DESTINATIONS — GERMANY
City limit: Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate
almost completely destroyed in 1943 by an American bomber plane. But its rebuilding in the 1950s was celebrated as a sign of West Berlin’s growing economic recovery, a stark contrast to hard times in the East. These days, though, it’s super-stylish, home to a gastronomic feast of gourmet flavours in its top-floor food hall, and proof that Berlin is moving with the times. TW
SAMPLE PRODUCT
Trunk route: Elephant Gate at the entrance to Berlin Zoo
finally got the better of me, I wandered in to find a tantalising preview of the rebuilding of the City Palace or Humboldtforum, set to open in 2019. Partially damaged in the Second
World War, the centuries-old royal residence was torn down by the East German government in 1950; it was later replaced by the Palace of the Republic, but when this was found to be riddled with asbestos, it too was demolished. Now, work is under way to build a new cultural centre, recreating the facades of the original palace on three sides, but with a modern interior housing a museum of ethnography and art. In the meantime, the temporary
structure of the Humboldt Box offers great views from its fifth-floor
terrace over the Lustgarten below (entry €3).
l GO WEST
Fancy a bit of daylight after all those museums? The sprawling green lung of the city, the Tiergarten, was once a hunting ground for the nobility – they would travel from the palace up Unter den Linden and through the magnificent Brandenburg Gate – but this park now makes a pleasant spot for a stroll. At its western end, the Zoological
Garden and Aquarium also offer an opportunity for light relief – posing by the kitsch Elephant Gate is excuse enough for a visit – as
does a spot of retail therapy in the swish Bikini Berlin mall. It’s well- stocked with big brands, but the pop-up shops on its ground floor rotate between local designers every few months. Supermarket, the top-floor restaurant-cum-art gallery, is a delightful fusion of top-notch food and cutting-edge design that wouldn’t look out of place in London’s Shoreditch – provided you can ignore the somewhat pretentious labelling of itself as a ‘concept store’. For something more traditional, Berlin’s big department stores lie just a stone’s throw from here, including KaDeWe, said to be the largest in continental Europe. It’s not the size that makes it so important though: its Jewish owners were forced by Nazi law to relinquish their stake in the 1930s, and the store was
Osprey Holidays offers three nights’ B&B in the three-star Hotel Am Spittelmarkt in Berlin, from £222, flying from Gatwick to Berlin Schonefeld on September 28. Private transfers can be added for £56.
ospreyholidays.com/ travel-agents
Fred Holidays can arrange three nights’ B&B in the four-star Ivbergs Premium Hotel, with flights from London, from £269.
fredholidays.co.uk
Riviera Travel offers a four-day Berlin city tour for £419. The price includes flights from eight UK airports, transfers, four-star B&B accommodation, and excursions including a guided city tour and visit to Potsdam.
rivieratravel.co.uk
70 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 11 September 2014
TOP TIP
Time for a day trip? The grand
palaces of Potsdam are less than half- an-hour by train from Berlin
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84