Stream Corner

UK travelers to Berlin, the historic and modern capital of Germany, will be not be let down. The enduring popularity of Berlin as a vacation destination means there are convenient flights for every budget from all of the UK's major airports, including London, Manchester, and Birmingham. Three airports serve Berlin: Tempelhof, Schonefeld, and Tegel, the latter being the busiest airport in the city. Berlin also serves a hub for rail travel across the continent.

Home to 3.4 million Berliners, Germany's capital is its largest city and one of the most populous cities in Europe. Its winters are cold and both spring and fall can be chilly, but summers are reliably warm. Rainfall is even and moderate, and winter snow is usually light, falling mostly between December and March.

Berlin was divided into East Berlin and West Berlin after World War II and remained divided until the reunification of Germany in 1990. Large parts of the city were destroyed both during the war and the Battle of Berlin. Visitors can expect to see the building boom that swept Berlin after Germany?s 1990 reunification is still in full swing with no plans to scale back any time soon. The city boasts dozens of world class museums, parks, restaurants, cafes and wonderful shopping. Berlin is also home to dozens of festivals, diverse architecture, booming nightlife and a popular contemporary art scene.

The Berlin Film Festival is one of the largest and most famous film festivals in the world, and the city is headquarters to more than one thousand film and television production companies. Hundreds of national and international productions are filmed in Berlin each year. The late actress Marlene Dietrich was a native of Berlin.

Berlin is also a world center for media, culture, science, and politics, its economy grounded by the service sector. It is headquarters for many media corporations, creative industries, environmental services, and convention venues. Other large concerns in the Berlin economy include traffic engineering, auto and truck manufacturing, biotechnology, and information technology. The history of Berlin as a science center stretches back to the nineteenth century. Berliner Robert Koch discovered the microorganisms that cause anthrax, cholera, and tuberculosis, and Berliner Rudolf Virchow founded the science of cellular pathology.

For lovers of the outdoors, Germany's capital offers abundant green space, two major zoological gardens, and dozens of parks. The home of the Botanic Museum Berlin, the Botanischer Garten, boasts one of the most diverse and largest gardens in the world. Berlin is also known world-wide for its bicycle trail system. Cyclists accounted for one in eight trips in the bicycle-friendly capital of Germany in 2007.

With accommodations for every budget level, Berlin is an affordable destination for everyone. If you plan your trip for Berlin, you can be sure you will not be disappointed. Come to Berlin and you will agree that Berlin is one of the premier tourist destinations in Europe, full of history, culture, and charm.