularly good value and once welcomed Herbie Hancock to its stage.

JazzFest Berlin takes place on November 3-6, see berlin-tourist-information.de for details.

6. Brunch

Sunday brunch is as much of an institution in Berlin as roast dinner in England.

Starting at 10am and continuing into the early afternoon, Berliners use this time to relax, unwind, nurse their hangovers and meet friends and family.

Restaurants generally offer a set-price buffet, and diners can choose whether to simply fill up or take several hours to graze through cheeses, hams, breads, eggs, fruits and cereals.

Clients should walk the length of Kollwitz Strasse to find their favourite and never pay more than £8 including a large latte or a glass of champagne.

7. Art

Art buffs will find it hard to fault Berlin as a place to appreciate contemporary, alternative or ‘degenerate’ art. Housed in a bank, the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin bears no resemblance to its New York counterpart but there are plenty of other galleries in the city to keep guests happy.

A £8 three-day museum pass will give reduced entrance to over 50 museums and modern art collections.

Tacheles in the east has offered the top two floors of its eight-story converted warehouse up to art with exhibitions of the artists at work, galleries and places to buy, as well as a quirky outdoor sculpture park.