Statue of the Great Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg standing in grand courtyard of Charlottenburg Palace.

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City West & Charlottenburg

The glittering heart of West Berlin during the Cold War, Charlottenburg is a big draw for shopaholics, royal groupies and art lovers. Its main sightseeing attraction is Schloss Charlottenburg, with its park and adjacent art museums. About 3.5km southeast of here, the City West area, around Zoologischer Garten (Zoo Station), is characterised by Berlin's biggest shopping boulevard, the Kurfürstendamm. After dark, the many fine restaurants and bars in this sedate and well-heeled borough teem with locals as well as tourists overnighting in the area's abundant hotels.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Statue of the Great Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg standing in grand courtyard of Charlottenburg Palace.

    Schloss Charlottenburg

    City West & Charlottenburg

    Charlottenburg Palace is one of Berlin's few sites that still reflect the one-time grandeur of the Hohenzollern clan, which ruled the region from 1415 to…

  • Zoo Berlin, Zoo

    Zoo Berlin

    City West & Charlottenburg

    Berlin's zoo holds a triple record as Germany's oldest (since 1844), most species-rich and most popular animal park. Top billing at the moment goes to a…

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    Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche

    City West & Charlottenburg

    Allied bombing in 1943 left only the husk of the west tower of this once magnificent neo-Romanesque church standing. Now an antiwar memorial, it stands…

  • Museum fur Fotografie Museum

    Museum für Fotografie

    City West & Charlottenburg

    A former Prussian officers' casino now showcases the artistic legacy of Helmut Newton (1920–2004), the Berlin-born enfant terrible of fashion and…

  • Museum Berggruen

    Museum Berggruen

    City West & Charlottenburg

    Classic modern art is the ammo of this delightful museum where Picasso is especially well represented, with paintings, drawings and sculptures from all…

  • Europa Center, Shopping

    Europa-Center

    City West & Charlottenburg

    The 103m-high Europa-Center shopping mall was Berlin’s first 'skyscraper' at its 1965 opening, the giant Mercedes star spinning on its rooftop a symbol of…

  • Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg Museum

    Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg

    City West & Charlottenburg

    This smart gallery is a treasure trove for aficionados of surrealism, a fantastical art form that peaked in the 1920s. It introduces works by the main…

  • Brohan Museum Museum

    Bröhan Museum

    City West & Charlottenburg

    This lovely museum trains the spotlight on applied arts from the late 19th century until the outbreak of WWII. Pride of place goes to the art nouveau…

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