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.

One of the best falafels in the city. And really cool interior, just look at that chandelier. Perfect place for Saturday lunch.

The central ‘Mitte’ area of Berlin is packed tight with galleries and museums, which means you can cram a lot into a short amount of time, if that’s what you want. The best of the lot is the Me Collectors Room, which shows off large chunks of the Thomas Olbricht collection alongside other contemporary private artworks. The permanent ‘Wunderkammer’ display offers over 200 pieces from the Renaissance and the Baroque periods, with a solid focus on the strange and macabre. There’s even a Mark Ryden original that fits in nicely.

New type of museum. It's a private collection from contemporary art pieces such as by Anish Kapoor or Nobuyoshi Araki to Chinese imperial furnitures or ancient Asian sculptures. The collection is wonderful and the light design is perfect. There is no description or title of the artworks - it invites you to purely see/feel the artworks themselves without influencing by the names. Must to go.

Located in a vintage ballroom, Clärchens Ballhaus is a nice lunch destination. Try the "Käsespätzle" with applesauce!