Time Out Berlin

by Dave Rimmer (Compiler)

No other city in Europe is changing so rapidly and so vibrantly as Berlin. The last traces of the Wall were taken away a dozen years ago, but still the dust hasn't settled in Germany's capital. Whole new districts rise from the rubble as culture plays hide-and-seek among old ruins and new landmarks. Written by local journalists, writers, and experts, the Time Out Berlin guide takes you beyond the superficial and into the places where locals work and play, sampling the full extent of its museums and galleries, the best of its eating, shopping, and carousing, and the most interesting sights, strolls, and excursions. It also examines the complex cultural and historical background that makes Berlin one of Europe's most fascinating cities. Highlights include an expanded sightseeing chapter, a detailed guide to Berlin's notorious nightlife, the lowdown on one of Europe's most active gay scenes, the latest architectural developments in this city of modern landmarks, and mini-guides to Potsdam, Weimar, Dresden and Leipzig.

Genres: Travel, Reference, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1993

Reviews

[Bridget Russell · Rating 1 out of 5]

You are almost better off walking around Berlin with a blind fold on. So much of the information is outdated or is incorrect. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking to visit Berlin.

With the comments above being said, I have used Time Out previously for my travel guide needs and found it quite helpful, Time Out: Stockholm is much more accurate and is a great travel companion.

A couple of items that I remembered as being incorrect in this book:
- Knut (the adorable polar bear that has taken the world by storm), a strong recommendation to visit the Berlin zoo where he is located is made several times throughout the book. Don't get your hopes up kids, the bear died in 2011.
- You want to see the bust of Nefertiti, one of Berlin's biggest museum attractions? Time out wants you to go to the Altes Museum, but to be correct the bust and all other Egyptian artifacts are held at the Neue Museum. If you want to see Berlin's largest coin collection, go to the Altes Museum.
- Looking for the Soviet War Memorial? Timeout wants you head towards the Tiergarten to view it in all its splendor and beauty, but again you would be mistaken trusting this book, you'd actually need to head to the absolute opposite end of the city to Treptower park if you want to see this monument.

Buy this book if you also plan on bringing your laptop with you everywhere to cross check every location or attraction to make sure it actually exists. You are better off looking through the welcome booklet that comes from the BVG when you buy your transit pass.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've spent a few days browsing through Time Out's Berlin travel guide, and this is the third Berlin guide that I have sampled. It is not easy to choose between the books on offer. I think you will find most cover the essentials for a short city break. All come with good maps, not just area street maps, but the full pull out city maps.
Time Out's U & S-bahn map was a little too small for my eyesight and I thought other books had a better layout to the content than this one.
My winner, and the one I'll take with me next week is Rough Guide. Which for a city like Berlin is maybe not too surprising.

[Peter Dobey · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I am a big guide book nerd and spend a great amount of time comparing and contrasting different guides in the bookstore. But after years of using crap, Timeouts the only way to go. They have things as detailed as skateboarding spots and Indie rock bars which are still cool at time of print. Works for me.

[the fruit · Rating 4 out of 5]

So after Nut#1 said he didn't want to use Lonely Planet, I scooped up Time Out for our trip to Berlin. It was on the money for all recommendations, sights, food, how to organize your days in the city. It is a great guide to a fantastic experience in the city.