BERLIN – TIERGARTEN

Bordered by Potsdamer Platz and Brandenburg Gate in the east, the Berlin Zoo in the west, and its namesake park to the north, Tiergarten boasts more green areas than residential space - and its inhabitants like it that way. The streets between Tiergarten park and the Landwehr Canal feature modernist architectural masterpieces like Emil Fahrenkamp's Shell-Haus, along with numerous embassies. The area around Potsdamer Platz has recently-built upscale modern apartments. West of Potsdamer Platz and north of Kurfürstenstraße is an interesting mix of contemporary and pre-war apartment buildings, particularly on Pohlstrasse and Lützowufer, which overlooks the Landwehr Canal. Kurfürstenstraße and Potsdamerstraße are the neighborhood’s busiest thoroughfares.

Tiergarten’s magnificent park - the former hunting ground of the Prussian royal family - is a lush, 210-hectare (520-acre) urban oasis full of winding, tree-lined paths, bike trails, beautifully-kept gardens (including the well-known English garden), meadows for picnicking or napping, sculptures, and monuments. The Berlin Zoo is on the western edge of the park. Near the eastern end of the park is the Kulturforum, an arts and culture center that includes the Berlin Philharmonic, the Gemäldegalerie, and the Neue Nationalgalerie designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The Bauhaus Archive, a.k.a. Berlin’s Museum of Design, is a stunning exhibition space located south of Tiergarten park along the Landwehr Canal.

Along with the charming lakeside Cafe am Neuen See, Tiergarten has a handful of Michelin-starred and Michelin-recommended restaurants: Facil, 5 by Paco Perez, Vox, and Brasserie Desbrosses. The mall at Potsdamer Platz is the closest shopping hub, featuring upscale stores like Marco Polo and 1Un 2Deux 3Trois as well as pharmacies, drug stores, and supermarkets carrying everyday essentials. Panoramapunkt, a glass-enclosed cafe and exhibition space on the 25th floor of Potsdamer Platz 1, offers breathtaking views of the city.

Tiergarten’s central location - and nearby subway stops at Kurfürstenstrasse and Bülowstrasse - make it easy to travel to other parts of the city. Hauptbahnhof, the central train station, is 13 minutes away by public transit.