Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
17
than nine saunas, as well as indoor and outdoor saltwater
pools, fitness rooms and beauty treatments. Towels available
for rent.
Mon-Sat 10am-midnight, Sun 10am-9pm.
Skatehalle Berlin, but other skate-parks, ramps and pipes
are scattered around the city's parks, with some of the best
at the old Radrennbahn in Weissensee and Grazer Platz in
Schöneberg. A full overview is given at
W
skate-spots.de.
Skatehalle Berlin
Revaler Str. 99, Friedrichshain
W
skatehalle-berlin.de.
The city's main skate-park,
within the Cassiopeia complex (see p.213). Do check online
in advance as some times are reserved for BMXers. €5 entry
Mon 2-8pm, Tues, Wed & Fri 2pm-midnight, Thurs
2-10pm, Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-8pm.
IN
LINE SKATING
Skate Night
W
berlin.skatebynight.de.
In-line skating
is extremely popular in Berlin, as evidenced by Skate Night,
when thousands take to cordoned-off streets in the city
centre. Setting off at 7pm on selected summer Sundays
(June-Sept), the event costs €2 and runs until dusk, with
skaters returning in a loop back to the starting point. It's a
magnificent opportunity to see some of Berlin's streets
from an unusual viewpoint. If you need to rent skates,
arrive early - they have a limited number of free rentals -
or visit Ski Shop Charlottenburg, Schustehrusstr. 1 (
T
030
341 48 70,
W
ski-shop-charlottenburg.de; U-Richard-
Wagner-Platz), who rent out skates for €10/day.
ICE
SKATING
Small open-air rinks sprout near Christmas markets in the
centre of town, but the proper rinks are all a little way out.
These usually have several 3hr sessions per day which cost
around €4 and the same again to rent skates.
Horst-Dohm-Eisstadion
Fritz-Wildung-Str. 9,
Wilmersdorf
T
030 89 73 27 34,
W
eissport-service.de;
U-Heidelberger Platz.
The city's largest rink is an outdoor
facility, with a track surrounding the central rink.
SKATEBOARDING
The most obvious place for skateboarders to head is the
SPECTATOR SPORTS
Though no Berlin sports team is world-class, all play in competitive leagues and have a loyal and entertaining fan base. The
most high-profile is Hertha BSC, the city's major
football team
, though most other Berlin teams tend to do better in their
respective leagues. The biggest sporting spectacles, however, are the city's annual events, including the
Six-Day Non-
Stop Cycle Race
(see p.26) in late January and the late September
Berlin Marathon
(see p.27).
promise and the occasional successful European outing.
But the Olympic Stadium is glorious whatever the team or
result. Tickets are generally easy to come by, either online
or via the Hertha fan shop in the Europa Center (see p.110).
Tickets €15-89.
Aug-May.
Trabrennbahn Karlshorst
Treskow allee 129,
Lichtenberg
T
030 740 12 12,
W
berlintrab.de;
S-Karlshorst.
Enjoy a day at the races Berlin-style, watching
harness racing. The racetrack is to the left of Treskow allee,
just south of the S-bridge. Tickets €3.
Year-round.
Union Berlin
T
030 656 68 80, tickets
T
030 65 66 88
93,
W
fc-union-berlin.de; S-Köpenick.
Eastern Berlin's
football team, with a fiercely loyal working-class following,
plays in the second division. Despite some shock success in
German cup matches and even in Europe, the day-to-day
picture is less exciting. Matches are played in the Stadion
An der Alten Försterei and An der Wuhlheide in Köpenick.
Tickets €9-31.
Aug-May.
TEAMS AND VENUES
Alba Berlin
T
030 300 90 50, tickets
T
01805 57 00 11,
W
albaberlin.de;
S-Ostbahnhof.
Berlin's premier
basketball team, and one of the top dozen in Europe,
competes in the German League and the Euroleague, and
plays in the O2 World Arena in Friedrichshain. Tickets
€8-65.
Oct-June.
EHC Eisbären
T
030 97 18 40 40,
W
eisbaeren.de;
S-Ostbahnhof.
Fanatically supported eastern Berlin ice
hockey team, which has been competing at the very top of
the premier German division for years. The razzmatazz
surrounding the teams and players brings it close to the
likes of an NHL, and the game quality is not too far off
either. The Eisbären, or polar bears, play in the O2 World
Arena. Tickets €15-40.
Season Sept-March.
Hertha BSC
T
01805 18 92 00,
W
herthabsc.de;
U-Olympia Stadion.
Berlin's Bundesliga also-rans, who
have never quite achieved real glory, despite lots of
