Find your hotel in:      Zone:
Arrival:   show calendar
Departure:   show calendar
N° of rooms
People per room
Adults: Children :
Search radius
Currency

General Info

Berlin is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany. With a population of about 3.5 million, is the country's largest city, and the second most populous city in the European Union. Berlin is one of the most influential centers in European politics, culture and science. The city serves as an important hub of continental transportation and is home to some of the most prominent universities, sport events, orchestras and museums. Its economy is based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of media and life science corporations, convention venues, research institutes, and creative industries. Since the Reunification in 1990, Berlin has undergone a process of continual redefinition and change. This richness, created from the injection of the new into a potent historical structure, has become one of Germany's and Europe's premiere cultural attractions. The restored identity as the nation's capital has been a driving force in both urban design and cultural diversity. Berlin is now world-famous for its international architecture, fine and performing arts.

Transports

The Berlin-Brandenburg region currently has three airports, Schönefeld, Tegel and Tempelhof. Starting in 2011, all air traffic for the region will pass through Schoenefeld Airport, southeast of the city. This will make it possible to close Berlin's inner-city airports, Tegel and Tempelhof. Over the next few years, Schoenefeld Airport will expand to become Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI), the new airport for the German capital. When BBI opens its doors, the capital city region will offer business travellers, tourists, and companies a high-tech airport with ideal connections, international flights, direct motorway access, and a rail station under the main terminal. It will take only 20 minutes for the airport shuttle to travel the 20-kilometre stretch of track into the Berlin city centre. Public transport within Berlin is provided by the S-Bahn and by the U-Bahn, Straßenbahn, Bus and ferries. Informations about the environmental zone Starting from January 1st 2008, Berlin will have an environmental zone which restricts the traffic for high emission vehicles. Please consider the following informations: to be allowed to drive into the inner city you must be in possession of a certain pollutant group sticker. only petrol-driven cars which reach EURO I are allowed to pass the area in the inner circle only diesel-driven cars which reach EURO II are allowed to pass the area in the inner circle issuing offices are the vehicle registration office, the exhaust emission testing centres, such as TÜV and DEKRA, and the approximately 800 authorised garages in Berlin.Tourists can also obtain the necessary stickers there. Only the vehicle registration certificate is required to purchase the sticker. The sticker can also be ordered in writing at the vehicle registration office the sticker costs 5,00 euros (Nov.2007)

Main Sights

Don't miss: Brandenburg Gate and the TV tower on Alexanderplatz – a 368-metre observation tower with rotating restaurant; Memorial Church on Kurfürstendamm. Gendarmenmarkt square – a beautiful and harmonious architectural synthesis with the Konzerthaus concert hall, the German Cathedral and the French Cathedral. The dome of the Reichstag – fascinating architecture and splendid views of the government quarter and the city centre. Hackesche Höfe – Berlin's famous nightlife. Potsdamer Platz – ultra-modern buildings, shops, entertainment and commercial centre.

Museums

Berlin is home to 153 museums. The ensemble on the Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is situated in the northern part of the Spree Island. In 1841 it was designated a "district dedicated to art and antiquities" by a royal decree and subsequently, the Altes Museum (Old Museum) displaying the bust of Queen Nefertiti, the Neues Museum (New Museum), Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), Pergamon Museum, were built there. The Gemäldegalerie (Painting Gallery) focuses on the paintings of the "old masters" from the 13th to the 18th centuries, while the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery, built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) specializes in 20th-century European painting. The Deutsches Historisches Museum offers an overview of German history through the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Bauhaus Archiv is an architecture museum. The Jewish Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind, has a standing exhibition on 2,000 years of German-Jewish history. The Egyptian Museum of Berlin, across the street from Charlottenburg Palace, is home to one of the world's most important collections of Ancient Egyptian artifacts. The German Museum of Technology in Kreuzberg has a large collection of historical technical artifacts. The Humboldt Museum of Natural History near Berlin Hauptbahnhof has the largest mounted dinosaur in the world, and the best preserved specimen of an archaeopteryx. In Dahlem, there are several museums of world art and culture, such as the Museum of Indian Art, the Museum of East Asian Art, the Ethnological Museum, the Museum of European Cultures, as well as the Allied Museum (a museum of the Cold War), the Brücke Museum (an art museum). In Lichtenberg, on the grounds of the former East German Ministry for State Security (Stasi), is the Stasi Museum. Checkpoint Charlie, remains the site and a museum about one of the crossing points in the Berlin Wall. The museum, which is a private venture, exhibits a comprehensive array of material about people who devised ingenious plans to flee the East. The Beate Uhse Erotic Museum near Zoo Station claims to be the world's largest erotic museum.

Business

Based on its turnover Messe Berlin is among the ten leading trade fair companies in the world. The halls on its inner-city Exhibition Grounds cover 160,000 square metres, with an additional outdoor area measuring 100,000 square metres, making this the fifth largest trade fair company in Germany. The Exhibition Grounds are directly linked both architecturally and organisationally with Europe’s largest convention centre, the ICC Berlin. This arrangement is ideal for combining conventions and trade fairs.

home  |  hotel affiliation  |  Travel Agencies' booking  |  Companies' booking  |  guide  |  site map  |  site links