Please follow the links to the hotels booking pages. You will be asked for a booking reference, which in all cases is “EPSA12”.

Hotel All Seasons Berlin***

Otto Braun Str. 25
10178 Berlin, Germany
tel: 030 24086960
website: http://www.all-seasons-hotels.com/gb/hotel-7956-all-seasons-berlin-alexanderplatz/index.shtml

Single Room: €70
Double Room: €80

Offers include breakfast, free calls to German landlines, WiFi.

H2 Alexanderplatz***

H2 Hotel Berlin Alexanderplatz
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 32

10178 Berlin
tel: +49 (0)30/240 8801-0

website: http://www.h2-hotels.de

Single Room: €79
Double Room: €89

Offers include breakfast

Ramada Alexanderplatz****

Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 32
10178 Berlin, Deutschland
tel: +49 (0)30 / 3010 411 - 0
website: http://www.ramada.de/hotels/hotels_index_eng.php?hotel_code=32623&plang=Englisch

Single Room: €119
Double Room: €139

Offers include breakfast

Park Inn by Radisson****

Alexanderplatz 7
10178 Berlin
Deutschland
tel:+49 30 2389-0
website: http://www.parkinn-berlin.com

Available rooms:

Standard
Single: €99
Double: €109

Room with a View
Single: €109
Double: €119

Panorama View
Single: €119
Double: €129

Berlin has a fantastic public transport system, including an efficient U-Bahn and S-Bahn system and a dense Bus network. Fares are low if you buy a day ticket or – even better – a Berlin Welcome Card.

Best tip:

Buy a Berlin WelcomeCard
It comes in eight versions: (Zones AB is sufficient to get around in Berlin, but if you want to visit Potsdam, there is an alternative)

1. Berlin (fare zones Berlin AB)
Valid for one person
48 hours - € 16,90
72 hours - € 22,90
5 days - € 29,90

2. Berlin and Potsdam (fare zones Berlin ABC)
Valid for one adult and max. three children up to 14 years old (children under 6 travel free)
48 hours - € 18,90
72 hours - € 24,90
5 days - € 34,90

3. Berlin WelcomeCard Museumsinsel (Museum Island)
incl. free admission to the Museums of the Museum Island on three consecutive days (excl. special exhibitions)
72 hours (fare zones Berlin AB*) - € 34,00
72 hours (fare zones Berlin ABC**) - € 36,00

10 and a half things to do in Berlin

1. Political Interest

Well, EPSA is a political science association and you learn much about politics if you look at the buildings governments like to build for themselves. However, the dome of the Reichstag is open to the public if you pre-register. Like many other famous buildings, the Brandenburg Gate is smaller than you might think. These buildings neighbor each other. The Kanzleramt is not open to the public, but you can walk around the building to find out whether you like the architecture. Probably not.

1.1. Reichstag

The Reichstag dome is the large glass dome at the very top of the building. The dome has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from the cupola, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which would not only cause large solar gain, but bedazzle those below. Construction work was finished in 1999 and the seat of parliament was transferred to the Bundestag in April of that year. The dome is no longer open to anyone without prior registration.
https://visite.bundestag.de/BAPWeb/pages/createBookingRequest.jsf?lang=en
http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/index.html

1.2. Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburger Tor is a monumental gate built in the 18th century as a symbol of peace. During the Cold War, when the gate was located right near the border between East and West Berlin, it became a symbol of a divided city.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburger Gate has become the symbol of a reunified Berlin. The desolate area that Pariser Platz was during the cold war, is now completely redeveloped and has regained much of its 19th century grandeur.

1.3. Regierungsviertel

A guided tour through the government district

1.4. Hohenschoenhausen Prison
It would be hard to find another site in Germany so intricately linked with the 44-year history of political persecution in the Soviet Occupation Zone and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) as the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial. In June 1945, the Soviet Secret Police took over a former canteen block and food store in the north-east of Berlin and turned it into a detainment and transit camp called 'Special Camp No. 3'. After the camp was closed in October 1946, the cellar was converted into an underground cell section that served as the main Soviet Secret Police prison in Germany and was used for detention and interrogation. In 1951 the East German Ministry of State Security (MfS) took over the prison, added a new prison building and, until 1989, used the site as its main remand centre. Thousands of political prisoners passed through this jail, including nearly all the prominent figures opposing the GDR regime. If you take a tour, your guide is most likely a former inmate. Note that you have to pre-register.

http://en.stiftung-hsh.de/anmeldung.php
Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen
Genslerstraße 66 13055 Berlin

1.5. Deutsches Historisches Museum
In this exhibit more than 8,000 historical objects testify to political events and struggles as well as to social, economic and intellectual developments. Spread across two floors of the former Prussian armory building, with illustrative multi-media stations and special pedagogical opportunities, it presents an enthralling and intellectually enriching tour of the vicissitudes of German history in its greater European context from the beginning of our common era into the present that the visitor can customize according to their personal interest.

Zeughaus und Ausstellungshalle
Unter den Linden 2, 10117 Berlin
http://www.dhm.de/ENGLISH/

1.6. Jüdisches Museum
The Jewish Museum Berlin opened in September 2001. Two years earlier, the empty new building by architect Daniel Libeskind was an unexpected visitor attraction. In this section, we present the building complex in image and text: The Old Building – the baroque Collegienhaus, the postmodern Libeskind Building and the new Glass Courtyard erected in 2007. The circumstances of the museum’s foundation, the collections it is based on, and the people who have directed its development can be found here as well as personalities of public life who are dedicated to intercultural understanding and have been honored with the Jewish Museum’s Prize for Understanding and Tolerance.

http://www.jmberlin.de/main/EN/homepage-EN.php
Jüdisches Museum Berlin
Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin

1.7. DDR Museum
The DDR Museum is the only museum which concentrates on everyday life in the GDR. We don't only show the crimes of the State Security or the border defences at the Berlin Wall but we display the life of the people in the dictatorship:

Maybe you know the spreewald pickles, nudism beaches and the Trabi - the rest of the life in this socialist state is unfamiliar to most of the people in the world.
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1
However, the true number one is our number 2

2. Berlin Junk Food

2.1. Currywurst is the idiosyncratic combination of pork sausage, cut into slices, smothered with a mixture of ketchup and curry powder and then served with a bread roll or fries. Konnopke’s Imbiss on Schönhauser Allee has been serving Currywurst since 1930.
Konnopke’s: Prenzlauer Berg, Schönhauser Allee 44 B

2.2. Döner Kebab is one of Germany's most popular fast food dishes. Annual sales in Germany amount to 2.5 billion euros. Veal and chicken are widely used instead of lamb, particularly by vendors with large ethnic German customer bases, for whom lamb is traditionally less preferred. Typically, along with the meat, a salad consisting of chopped lettuce, cabbage, onions, cucumber, and tomatoes is offered, as well as a choice of sauces—hot sauce (scharfe Soße), herb sauce (Kräutersoße), garlic sauce (Knoblauchsoße), or yogurt (Joghurtsoße). The filling is served in thick flatbread (Fladenbrot) that is usually toasted or warmed. There is no shortage of great Döner places in Berlin. Make sure you buy one in Kreuzberg around the Heinrichplatz – there are roughly 4 million Turks in Germany, with perhaps 300.000 in Kreuzberg and neighboring Neukoelln. Didim Grill or a Hasir are places to look for.

3. Museumsinsel

Museum Island (German: Museumsinsel) is the name of the northern half of an island in the Spree river in the central Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, the site of the old city of Cölln. It is so called for the complex of five internationally significant museums, all part of the Berlin State Museums that occupy the island's northern part:
3.1. The Altes Museum (Old Museum) completed on the orders of Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1830.
3.2. The Neues Museum (New Museum) finished in 1859 according to plans by Friedrich August Stüler, a student of Schinkel. Destroyed in World War II, it was rebuilt under the direction of David Chipperfield for the Egyptian Museum of Berlin and re-opened in 2009.
3.3. The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) completed in 1876, also according to designs by Friedrich August Stüler, to host a collection of 19th century art donated by banker Joachim H. W. Wagener
3.4. The Bode Museum on the island's northern tip, opened in 1904 and then called Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum. It exhibits the sculpture collections and late Antique and Byzantine art. 3.5. The Pergamon Museum, the final museum of the complex, constructed in 1930. It contains multiple reconstructed immense and historically significant buildings such as the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon.

In 1999, the museum complex was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Distance from hotels: walking: 20 minutes

4. Water

4.1. Berlin Lakes, Rivers, and Canals Berlin has more bridges than Venice.

4.2. Badeschiff
The Badeschiff (bathing ship) is part art project, part swimming pool, part discotheque. Originally conceived by local artist Susanne Lorenz and made out of an old river cargo container, the Badeschiff floats atop Berlin’s long-neglected and unswimmable River Spree. In the summer, the pool is completely uncovered, creating a mini-oasis of clean, cool water that puts swimmers almost eye-level with the Spree. DJs spin tunes as people frequent the open-air bar and hang out on the wooden boardwalks. Non-Germans be warned: German sauna culture demands full nudity and the staff are strict about it. “Past the gritty, industrial sprawl of a decommissioned bus depot lies a scene straight out of Ibiza: tight bods bronzing in the sand, hipsters carousing at the bar and hotties cooling off in the blue water of … wait a minute. No, it's not the Mediterranean but a former river barge turned swimming pool anchored in the Spree River. After sundown, the Badeschiff morphs into an alfresco night club, and in winter they add a couple of saunas and cover everything with an eerily glowing, futuristic membrane.”

Guardian, London
Eichenstrasse 4
12435 Berlin
Public transport:
U-Bahn Schlesisches Tor
Website: www.arena-berlin.de
Distance from venue: walking: 30 minutes

4.3. Aquarium
The primeval forest under glass Even after ninety years the most significant show aquarium in Germany is still a Mecca of biodiversity and history for aquarium and terrarium fans. Extent Since it opened its doors for the very first time the three storeys of Zoo-Aquarium have been presenting a section through the classes of fish, lower animals, reptiles, amphibians, and articulates around its heart, the Crocodile Hall, at that time the world’s first walk-in animal enclosure for visitors. Number of animals and species With the largest number of species of its kind this building provides terrariums and aquariums for over 9,000 animals of almost 800 species.

http://www.aquarium-berlin.de/aquarium.html?L=1
Budapester Straße 32, 10787 Berlin

5. The Wall

5.1. Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie (or "Checkpoint C") was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. The Soviet Union prompted the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 to stop Eastern Bloc emigration westward through the Soviet border system, preventing escape across the city sector border from East Berlin to West Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of east and west. Soviet and American tanks briefly faced each other at the location during the Berlin Crisis of 1961. After the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc and the reunification of Germany, the building at Checkpoint Charlie became a tourist attraction.

5.2. East Side Gallery
The East Side Gallery is an international memorial for freedom. It is a 1.3 km long section of the Berlin Wall located near the centre of Berlin on Mühlenstraße in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. The Gallery consists of 105 paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side of the Berlin Wall. It is possibly the largest and longest-lasting open air gallery in the world.
http://www.die-berliner-mauer.de/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=120&lang=en
Distance from venue/hotel: 20 minutes

6. Kneipen und Bars

6.1. Friedrichshain
Alongside the neighboring districts of Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, and Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain is now considered one of Berlin's most fashionable areas, and is home to numerous design and media companies including MTV Central Europe. It is known for its many bars, clubs, pubs, and cafes, concentrated in the vicinity of Simon-Dach-Straße and Boxhagener Platz. There were numerous squats in Friedrichshain, particularly in Rigaer Straße. In contrast to the more gentrified and expensive districts of Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte, Friedrichshain has a slightly run-down atmosphere, and its lower rents following German reunification attracted students and artists. Nowadays numerous restoration works are under way and Friedrichshain is developing at a fast pace becoming more and more gentrified itself.

6.2. Prenzlauer Berg
Countless pubs, restaurants, cafés, galleries and little shops create a day and nightlife atmosphere unrivalled in the rest of Berlin. Along with Schöneberg and Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg is a focal point of the Berlin art scene. Along with Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg it is also a popular neighbourhood with the student population. Prenzlauer Berg is one of the most popular districts in Berlin, is one of Berlin's prettiest neighbourhoods, still central, yet quieter than Berlin Mitte. Much of Prenzlauer Berg escaped damage in the second world war and post war redevelopment. Nowadays Prenzlauer Berg offers trendy shopping with many streetstyle fashion designers selling their wares in trendy boutiques. Prenzlauer Berg has become famous for being one of the few places in Germany where there has actually been a baby boom in recent years. There is an abundance of playgrounds Helmholtzplatz, Kollwitzplatz, kitas (child daycare centers) and shops selling toys and second hand children's clothing. However, the birthrate is not higher than elsewhere in Germany. Instead, the impression of a high number of children is based on the large percentage of people between 20 and 40 years who are potential parents of young children. Prenzlauer Berg has recently become a popular area for the current wave of American and European immigrants into Berlin, many of whom are artists who have moved to Berlin in search of the cheap downtown apartments and studio space which are very hard to find in other capital cities and 'centres for the arts' like New York, London and Paris but which are abundant in Berlin. Conversations in English can often be heard in the street cafes along the Kastanienallee.

6.3. Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg has historically been home to the Berlin's punk rock movement as well as other alternative subcultures in Germany. The SO36 club remains a fixture on the Berlin music scene. It was originally focused on punk music and in the 1970s was often frequented by Iggy Pop and David Bowie. In those days the club rivalled New York's CBGB as one of the finest new-wave venues in the world. There has also been a significant influence stemming from African-American and hip hop culture on Kreuzberg's youth and the area has become a centre for rap and breakdance within Berlin. Though the majority of Kreuzberg's residents are of German or Turkish descent, some identify more with American or African-American culture.

6.4. Hacke’sche Hoefe
Berlin’s Hackesche Höfe (Hof means courtyard) – just off S-Bahn Station Hackescher Markt, is a heritage site consisting of eight communicating, restored rear courtyards accessible through Rosenthalerstrasse 40’s main arched entrance. The area, also known as the Scheunenviertel is one of Berlin’s top entertainment hubs, popular with Berliners and visitors alike and a magnet for club-goers since the 1990’s. Bustling with restaurants, boutiques, galleries, cinemas and the Chamäleon Varieté, the Hackesche Höfe are once again a major attraction in the popular district of Berlin-Mitte. This eight courtyard complex is a prime example of the successful synthesis of residential, commercial and cultural spaces in old Berlin. The Höfe were built in 1906/7 on 10,000 square meters according to plans by Kurt Berndt and August Endell, and together they made up Europe’s largest courtyard complex.
Distance from hotel: 5 minutes

6.5. Oranienburger Strasse
Oranienburger Straße is a street in central Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is located in the borough of Mitte, north of the River Spree, and runs south-east from Friedrichstraße to Hackescher Markt. The street is popular with tourists and Berliners for its nightlife with numerous restaurants and bars. Formerly a centre of Jewish life in Berlin, the street contains the restored New Synagogue. Another tourist landmark is the Kunsthaus Tacheles, an alternative art center and night club. Locals tend to congregate in Monbijou Park or other areas of the city. Oranienburger Straße is also known for relatively prominent street prostitution, which is legal in Germany.

7. Cabaret

7.1. Bar jeder Vernuft
http://www.bar-jeder-vernunft.de/en/home/

8. Berlin (Flea) Markets

8.1. Flohmarket am Arkonaplatz has a broad array of retro gear ranging from records to clothing, books to trinkets, bikes to coffee tables - all at moderate...

8.2. Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz: Many local young artists and T-shirt designers set up stalls at this overflowing market, while punky types and bohemian mothers shop for vintage sunglasses...

8.3. Flohmarkt am Mauerpark: This is one of the biggest and busiest flea markets in Berlin, retailing everything from cheap Third World fashion to cardboard boxes of black market CDs.... Bernauer Strasse 63-64

8.4. Market at Kollwitzplatz: Small, open-air market. Steaming punch and wholegrain cinnamon waffles make it gemütlich in winter, but it's more lively in summer. An exclusively organic market for a gentrified area.
Distance from hotel/venue: 30 minutes

9. Berlin Club Scene

There are more clubs in Berlin than we can recommend here. Some of the Berlin clubs are tough in various respects, you may want to find out yourself, or you don’t. Here is a diverse sample, all within easy reach from venue/hotels. 9.1 Clärchen's Ballhaus This old-school dancehall has been frequented by nimble-footed Berliners since it opened in 1913, and under new management is now more popular than ever. There are two ballrooms - the upstairs Mirror salon is the grander, but both still sport vintage details - and a programme of tango, swing or salsa. You can also just stop by for a pizza.
Address: Auguststrasse 24,
Transport S1, S2 Oranienburger Strasse

9.2. Kaffee Burger Best known as home of the popular twice-monthly Russendisko, Kaffee Burger's programme runs the cultural gamut. Early evenings may see readings, film screenings or live music. Later on, DJs play anything from old-school country to Balkan beats or Britpop. The club's decor has been left intact from GDR days, and relatively bright lighting facilitates interaction with strangers... as do the cheap drinks.
Torstrasse 60
Transport U2 Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz

9.3. Kim perfectly captures that unfinished look with which Berlin's fashionable set is so enamoured. Kim has been a favourite since it opened in 2007. The door is unmarked; just look for an all-glass façade and crowds sporting New Romantic haircuts and skinny jeans. The dimly lit, white-walled space is DIY: under a geometric dropped ceiling are stackable chairs and tables that guests can arrange as they like. Cheap drinks and a rotating roster of neighbourhood DJs add to a don't-give-a-damn aesthetic.
Address: Brunnenstrasse 10

9.4. Watergate This two-floor riverside club has a slick feel, a great view of the Spree and a better-than-average sound system. The two best features here are the panorama windows above the river and the flash, ceiling-mounted lighting display. Both floors are open on weekends and usually host two different sets of acts. Music policy is in the electro, house and minimal techno area - Ricardo Villalobos and Richie Hawtin often play - although artists such as Booka Shade and Digitalism occasionally appear.
Falckensteinstrasse 49
Transport U1 Schlesisches Tor

9.5. Berghain/Panorama Bar A strong contender for best club in the city, if not Europe. In basic terms, it's a techno club in a former power station, but it has to be experienced to be fully understood. Even non-fans of the genre fall head over heels in love with the relaxed atmosphere, interesting mix of eccentrics, well-thought-out design details, fantastic sound system and sexually liberal attitude.
Adress: Wriezener Karree
Transport S3, S5, S7, S75, S9 Ostbahnhof

9.6. Tresor Housed in what was formerly the main central-heating power station for East Berlin, the colossal location is breathtaking, and since only a tiny portion of its 28,000sq m (300,000sq ft) is in use, there's plenty of room for future development in what is intended to be not just a club, but a huge centre of alternative art and culture. The basement floor is an experience you'll not forget; a black hole occasionally punctuated by flashing strobes with some of the loudest, hardest techno you are likely to hear.
Adress: Köpenicker Strasse 70
Transport U8 Heinrich-Heine-Strasse or S5, S9, S7, S75 Jannowitzbrücke

10. Berlin’s Michelin Star Restaurants (those within easy reach)

You can also go to Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg to eat reasonably priced. Expect the following restaurants to be in the 50-100 Euro area, per person that is.
10.1. Fischers Fritz, Charlottenstr. 49 D - 10117 Berlin
10.2. reinstoff, Schlegelstr. 26c D - 10115 Berlin
10.3. Lorenz Adlon, Unter den Linden 77 D - 10117 Berlin
10.4. VAU, Jägerstr. 54 D - 10117 Berlin
10.5. Rutz, Chausseestr. 8 D - 10115 Berlin
10.6. Tim Raue, Rudi-Dutschke-Str. 26 D - 10969 Kreuzberg
10.7. Margaux, Unter den Linden 78 D - 10117 Berlin
10.8. Horváth, Paul-Lincke-Ufer 44a D - 10999 Kreuzberg

11. Classical Music in Berlin

http://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/
http://www.deutscheoperberlin.de/?page=intro&language=en_EN
http://www.staatsoper-berlin.de/en_EN/index
http://akanthus.de/a_ver/findex.htm (page in German)