'''Tempelhof-Schoneberg''' is a district of Berlin. Since 2001 these two former boroughs were merged. Both are very different and were solely merged to get a bigger political unit. Tempelhof is an industrial area and in the south is a living area for families. The northern part is mainly occupied by the airport Tempelhof which was closed in October 2008. Schoneberg is much younger and borders to the City West and East. It hosts several nice restaurants and bars which attract loads of party people on the weekend. It is located southwest of the city center in the Mitte district and east of the Berlin/Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district.

Schoneberg is the traditional center of the homosexual scene in Berlin. Today the borough is gentrified and is very popular with young families and middle-aged singles. Old renovated apartments with stucco provide affordable prices in this area. You can start to walk from U-Nollendorfplatz and head directly to the Winterfeldmarkt (lovely market, open Saturday from morning until early afternoon, all year, on Wednesday there is a smaller market). On the other days there are some people skateboarding or (very skilled) groups of Inline-Skaters playing street hockey. Feel free to join the game!

Walking south - behind the old church - you_Lll find Goltzstr with lots of small bars and cafes. Restaurants provide all sorts of food and prices are low, especially compared with other locations in the "touristy" center of Berlin. Around Eisenacher Str (extension of Goltzstr.) you_Lll find even more bars and cafes situated in the basement of nice old houses. During WW II this part of Berlin was not destroyed by bombs as much as other parts of Berlin, so you can get an impression of what 19th century Berlin's architecture looked like. If you walk along Grunewaldstrasse to the west, you_Lll reach "Bayrischer Platz" and around it the "Bayerisches Viertel" (with many streets named after Bavarian cities), which was destroyed a lot more during WW II (about 60%). Somewhere around there Albert Einstein lived once. You_Lll find several memorial signs providing information about the Nazi-regime's rules against gays and Jews.

Understand

Schoneberg is a lively district of Berlin. It is not the main center but the district townhall was the main townhall for West Berlin during the Cold War. The freedom bell (a gift from the American people) and several memorials from that time, can be found here. On October 9 1989, Helmut Kohl (Bundeskanzler from 1983-1998) and Willy Brandt (former Bundeskanzler) cheered from the main balcony as they saw the end of the Berlin Wall. The townhall is an emotional place for most people in Berlin (especially West Berlin).

Get in

'''Tempelhof''' U-Bahn lines U7 (Eisenacher Str.), U1, U2, U3, and U4 (Nollendorfplatz) cross the borough on the north and the south.

See

'''Schoneberg''':

  • '''Winterfeldmarkt'''— The markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays are popular with locals. Buy a coffee and browse amongst the stalls; this is a place to unearth hidden gems. Breakfast is served usually until 2-3PM.
  • '''Viktoria Luise Platz'''— Features stately old houses and a good night time hot spot.
  • '''Akazien-/Goltzstrasse'''— Restaurants abound here, with cuisines ranging from Afghan to Nepalese and Thai.
  • '''Goya'''— Historic building opposite Nollendorfplatz. Originally a theater but now revamped as a club for 30+ generation.
  • '''Tempelhof'''

    Tempelhof Airport, the "mother of all airports", is a huge relic of the pre-war era but closed as of October 30, 2008. The terminal building is located immediately south of the city center and was the hot spot of the Berlin airbridge ("Berliner Luftbrucke"). Take U6 to "Platz der Luftbrucke"

    Do

  • '''Volkspark Mariendorf''' boasts an open-air cinema and is the perfect activity to do at night.
  • Buy

    '''KaDeWe'''— The second biggest department store (after London's Harrods) at Wittenbergplatz (not far away from Ku'Damm, the main luxury shopping street) has it all. Be sure to check out the food department at the sixth floor, where you can find anything from a baked chicken to a champagne brand bar. Be aware that on the weekends, this place can get quite crowded.

    Eat

    Schoneberg has several areas with a high density of restaurants. The two main areas that are popular with Berliners are the '''Winterfeldplatz''' with its Saturday market and '''Akazienstrasse''' and '''Goltzstrasse''' (closest entry point is U7 station Eisenacher Str) with its nearby streets. The area around Viktoria Luise Platz borders to Charlottenburg and attracts a very upmarket crowd

    Breakfast

  • '''Cafe Sur''', Akazienstrase 7, tel 030-782 04 39. Deli that serves a delicous Meditteranean gourmet breakfast.
  • ''' Cafe Bilderbuch''' Akazienstrase 28, tel 030-78 70 60 57. Cafe that is stocked with hundreds of books to rest and relax. Good cakes and sometimes on Sunday "Tanztee" (nipping tea and dancing) occurs.
  • '''Miss Honeypenny''' Winterfeldstrasse next to Winterfeldplatz. Offers excellent a la carte breakfast
  • '''Potemkin''' Viktoria Luise Platz, Russian restaurant that offers good breakfast varieties and a Sunday buffet. Also a popular coffee/cake break.
  • '''Montevideo''' Viktoria Luise Platz, offers breakfast sets from around the world and also good lunch offers that attract the local residents
  • '''Cafe Tomasa''' Motzstr. 60 next to Viktoria Luise Platz with excellent breakfast sets
  • Restaurants

    Budget

    Mid-range

  • '''Buddha house''' Akazienstr. 27, tel 030-70 50 99 59. Mixture of Nepalese and Thai food/ You can reserve traditional tables (sitting on cushions, not on chairs).
  • '''Gottlob''' Akazienstr. 16, tel 030-78 70 80 95. Italian inspired kitchen with excellent weekend buffet or a la carte breakfast.
  • '''Papaya''' Hauptstr. 159, tel. 030-814 94 254. Good Thai restaurant with original dishes from Isaan and consistent to that interior
  • ''' Ypsilon ''' Hauptstrasse 163, tel 030-782 45 39. Serving tasty Greek dishes with a good wine selection to match. Has a big biergarten for the balmy summer nights and plays live Greek music on Friday and Saturday.
  • Shayan. oltzstrasse 23. -15-15-47. unch ?7-10. This is a family run Iranian restaurant with excellent Persian cuisine. Marinated lamb kebabs and the vegetarian khoreshteh esphinaj (stew) are recommended. Don't forget to order the delicious tea at the end of your meal!

  • '''Schoneberger Weltlaterne''', Motzstr. 61 near VL-Platz, Very traditional Bavarian kitchen & beers
  • '''Wiesenstein''', Viktoria-Luise-Platz 12a, +49-30-219 12 405 Excellent Schwabisches Food with good Schwaben wines in nice surrounding and neat garden
  • Splurge

  • '''Al Sarago'''[http://www.alsarago.de/], Viktoria Luise Platz cnr. Regensburger Str. Very good Italian restaurant with outstanding service and excellent seafood selection
  • '''Eselin von A.'''[http://www.die-eselin-von-a.de/], Kulmbacher Str. 15 cnr. Regensburger Str., Stylish international kitchen with excellent service
  • '''Sankt Moritz''', [http://www.restaurant-sankt-moritz.de/], Regensburger Str. 7, Member of "Chaine des Rotisseurs" with outstanding wine card and excellent cuisine in rooms made by German painter. Named "Maitre of the year 2008"
  • Drink

  • '''Zur U-Bahn''' corner of Eisenacher Str/Grunewald St. One of the last old time Berlin bars in the area, and a great place to sit, drink and meet the locals.
  • '''Train''' Hauptstrasse 159 SB, (00 49 30) 787 5033. As its name suggests, this bar is actually in an old S-Bahn car. Flashy and famous for inspired cocktails served by friendly bar tenders.
  • '''Green Door''', Winterfeldstrase 50, tel 030.2152515. One of the best cocktail bars in Berlin with excellent selection of spirits and a stylish decor to match.
  • '''Salut!''', Goltzstr next to Grunewaldstr, tel +49 30 746 98 504. Cafe/bar that offers an impressive cocktail list. Cocktails are mixed with fresh juices and matched with quality spirits. [http://www.salut-berlin.de]
  • Clubs

  • '''Havanna''', Hauptstrase 30 [http://www.havanna-berlin.de]. Largest Latin music club in town. Dance to the beat when it's open on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
  • '''KitKatClub''', Brucken Strase 1, Mitte. Some say that without the "Kitty," Berlin wouldn't be Berlin. Others think that it's one of the best night clubs in Europe because of its unique concept. A very famous address, a unique clubbing concept mixing techno/electro/trance music with sexual freedom. Be careful and open-minded, and respect the strict dresscode of fetish, latex, leather, kinky, and high style glamour. Nonstop party from Saturday night to Sunday evening.
  • Sleep

  • '''Meininger 10''', Meininger Strase 10 (''U-Bahn: Bayerischer Platz''), tel. 7871 7414, fax 7871 7412, welcome@meiningerhostels.de, [http://www.meininger-hostels.de]. Two bed rooms start at ?23 per person, sleeping hall starts at ?12.50. The staff are friendly and speak English and French. Before placing a reservation, ask for their linen and towel changing policy - it looks like you will have one single towel for your whole stay, and the same applies for bed linen. Moreover, ask carefully for the kind of bathroom facilities your room has: only sink, sink and water closet, or a sink, water closet and shower. You can have an "all you can eat" breakfast included in the price. Meininger 12, Hallesches Ufer 30 (Kreuzberg) is also part of this hostel chain.
  • '''Hotel Berlin'''[http://www.hotel-berlin.de], Lutzowplatz 17, 10785 Berlin close to underground station U-Nollendorfplatz, tel +49 030 2605-0. In a ideal location in the center of the city, this 4 star hotel offers all a discerning traveler could want in a hotel.
  • Contact