East meets West

Visit the Stasi (secret police) headquarters. It's really interesting (tragically, exhibits described only in German) and eerie to think what went on there.

Have a coffee at the rotating cafe on top of the TV tower in AlexanderPlatz. On a clear day, you get a great panoramic, 360 degree view of the city and it's spectacular at night.

Quick Tips:

Go early in the year. It's VERY cold but the tourist sites are really quiet. When the sun comes out and you get a clear blue sky it's a glorious contrast for photos.

Just walking from the West to the East is a fascinating paradigm shift, as the buildings and street transform into the ugly Sovietesque creations of the 60s/70s. It's hard to believe East Berlin was the showcase of the Soviet bloc! Alexanderplatz is a particularly ugly yet, in a strange way, attractive part of the East city.

Visit the Reichstag (parliament building) and ride free to the roof where you can peer in and see parliament in session!

Best Way To Get Around:

Yet again, public transport is efficient, fast, cheap and clean. The buses, S-Bahn (overground train), U-Bahn (underground train) and buses are a great way of moving long distances around the sizeable city.

Of course there's no substitute for walking around, and Berlin is a city friendly to pedestrians (as long as you stay away from the traffic nightmare at the Brandenburg Gate.

This hostel is run by a friendly bunch of former East German guys. It''s in the East of the city and is a fantastic budget place to stay. It''s about ten minutes walk from Warschauer Strasse U-Bahn station.

It cost us about GBP£11 (about US$16) each per night for four of us to stay in our own room, which was youthfully decorated. All rooms in the hostel are decorated in their own style by the guys that run the place and are...interesting! The beds were comfortable and lockers were provided.

A classic continental breakfast was provided, with lots of different breads and cheese, coffee and orange juice, included in the price of the room. The bar there never seemed to close and was a cheap and happy place to socialise with other travellers and the owners.

Overall, I''d recommend this place to anyone. Go before it''s discovered! SEE THEIR WEBSITE AT link

If there is one sight you shouldn`t miss for, it must be the "East Side Gallery" - what the remaining 1000-or-so metres of the Wall are called nowadays. As you see this symbol of former authoritarian dictatorship and totalitarism, it really makes you value your freedom (cliche!).

My mate Keith got a DDR stamp in his passport for (for DM1!) in the souvenir shop around the back. Novelty gift!

Location: Take U1 to Warschauerstrasse. You can also start from Ostbahnhof (East Railway Station) because it`s quite near.

This is a great way to see the sights of Berlin. You're about 200 metres off the ground and can do mad things like get married up there! The tower affords a brilliant view for upto 40km (apparently) and spectacular vistas at sundown and when it's dark. The rotating "Telecafe" at the top allows you to relax in comfort and have a coffee whilst making two complete rotations an hour. Surprisingly, it's not that expensive just to have a drink and a snack.

Be warned that visitors in wheelchairs cannot ascend to the top of the tower.

The former GDR saw the necessity to build a powerful transmitter in the middle of the eastern part of Berlin and in addition to this the Television Tower was meant to become an architectural and political symbol. It took only 53 months to build and on October 3, 1969 the Television Tower of Berlin was put into operation.

At the turn of the year 1995/96 the inside of the tower was renovated and the neo-60s charm of the place was completely renewed!