Recently in Berlin Category

Want to get a real sense of Berlin and its history but don't feel like hoofing it around the city on foot? Fat Tire Bike Tours is the perfect solution. Living up to its motto, "See more, less effort, more fun," Fat Tire's leisurely tours will have you pedaling from site to site, meaning you'll get to take in more of the city in much less time - and without too much effort.

The tours cover about 6.5 miles in the course of four-and-a-half hours on flat, bike-friendly roads. The bicycles are as smooth as the ride itself - purchased new at the start of each season, the quirky cruisers have cushy seats, fat tires, and fun bells. But it's the tour itself that has all the bells and whistles. If history is what you're after, consider either the Third Reich/Nazi Germany or Berlin Wall & Cold War Tour. The former takes you to the Jewish Quarter of Berlin, the massive former headquarter of the Nazi Air Force, a civilian air raid shelter, the area above Hitler's Bunker, and the new Holocaust Memorial, among other stops. You'll leave with a better understanding of how Hitler came to power, the effect World War 2 still has on the city, and how his rise and fall connects with the Berlin Wall. On that tour, you'll see a kilometer-long stretch of standing wall, hear tales of espionage, and see a Deathstrip Watchtower. If you want a little of both, opt for the All-in-One City Bike Tour, which includes samplings from each, along with a beer garden stop. Kick back and relax when you're done at the Westin Grand, Berlin.

Do you have a thing for German automotive engineering? Does the thought of racing down the Autobahn quicken your pulse? In the past decade, Germany's famed car companies have all built museums showcasing their history, their racing prowess and their iconic designs. And as luck would have it, each is near enough to a Starwood hotel that a road trip to all of them would rack up SPG points like so many miles on the odometer.

Start in Berlin, at the Westin Grand, and drive two hours west to Wolfsburg, which you should recognize as the headquarters of at Volkswagen. VW's Autostadt is a virtual amusement park, with an interactive exhibit on green initiatives, incredible car silos and even driving attractions. Follow it up with a trip to the August Horch Museum, dedicated to the founder of Audi, in Zwickau near Leipzig and the Westin Leipzig.

Be ready for a day on the road, because our next stop is BMW Welt in Munich, about four hours south. The architecturally stunning campus provides BMW with a grand setting for all sorts of cultural programming in addition to highlighting its latest models. Get a good night's sleep at the Sheraton Munich Arabellapark.

Head west to Stuttgart for a triple dose of luxury: Mercedes, Porsche and Le Meridien Stuttgart. You may recognize the Mercedes Museum from the company's commercials. Don't worry, no windows will be shattered, but your mind might be blown on the tour of the thoroughly robotic factory next door. At the Porsche Museum you can walk right up to every single car on display, even the legendary 917 series, and afterward settle into seats upholstered in red Porsche leather in the museum's steakhouse.

Art is life in Berlin, where the historic meets the hyper-modern, from the architecture down to the creative people who make this special city tick. Public transportation makes it easy to explore Berlin's museums and art galleries, but if you're staying at The Westin Grand, Berlin, you can actually walk to some incredible -- and incredibly different -- spaces for art in the fashionable Mitte neighborhood. Thousands of years of imagination are just steps away from your comfortable home base.

The relatively compact Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin (Unter Den Linden 13) would be one's closest stop and a good place to begin. It's a great spot to view special showcases that normally focus on one modern artist, but it won't take you very long. Continue down the same road to find the classic Deutsches Historisches Museum (Unter Den Linden 2), an institution that reaches back to the early cultures and Middle Ages of what is now Germany to document the very creation of a society through paintings, archaelogical artifacts, fashion, prints, and more. Similarly, the Pergamon Museum (Bodestrasse 3) stretches to the past, but focuses on the ornate beauty of Middle Eastern and Islamic art. After the history lesson, jump forward a few thousand years for your final stop on this artistic walking tour: Kunsthaus Tacheles (Oranienburgerstrasse 53), a massive and towering building that once was a department store and is now a gathering space for cutting-edge current multimedia artists. What are your favorite places to see art in Berlin?

Berlin is a sprawling city, but it's sparsely populated, which is great if it's a quiet spot with a lot of elbow room you're after. Searching for a little more action? Head over to Friedrichshain. A 10-minute taxi ride from The Westin Grand, Berlin, it's a funky neighborhood with a bit of a rock and roll edge. Day or night, you'll always find a mix of both locals and out-of-towners sitting with a tall glass of beer under the wide awning of one of the many sidewalk cafes.

The neighborhood's pastel buildings are awash with street art and graffiti, but don't let irreverent appearances deter you from exploring the myriad shops near Simon-Dach-Strasse and Boxhagenerplatz. One of my favorite stores is called Schwester Herz, which means "Sister Heart" - so cute. It's a beautifully stocked space, brimming with cool design products like Brandenburg Gate cookie cutters and tote bags made from a synthetic fabric developed in the GDR. Around the corner, Olivia offers all sorts of chocolates. Try a few of their miniature cakes and fill your pockets with South American candy bars. One of the area's prettiest streets is Niederbarnimstrasse where you can gawk at Blattwerk's gorgeous floral displays and pick up a silk-screened T-shirt at Heimat. Stick around for dinner and indulge on fabulous Italian food at Miseria e Nobilta, try the "Incredible" pizza at Il Ritrovo, or yummy Vietnamese food at Chily at 17 Niederbarnimstrasse.

If it's a Sunday, most of Friedrichshain's stores will be closed, but  a fantastic flea market brimming with antique treasures sets up on Boxhagenerplatz at 10 in the morning, year round!