Accommodation & Travel information
- Accommodation
- Brandenburg Gate
- City of Berlin
- Climate
- Electricity
- Fernsehturm
- Germany
- Hacke'sche Höfe
- Insurance
- Meals
- Medical treatment
- Money
- Museumsinsel
- Parks
- Police Call
- Potsdam Square
- Public transport
- Reichstag
- Taxi companies
- Time zone converter
- Tipping
- Travel
- Visa
- Zoo
If you have not reserved a room yet, please contact a hotel directly. Find a small selection of hotels in the following.
| Hotels | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel | Address | Phone | |
| Arcotel John F | Werderscher Markt 11, 10117 Berlin | +49 (0) 30 405046-0 | johnf@arcotel.at |
| Mercure at the Charité | Invalidenstrasse 38, 10115 Berlin | +49 (0) 30 30826-0 | h5341@accor.com |
| Park Inn | Alexanderplatz 7, 10178 Berlin | +49 (0) 30 2389-0 | berlin.hotel@rezidorparkinn.com |
| Westin Grand | Friedrichstrasse 158-164, 10117 Berlin | +49 (0) 30 2027-0 | info@westin-grand.com |
The “Brandenburger Tor” is the main symbol for the city of Berlin. It has been designed and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 91.
Berlin is the national capital of Germany and its largest city, with over 3,400,000 inhabitants. It is 38 kilometers long and 45 kilometers wide, covering an area of 892 square kilometers.
Berlin has regarded itself as a city of knowledge and culture since the days of Friedrich the Great in the 18th century. The political and cultural developments of the 19th and 20th century are visible throughout Berlin's cityscape, reflecting both the history of architecture and various approaches to dealing with the consequences of war and destruction.
On the day of the German unification (October 3, 1990), Berlin became an independent city-state. The state government, which is the Berlin Senate, consists of the Governing Mayor and eight Senators. The House of Representatives elects the Governing Mayor, who appoints the other members of the Senate. The Governing Mayor of Berlin holds the city's highest office and is also the federal state's premier. Presently, this office is held by Klaus Wowereit. Berlin is subdivided into 12 administrative districts called "Bezirke".
Since 1999, the German parliament ("Bundestag") has again assembled in Berlin in its original Reichstag building, which dates from the 1890s and underwent a significant renovation under the lead of the British architect Sir Norman Foster.
For further details on the city of Berlin, please visit Berlin.de.
A citymap of Berlin is available here.
Berlin has a continental climate, with cold winters and often quite hot summers. The coldest months are December, January, and February, with mean temperatures around 0°C (32°F), and freezing temperatures can continue for many weeks. The warmest months are June, July, and August, with mean temperatures around 18°C (64°F), and during particularly hot periods temperatures can exceed 35°C (95°F). At the beginning of March, spring slowly starts, but snow is still possible. Visitors are advised to bring with them warm clothes and an umbrella.
For current temperatures, please see the BBC weather forecast.
The voltage in Germany is 230 V.
The television tower is located at the Alexanderplatz in the city centre of Berlin. There is a visitor platform and a rotating restaurant in the middle of the sphere with a spectacular view (in total 1207 ft / around 368 m).
Dates and facts - Germany is situated in Central Europe. It covers 357,021 square kilometers. With 82 million inhabitants, it accounts for the largest population among the member states of the European Union and is home to the third-largest number of international migrants worldwide. Germany consists of a total of 16 federal states, known as "Länder".
History - After the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four military occupation zones. Each of these was controlled by one of the four occupying Allied powers, i.e. the Americans, the British, the French, and the Soviets. The three western zones, which were French, British and American, formed the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, commonly known as West Germany), while part of the Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic (GDR, commonly known as East Germany). Both were founded in 1949. The old capital of Berlin was similarly subdivided into four sectors despite the city lying deep inside East Germany. West Germany became a western capitalist country with a social market economy and a democratic parliamentary government. In East Germany an authoritarian government with a Soviet-style planned economy was established. As a consequence of the Cold War, the inner German border was closed. In 1961, the Berlin Wall was built, which separated West Berlin from its surrounding region and from East Berlin. The inner German border remained in full operation until its opening on 9 November 1989, followed by reunification of the German states in 1990.
Parliament - Since 1999, the German parliament ("Bundestag") has again assembled in Berlin in its original Reichstag building, which dates from the 1890s and underwent a significant renovation under the lead of British architect Sir Norman Foster. The Bundestag was established with Germany's constitution of 1949 (the Grundgesetz) and is the successor of the earlier Reichstag. Its current President is Norbert Lammert. The Bundestag members are the only federal officials directly elected by the public; the parliament in turn elects the Chancellor. The current German Chancellor is Angela Merkel. Elections are held every four years. The next German federal election will be held on September 27, 2009.
Culture - Germany is historically called Das Land der Dichter und Denker (the land of poets and thinkers). German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire German-speaking world. From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. As a result, it is difficult to identify a specific German tradition separated from the larger framework of European high culture. Another consequence of these circumstances is the fact that some historical figures, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka and Paul Celan, though not citizens of Germany in the modern sense, must be considered in the context of the German cultural sphere in order to understand their historical situation, work and social relations.
The backyards named Hacke’sche Höfe form a complex of traditional buildings located near Hacke’scher Markt in the center of Berlin containing a variety of cultural institutions, shops and restaurants. Market takes place on Thursday and Saturday.
Please note that the congress fee does not include any insurance. All participants are advised to arrange their own insurance. Health and accident insurance is recommended and should be organized in the country of origin.
Fresh tea and coffee will be available during the meeting. Lunch is included in the registration fee.
Addresses of GP‘s specialists can be found in the “yellow pages” (a phone book). In case of sudden illness at night or on Sundays, there is an emergency service.
Emergency call: 112 (this number can be dialled at any phone without any PIN or Super-PIN)
Medical emergency service: +49 30 31 00 31
Call a doc: +49 1804 2255 2362
Dental emergency service: +49 30 89 00 43 33
The German monetary system is the Euro (since 1999). Foreign currency may be changed at banks during normal banking hours, at hotels, at airports and in exchange offices. All major credit cards (VISA, EC/Mastercard, American Express) are acceptable in most hotels, restaurants, and shops.
Value Added Tax (VAT) is actually 19% in Germany. Travellers from outside the European Union can obtain a refund on VAT for goods bought in Germany. Save your receipts from your purchases. Get to the airport ahead of time when you are leaving. Before you check in your luggage, you can go to the tax free shopping reclaim office and get your receipts stamped and obtain cash refund.
See the Euro foreign exchange reference rates o the European Central bank.
Popular museums of the city such as the Pergamonmuseum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode-Museum and Altes Museum are located together at this central place. You can visit the famous bust of Nefertiti, which is part of the Berlin Egyptian Museum collection and currently on display in the Neues Museum.
Berlin has numerous attractive parks and gardens in the city of which the Tiergarten with 210 hectares is the largest one. It is located in the middle of the city and includes the Großer Stern with the monument Victory Column (Siegessäule) and the Zoo. The residence of the German President, Schloss Bellevue, is also situated here.
110 - can be dialled at any phone without any PIN or Super-PIN
The “Potsdamer Platz“ with the Sony Center, designed by Helmut Jahn, as its most popular attraction, forms the modern city centre of Berlin. Berlinale Film theatres and a shopping mall are located there.
Berlin contains a widespread system of underground trains (U-Bahn), overhead trains (S-Bahn), trams and busses.
| Short-trip ticket (zone AB) | 1.30 Eur, for a maximum of 3 stations by overhead or underground train or 6 bus or tram stops |
|---|---|
| Single ticket (zone AB) | 2.10 Eur, valid for 2 hours, in which you can make as many stops as you like |
| Single ticket (zone ABC) | 2.80 Eur valid like the other single ticket, but for zones ABC |
| Day ticket (zone AB) | 6.10 Eur, after validating it can be used until 3 am next day |
| 7-day-pass (zone AB) | 26.20 Eur, transferable ticket valid for 7 days |
An overview on ticket prices, special tourist offers, timetables and routes can be found here.
The seat of the German Parliament was built from 1884 to 1894 and is a symbol for Germany’s turbulent history (see also Germany-Parliament). You find the Tiergarten, Berlin’s largest park, in immediate neighbourhood.
City-Funk: +49 30 21 02 02
Spree-Funk: +49 30 44 33 22
Taxi-Ruf Würfelfunk: +49 80 22222 55 (0800 Cabcall, free call)
Information about the current time in Berlin, a weather forecast for 7 days (displays °C or °F), information on rise and set of sun and moon and other possibly useful details may be found at the timeanddate.com.
There are no hard rules for tipping in Germany. If you are satisfied with the service, a 10% tip is costumary, particularly in a taxi, a restaurant, or in a café with table service.
Berlin can easily be reached by train or plain. WLAN is available and shopping possible (7 days a week) both at the central station and at the airports.
By train - For journeys within Germany or to one of the neighboring countries, the Berlin Hauptbahnhof is Europe's largest crossing station. It is just around the corner of the congress.
By plane - The capital region of Berlin Brandenburg contains the airports Schoenefeld and Tegel. Tegel Airport (TXL) lies about 8 km northwest of the city centre, Schoenefeld (SXF) about 20 km southwest of the city centre.
In 2008, a total of 82 airlines landed at the Berlin airports. The European route system in particular is tightly knit. In 2008, Berlin served more than 170 destinations in more than 50 countries, 127 of which were in Europe. With non-stop flights from Tegel to New York, Bangkok and Doha, the capital of Qatar, the range of long-haul flights offered is constantly improving. Since September 2008, Berlin has also been directly connected to the Chinese capital Beijing.
The entry formalities and vaccination requirements vary according to the country of origin. For detailed information, please contact your nearest German Embassy, Consulate, or local travel agency. It is the responsibility of the participant to obtain the visa if required. See the website of the Federal Foreign Office.
First opened in August 1844, the Berlin Zoo is one of the oldest in Europe, situated in the centre of the city. Not so old and not situated in the centre of Berlin, but larger than the Zoo is the Tierpark Berlin.