Berlin - Berlin on Foot: The Western City Centre

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Starting from Berlin's oldest underground station at Wittenberg Platz, head down Tauentzienstraße, past the legendary KaDeWe department store until you reach Breitscheidplatz. Dominated by the ruins of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Breitscheidplatz is a popular meeting place for young Berliners, skateboarders, punks and street musicians. The enormous Europa Centre facing the square was built in the sixties as a capitalist showcase. It's a good place for a bit of souvenir hunting, but its days are numbered now that modern shopping centres are springing up all over the city. Animal lovers will enjoy a visit to Berlin Zoo, situated behind the Memorial Church, just around the corner from the Zoopalast Cinema.

After the zoo, head down Joachimstaler Straße, past the Website Café - where you can check your e-mails and surf the net - to the Erotic Museum on the corner of Kantstraße. The inquisitive amongst you may be enticed inside, where you will be spellbound by the vast collection of ancient and modern erotica. Once you've managed to drag yourself away from there, continue down Joachimstaler Straße and take a right into Ku'damm, the smart shopping boulevard which runs through the heart of the western centre. Try not to be tempted into the exclusive designer stores you'll pass on the way - otherwise you'll be on an early flight home with an empty wallet! A safer bet is to visit the Story of Berlin in the Ku'damm Karree, an innovative multimedia exhibition which transports you back through the different epochs of Berlin's history.

You should also explore some of Ku'damm's fashionable side-streets like Schlüterstraße, Knesebeckstraße or Fasanenstraße, which are lined with trendy cafés, exclusive boutiques and fancy galleries. Most of the villas in the area date back to the days when this was the centre of Berlin's artistic community. One such villa is the Literaturhaus on Fasanenstraße, a cultural centre and café with a wonderful "Wintergarten". Right next door is the Käthe Kollwitz Museum with a moving exhibition of sculptures and drawings by the radical anti-war artist.

If you're feeling hungry, thirsty or just plain tired after tramping the streets, turn right into Knesebeckstraße and follow the road until you hit Savignyplatz. Here you can end your tour in one of the many cafés, bars or restaurants situated on or near the square. The Dicke Wirtin offers typical Berlin cuisine, bohemian-types will like Zwiebelfisch café, while night-owls may like to wait until dark and finish off in style with a cocktail in the legendary Paris Bar.







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Europe Centre


Outdated tourist attraction
 Tauentzienstr. 9-12
Berlin, Berlin 10789
+49 (0)30 2649 7940 (Management)
http://europacenterberlin.com
Europe Centre
Breitscheid Square


The heart of Western Berlin
 Breitscheidplatz
Berlin, Berlin 10789
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
Breitscheid Square
western Department Store


West Berlin's legendary department store
 Tauentzienstraße 21-24
Berlin, Berlin 10789
+49 (0)30 2121 x0
http://www.kadewe-berlin.de/
western Department Store
Berlin zoo


Over a thousand different species
 Hardenbergplatz 8
Berlin, Berlin 10787
+49 (0)30 2 5401 x0
http://www.zoo-berlin.de
Berlin zoo
Käthe Kollwitz Museum


Misery, poverty, death and beauty
 Fasanenstraße 24
Berlin, Berlin 10719
+49 (0)30 882 5210
http://www.kaethe-kollwitz.de
Käthe Kollwitz Museum
Wintergarten Café im Literaturhaus


Literary café
 Fasanenstraße 23
Berlin, Berlin 10719
+49 (0)30 887 2860
http://www.literaturhaus-berlin.de/
Wintergarten Café im Literaturhaus
Zwiebelfisch


Berlin's last revolutionary outpost
 Savignyplatz 7-8
Berlin, Berlin 10623
+49 (0)30 312 7363
http://www.zwiebelfisch-berlin.de
Zwiebelfisch
Kurfuerstendamm


Berlin's Champs-Elysées
 Kurfürstendamm 1
Berlin, Berlin 10707
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
http://www.kudamm.com/
Kurfuerstendamm
Savignyplatz


Romantic square full of gastronomic delights
 Grolmanstraße / Knesebeckstraße
Berlin, Berlin 10623
+49 (0)30 25 0025 (Touristen Information)
Savignyplatz
Dicke Wirtin


A taste of Berlin
 Carmerstraße 9
Savignyplatz
Berlin, Berlin 10623
+49 (0)30 312 4952
http://www.dicke-wirtin.de/
Dicke Wirtin
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church


Berlin's best-known landmark
 Breitscheidplatz
Berlin, Berlin 10789
+49 (0)30 218 5023
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Paris Bar


Très chic
 Kantstraße 152
Berlin, Berlin 10623
+49 (0)30 313 8052
http://www.parisbar.de
Paris Bar
Berlin - Top Attractions
Berlin - Top Events
Berlin - Top Hotels
Berlin - Top Nightlife
Berlin - Top Restaurants
Berlin - Berlin on Foot: The Eastern City Centre
Berlin - Berlin on Foot: Walking the Wall
Berlin - Berlin by Bus: Sightseeing Tours
Berlin - Berlin by Bike
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