One of the most beautiful pieces of Berlin actually is a piece of another city (Al-Hillah, Iraq). Normally Berliners are laid back and like to hang around, drink beer and chat till sunrise. Sometimes they do get excited though, and then they start taking old war-battered stones and piecing them together to (re)form walls. The results are great as can be seen all over Berlin, but the Ishtar gate in the Pergamon museum is where they’ve really outdone themselves.

Art bookstore for the more off-the-grid publications.

Cinema with original fifties interior, close to Hermann Platz. Like all cinemas from the York Cinema Group in Berlin, it features a diverse program of independent movies (mostly original versions with German subtitles).

My favourite bar of the many around kreuzkölln is Bellman. After its sudden closure and reopening it underwent some changes and is boycotted by some of its former patronage, but for the less principled like myself it’s still a good place to go and they do pull the best Jever in Berlin.

This chapel at Dorotheenstädtischer cemetery hosts a light installation by THE James Turrell at sunset on specific days. It begins with a 30minute intro and needs a booking to visit.