Humboldt Universität
The oldest university in Berlin with an impressive record of alumni and professors – Albert Einstein, G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, to name but a few. During the Cold War it was the main university in East Berlin and after reunification there have been efforts to reinstate its former glory.
Freie Universität
Founded after World War II in West Berlin and today the city's largest university by number of students, the Freie Universität has an impressive range of faculties and outstanding professors.
Berlin has three major universities:
Technische Universität
Technical university founded in West Berlin after World War II with a good reputation for its research.
There are several smaller universities and colleges in Berlin but the current restructure of the university makes it difficult to give an overview. The responsible senator of the City of Berlin has a good overview page. (http://www.berlin.de/sen/...)
The current economic climate is stable but to find work in Berlin is not easy. A sound level of German improves your chance as only few multinational companies are present in Berlin. Any kind of skills especially language that separates you from the masses will definitely improve your chances for a job.
If you have an academic background then teaching English Spanish, French & Latin are good, too or private tutoring e.g. math for pupils is always a possibility as Berlin is a young city and education is in strong demand. Otherwise working in a bar might be an option but it'll be tough, because wages are low and big tips are uncommon. Chances are much better when big trade fairs e.g. "Grüne Woche", bread & butter or ITB or conventions take place so apply at temp & trade fair agencies. The hospitality industry and call centers are constantly hiring but wages are very low unless you can offer special skills such as exotic languages or background.
Berlin has a growing media, modeling and TV/movie industry. For daily soaps, telenovelas and movies most companies look for people with something specific. Apply at the bigger casting and acting agencies.
For English-language jobs, if might be worth checking out the classified ads of this monthly magazine for English-speakers, Exberliner (http://www.exberliner.com).
theatre, opera, concerts, cinema
Berlin has a lot of theater houses, cinemas, concerts and other cultural events going on all the time. The most important ones are listed here.
Explore
Stern und Kreisschiffahrt
By far the biggest boat company in Berlin. They offer tours on most lakes.
Ticket B City â Tours by architects in Berlin
Showing the city of Berlin on hand-picked architectural routes. Led by selected architects in German, English, French, Italian or Spanish. Anything is possible - tours from the water, on land or in a helicopter. They arrange your special tour on contemporary architecture in Berlin with many exclusive visits to the interiors of buildings and unforgettable experiences.
The Berlin Experts
Offers daily in-depth walking tours of Berlin's architecture, history, and culture. All tours include some history as well as other tidbits of trivia not commonly known. Especially popular is the Deconstruction/Construction Tour which provides an offbeat perspective of contemporary Berlin. They also offer special tours for cruise ship passengers.
Alternative Berlin
English tour starting at 11.00AM and 1.00PM each day at Alexander Platz TV tower in front of Starbucks coffee. This tour uses Berlin's transit system to cover a massive amount of territory and focuses on the underground sites and sounds of Berlin, including art & graffiti culture, technological wonders, and landmarks of rock & electronic music. The tour takes three and half hours.
Admission Free Berlin
(http://berlin.admission-f...). website giving a daily overview about free sights, parties and cultural events in berlin.
Go on a Tour of Berlin - the Mitte and surrounding districts are sufficiently compact to allow a number of excellent walking tours through its history-filled streets. You'll see amazing things you would otherwise miss. Details are usually available from the reception desks of hostels and hotels.
Spa
Day Spa
(http://www.tolles-hotel.d...). in riverside hotel next to the friedrichstadtpalast.
Adlon Day Spa
(http://www.adlon-day-spa....) one of the best spa's in town right next to the brandenburg gate in the hotel adlon
Sana's Day Spa for Women
(http://www.sanasdayspa.de...) located in zehlendorf, this small spa offers privacy for women and daily fresh blended products.
Spas are very trendy.
Sport
Basketball
Alba berlin (http://www.albaberlin.de/), known as the albatross are consistently the best basketball team in germany, and one of the best in europe. with fans crazier than most in the nba, albatross games at the o2 world arena are an exciting way to take in one of the world's greatest sports.
swimming
Public swimming pools can be found around the city. Check out BBB (http://www.berlinerbaeder...) for pool listings and opening times.
Golf
Is popular as well. you can find golf clubs all around berlin, although for non-members motzen has one of the best.
football
The most popular sport is football, which is played all over the city. The Berlin FA (http://www.berliner-fussb...) lists all the clubs. Not to be missed is the Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 2006 world cup final. Hertha BSC Berlin (http://www.herthabsc.de/i...), Berlin´s highest professional football team, plays there during the Bundesliga season in spring, fall and winter.
Sailing
On one of the many lakes is also popular. you can find sailing clubs and most universities have ships as well.
American Football
After the closing of nfl europe and the related end of berlin thunder triple winner of the world bowl, the berlin adler eagles (http://www.berlinadler.de) are berlinâ´s no. 1 team playing in german football league.
In Berlin you can do virtually all sports
Ice hockey
The berlin eisbã¤ren polar bears (http://www.eisbaeren.de) play this fast, exciting and very physical sport during the winter. the excitement is heightened by the singing and chanting of the crowds, who are fueled by the copious quantities of wurst and beer available.
Floorball
Is booming faster than ever before in the german capital. a sum of teams defines the cascade of the local floorball scene, whereas the decorated bundesliga site of bat berlin probably embodies the most prominant one.
Australian Football
The berlin crocodiles (http://www.berlin-crocodi...) host regular matches in the summer.
Parades
Christopher Street Day
As the germans name their gay prides - is a well-known annual political demonstration for the rights of the gay culture organized in all major german cities. even if you are indifferent about the issue, the christopher street day is usually a worthwhile sight as many participants show up in wild costumes.
Fuckparade
(http://www.fuckparade.org/) in august. the fuckparade hateparade in the early days started as an antiparade or demonstration against the commercialized love parade, and was first on the same date as the love parade but later the date was shifted. the fuckparade is a political demonstration, with political speeches at the beginning and the end and the parade with music between. the general motto of the fuckparade is "against the destruction of the club scene". the music is quite different than at the love parade: mostly independent/alternative/extreme electronic music.
Hanf Parade
In no man's landaugust. the hanfparade is the biggest european political demonstration for the legalization of hemp for use in agriculture and as a stimulant.
Karneval
(http://www.karneval-in-be...) in late february or early march. as a lot of people in berlin originally came from the southern or western area of germany where fasching, fastnacht or karneval is celebrated, a carnival parade was also established in berlin. it grew bigger and bigger about 500.000 to 1 million people watching, but the costumes and cars are rather boring and the people are not as dressed up as in the "original" big carnival parades cologne, mainz, dã¼sseldorf. since 2007 the traditional route across kurfã¼rstendamm was chosen.
Karneval der Kulturen
(http://www.karneval-berlin.de) in may or june on whit sunday. the idea of the "carnival of cultures" is a parade of the various ethnic groups of the city showing traditional music, costumes and dances. other more modern, alternative and political groups also participate. similar events are also held in hamburg and frankfurt.
Recreation
Müggelsee
In the south east of berlin is a popular swimming spot.
Schlossgarten Charlottenburg
Is inside the area of the charlottenburg palace (http://www.spsg.de), but the green area of the park is free, so you can go there to have a walk even if you are not interested in the palace. it covers a large area and you can get in from the entrance just near the "new pavillon" neuer pavillon a.k.a. schinkelpavillon placed on the right of luisenplatz. bus m45, 309 âluisenplatzâ or âklausenplatzâ.
Viktoriapark
kreuzberg offers superb panoramic views across south berlin. national monument by schinkel on top of it. bus 140 âkreuzberg wasserfallâ.
World's Garden
gã¤rten der welt in marzahn. inside you can find a large, well-established chinese garden, a korean garden, a small bali's garden/glasshouse, an oriental garden with nice fountains and a cloister and a japanese garden which is a project by the city partnership of berlin and tokyo. open daily from 9am-4pm, in april and october until 6pm, from may-september until 8pm. best time for a visit is in spring or summer. entrance is 3 â¬. to get there, take the s7 until "marzahn" station and continue with bus 195 until eisenacher straãe. bus 195 âerholungspark marzahnâ.
Pick up a copy of Exberliner (http://www.exberliner.com), the monthly English-language paper for Berlin to find out what's on, when and where. It provides high quality journalism and up-to-date listings. If you understand German, the activity planners for the city, zitty (http://www.zitty.de) and tip (http://www.tip-berlin.de), are available at every kiosk. Be prepared to choose among a huge amount of options.ParksBerlin has many great parks which are very popular in the summer. Green Berlin (http://www.gruen-berlin.de) operates some of them.
Wannsee
Is called berlin's "bath tub". the strandbad wannsee is the most famous bathing area for locals. take the s-bahn lines s1 or s7 to the station nikolassee and follow the crowd!
Festivals
Fête de la Musique
All kinds of music around the city on this day coordinating with a similar day in several French cities.
Lange Nacht der Museen
A large cultural event in January and August with museums open until 2AM and extra events around the city.
Berlin Film Festival
The city's largest cultural event and an important fixture in the global film industry's calendar up there with Cannes. 250,000 tickets sold, 400 different films screened and a host of associated parties and events every year. In contrast to e.g. Cannes, all screenings at the Berlinale are open to the public. Tickets are inexpensive and relatively easy to get for the "International Forum of Young Film" screenings and the "Berlinale Panorama" movies which are not in the competition.
Oberbaumbrücke Festival
artists are selling their works, amateur tango dancers are giving public performances and you can contribute to a collaborative painting on a very long canvas spread on the street along the festival.