A very good reason to travel West: the C/O, next to the formerly infamous Berliner Zoo tube station, is an awesome museum dedicated to photography and visual media. Previous exhibitions include Larry Clark, Martin Parr, Anton Corbijn, Annie Leibovitz and Stephen Shore.

While strolling around Mitte, check out the flagship store of Berlin´s cult women fashion brand. (And try a delicious cinnamon bun at Zeit für Brot next door.)

A good place to drown your Berliner winter-melancholy. The bartenders are top notch and the interior is warm but stylish, with the inevitable retro vibe. Open from 6 till late. There´s also a legendary (and kinda expensive) restaurant next door, which provides the bar with some excellent snacks. Works for dates and for friends, but if you´re planning for a bigger group it might be wise to reserve.

ABC is Berlin´s Eggs Benedict Mecca. This laid-back, fun little shop will provide you with one of the city´s best Aussie brunches - provided you reserve or are willing to wait for some time. But the eggs, the coffee and the Bloody Mary really make it worth.