24 HOURS

In Berlin

By Heather Thompson

Spend 24 hours soaking in art, literature, film and theatre – not to mention drinks and dance beats - in Germany's sexiest city.

The Berlin Wall

Kunst-Werke Institute

Start the morning off with a fine view and even finer pancakes at Cafe Bravo, the specially designed glass-and-steel restaurant at the Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art. The KW branches off of Auguststrasse, the city's main gallery strip – perfect for a post-prandial stroll and a look-in at some cutting-edge exhibitions. On the next street over, the consistently interesting Cultural Forum for Photography occupies the glorious old central post office building.

Next up: a picnic in the park. Berliners love their parks, many of which cover scars of the city's troubled history. Görlitzer Park in Kreuzberg owes its distinctive oblong shape and enormous lunar-like crater to the Görlitzer train station, which was destroyed by Allied bombs during the Second World War. Mauer Park in Prenzlauer Berg used to be a no man's land. Today a segment of the Berlin Wall still runs along its east side and is freshly graffiti-ed on an almost daily basis.

It is difficult to miss the Tiergarten: its 210 hectares stretch from the Brandenburger Tor and the Unter den Linden in the east right across to the popular shopping street Kufürstendamm, in the heart of former West Berlin. This vast expanse includes the Berlin Zoo, current residence of Knut, the world's most famous polar bear.

After lunch, browse the well-stocked stacks at Saint Georges English Bookshop or watch a French new wave film at Lichtblick Kino – a truly charming hole-in-the-wall art-house movie theatre. Or while away the hours over a nice strong milch kaffee (café au lait), with the newspapers, magazines and endless people-watching provided by the Viennese-style café Anna Blume.

Intersoup

To quell those early evening hunger pangs, walk up to Helmholtzplatz for a bowl of spicy Thai noodles at Intersoup, followed by a mojito or three at Wohnzimmer. Both offer a fine taste of Ostalgie decor – a nostalgia for the Communist East that usually manifests itself in stylishly garish wallpaper and oddly shaped lamps in 1970s oranges, greens and browns.

Then treat yourself to some of Germany's finest avant-garde theatre – guaranteed to be shouty and exciting – at the Volksbühne. Or check out one of the classically counterculture productions put on by the Berliner Ensemble (the company Bertold Brecht stepped behind the Iron Curtain to found in 1949).

The only proper way to spend a night out in Berlin is auf die Pauke hauen – to paint the town red. So pull on your glad rags and step out to see whatever burlesque/indie rock/punk show is on at White Trash Fast Food. Then head around the corner to Kaffee Burger – home on Wednesday nights to the famous DJ duo Russendisko and on all other nights to a mix of pop, rock and electronica that's guaranteed to get your groove on. If those fail to strike your fancy, then Icon showcases top hip hop, drum 'n' bass and funk acts from around the world, while the outré electronic charms of Cookies invariably result in long, long nights on the dance floor.

(Heather Thompson is a writer and journalist who lives in
Berlin.)

TOP PHOTO: CHRISTIAN KARGL / WESTEND61 / GETTY IMAGES
KW INSTITUTE: RAINER JORDAN / KW INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
BERLIN ZOO: WWW.ZOO-BERLIN.COM