The City

Berlin is the capital city and one of 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. Berlin is best known for its historical associations as the German capital, for its internationality and tolerance, for its lively nightlife, for its many cafes, clubs, and bars, for its street art, and for its numerous museums, palaces, and other sites of historic interest. Berlin's architecture is quite varied. Berlin has evolved into a global focal point for young individuals and artists attracted by a liberal lifestyle and modern zeitgeist.

Berlin is best known for its historical associations as the German capital, for its internationality and tolerance, for its lively nightlife, for its many cafes, clubs, and bars, for its street art, and for its numerous museums, palaces, and other sites of historic interest. In Berlin there is more than one downtown area. Berlin has many boroughs each with its distinctive style.

Mitte: The historical center of Berlin, the nucleus of the former East Berlin, and the emerging city center. Cafes, restaurants, museums, galleries and clubs are abundant throughout the district, along with many sites of historic interest.
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg: Associated with the left wing youth culture, artists and Turkish immigrants, this borough is somewhat noisier than most, packed with lots of cafes, bars, clubs and trendy shops, but also with some museums in Kreuzberg near the border to Mitte.
Pankow: Prenzlauer Berg is a trendy district in the former East Berlin which is undergoing gentrification and is located north of the city center. Popular with students, artists and media professionals, it is made up of lots of cafes and bars. Pankow was once synonymous with the East German government.
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf: This borough is the heart of City West. Kurfürstendamm is, along with Tauentzienstraße, one of the main shopping streets in former West Berlin, especially for luxury goods. Many great restaurants and hotels are here and also on the side roads.
Spandau: Spandau, at the far northwestern end of Berlin, is very much its own city to the locals, so much so that Spandauers "go to Berlin" when travelling east. Older than Berlin, it is developed around its beautiful old town. The imposing citadel regularly plays host to excellent concerts.
Steglitz-Zehlendorf: Zehlendorf is one of the greenest and wealthiest districts in Berlin and the biggest university in town, Freie Universität, is located here.
Tempelhof-Schöneberg: This borough is something of a mismatch. The north is generally a cozy area for ageing hippies, young families and homosexuals. Famous are the markets on Saturdays, the street cafes (e.g. Akazienstraße) and the laissez-faire life style. The southern part, Tempelhof, is more sub-urban in character.
Neukölln: Neukölln has had it rough. It is commonly perceived by outsiders as a hotbed of failing schools, violence and petty crime. The visitor who gives it a try however might find much to like between the cautiously gentrifying areas around Hermannplatz with its quirky pubs and the Britzer Garten, a spacious park.
Treptow-Köpenick: Treptow is a struggling postindustrial district with much unemployment that has a rather limited range of offerings to the visitor. Köpenick is different. The swaths of forest around Berlin's largest lake, Müggelsee and the nice old town of Köpenick itself beg to be discovered on bikes and using the S-Bahn.
Marzahn-Hellersdorf: This eastern borough has a not entirely deserved reputation for being a vast collection of dull high-rise apartment blocks.
Lichtenberg: In Karlshorst in the south of this underappreciated borough, the museum at the site of the 1945 surrender to the Soviet army is of interest. The Hohenschönhausen part contains the former Stasi prison.
Reinickendorf: Reinickendorf has pretty lakes in the northwest and Lübars, a charming rural enclave with a historic village square and church, in the northeast. Tegel Airport, located here as well, is due to close in 2011.

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