Berlin City Guide

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Check out The Scene's recommendations for the German capital and send us your ideas and suggestions below.

SEE -- Start at the heart of modern Berlin with a visit to the 18th century Brandenburg Gate, the last remaining of nine original entrances to the city. The structure was trapped in no-man's land for much of the Cold War and was the focal point for reunion celebrations during the collapse of the Berlin wall -- small sections of which can still be seen. From there take a walk down the tree-lined Unter den Linden, Berlin's grandest boulevard and explore the greenery of the nearby Tiergarten or press on to the gold-covered Angel of Victory statue, or Goldelse, which took a starring role in Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire" and "Faraway, So Close!" for impressive views over both the east and the west of the city. There are better views -- and a restaurant -- at the iconic Fernsehturm, a 1960s TV tower that looms over the city's east. More architectural oddities can be found at the Reichstag, the war-scarred parliament building that now boasts a grand glass dome designed by Norman Foster.

Rising out of the wastelands that once divided the city is Potsdamer Platz, a glittering new development that symbolizes Berlin's commercial rebirth. For a more grass-roots view of the re-emergent city, head for Mitte, where once abandoned and bullet-ridden industrial structures are being reclaimed as hip art spaces, bars and restaurants. Also check out Tacheles, a bombed-out former department store that became an anarchic powerhouse of creativity and counter-culture in the mayhem of reunification.

Savor a slice of Berlin's cloak and dagger past on display at Checkpoint Charlie, the US-named border crossing often used to swap spies between east and west. The original checkpoint is gone, but there's a replica and a museum in its place. For a more sober contemplation of the city's past, there's the Holocaust Memorial, a sprawling field of 2,700 stone slabs that commemorates the millions of Jews killed by the Nazis, and for a final hit of culture try Museuminsel, Berlin's museum island.

BE SEEN -- War and communism tried their hardest, but nothing has managed to stamp out Berlin's irrepressible reputation as a party city. The current crop of ultra-cool bars and garish techno-pumping nightclubs may be unrecognizable from the flamboyant cabaret scene of the 1920s, but they are worthy successors. If you can afford it, start off at with coffee and cake at the Hotel Aldon close to the Brandenburg Gate, a luxury concern that was voted Time magazine hotel of the century in 2000 after it was revived from Cold War dereliction. The hotel is more famous nowadays as the scene of Michael Jackson's baby-dangling incident. For the hippest bars try the up-and-coming Mitte area, where new venues are opening up almost on a monthly basis. Join the cigar smokers at Newton on Charlottestrasse to sip precision-made cocktails beneath life-size Helmut Newton photographs of glacial nudes. For live music, poetry and Russian disco in a retro-Socialist setting, try Kaffee Burger on Torstrasse, or the legendary Keyser Soze bar on Tucholskystrasse, which continues to pull the crowds even if the 90s post-everything decor is a little jaded. If things get too hectic, head down to Adagio, a cavernous but lavishly decorated venue with an easy-listening vibe in the bowels of the Stella Musical Theater under Potsdamer Platz. You could also join the arts crowd at Soda, a restaurant, club, bar and beer garden in a converted brewery complex in Schonhauser Allee that includes a theater and cinema. If you're cool enough to track them down, head for one of Berlin's almost mythical nomadic clubs -- a throwback to post-unification chaos -- but you'll have to persuade someone to tell you their secret locations. For gay nightlife, Berlin is the envy of Europe. Try the bars of Motzstrasse and Fuggerstrasse or Schonhauser Allee.

EAT -- While German beer quenches thirsts the world over, the country's contribution to international cuisine is often dismissed as little more than sausages and sauerkraut. That said, when in Berlin, trying a currywurst sausage -- a fried, greasy street snack served with garlic mayonnaise, chilli sauce and crunchy fries -- is de-rigeur, especially as a hangover cure. There are more elongated meat snacks on offer at Kadewe, a celebrated Berlin department store on Tauentzienstrasse, which has one of the largest food halls in Europe, boasting more than 1,200 varieties of sausage, bacon and ham. For a spot of high-class Berlin fodder, there's the Michelin-starred Restaurant Vau on Jagerstrasse, which presents local food in an international style with dishes such as suckling pig and sauerkraut. In the same league is Restaurant Margaux, on Unter den Linden, where diners are served beneath a gold-leafed ceiling. There's hearty southern German fare at the Wim Wenders-endorsed Florian on Grolmannstrasse -- the only place in town to find Kirchweihbraten, marinated pork with baked apples and plums. It's also one of the best venues for Nürnberger Rostbratwurst , or small pork sausages. After Gerhard Schroeder took Bill Clinton to Gugelhof, an Alsace restaurant with a pleasant terrace on Knackstrasse, the crowds followed, but dishes remain surprisingly down to earth and affordable.

Senate sets final health care vote for Thursday morning The Senate will hold its final vote on a sweeping health care bill Thursday morning under an agreement that Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Tuesday.

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