Berlin/City West

City West is the heart of former West Berlin and even after reunification it represents the main retail centre of Berlin — all the best and most expensive shops are located here. The area also includes some landmarks of great historical and cultural interest, as well as a large number of accommodation and entertainment options.

Understand
After Berlin was split into two by the division of Germany, West Berlin had to develop a city centre of its own, as most of the historic centre (Mitte) remained on the eastern side. Thus came about an unlikely city centre carved out of mostly residential, relaxed districts of Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf and Schöneberg.

The obvious centre became the area close to the Zoologischer Garten train station, which became the main train station for West Berlin, extending southwards towards the Kurfürstendamm (known popularly by the contraction Ku'damm) in southern Charlottenburg. This has always been the traditional retail centre of Berlin, cemented by the construction of the enormous iconic department store KaDeWe at one end, and remained so all through the years of West Berlin, seeing a lot of modern construction filling in the gaps left by World War II and updating the neighbourhoods to ever-changing standards. This remains the area of Charlottenburg you absolutely need to visit for luxury shopping (or window-shopping).

Further north from the Ku'damm area is where the Schloss Charlottenburg is located, the beautiful castle and open park from which the district got its name; it had been a separate township developed around the castle. After World War I Charlottenburg had a large, wealthy Russian scene, due to the refugees from St Petersburg after the Russian revolution which had given rise to the area's nickname - "Charlottograd".

South of the Ku'damm is the cozy residential district of Wilmersdorf, which is mostly overlooked by tourists but cherished by its inhabitants for its relaxed and comfortable living conditions. Wilmersdorf has always been a middle and upper class inner city villa and apartment house area. It is quieter but has nice restaurants and cafes. About 80% of Berlin's Jewish population (estimated 25,000 people) — now mostly of Russian descent — live in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.

KaDeWe marks the eastern border of Schöneberg, which extends farther south and east towards the main north-south railway line crossing Berlin. Schöneberg has all the properties of a dense 19th-century residential district, with narrow streets connecting large plazas and tree-lined avenues. Schöneberg is the traditional centre of the gay scene in Berlin. Today the borough is gentrified and very popular with young families and middle-aged singles. Renovated old apartments with stucco are pretty common. While the former district of Schöneberg was merged with Tempelhof in 2001 for administrative reasons, the two areas have little in common and thus Tempelhof is dealt with in our guide on Berlin/Central South.

Since the end of the war some high-end retail and other representative functions (including certain hotels) have abandoned City West for the old heart of Berlin, particularly Potsdamer Platz, which was the busiest square in Europe by some measures in the 1920s and "no man's land" during partition, and became the biggest construction site in post-reunification Germany for a while.

By public transport


A lot of bus lines drive all the way down the Ku'Damm. Especially when it rains (or snows in winter) or to get a first impression, it's very convenient to use the buses.

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

Get around
The area covered in this guide is expansive, but the most popular attractions are almost all near the Zoologischer Garten train station and the Ku'damm, and thus easily within walking distance. If you want to visit the outlying ones, you may want to use Berlin's excellent public transportation system - the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and the bus networks. West Berlin, unlike East Berlin, had its tram network dismantled and you will find no trams here. You may also be tempted by the area's relaxed character to bike, but be mindful that physical infrastructure for bikers is not so well developed. Parking spots are scarce and parking garages expensive, so getting around by car is the least favorable option.

By bus
In lieu of the dismantled tram system, West Berlin is served by a number of MetroBus lines, which are often operated using the iconic (and very tourist-friendly) double-decker buses. They follow the most important thoroughfares and continue to other districts. Most of them start at Zoologischer Garten or another important train station in a different district. MetroBus lines are marked orange on all public transportation maps and signage and have a two-digit designation preceded by an "M". For fare purposes, these are no different from any other bus line or means of public transportation.

Apart from MetroBuses, West Berlin is also served by a number of regular bus lines. The largest number thereof also start at the Zoologischer Garten train station and meander through the districts, with more stops and longer headways than the M-lines.

Some of the lines most useful for sightseeing purposes (both on board of the bus or as means of getting about between points of interest) are described below.

Ku'damm - lines M19 and M29
Your best bet to explore the Kurfürstendamm is to take a double-decker bus along it and enjoy the views from the upper deck, hopping on or off to take side excursions. While there are many companies offering sightseeing tours on their privately-owned buses, you will be just as fine buying a BVG public transit pass and using lines M19 and M29, both of which are operated almost exclusively using double-decker buses and running every 10 minutes each, stopping many times along the Kurfürstendamm.

Line M29 is of particular note, as it continues further east along the picturesque Landwehrkanal and Leipziger Straße to "Checkpoint Charlie" in Mitte, and then further to the funky district of Kreuzberg. Line M19 goes to the less savoury environs of Mehringdamm, so do mind the stop Wittenbergplatz (it is also an U-Bahn station) at the KaDeWe where the lines divert from each other.

On the eastern end, the last stop on the Kurfürstendamm is Hallensee (an S-Bahn station) for both lines. From there, M19 continues towards the Gruenewald forest, while M29 ends up in the Schmargendorf district.

Schloss Charlottenburg - lines M45, 109, 309
The Schloss Charlottenburg area is quite removed from Ku'damm and Zoo. There are three bus lines stopping in front of the Schloss:
 * M45, which starts at the Zoo train station and follows the fastest, if not exactly interesting, route via the Ernst-Reuter-Platz
 * 109, which also starts at the Zoo train station, but follows a more spectatcular (and longer) route down the Ku'damm, turning north at Alexanderplatz. 109 then continues to Tegel Airport.
 * 309 has a shorter route 109, starting at U-Bahn station Wilmersdorfer Straße across Sophie-Charlotte-Platz and going north up the Schloßstraße. It does not got to Tegel Airport.

Schöneberg - M46, M48 and M85
The M46 takes you from the Zoo train station to Schöneberg via Wittenbergplatz (KaDeWe), Viktoria-Louise-Platz and stopping at Rathaus Schoeneberg. The last stop within Schöneberg is the Schöneberg S-Bahn station, useful if you are arriving on a train from Schoenefeld airport.

The M48 and M85 traverse Schöneberg from south to north along a different route than the M46, on the eastern side of the district. They can be a quick way to get back on the U-Bahn line or continue to Mitte - both stop at Potsdamer Platz, from where M85 goes to the Hauptbahnhof and the M48 to Alexanderplatz via Leipziger Straße. Both are quite scenic rides.



By U-Bahn
Six U-Bahn lines stop within the City West area - all of the available ones except for U5, U6 and U8. That said, U1 and U2 are the only ones that are of much use to most tourists. None of the U-Bahn lines follow the Ku'damm - all of the U-Bahn stations on or near the Ku-damm are for lines crossing the street.

U1
The oldest U-Bahn line runs eastwards from Uhlandstraße, stopping at the Kurfürstendamm, Wittenbergplatz (KaDeWe), Nollendorfplatz, Kurfürstenstraße (do not confuse it with Kurfürstendamm!) and Gleisdreieck, and then continues into Kreuzberg and Friedrichshein. It is entirely underground within City West, but runs overground over 19th-century railway viaducts from Gleisdreieck eastwards.

U2
U2 is one of Berlin's most useful lines for tourists, stopping at many important transit hubs at points of interest. Within City West, its stops include Sophie-Charlotte-Platz (Schloßstraße), Bismarckstraße (Wilmersdorfer Straße), Deutsche Oper, Zoologischer Garten train station, Wittenbergplatz (KaDeWe), Nollendorfplatz and Gleisdreieck. It then continues to Potsdamer Platz, Stadtmitte (Friedrichstraße) and Alexanderplatz, and then further to Prenzlauer Berg and Pankow in East Berlin. The stretch between Wittenbergplatz and Potsdamer Platz is overground, with some of the most brilliant views one can catch from the U-Bahn in Berlin.

U3
U3 is not of much use to most tourists. It takes inhabitants of the southwestern outskirts of Berlin and of Wilmersdorf to Wittenbergplatz and Nollendorfplatz, where it terminates, and where one can change to U1, U2, U3 or the MetroBuses to go to Mitte or the Zoo train station.

U4
The U4 is a short line contained within City West, whose development was stopped back in the early 20th century and which is of limited use even to Berliners. You can use it to travel between its only five stations at Nollendorfplatz, Viktoria-Luise-Platz, Bayerischer Platz, Rathaus Schöneberg and Innsbrucker Platz (where you can change to S-Bahn trains travelling on the circular route). U4 runs entirely underground and, unlike other U-Bahn lines, is not replaced by a bus service at night, when it does not run.

U7
The U7 is Berlin's longest underground line, connecting the western and southeastern extremities of the city. The stretch within City West, entirely underground, is on the outer border of the area, so it is more useful as a means of getting to City West from said outskirts than to getting around. Of the important points of interest, it stops at the Wilmersdorfer Straße and Bayerischer Platz.

U9
U9 traverses West Berlin from south to north, stopping at the Zoologischer Garten train station (change possible to U2) and the Kurfürstendamm (change to U1). Otherwise, the stops in Wilmersdorf are not much of tourist use, although you can change to U3 and U7 along the way.

U-Bahn stations of note

 * To arrive at the central bus station, get off at the U- and S-Bahnstation Kaiserdamm (U2) / Messe ZOB ICC (S41, S42, S46) and follow the signs.
 * If you want to ride a bus the entire length of Ku'Damm, you can get off at U-Bahn Wittenbergplatz (U1 - U3) or S-Bahn Halensee (S41, S42, S46) (east to west or vice versa).
 * To get to Schloss Charlottenburg (palace), exit U-Bahn station Sophie-Charlotte Platz (U2) and busline 309 or Richard-Wagner-Platz (U7) and busline M45.
 * Exit U-and S-Bahn station Zoologischer Garten (U2, U9, S5, S7, S75) for the city zoo, the Gedächtniskirche, the Tauentzienstraße (main shopping street) and/or a short walk to Ku'Damm. You can walk from here to the "Los Angeles friendship place", which honours Berlin's sister city in the U.S.
 * The rest of Ku'damm can be easily reached via U-Bahn station Kurfürstendamm (U1, U9), Uhlandstraße (U1) or Adenauerplatz (U7).

By S-Bahn
The east-west S-Bahn track cuts through the City West, while the ring one follows the Stadtring on the outer rim of City West.

Both lines running the east-west track, the S5, S7 and S75, follow the same route through City West. West from the Hauptbahnhof, they stop at Bellevue (the station next to the Federal President's residence Schloss Bellevue, not accessible by U-Bahn), Tiergarten (station on the outskirts of the Tiergarten park, without much tourist use), the Zoologischer Garten train station, Savignyplatz, Charlottenburg (the S-Bahn station over Wilmersdorfer Straße) and cross the ring at Westkreuz. The S7 then follows to Grunewald and Wannsee, while the S5 to Spandau. A shorter line called S75 finishes its run at Westkreuz.

By bike
You can find racks with bikes for rent next to most hotels, as well as some cafes, bars and restaurants. The going rate across Berlin is €10-12 per day, but shopping around a bit can get you bikes for even less.

Westend

 * Maifeld next to the stadium has Langemarck Hall and the Bell Tower or Glockenturm, with an exhibition by the German Historical Museum and an observation deck. The amphitheatre is usually closed to visitors.
 * Maifeld next to the stadium has Langemarck Hall and the Bell Tower or Glockenturm, with an exhibition by the German Historical Museum and an observation deck. The amphitheatre is usually closed to visitors.

Buy
For luxury goods visit Ku'Damm (Kurfürstendamm) and Fasanenstraße. Kurfürstendamm is especially a must visit, between Adenauerplatz and Joachimsthaler Platz (nearly two kilometres), as it boasts a whole range of luxury stores (and hotels and restaurants.)

For flagship stores and all the big stores head to the extension of Ku'Damm, the Tauentzienstraße.

The main pedestrian area of the district (and even Berlin) is Wilmersdorfer Straße. Start at Bismarckstraße, walk down the pedestrian zone, cross Kantstraße, walk underneath the railroad, and enter the Bio Company store on the right hand side of the road - it was the first supermarket-style "bio" product store in Berlin whose owner once upset the idealists at Kreuzberg by admitting that she wanted to make money with the store.



Eat
City West is a very good place for quality and is bursting with a big variety of styles and cuisines.

Clubs
The club scene of West Berlin is mainly located in Charlottenburg and Kreuzberg. The alternative crowd heads to Kreuzberg, while the mainstream youth of West Berlin go to the Charlottenburg clubs and discos.



Mid-range




Go next

 * Mitte is just a few U-Bahn stops off.
 * West to Spandau, on U7 or S3/S9.