Reichstag & Unter Den Linden
It’s been burned, bombed, rebuilt, buttressed by the Berlin Wall, wrapped in fabric and, finally, adorned with a glass dome: the iconic Reichstag, seat of the German parliament (Bundestag). Nearby, the Brandenburg Gate gives way to Unter den Linden, Berlin’s most elegant boulevard, which flaunts its Prussian pedigree with pride.
Book an early time slot for the lift ride to the Reichstag dome and get the lay of the land while meandering up its spiralling ramp. Snap a picture of the Brandenburg Gate, then get lost in the maze of the Holocaust Memorial before strolling over to architecturally stunning Gendarmenmarkt. Enjoy a wiener schnitzel lunch at venerable Borchardt, pick up a treat at Rausch Schokoladenhaus and spend a couple of hours delving into German history at the Deutsches Historisches Museum. Indulge in a vegetarian dinner at Michelin-starred Cookies Cream before wrapping up the night with cocktails at chic Bar Tausend.
Getting There & Around
g Routes 100, 200 and TXL run along most of Unter den Linden.
b S1 and S2/25 stop at Brandenburger Tor and Friedrichstrasse.
X Stadtmitte (U2, U6), Französische Strasse (U6) and Hausvogteiplatz (U2) are all convenient stops for Gendarmen-markt. For Unter den Linden, get off at Brandenburger Tor (U55), Friedrichstrasse (U6) or Französische Strasse (U6).
Top SightReichstag & Government Quarter
The nexus of German political power snuggles neatly into the Spreebogen, a horseshoe-shaped bend in the Spree River. The historic anchor of the federal government quarter is the glass-domed Reichstag, which once rubbed against the western side of the Berlin Wall. It now forms part of a row of modern glass-and-concrete government buildings that symbolically link the former East and West Berlin across the Spree. North of the river looms the solar-panelled Hauptbahnhof (central train station).
MAP GOOGLE MAP
Platz der Republik 1
admission free
hlift 8am-midnight, last entry 9.45pm, Visitors’ Centre 8am-8pm Apr-Oct, to 6pm Nov-Mar
bBrandenburger Tor, Hauptbahnhof, XBrandenburger Tor, Bundestag
yTop Tips
AAdvance reservations for visiting the Reichstag dome must be made online at www.bundestag.de.
AWithout reservations, swing by the Reichstag Visitors’ Centre in a nearby kiosk on Scheidemannstrasse to enquire about last-minute openings.
AFree multilingual guides are available on the roof terrace.
5Take a Break
ABook at least two weeks ahead for a table at the Dachgartenrestaurant Käfer on the Reichstag rooftop.
AFor snacks and beer, report to the self-service Berlin Pavillon (
%030-2065 4737; www.berlin-pavillon.de; Scheidemannstrasse 1; dishes €4.50-9; h8am-9pm; g100, bBrandenburger Tor, XBrandenburger Tor, Bundestag) on the edge of Tiergarten park.
Reichstag Building
The four corner towers and mighty facade with the bronze dedication ‘Dem Deutschen Volke’ (To the German People; added in 1916) are the only original sections of the 1894 Reichstag. Norman Foster, the architectural mastermind of the building’s post-reunification makeover, preserved only the historical shell and added the sparkling glass dome. The original dome, made of steel and glass and considered a high-tech marvel at the time, was destroyed during the Reichstag fire in 1933.
Reichstag Dome
Whoever said the best things in life are free might have been thinking of the lift ride up to the rooftop of the Reichstag. Enjoy the knockout views, then pick up a free auto-activated audioguide and learn about the building, Berlin landmarks and the workings of the Bundestag while following the ramp spiralling up and around the dome’s mirror-clad funnel.
Bundeskanzleramt
The Federal Chancellery, Germany’s ‘White House’, is a sparkling, modern compound designed by Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank and consists of two parallel office blocks flanking a central white cube. Eduardo Chillida’s rusted-steel Berlin sculpture graces the forecourt.
Paul-Löbe-Haus
The glass-and-concrete Paul-Löbe-Haus houses offices for the Bundestag’s parliamentary committees. A double footbridge links it to the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus across the Spree in a visual symbol of reunification.
Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus
Home to the parliamentary library, this extravagant structure has a massive tapered stairway, a jutting roofline and giant circular windows. In the basement is an art installation by Ben Wagin featuring segments of the Berlin Wall.
Top SightBrandenburger Tor
The Brandenburg Gate is Berlin’s most famous – and most photographed – landmark. Trapped right behind the Berlin Wall during the Cold War, it went from symbol of division to epitomising German reunification when the hated barrier fell in 1989. It now serves as a photogenic backdrop for raucous New Years’ Eve parties, concerts, festivals and mega-events including FIFA World Cup finals.
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Brandenburg Gate
Pariser Platz
bBrandenburger Tor, XBrandenburger Tor
yTop Tips
AIf you need a moment of peace and quiet, visit the Raum der Stille (Room of Silence) in the gate’s northern wing.
AThere is a tourist office in the southern wing.
AThe gate is at its most photogenic early in the morning and at sunset.
5Take a Break
AThe cafe Weinwirtschaft inside the Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts; %030-200 571 000; www.adk.de; Pariser Platz 4; admission varies; hBldg 10am-8pm, exhibits vary; bBrandenburger Tor, XBrandenburger Tor) serves refreshments and international dishes.
AFor a stylish break, enjoy coffee or champagne next to the elephant fountain in the lobby of the venerable Hotel Adlon (%030-226 10; www.kempinski.com; Unter den Linden 77, Pariser Platz; bBrandenburger Tor, XBrandenburger Tor).
Origins
Commissioned by Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II, the gate was completed in 1791 as a symbol of peace and a suitably impressive entrance to the grand boulevard Unter den Linden. Architect Carl Gotthard Langhans looked to the Acropolis in Athens for inspiration for this elegant triumphal arch, which is the only surviving one of 18 city gates that once ringed historic Berlin.
Architecture
Standing 26m high, 65.5m wide and 11m deep, the neoclassical sandstone gate is fronted by 12 Doric columns and divided into five passageways. The wider central passage was reserved for the king and his entourage; common folk had to use the four narrower ones.
Quadriga
Crowning the Brandenburg Gate is the Quadriga, Johann Gottfried Schadow’s famous sculpture of a winged goddess piloting a chariot drawn by four horses. After trouncing Prussia in 1806, Napoleon kidnapped the lady and held her hostage in Paris until a gallant Prussian general freed her in 1815. Afterwards, the goddess was equipped with a triumphal iron cross wrapped in an oak wreath and topped with a Prussian eagle.
Pariser Platz
Completely flattened in WWII, this once elegant square spent the Cold War trapped just east of the Berlin Wall. Look around now: the US, French and British embassies, banks and a luxury hotel have returned to their original sites and once again frame the bustling plaza, just as they did during its 19th-century heyday.
Top SightHolocaust Memorial
The Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) was officially dedicated in 2005. Colloquially known as Holocaust Memorial, it’s Germany’s central memorial to the Nazi-planned genocide during the Third Reich. For the football-field-sized space, New York architect Peter Eisenman created 2711 sarcophagus-like concrete stelae (slabs) of equal size but various heights, rising in sombre silence from the undulating ground.
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Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
www.stiftung-denkmal.de
Cora-Berliner-Strasse 1
audioguide €3
h24hr
bBrandenburger Tor,
XBrandenburger Tor
yTop Tips
AFor a more in-depth experience, rent an audioguide (€3).
AFree 90-minute guided tours run at 3pm on Saturday in English and at 3pm on Sunday in German.
AThe memorial is at its moodiest (and most photogenic) when shadows are long, ie early morning or late in the day.
5Take a Break
AFor vegan and vegetarian in a modern setting, head to Samadhi (%030-2248 8850; www.samadhi-vegetarian.de; Wilhelmstrasse 77; mains €9-15; hnoon-11pm; 
W
v; g200, bBrandenburger Tor, XBrandenburger Tor).
ALots of eating and drinking options, including healthy dishes at Ki-Nova, are a short stroll south at Potsdamer Platz.
Field of Stelae
You’re free to access this massive concrete maze at any point and make your individual journey through it. At first it may seem austere, even sterile. But take time to feel the coolness of the stone and contemplate the interplay of light and shadow, then stumble aimlessly among the narrow passageways, and you’ll soon connect with a metaphorical sense of disorientation, confusion and claustrophobia.
Ort der Information
For context, visit the subterranean Ort der Information, which movingly lifts the veil of anonymity from the six million Holocaust victims. A graphic timeline of Jewish persecution during the Third Reich is followed by a series of rooms documenting the fates of individuals and families. The most visceral is the darkened Room of Names, where the names and years of birth and death of Jewish victims are projected onto all four walls while a solemn voice reads their short biographies. Poignant and heart-wrenching, these exhibits will leave no one untouched. Not recommended for children under 14.
Gay Memorial
Europe’s LGBTQ+ community suffered enormously under the Nazis, as is commemorated by this freestanding, 4m-high, off-kilter concrete cube designed by Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset. A looped video plays through a warped, narrow window.
Roma & Sinti Memorial
This memorial by Dani Karavan commemorates the Sinti and Roma victims of the Holocaust and consists of a circular reflecting pool with a floating stone decorated daily with a fresh flower.
1Sights
5Eating
3Entertainment
7Shopping
Sights
1Deutsches Historisches Museum MUSEUM
If you’re wondering what the Germans have been up to for the past 1500 years, take a spin around the baroque Zeughaus, formerly the Prussian arsenal and now home of the German Historical Museum. Upstairs, displays concentrate on the period from the 6th century AD to the end of WWI in 1918, while the ground floor tracks the 20th century all the way through to the early years after German reunification. (German Historical Museum; %030-203 040; www.dhm.de; Unter den Linden 2; adult/concession/child under 18 incl IM Pei Bau €8/4/free; h10am-6pm; g100, 200, XHausvogteiplatz, bHackescher Markt)
1Gendarmenmarkt SQUARE
This graceful square is bookended by the domed German and French cathedrals and punctuated by a grandly porticoed concert hall, the Konzerthaus (%030-203 092 333; www.konzerthaus.de; Gendarmenmarkt 2; XFranzösische Strasse, Stadtmitte). It was named for the Gens d’Armes, an 18th-century Prussian regiment consisting of French Huguenot refugees. (XFranzösische Strasse, Stadtmitte)
1Tränenpalast MUSEUM
During the Cold War, tears flowed copiously in this glass-and-steel border-crossing pavilion where East Berliners had to bid adieu to family visiting from West Germany – hence its ‘Palace of Tears’ moniker. The exhibit uses original objects (including the claustrophobic passport control booths and a border auto-firing system), photographs and historical footage to document the division’s social impact on the daily lives of Germans on both sides of the border. (%030-4677 77911; www.hdg.de; Reichstagufer 17; admission free; h9am-7pm Tue-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun; bFriedrichstrasse, XFriedrichstrasse)
1Haus der Kulturen der Welt NOTABLE BUILDING
This highly respected cultural centre showcases contemporary non-European art, music, dance, literature, films and theatre, and also serves as a discussion forum on zeitgeist-reflecting issues. The gravity-defying parabolic roof of Hugh Stubbins’ extravagant building, designed as the American contribution to a 1957 architectural exhibition, is echoed by Henry Moore’s sculpture Butterfly in the reflecting pool. (House of World Cultures; %030-3978 7175; www.hkw.de; John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10; admission varies; hexhibits 11am-7pm Wed-Mon; 
p; g100, bHauptbahnhof, XBundestag, Hauptbahnhof)
1Neue Wache MEMORIAL
This temple-like neoclassical structure (1818) was Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s first important Berlin commission. Originally a royal guardhouse and a memorial to the victims of the Napoleonic Wars, it is now Germany’s central memorial for the victims of war and dictatorship. Its sombre and austere interior is dominated by Käthe Kollwitz’ heart-wrenching Pietà-style sculpture of a mother helplessly cradling her dead soldier son. (New Guardhouse; Unter den Linden 4; admission free; h10am-6pm; g100, 200, TXL)
1Site of Hitler’s Bunker HISTORIC SITE
Berlin was burning and Soviet tanks advancing relentlessly when Adolf Hitler killed himself on 30 April 1945, alongside Eva Braun, his long-time female companion, hours after their marriage. Today, a parking lot covers the site, revealing its dark history only via an information panel with a diagram of the vast bunker network, construction data and the site’s post-WWII history. (cnr In den Ministergärten & Gertrud-Kolmar-Strasse; h24hr; bBrandenburger Tor, XBrandenburger Tor)
1Madame Tussauds MUSEUM
No celebrity in town to snare your stare? Don’t fret: at this legendary wax museum, the world’s biggest pop stars, Hollywood legends, sports heroes and historical icons stand still – very still – for you to snap their picture. Sure, it’s an expensive haven of kitsch and camp, but where else can you have a candlelit dinner with George Clooney, play piano with Beethoven or time-travel to the ’70s with Ziggy Stardust? Avoid queues and save money by buying tickets online. (%01806-545 800; www.madametussauds.com/berlin; Unter den Linden 74; adult/child €23.50/18.50; h10am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 7pm Sat & Sun, last entry 1hr before closing; g100, bBrandenburger Tor, XBrandenburger Tor)
Berlin under the Swastika
The rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP (Nazi Party) in January 1933 had instant and far-reaching consequences for all of Germany. Within three months, all non-Nazi parties, organisations and labour unions had been outlawed and many political opponents, intellectuals and artists detained without trial. Jews, of course, were a main target from the start but the horror escalated for them during the Kristallnacht pogroms on 9 November 1938, when Nazi thugs desecrated, burned and demolished synagogues and Jewish cemeteries, property and businesses across the country. Jews had begun to emigrate after 1933, but this event set off a stampede.
The fate of those Jews who stayed behind is well known: their systematic, bureaucratic and meticulously documented annihilation in death camps, mostly in Nazi-occupied territories in Eastern Europe. Sinti and Roma (gypsies), political opponents, priests, gays, the disabled and habitual criminals were targeted as well. Of the roughly seven million people who were sent to concentration camps, only 500,000 survived.
The Battle of Berlin
With the Normandy invasion of June 1944, Allied troops arrived in formidable force on the European mainland, supported by unrelenting air raids on Berlin and most other German cities. The final Battle of Berlin began in mid-April 1945, with 1.5 million Soviet troops barrelling towards the city from the east. On 30 April, when the fighting reached the government quarter, Hitler and his long-time companion Eva Braun killed themselves in their bunker. As their bodies were burning, Red Army soldiers raised the Soviet flag above the Reichstag.
Defeat & Aftermath
The Battle of Berlin ended on 2 May, with Germany’s unconditional surrender six days later. The fighting had taken an enormous toll on Berlin and its people. Much of the city lay in smouldering rubble and at least 125,000 Berliners had lost their lives. In July 1945, the leaders of the Allies met in Potsdam to carve up Germany and Berlin into four zones of occupation controlled by Britain, the USA, the USSR and France.
Eating
5Cookies Cream VEGETARIAN €€€
In 2017, this perennial local favourite became Berlin’s first flesh-free restaurant to enter the Michelin pantheon, on its 10th anniversary no less. Its industrial look and clandestine location are as unorthodox as the compositions of head chef Stephan Hentschel. The entrance is off the service alley of the Westin Grand Hotel (past the chandelier, ring the bell). (%030-2749 2940; www.cookiescream.com; Behrenstrasse 55; mains €25, 3-/4-course menu €49/59; h6pm-midnight Tue-Sat; v; XFranzösische Strasse)
5India Club NORTH INDIAN €€
No need to book a flight to Mumbai or London: authentic Indian cuisine has finally landed in Berlin. Thanks to top toque Manish Bahukhandi, these curries are like culinary poetry, the chicken tikka perfectly succulent and the stuffed cauliflower an inspiration. The dark mahogany furniture is enlivened by splashes of colour in the plates, the chandeliers and the servers’ uniforms. (%030-2062 8610; www.india-club-berlin.com; Behrenstrasse 72; mains €16-27; h6-10.30pm; v; bBrandenburger Tor)
5Borchardt FRENCH €€€
Jagger, Clooney and Redford are among the celebs who have tucked into dry-aged steaks and plump oysters in the marble-pillared dining hall of this Berlin institution, established in 1853 by a caterer to the Kaiser. No dish, however, moves as fast as the Wiener Schnitzel, a wafer-thin slice of breaded veal fried to crisp perfection. (%030-8188 6262; www.borchardt-restaurant.de; Französische Strasse 47; dinner mains €20-40; h11.30am-midnight; XFranzösische Strasse)
5Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt GERMAN €€
Tourists, concertgoers and hearty-food lovers rub shoulders at rustic tables in this authentic Bavarian beer hall. Soak up the down-to-earth vibe right along with a mug of full-bodied Augustiner brew straight from Munich. Sausages, roast pork and pretzels provide rib-sticking sustenance with only a token salad offered for non-carnivores. Good-value weekday lunch specials. (%030-2045 4020; www.augustiner-braeu-berlin.de; Charlottenstrasse 55; mains €7.50-30, lunch special €5.90; h10am-2am; XFranzösische Strasse)
5Goodtime THAI €€
Sweep on down to this busy dining room with a garden courtyard for fragrant Thai and Indonesian dishes. Creamy curries, succulent shrimp or roast duck all taste flavourful and fresh, if a bit easy on the heat to accommodate German stomachs. If you like it hot, order Api Sapi (aka ‘beef in hell’). (%030-2007 4870; www.goodtime-berlin.de; Hausvogteiplatz 11; mains €12.50-25; hnoon-midnight; v; XHausvogteiplatz)
5Chipps VEGETARIAN €
This crisp corner spot with a show-kitchen and panoramic windows is a great day-time destination, which turns heads with yummy cooked breakfasts (served any time), build-your-own salads and creative hot specials that spin regional, seasonal ingredients into taste-bud magic. Dinners are more elaborate. (%030-3644 4588; www.chipps.eu; Jägerstrasse 35; mains breakfast €7.50-11.50, salads €7.50-12.50; h9am-11pm Mon-Sat, to 5pm Sun; Wv; XHausvogteiplatz)
5Dachgartenrestaurant Käfer im Bundestag INTERNATIONAL €€€
While politicians debate treaties and taxes in the plenary hall below, you can enjoy breakfast and hot meals with a regional bent at the restaurant on the Reichstag rooftop. Reservations here also give you direct access to the landmark glass dome crowning the building; book at least two weeks ahead.
Note that for security reasons, all guests must provide their name and date of birth at least 24 hours in advance. (%030-226 2990; www.feinkost-kaefer.de/berlin; Platz der Republik; mains €24-33; h9am-4.30pm & 6.30pm-midnight; g100, XBundestag)
Rebuilt Glamour Pad: Hotel Adlon
On Pariser Platz, overlooking the Brandenburg Gate, the Hotel Adlon is one of Berlin’s poshest and most storied hotels. In 1932 the movie Grand Hotel starring Greta Garbo was partly filmed here. Destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in the 1990s, today’s edition is a near-replica of the 1907 original and remains a favourite haunt of celebs, politicians and the merely moneyed. Remember Michael Jackson dangling his baby out of the window? It happened at the Adlon.
Drinking
6Rooftop Terrace BAR
A refined ambience reigns at the rooftop bar of the exclusive Hotel de Rome (%030-460 6090; www.roccofortehotels.com; Behrenstrasse 37; g100, 200, TXL, XHausvogteiplatz), where you can keep an eye on the Fernsehturm (TV Tower), historic landmarks and the construction projects along Unter den Linden. It’s a chill spot for an afternoon coffee, a glass of homemade ginger lemonade or sunset cocktails with bar snacks. (%030-460 6090; www.roccofortehotels.com; Behrenstrasse 37, Hotel de Rome; h3-11pm Mon-Fri, from noon Sat & Sun May-Sep, weather permitting; W; g100, 200, TXL, XHausvogteiplatz)
6Bar Tausend BAR
No sign, no light, no bell; just an anonymous steel door tucked under a railway bridge leads to one of Berlin’s chicest clandestine bars. The tunnel-shaped space is clad in mirrors and bookended by a dance floor and a giant light fixture resembling an eye. DJs and bands fuel the glam vibe nightly. Selective door. (www.tausendberlin.com; Schiffbauerdamm 11; h7.30pm-late Tue-Sat; bFriedrichstrasse, XFriedrichstrasse)
Entertainment
3Staatsoper Berlin OPERA
After a seven-year exile, Berlin’s most famous opera company once again performs at the venerable neoclassical Staatsoper Unter den Linden, which emerged from a massive refurbishment in 2017. Its repertory includes works from four centuries along with concerts and classical and modern ballet, all under the musical leadership of Daniel Barenboim. (%030-2035 4554; www.staatsoper-berlin.de; Unter den Linden 7; tickets €12-250; g100, 200, TXL, XFranzösische Strasse)
3Komische Oper OPERA
The smallest among Berlin’s trio of opera houses is also its least stuffy, even if its flashy neo-baroque auditorium might suggest otherwise. Productions are innovative and unconventional – yet top quality – and often reinterpret classic (and sometimes obscure) pieces in zeitgeist-capturing ways. Seats feature an ingenious subtitling system in English, Turkish and other languages. (Comic Opera; %tickets 030-4799 7400; www.komische-oper-berlin.de; Behrenstrasse 55-57; tickets €12-90; hbox office 11am-7pm Mon-Sat, 1-4pm Sun; g100, 200, TXL, XFranzösische Strasse)
Free Concerts in Royal Stables
The gifted students at Berlin’s top-rated classical music academy, the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler (MAP; %tickets 030-203 092 101; www.hfm-berlin.de; Charlottenstrasse 55; XStadtmitte, Französische Strasse), showcase their talents at up to 400 performances annually, many of them in the Neuer Marstall (Schlossplatz 7), where the Prussian royals once kept their coaches and horses. Many concerts are free or low-cost. See the website for the full schedule.
3Konzerthaus Berlin CLASSICAL MUSIC
This lovely classical music venue – a Schinkel design from 1821 – counts the top-ranked Konzerthausorchester Berlin as its ‘house band’, but also hosts visiting soloists and orchestras in three venues. For a sightseeing break, check the schedule for weekly one-hour lunchtime ‘Espresso Concerts’ costing a mere €8. (%tickets 030-203 092 101; www.konzerthaus.de; Gendarmenmarkt 2; tickets €15-85; XStadtmitte, Französische Strasse)
3Pierre Boulez Saal CONCERT VENUE
Open since 2017, this intimate concert hall was designed by Frank Gehry and conceived by Daniel Barenboim as a venue to promote dialogue between cultures through music. The musical line-up spans the arc from classical to jazz, electronic to Arab music, performed by top-flight international artists, students of the affiliated Barenboim-Said Academy as well as the Boulez Ensemble. (%tickets 030-4799 7411; www.boulezsaal.de; Französische Strasse 33d; tickets €10-65; g100, 200, TXL, 147, XHausvogteiplatz, Stadtmitte)
Shopping
7Frau Tonis Parfum PERFUME
Follow your nose to this scent-sational made-in-Berlin perfume boutique, where a ‘scent test’ reveals if you’re the floral, fruity, woody or oriental type to help you choose a matching fragrance. Bestsellers include the fresh and light ‘Berlin Summer’. Individualists can have their own customised blend created in a one-hour session (€125, including 50ml eau de parfum; reservations advised). (%030-2021 5310; www.frau-tonis-parfum.com; Zimmerstrasse 13; h10am-6pm Mon-Sat; XKochstrasse)
7Dussmann – Das Kulturkaufhaus BOOKS
It’s easy to lose track of time in this cultural playground with wall-to-wall books (including an extensive English section), DVDs and CDs, leaving no genre unaccounted for. Bonus points for the downstairs cafe, the vertical garden, and the performance space used for free concerts, political discussions and high-profile book readings and signings. (%030-2025 1111; www.kulturkaufhaus.de; Friedrichstrasse 90; h9am-11.30pm Mon-Sat; W; bFriedrichstrasse, XFriedrichstrasse)
7Rausch Schokoladenhaus CHOCOLATE
If the Aztecs regarded chocolate as the elixir of the gods, then this emporium of truffles and pralines must be heaven. The shop features Instaworthy replicas of Berlin landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate and Fernsehturm (TV Tower), while the upstairs cafe-restaurant delivers views of Gendarmenmarkt along with sinful drinking chocolates and artsy handmade cakes and tartes. (%030-757 880; www.rausch.de; Charlottenstrasse 60; h10am-8pm Mon-Sat, from 11am Sun; XStadtmitte)
7Galeries Lafayette DEPARTMENT STORE
Stop by the Berlin branch of the exquisite French fashion emporium if only to check out the show-stealing interior (designed by Jean Nouvel, no less), centred on a huge glass cone shimmering with kaleidoscopic intensity. Around it wrap three circular floors filled with fancy fashions, fragrances and accessories, while glorious gourmet treats await in the basement food hall. (%030-209 480; www.galerieslafayette.de; Friedrichstrasse 76-78; h10am-8pm Mon-Sat; XFranzösische Strasse)