This guide is another in the excellent Footprint City Guides series – the guide to Bologna has been reviewed in an earlier edition of this journal (RR 2003/282). The two authors are frequent visitors to Berlin and both speak the language so are well qualified to write this guide. Berlin commences with a brief introduction to the city giving a summary of the different areas and also includes the well‐known suburb of the city – Potsdam – to the Southwest. It suggests suitable itineraries for visitors according to the length of time they have to spend in Berlin. For instance, if one has only twenty‐four hours, then a visit to the Reichstag building is mandatory, as is a walk or bus ride along Unter den Linden. Ten of the best sites are listed at this point so that visitors can take their pick.
There follows a section on “Getting there and getting around”. As Berlin has excellent public transport with good links to the airports, this is no problem. The city is particularly good for cycling, as there are no serious hills within the city boundaries and few in the neighbouring countryside. Tours are also cheap and of infinite variety. The main part of the guide then goes on to divide the city into its chief areas – first Mitte, followed by Tiergarten, Prenzlauerberg, Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg and Zehlendorf. Each section gives details of the major and most interesting tourist sites. Included within these pages are some of the excellent little “boxes” that contain information about topics and personalities such as “Max Leibermann” (rebel with a cause); “Berlin breathers”; “Best places to stand” and “Changes of address” – the latter explaining why street names have so often been changed within the city. There are also numerous good quality black and white photographs illustrating the guide including one showing Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin’s most famous (or notorious) border crossing when the Wall divided the city.
At this point the guide features a complete list of the city museums and art galleries and a section Around Berlin that includes the well‐known suburbs of Potsdam and Kopenick. Readers may discover the palace of Frederick the Great (Sans Souci), the Neues Palais and the Cecilienhof Palace (scene of the Potsdam Conference in July 1945 where the Allies met to seal the fate of Germany). The sections on the Arts and Entertainment are well constructed, with a brief listing of German cinema, dance and music. Berlin boasts seven major orchestras, 3 opera houses and over ninety cinemas, so no visitor is going to be bored or culturally deprived. The British have quite some influence in the city, with Sir Simon Rattle becoming the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Norman Foster’s work on the German parliament building. There are many festivals and events held throughout the year – the Germans are strong on “Kulture” and rightly so. Berlin is also a good place for shopaholics and there is easy access to sporting facilities including football, swimming, ice‐skating and relaxing in a proper Turkish bath. Children are well accommodated within the city and there is a short section on Things to Do for youngsters.
The guide concludes with and A‐Z directory and a quick “sprint through history” commencing in 1237 when the city was founded to the end of 2002 when the guide went to print. Architectural periods are included in this brief overview. There is a helpful list of books and magazines about the city and a glossary of some useful German words and phrases, which will ensure that the visitor will not starve. The small street maps are only of moderate use – a larger map is advised if staying for more than a day or two. However, this is altogether a useful starter guide to the city – indispensable for shorter visits as it conveniently fits into a small pocket or rucksack. It is also bang up to date and will help the first time visitor to avoid expensive mistakes. Definitely worth its place on the travel reference shelves.
