Where to stay in Berlin

Berlin's most politically charged neighborhood: Turkish bakeries next to queer bars next to radical bookshops next to Michelin-starred restaurants. Bergmannstrasse has excellent delis and cafes. The Landwehrkanal banks in summer are one long outdoor party. Oranienstrasse is the nightlife spine. Kreuzberg invented the Berlin club scene (Watergate, Tresor's neighborhood), and the attitude that the city's nightlife carries worldwide still comes from here.

Berlin's most rapidly changing neighborhood: Arab and Turkish families who've been here for generations, alongside artists priced out of Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg. Sonnenallee (Arab Street) has the best Lebanese and Syrian food in the city at neighborhood prices. The northern tip around Reuterkiez has a dense cluster of galleries, natural wine bars, and coffee shops. Klunkerkranich - a rooftop bar on top of a shopping center - has one of the best views in Berlin.

The home of Berghain (the world's most famous nightclub), the East Side Gallery (the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall, 1.3km of murals), and the Simon-Dach-Strasse bar street. Young, loud, and unapologetically hedonistic. The RAW-Gelande (former railway repair yard) has weekend markets, skating rinks, and temporary clubs. More authentic than Mitte, cheaper than Prenzlauer Berg.

The reunified heart of Berlin: the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island (5 world-class museums on a river island - UNESCO), the Holocaust Memorial, the Reichstag (free with advance booking), and the Unter den Linden boulevard. The most historically significant square kilometer in Germany, and considerably less touristy than equivalent areas in other European capitals. Hackescher Markt just east has excellent cafes and courtyard restaurants.

The neighborhood where the Berlin Wall ran, now a leafy residential district beloved by young families and the creative class who arrived in the 1990s. The Mauerpark (Wall Park) hosts a famous Sunday flea market and outdoor karaoke. Kastanienallee is lined with independent cafes and boutiques. Kollwitzplatz has a Saturday farmers market and the neighborhood's best restaurants. More relaxed than Mitte, more local than Kreuzberg.

The prosperous western core that was West Berlin for 40 years: the KaDeWe department store (the largest in continental Europe), the Kurfurstendamm luxury boulevard, Charlottenburg Palace (the most intact Prussian palace near Berlin), and some of the city's best traditional restaurants. More composed than the east, with wider streets and better parking. The Berlin Zoo is here - and the famous Berlin Aquarium.