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The Facts

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There are no direct flights from the United States to Berlin; you'll have to catch a connecting flight in London, Frankfurt, or another European hub. The city is large, but an extensive public transportation system makes traveling from neighborhood to neighborhood—even in the outer suburbs—easy.

WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Adlon Grand Hotel was filmed here in 1932, a little more than a decade beforethe original, turn-of-the-century building burned down. In 1997, it was lovingly rebuilt, with faithful reproductions of the coffered ceilings and stained-glass domes. DOUBLES FROM $306. 77 UNTER DEN LINDEN; 49-30/2261-1111; www.hotel-adlon.de

Dorint Sofitel am Gendarmenmarkt The building is a classic example of Plattenbau, the functionalist Modernism favored by the East German regime, but the interior is sleekly up-to-date. DOUBLES FROM $294. 50-52 CHARLOTTENSTRASSE; 49-30/203-750; www.dorint.de

Four Seasons Berlin All 204 rooms are spacious; most have balconies overlooking the Gendarmenmarkt and its 1821 Schinkel-designed Konzerthaus. DOUBLES FROM $380, 49 CHARLOTTENSTRASSE; 800/819-5053 OR 49-30/2033-6666; www.fourseasons.com

Grand Hyatt Berlin Designed by Rafael Moneo, this 325-room property is in the heart of the Potsdamer Platz. DOUBLES FROM $450. 2 MARLENE DIETRICH PLATZ; 800/233-1234 OR 49-30/2553-1234; www.berlin.grand.hyatt.com

Ku'Damm 101 The newest boutique hotel on the main drag of the former West Berlin. Clean lines and a minimal palette. DOUBLES FROM $190. 101 KURFÜRSTENDAMM; 49-30/520-0550; www.kudamm101.com

Ritz-Carlton Open since January, this Art Deco-style skyscraper on the Potsdamer Platz is Berlin's latest luxury hotel, outfitted with marble, bronze, and German imperial furnishings. DOUBLES FROM $460. 3 POTSDAMER PLATZ; 800/241-3333 OR 49-30/337-777; www.ritz-carlton.com

Schlosshotel Vier Jahreszeiten This 1912 villa, five miles outside the city center, in the leafy, residential Grünewald district, was remodeled in 1994 by Karl Lagerfeld at a cost of more than $20 million. The Lagerfeld Suite is furnished with the designer's own collection of Art Nouveau furniture. DOUBLES FROM $420. 10 BRAHMSSTRASSE; 49-30/895-840; www.schlosshotelberlin.com

WHERE TO EAT
Vau The first of the new restaurants in the former East Berlin to earn a Michelin star. Chef Kolja Kleeberg serves French- and Mediterranean-influenced food. DINNER FOR TWO $192. 54-55 JÄGERSTRASSE; 49-30/202-9730

Borchardt A famous French delicatessen and wineshop of the same name first opened here in 1853 but ceased operation when the Communists took over. Now a stylish French brasserie, the restaurant is popular with Berlin power brokers. The menu changes daily. DINNER FOR TWO $75. 47 FRANZÖSISCHE STRASSE; 49-30/2038-7110

Hugos Though the bird's-eye views of the Potsdamer Platz and the Tiergarten are impressive, it's German chef Thomas Kammeier's creations (turbot with cauliflower and dark veal stock; braised ox cheek with truffles) that promise to make this brand-new restaurant a lasting success. DINNER FOR TWO $185. 2 BUDAPESTERSTRASSE, 14TH FLOOR; 49-30/2602-1263

Gugelhof When former president Bill Clinton visited Berlin in 2000, this is where German chancellor Gerhard Schröder took him. Try the Alsatian choucroute. DINNER FOR TWO $70. 37 KNAACKSTRASSE; 49-30/442-9229

Hannibal The seats at this affordable Kreuzberg café (a short walk from the Jewish Museum) are salvaged from old S-Bahns. LUNCH FOR TWO $20. 69 WIENER STRASSE; 49-30/611-5160

Newton Bar A stylish cocktail and cigar bar named for Berlin-born photographer Helmut Newton, whose large-scale black-and-white photographs of nude women hang above red leather armchairs. 57 CHARLOTTENSTRASSE; 49-30/2061-2999

ARCHITECTURAL TOURS
Ticket-B Tailor-made tours of Berlin's contemporary and historic architectural highlights. HALF-DAY TOURS FROM $350 (FOR UP TO 25 PEOPLE). 1 FRANKFURTER TOR; 49-30/617-5452; www.ticket-b.de
—K.Z.

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