Germany’s capital city of Berlin, and more specifically the Mitte District, has gone through more changes in the last 50 years than all the other European cities combined. Once the capital of a mighty country, then the centre of post-war apartheid and yet again the centre of a newly booming economy, Berlin wears its historic struggles with tenacious pride. The Mitte district is now the epicentre of the country’s best boutiques, art galleries, bars and restaurants, and booking a holiday rental apartment here is by far the best choice if tasting the best of Berlin is paramount on your ‘to-do’ list. Head to these superlative restaurants and discover why Mitte is gaining a reputation as one of Europe’s most ideal food-lover’s holiday destinations. Aigner, Franzoesische Strasse 25 Restaurant Aigner is one of those trendy eateries preceded by a stellar reputation for all the right reasons. Offering an unbelievably divine dining experience, and breathtaking views of Gendarmenmarkt, Aigner is the restaurant of choice if only one dining splurge is on your agenda whilst on a holiday in Berlin. Cloned from the famous Viennese Café of the same name, Aigner’s brings a little Austrian charm to Eastern Germany and combines a lovely fusion of French ...

Heading to Berlin on a fantastic family holiday this year? Then rest assured that this vibrant German city has much to offer in terms of child-friendly entertainment. Between the world’s largest IMAX theatre, a multitude of child-oriented museums and an almost infinite number of green, leafy playgrounds, Berlin is considered to be one of the best family holiday destinations in Europe. The city’s prime transport system, and compact centre, means all of the city’s best attractions are easy to reach from just about every corner. Wherever you choose to book your holiday rental apartment in Berlin, be sure to discover all of your suburb’s hidden playful treasures, and make sure you don’t miss visiting the best family-friendly attractions in town. Below are just a few crowd pleasers which are bound to hit the spot with young and younger alike. The Berlin Zoo is Germany’s largest and home to an extensive mix of furry, fluffy and feathery friends. What’s not to love about this zoo? From utterly gorgeous baby pandas, to comical gorillas and clumsy hippos, you and your whole family will be entertained for hours on end. Here, you can take a journey through the Amazon jungle, the Great Barrier Reef ...

Berlin is often regarded as one of the coolest cities in Europe. Laid back yet effervescent, trendy but no fashion-victim, Berlin is one of those places that just get the juices flowing. While the city centre may have become touristy and the ambience a little diluted, the nearby area of Friedrichshain still retains that old-school alternative feel. The ideal base for anyone who wants to experience the edgy side of the German hub, Friedrichshain is home to trendy beer gardens, restaurants and the most unique flea markets in town, and in particular some of the cosiest cafés in the whole city. Book a holiday rental in Friedrichshain, and go in search of that ‘home away from home’ we all look for when travelling. Check out our favourite haunts listed below and you may not want your coffee ‘to go’. Macondo, Gärtnerstraße 14 Macondo serves up great South American fare from its inviting and super-cosy joint on Gärtnerstraße. With an extensive tea and coffee list, and blissful outdoor terrace, Macondo is preceded by a fervent reputation as the best chill-out café in Friedrichshain. Sit back on the vintage couches with a good book and a heart warming beverage and you may find ...

Berlin, Germany’s capital city, has certainly come a long way in the last decades, and has emerged as one of the top holiday destinations in Europe. Its hard-luck history, combined with an unbelievable influx of foreigners, has ensured its position as one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan European capitals. A growing population of 4.5 million people, hailing from over 190 countries, has made Berlin an unpretentious, welcoming and ever so changing hub. This is one old city which has reinvented itself into a trendy and avant-garde city indeed. Berlin is also renowned as the home of some of the world’s trendiest bars. Want to test that theory for yourself? Then head to Germany on your next vacation and rent a Berlin holiday apartment. Bar-hopping in the Mitte District will surely convince you that not all bars are created equal and that, sometimes, the most incredible gems are hidden in the most unassuming places. In the past we wrote about where to sample the best German food in Berlin and here’s a list of our very favorite bars to set you on your merry way! ArtBar71, 71 Kronenstrasse Berlin is to art what Paris is to romance: its utmost ...

Potsdammer Platz in Berlin’s Mitte district may look and feel like a busy intersection filled with tall buildings, cinemas and shops. But like much of Berlin its significance runs much deeper; in many ways Potsdamer Platz physically embodies the city’s unification, the principals of urban renewal and Germany’s renaissance. During the belle époque, Postsdamer Platz was an elegant thoroughfare. It was flanked by graceful grand hotels and palaces and was a popular meeting place for the elite. By the 1920s it had taken on a ‘Times Square’ ambiance, with cabarets, beer halls, neon lights and lots of lots of traffic. Appropriately, Potsdamer Platz can also lay claim to Europe’s first traffic lights which were controlled manually by traffic policemen: a replica of one can be seen today in the same spot where it first stood. WW2 of course put an end to all this of course, and most of Potsdamer Platz was destroyed during the Allied air raids. During the Cold War, the Berlin wall ran straight through it, with a wide strip being occupied by the infamous ‘No Man’s Land’. When the wall came down in 1990 local authorities were quick to contact top tier architects for this stellar piece of ...

Berlin is full of historically significant architecture, both old and new. But perhaps none reaches the same emotive heights, nor manages to fuse both classical and contemporary elements, quite like the Reichstag. As most history students know, the Reichstag is the seat of the German Bundestag, or federal government. The original building dates from 1884 and from here on in it became the stage for many of Germany’s most dramatic events. In 1916 it was inscribed with the iconic words Dem Deutschen Volke (‘To the German people’), much to the displeasure of King Wilhelm II. Soon after he abdicated, Germany was proclaimed a republic from one the Reichstag’s windows. However Germany’s years of democracy were short lived. In 1933 the Reichstag suffered a severe fire. Although it origins were never clear, Hitler and the salient NSDAP party seized the opportunity and blamed a communist, kick-starting the horrors of WW2. In divided Germany, the country had two seats of power: one in West Berlin and the other in Bonn. But after 1990 when many of Germany’s institutions were moved back to Berlin, it was decided that the Reichstag would again house the Bundestag, The British architect Sr. Norman Foster was given the daunting ...

The remodeled Neues Museum is the first stage of prolific British architect David Chipperfield’s master plan for Berlin’s ‘Museum Island’ in the Mitte District. The neo-classical Neues Museum (Genthiner Straße 38, 10785 Berlin) was built between 1841-1850 by Friedrich August Stüler. From its earliest history the museum has been renowned for its collection of Egyptian art; antiquities that were bought by Prussian adventurers during the age of exploration. One of its overall highlights is a delicate (and much photographed) bust of Queen Nefertiti, whose original colour and form has been preserved since the Amarna period The Neues Museum was severely bombed during WW2 and most of its remaining collection moved to other museums for safekeeping. The building however was left to the elements until 1997, when David Chipperfield won an international competition to make the Neues new again. The project was completed in late 2009 and immediately praised as a modern masterpiece: not just in large-scale restoration but also in re-thinking museum layout and design. Chipperfield carried out the project within the framework of the Charter of Venice, which demands respect and reverence for historical nuance. The original sequence of the rooms was restored and where interventions were made they didn’t compete with ...

The Cold War’s most potent symbol met its end on November 9th 1989, when it was spontaneously hacked apart by joyful East and West Berliners. Over its 28-year history the Berlin Wall had claimed hundreds of lives (the exact number is still unknown) and forged a 150km-long division through the city: politically, physically and idealistically. The wall was dismantled very soon after unification and chunks of it were sold off as souvenirs (you may still see some around, though locals joke that if every piece sold were the genuine article, the wall must have been a thousand times as long). Today there are a few places to see what’s left, or at least where it was. The most extensive, and certainly the most colourful, is the so-called East Side Gallery. Running parallel to the river between Ostbahnhof and Oberbaumbrüke in the Friedrichshain district, it is the world’s largest open-air museum, where over a hundred German and international artists left images, messages and graffiti along the remnants of the wall. Works to seek out include a huge flag mural by Gunther Schaefer representing key events in Germany’s history that led to the construction of the wall. Another is a pop art interpretation of ...

Not far in distance but seemingly world’s away from the Berlin's trendy bars, design boutiques and bohemian vibe of the Mitte area, stately and graceful Charlottenburg is a reminder of the glories of the German Empire. The area was named after Sophia Charlotte of Hannover, a Prussian Queen Consort. Her Baroque Palace is not only the area’s landmark but also the only surviving Royal Palace in Berlin. The palace is surrounded by a lavish park - a superb place to wander around or have a picnic lunch. But there are plenty of other highbrow attractions in Charlottenburg; the neighbourhood was once a pleasure ground of the city’s elite, (followed by the decadent, cabaret crowd of the ‘Golden Twenties’) and many of their stately mansions have become museums. The Palace  (the Schloss Charlottenburg) is a destination within itself, with each separate building holding a unique collection (separate admission prices apply). Altes Schloss, Spandauer Damm, 9am-5pm Tue-Sun The oldest part of the Charlottenburg palace is a riot of stucco, rococo, brocade, gilt and the sort of excess European Royalty is renowned for. Don’t miss the 2,600-piece sterling silver dinner service, which has never been used. Neuer Flügel, Spandauer Damm, 9am-5pm Tue-Sun (11am-5pm Nov-Mar) The ‘new wing’ of the palace hosts its ...

Because no matter what you are looking for in a holiday, Berlin has it all. Shopping, culture including street art, museums, theatre and opera, nightlife in cafes and clubs, leisure in parks and on beaches – there is nothing you won’t find, and this variety makes Berlin my dream destination every year. My favourites: Berlin Kreuzberg has been a no-go area for many years but has developed into the best hub for artists and youth culture, offering countless bars and trendy shops, especially on Orienburger Straße. But before you hit them, you should eat the best Currywurst you’ll find in Germany at Konnopke Imbiss in Schönhauser Allee a food stall that has existed since 1901. Mitte area in East Berlin offers dozens of museums and galleries and is slated as the future centre of town. A highlight is the Museumsinsel (Island of Museums) and in particular the Pergamon Museum, the most visited museum in Germany. Don’t miss sitting on the stairs of the Pergamon Altar or walking through the Ishtar Gate, a relic from the ancient city of Babylon. It always make me feel like I have left the modern world and been transported back centuries. The TV Tower on Alexanderplatz ...