Berlin
It is said that you are not born a Berliner, you become one. Those who quote this old quip are usually “foreigners” who have moved to Berlin from elsewhere and like to think of themselves as real Berliners. What is true, however, is that Berlin has always been more than just a city; the name Berlin has always stood for an idea, a feeling and ultimately for a powerful myth that all too often obscured the city’s real character.
How about some Berlin inspiration? We’ve been customizing Europe vacation itineraries for discriminating travelers for more than 20 years. It helps us help you, if you begin with our vacation planner we will make sure you have the most fun in Berlin; get the best airfare, enjoy privileged access with luxury amenities and special touches. We’ll save you time and prevent costly mistakes.
Berlin is booming. On a Berlin vacation you’ll see a place that where modern architecture is redefining the skyline has a magical appeal. Berlin is the current highlight for tourists not only as a place for hip events, but also as a first-grade cultural metropolis like the Philharmonics, the Berlin Film Festival, Berlinale or the musical Cats. The number of sights is unrivaled and the offers for tourists are chameleon as the city’s mentality.
Neue Nationalgalerie: If you love art and museums a Berlin vacation is perfect! Berlin is an art metropolis: with its finger on the pulse of the times, Berlin is home to an emergent vital, new art scene. Berlin is once again the city where trends are put in motion. But it is also a city of history, shaped by creativity, turmoil and tradition.
The city’s museums display not only the traces of history, but some of the world’s most treasured artifacts: a unique variety and density of art, a true encyclopedic compendium of history and world art from all epochs. Over 170 museums house history, art and knowledge, creating a unique museum landscape. Berlin’s museums house world cultural treasure such as the Pergamon Altar and Berlin’s most beautiful woman, Nefertiti, masters from Giotto to Caravaggio, from Joseph Beuys to the “young wild ones” like Baselitz, Haring and others.
The museum landscape is a dynamic one that continues to grow at a breathtaking tempo. By the end of 2004, the “Zeughaus” (armory) will be re-opened, following a complete renovation, and the German Historical Museum’s collections will once again be open to the public for the long-term.
The Berlin myth originated during the Roaring Twenties; what consolidated the legend was the basement culture of the post-war period, the Berlin Wall and the Cold War, the Kreuzberg riots and being the “Capital of East Germany” and, finally, the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification. In recent years, the “Wild East,” with its experimental galleries and bars and the avant-garde scene in Berlin Mitte, has had the public spellbound.
All this makes up Berlin, but it isn’t the whole truth. Berlin, on its way to being a modern European metropolis, gives the impression of being a city searching for its own identity.
Berlin seems to have gotten lost somewhere between its glorious and legendary history, insecure present and by no means safe future. Some say that the Berlin Bear is spinning on its own axis, directionless and dizzy as a result of the many rapid changes.
The newest trends are created in Berlin. Music and lifestyle, avant-garde in art and culture, clubs and parties, in Berlin there are always new trends and pin places to go. Berlin is always on the move – at summer time the youth is gathering at top events like the CSD or the Carnival of Cultures. Berlin is home of the most known and biggest gay and lesbian communities.
A Berlin vacation is a shoppers paradise! Fashionable and extraordinary things, books, art and antiques, jewelry and accessories, handicraft, oddities and delicatessen from around the world – in Berlin you will find everything your heart is longing for.
The incredible sight you’ll see on a Berlin vacation, for example the Brandenburger Tor, tell the history of a nation. In our picture gallery you find an interesting overview. Famous architects built here charming edifices. The dramatic events of recent history left their traces, where the remains of the Berlin wall adjoin to the futurist buildings of today. The collections in Berlin? s museums include treasures of the world.
Here you will find the best of the best Berlin luxury hotels, fabulous tours, museums, and exciting hip spots. Our travel planners will guide you to a great Berlin vacation that will exceed your expectations.
A New European Metropolis: It is said that you are not born a Berliner, you become one. Those who quote this old quip are usually “foreigners” who have moved to Berlin from elsewhere and like to think of themselves as real Berliners. What is true, however, is that Berlin has always been more than just a city; the name Berlin has always stood for an idea, a feeling and ultimately for a powerful myth that all too often obscured the city’s real character.
Berlin is booming. On a Berlin vacation you’ll see a place that where modern architecture is redefining the skyline has a magical appeal. Berlin is the current highlight for tourists not only as a place for hip events, but also as a first-grade cultural metropolis like the Philharmonics, the Berlin Film Festival