Car hire Avis car rentals (Tel: 2309 370, E-mail: reservierung@avis.de). Conference equipment Elakustik (Tel: 5659 8330). Limousines Beverly Cars (Tel: 2790 7597, E-mail: info@beverlycars.de). Secretarial services Regus Business Centre (Tel: 2092 4000, E-mail: berlin.lindencorso.75@regus.de).

LOCAL PRESS

Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin’s oldest daily newspaper, covers a broad spectrum of national and local politics and news. Similar to the Tagesspiegel in content and format, the Berliner Zeitung was recently sold to a group of venture capitalists led by British media tycoon David Montgomery. TAZ, a more alternative daily, broadcasts a left-wing, slightly more ironic view. The two German city magazines Tip and Zitty appear fortnightly. The Financial Times has its German edition—FT Deutschland, but the English one is very easy to find. And last but not least, the EXBERLINER, a monthly Berlin magazine in English, reports on local issues and offers opinionated cultural reviews, as well as comprehensive entertainment listings and a useful classified section.

INTERNET

Going online is easy in Berlin. If you travel with a laptop, then working from your hotel room is your best option. Most hotels offer internet facilities (you may need a plug adapter). Otherwise, internet cafés can be found in practically every neighbourhood.

MONEY

Germany’s currency is the Euro, comprised of 100 cents. Notes are €5,€10,€20, €50 and €100, coins come in denominations up to €2. Despite the fact that Germany’s is the largest economy in Europe, the country has yet to really warm to credit card use. In eastern Berlin, most smaller shops and restaurants accept only German debit cards, so you’ll need plenty of cash. Yet ATMs aren’t on every corner and banks charge high fees for withdrawing money from them. You can change money in larger bank branches and exchange agencies.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

Tipping isn’t obligatory and service charges are generally added to restaurant and hotel bills. However, adding a sum of between 5% and 10% of the bill is becoming more and more standard practice. It’s customary to simply round up the bill by a few euros, and the finer the establishment, the higher you should round up. Taxi drivers also expect the fare to be rounded up to the nearest Euro. And it’s normal to tip bellboys and doormen a Euro per bag and to give a small gratuity (€1-€2 per night’s stay) for room service.

VISA/VACCINATION

As a rule Berlin is grey, wet and cold. Keeping this in mind, you can only be pleasantly surprised if Berlin’s 'continental climate’ does decide to show its face. Summers are supposed to be dry and EU nationals can enter Germany without a visa. There is no passport control when travelling from countries covered by the Schlengen Agreement. No vaccinations are needed.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Germans get plenty of public holidays and most attractions and businesses are closed on these days.
1st January—New Year’s Day
14th April (2006)—Good Friday
17th April (2006)—Easter Monday
1st May—Labour Day
25th May (2006)—Ascension Day
5th June (2006)—Whit Monday
3rd October—Day of German Unity
25th December—Christmas Day
26th December—Boxing Day
25th May (2006)—Ascension Day
5th June (2006)—Whit Monday
3rd October—Day of German Unity
25th December—Christmas Day
26th December—Boxing Day

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

As a rule Berlin is grey, wet and cold. Keeping this in mind, you can only be pleasantly surprised if Berlin’s 'continental climate’ does decide to show its face. Summers are supposed to be dry and hot, but they can also be wet and cold. In autumn the weather can go either way. September and October can bring with them the first signs of winter or they can still be warm and 'golden’, as the German vinters say. The Berlin winter (December-March) is definitely grey, cold and windy, and daytime temperatures tend to hover just above or below freezing. Snow isn’t uncommon as early as November and as late as March, but it generally turns into dirty slush within hours. So, as is the case with its other northern European neighbours, be prepared for anything.

SUGGESTED READING

The Fall of Berlin 1945, by Antony Beevor, is a brutal account of the Soviet assault on Berlin at the end of the Second World War, written by a British military historian and best-selling author. Stasiland: True Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall, by Anna Funder, is an engrossing compilation of personal stories about people who suffered under East Germany’s police state. Culture Shock! Germany: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette, by Richard Lord, is a frank and detailed survey of the cultural peculiarities of German life. Wicked German, by Howard Tomb, offers an entertaining guide to learning the basics of the German language, which even Germans admit can be difficult.

GETTING INTO TOWN

Germans like to shake hands and the atmosphere at business meetings is quite formal and serious. Making ironic comments or telling jokes is unlikely to win you any points. Phone etiquette is also formal: always remember to identify yourself by your full name and your company when calling an office. Don’t call anyone by their first name unless you already know them quite well. In fact, it’s usually best to wait until they’ve given you 'permission’ or called you by your first name. Dress up for corporate meetings, although in most offices employees dress far more casually than they would in Britain. However, in creative industries like music, art and fashion people are much more relaxed, especially in Berlin. For detailed information on German business customs, visit www.german-business-etiquette.com.

Each of the city’s three airports—Tegel, Schönefeld and Tempelhof—offers easy options for getting into the city. For more details about any of the airports, go to www.berlin-airport.de. For detailed driving directions, ask for a map from your car rental agency. Or you can find detailed driving directions online at www.mappy.de or www.stadtplandienst.de.

Tempelhof Airport Berlin’s oldest airport is just a few minutes drive from the city centre. It was scheduled to close for good in October 2004, but it’s still open. However, it doesn’t carry much traffic these days.

Bus Bus number 119 departs from the airport and takes you to Kurfürstendamm U-Bahn (metro) station where you can transfer to the subway.

Train If you’re not too burdened with luggage, take a short walk to the U-Bahn station at Platz der Luftbrücke. A single ticket costs €2.10 and is valid for two hours.

Taxi There’s a taxi stand directly outside the terminal and it’s a 15-20 minute ride to central Berlin. The fare is about €12, depending on traffic.

Tegel Airport Conveniently located just eight kilometres from the city centre, Tegel is a small, amazingly efficient airport.

Bus There are several buses from Tegel into central Berlin. Route 109 and X9 (express bus) serve the Zoologischer Garten U-Bahn station in West Berlin. The TXL bus departs every 20 minutes from in front of the terminal to Alexanderplatz. For all buses the fare is €2.10 and the ride takes about 30 minutes.

Train Tegel has no direct train service, so you have to take either bus 128 to U-Bahn line U6 or bus 190/X9 to the U7 line. A ticket costs €2.10 and is valid for two hours (in one direction only) on both the bus and train.

Taxi For a trip to the centre you can expect a cab to cost around €20 for the 20-30 minute ride. There are taxi stands directly outside most arrival gates on the upper level.

Schönefeld Airport This airport is 20kms south-east of the city centre and is primarily used by low-budget and charter airlines. Plans are afoot to make Schönefeld into a new international airport that reflects the capital’s status. Bus A long bus ride on number 171 will take you to the Rudow U-Bahn station from where you can connect to the rest of the city.

Train The quickest way to get into the city. Schönefeld has its own train station, which is a short walk from the airport terminal or a one-minute ride on the free shuttle bus. The faster Airport Express leaves every 30 minutes and brings you to Alexanderplatz in less than 30 minutes. The slower S-Bahn (commuter train) also travels through Alexanderplatz, but takes about 45 minutes, stopping at every SBahn station along the way. The fare is €2.10 for either train.

Taxi There are always plenty of cabs waiting in front of the terminal and they’re all metered. Expect to pay €30-35 for the trip to the centre.