Berlin – Recommended Neighborhoods
Mitte
Occupying areas of both former East and West Germany, Mitte is generally considered Berlin’s city center due to its geographic location; it is also where Berlin’s most recognizable city monuments and memorials are found. Serving as the historical center as well, Mitte has an old city charm with a modern feel, as seen through the many coffee shops, restaurants, and art galleries lining the streets. It’s a place where old cobblestoned streets and modern high rise buildings exist in harmony.
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The district’s most famous boulevard is Unter den Linden, on and off the boulevard are baroque and classical monuments to Prussian culture. Famous squares within the district include Pariser Platz (the monumental square adjacent to the Brandenburg Gate), Potsdamer Platz, and Alexanderplatz. Other noteworthy sites include Museum Island, Humboldt University, the Crown Prince’s Palace, the Opera House and Brandenburg Gate. Shopping boutiques also contribute to heavy foot traffic in Mitte. The architecturally humbler, but more neighborhood-like Scheunenviertel area allows the casually chic to saunter from courtyard gallery to sidewalk café. Only traces are left of the Jewish community that lived here from the late 17th century.
Between Mitte and Charlottenburg, the huge Tiergarten park (which means ‘Animal Garden’) refers to both a massive urban park, and to the park’s north, a residential district. The park was originally intended as a backdrop to the grand avenues laid out by the German Kaisers. The neighborhood contains the Brandenburg Gate, the German Reichstag (Parliament), the Berlin Zoo, and some of the city’s grandest museums.
Charlottenburg
Located in former West Berlin, Charlottenburg primarily attracts families and a more upscale clientele. Activity centers around the ruined Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche church, which was rebuilt in the 1950s. The Kurfürstendamm (Ku’damm) boulevard is a popular shopping destination for high-end designer wear and boutiques. The area also hosts the oldest chocolate producer, the Georg Kolbe Museum, and impressive spaces like Charlottenburg Palace.
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A notable subdivision is the neighborhood around Savignyplatz, a tree-lined square that serves as a bastion of the city’s prosperous bourgeoisie. The streets lining the square are filled with a profusion of bars, shops, and restaurants, giving the area an engaging aura of permissiveness.
Friedrichshain
Situated between Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain is a lively, old workers’ district now brimming with personality. It has been taken over by radical nightlife venues, graffiti, and leftist students. The tree-lined Simon-Dach-Straße is full of cafés and bars, while Boxhagener Platz hosts a popular flea market. Architecturally, it features a mix of high-rise buildings and 19th-century townhouses.
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The East Side Gallery, which is the former Berlin Wall painted with art, is located here, with the popular Ostrand Beach bar just behind it. Due to its alternative bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and coffee shops, many students gravitate toward this energetic neighborhood.