Museumsinsel & Alexanderplatz - Berlin - page 191

Letting the sights drift by while enjoying cold drinks on the deck of a Spree River tour
boat.( Click here )
Dipping behind the 'iron curtain' at the interactive DDR Museum .
Getting high on the knockout views from the top of the Fernsehturm , Germany's tallest
structure.
Explore: Museumsinsel & Alexanderplatz
Noisy and hectic, Alexanderplatz (Alex for short) is the transport and commercial hub of the
eastern city centre but not really the kind of square that invites lingering. Despite post-reuni-
fication attempts to temper the 1960s socialist look, it remains an oddly cluttered, soulless
jumble that's all concrete, no trees. Confusingly bifurcated by roads, train and tram tracks,
its main redeeming feature is the soaring TV Tower, which sticks out of the city skyline like
the tall kid in your school picture. It delivers great views from the top and is handy for ori-
entation from below.
Fans of antique treasures and fine art, meanwhile, will feel as though they've hit the jack-
pot at nearby Museumsinsel (Museum Island), the main attraction in these parts. Opposite
the museums, construction of the historic Berlin City Palace has been under way since
mid-2013. The adjacent Humboldt-Box provides a preview of the massive building that will
house a cultural centre called Humboldt-Forum. They're big on reconstruction in this part of
town and another example is the nearby Nikolaiviertel, a medieval-looking quarter built in
1987 atop Berlin's original settlement. Nearby, the U-Bahn extension has created another
big construction site.
Local Life
Late-night openings Clued-in locals know that the best time to see the Museumsinsel
collections without the crowds is on Thursday evening when all five of them stay open
until 8pm.
Shopping Big shopping centres are scarce in central Berlin, which probably explains the
enormous local popularity of the Alexa mega-mall, which harbours practically every
franchise under the sun and stays open until 9pm.