The Barn is a bucolic coffee bar in the Mitte district that boasts top quality coffee (from Copenhagen's famed fairtrade Coffee Collective) and a local-food ethos, inspired largely by the owner's formative years in rural Germany and his mother's penchant for baking. Ornamented with rustic touches, like bales of hay, knotty wood benches and tables and a large chalkboard menu, the cafe has cultivated a large bean since it opened two years ago and shows no signs of slowing. I'd make the trip to Berlin just for a cappuccino and a scone.

All the designers here—there are about 94 of us—are from Neukölln. People passing by on a Sunday get a chance to see the pieces up close. It’s mainly clothes and accessories. One Sunday a month, location varies. sideseeing-berlin.com. This story appeared in the July/August 2010 issue. Photo by Achim Hatzius. See all of Philippe Werhahn’s favorite places in the Neukölln neighborhood of Berlin.

A design nerd like me had to visit this famous experimental arts and crafts school that flourished in the 30s. The school has since been converted into a museum that displays modernist examples of art, graphic design and furniture from the movement.

Every Sunday in Berlin the world of kitschy fleamarket finds and cool hipster crowds meet at Mauerpark Market in Berlin. The market is full of antiques and dusty relics but also mixed with stalls of young designers selling inventive new fashions designs one would find in hip boutiques. If you are in the mood to shop - be prepared to spend an afternoon wandering around the endless rows of stalls searching through piles of flea market treasures. But just when you think you are ready to drop - you can get an energy boost from one of the many food/drink stands intermixed between the stalls. You'll find Turkish delights such as pide (Turkish pizza) or lahmacun to brautwurst, as well as cafes, bars, and organic juice stalls. Mauerpark is not just a place to find unique souvenirs and hot new designers, it is simply a place to people watch and get in touch with the vibe of Berliners. Over 30,000 people visit the market each Sunday which runs throughout the year. And since it's held in a park, there is ample room to get away from the crowds and go enjoy some green space. You'll probably even be entertained by a few tunes as locals bands come to play in the park periodically. More Information: Mauerpark Market Bernauer Straße 63-64 Berlin-Mitte Telephone: 0176 29 25 00 21 www.mauerparkmarkt.de Every Sunday 08:00 – 18:00h How to get there: U2 stop: Eberswalder Straße U8 stop: Bernauer Straße Tram M10 stop :Wolliner Straße

Love Padlocks (also known as Love Locks) are a custom by which padlocks are affixed to the bridge/fence as a way to symbolize everlasting love....The keys to the lock are symbolically thrown into the rushing water below so the lock cannot be opened again.

Each fall, crowds of partygoers at Munich’s Oktoberfest lift steins of golden beer skyward and bellow “Prosit!” The German holiday began more than 200 years ago at the marriage celebration of Bavarian Crown Prince Louis and Princess Therese. Many of the locally brewed beers served at today’s festivities are also rooted in history. Lagers such as Hacker-Pschorr’s Oktoberfest Märzen adhere to traditional Bavarian purity laws that allow only water, barley, yeast, and hops. Revelers fortify themselves with grilled bratwurst, salt-dusted pretzels, and roast chicken while they watch men dressed in lederhosen (leather shorts) twirl ladies to the oompah of brass bands. The holiday has become wildly popular outside Germany, but the largest celebration, which attracted more than 5 million attendees in 2011, still occurs on the original wedding fields in Munich. Oktoberfest will be held September 22 through October 7. Photo by Relaximages/Corbis. This appeared in the October 2012 issue.

Freshly cut flowers, rustic wood tables and an artsy crowd pepper this Mitte standout where ingredients are natural and sourced, as you might have guessed, locally. The menu changes almost weekly and features variations of simple dishes like quiches and salads for lunch and a more meat and fish-focused selection for dinner. I recommend going midday for the gorgeous natural light that beams through the tall windows lining the dining room.

Viktoriapark in Kreuzberg is a great gem of a park hidden in Berlin. The park is located on a small hill and is easy to get to with public transporation. There's a beer garden at the top of the hill with great views of the city. The western side of the hill is popular with sunbathers and there's even a small oasis in the center—a waterfall and stream where you can go to cool off.

It’s like a typical southern European market: people shouting things at you, quite chaotic—not very German. Maybachufer between Kottbusser Damm and Friedelstrasse Tuesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.–6:30 p.m. This story appeared in the July/August 2010 issue. Photo by Achim Hatzius. See all of Philippe Werhahn’s favorite places in the Neukölln neighborhood of Berlin.  

Berlin is a sprawling city which makes exploring exclusively by foot a considerable challenge. If long walks or jaunts underground don't appeal to you, test out the city's bike-share program 'Call A Bike'. It looks similar to Paris's beloved Vélib but requires a mobile phone. You call the number printed on the side of the bike to register and obtain the code to unlock the bike. It will run you €0.80/minute up to a max of €15 in a 24 hour period (payment by credit card only). You can also rent bikes through private structures like Flat Tire Bike Company, just be sure to follow the rules (click the link below for more on that).

People always ask about seeing quaint towns in Germany, but don't want touristy places. I always respond by saying the best and most lovely towns are always frequented by lots of tourists and you will surely miss some grand opportunities for color, atmostphere and photo opportunities. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a perfect example. I took this picture last September while traveling with some close friends to Oktoberfest in Munich. Very busy time in Bavaria, but Rothenburg was not crowded, in fact, except for the Marktplatz, we didn't see crowds. To miss Rothenburg is to miss a pristine 12th C town. Little has changed, architecturally since the 17th C, and the city walls remain and the Gothic cathedral (finished in 1464) and amazing Rathaus are stupendous (and the climb to the top of the Rathaus is quite an experience).

With its half-ruined castled dominating the heights above the university-town on the banks of the Neckar river, Heidelberg is a pedestrian's dream. "Picturesque" may have become a cliché, but this German city exemplifies the meaning. I'd been here as a small child--I distinctly remember walking up the stepped road to get to the castle--my 'first castle'--and the stairs seemed endless...Leave your car behind--walk or bike around the historic center--it's a Baroque jewel. And when the sun comes out, soak it up. (You can get to Heidelberg directly from the Frankfurt airport, via either bus or train--from 45 to 80 minutes...)

This bar is named after Klaus Kinski, the [German] actor [from Werner Herzog films]. They show quite a lot of video, movies, exhibitions, and such. Friedelstrasse 28 This story appeared in the July/August 2010 issue. Photo by Achim Hatzius. See all of Philippe Werhahn’s favorite places in the Neukölln neighborhood of Berlin.

This image is from the Jewish Museum in Berlin. 10,000 iron cut out, tortured faces. The architect designed this room with purpose. When you walk over the cut out faces (imagine) they grind together in a shriek/scream of metal against metal. The walking is difficult and uncomfortable to your feet. The combination of the noise and discomfort being "the point" of this particular space. The room itself is a cold lonely slab of concrete. It achieves everything the architect wanted it to. This is but one of many fascinating things to see at this museum. MW

I was drawn to this restaurant because of it's beautiful outdoor seating area, but got much more than I bargained for. Clärchen's is also a dance hall and it has been around since 1913. It's full of fun historical facts: their original placart was painted by Otto Dix, and the hall is one of Franz Biberkopf's hangouts in Döblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz (a great novel to read before or while traveling in Berlin). There is a cover charge to join in on the dancing. If you'd rather just enjoy dinner outside, you can always pass through to use the bathroom and peek at Germans dancing to Elvis. The food itself was nothing to rave about for the most part, though their asparagus soup was one of the better ones I had. I did love the fig and mustard chutney that came on a cheese plate. But really it's the setting that makes me want to go there again.

The baristas here know a trick or two about coffee and Bonanza Coffee Roasters is one of the names that always comes up when discussing Berlin's best coffee. An amazing and hard to find Synesso Cyncra espresso machine is the center of attention in this tightly packed cafe and sitting here almost feels like you've been invited to the back room of their coffee roastery as you enjoy your cup, sitting between stacks of bags filled with the finest raw coffee beans ready to be roasted.

Near the Berlin Gate is a wonderful place to just sit and relax. The area is full of street performers and coffee shops. Also, just beyond the gate lies the unforgettable Reichstag. Definitely not a part of the city to overlook.

Perhaps Berlin's greatest gourmet coffee shop, The Barn has faced a wave of controvery surrounding their second location which opened in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood last September. At this larger space, which is meant to serve more as a tasting lab and roasting home than an extension of their intimate first venture, dogs, laptops and strollers, among other things, are not welcome. You can also forget about sugar or anything other than whole milk for your coffee. On a recent visit, the only background noise came from the winter wind slamming against the front windows- no music, just the sound of the next customer's brew coming to life. Ralf Rüller, the owner, considers himself a purist and sought to create an environment as free from distraction as possible; to allow coffee aficionados the kind of transcendental experience their beans and roasting deserves. As he explained in an interview with The Guardian: " the only way for me to survive as a small entrepreneur against big coffee chains, whose margins are much higher, is to narrow what we do and do it better." His approach, albeit contested by local families, has proven successful and the offering that made The Barn so beloved remains as delicious as ever. The roastery is a shrine for serious coffee drinkers and a welcoming hangout for those willing to part with their digital appendages/boisterous children/over-excited pets for a moment of caffeinated calm.

The Spanish shoe company’s sec ond hotel (the first is in Barcelona) features 51 minimalist rooms and three suites with hardwood floors, fluffy rugs, and furniture plucked from the 1970s and ’80s. Albert Raurich, formerly of Catalonia’s elBulli restaurant, created the menu at the eatery, Dos Palillos. The hotel also rents out bikes, perfect for exploring nearby Hackescher Markt. From $314. 49/(0) 30-2000-3410. Photo courtesy of Casa Camper. This appeared in the September, 2012 issue.

This bar has a living-room atmosphere: couches, sofas, easy chairs, wallpaper. They’ve got beer from the Czech Republic, a bit like a Bavarian beer. Hobrechtstrasse 61 This story appeared in the July/August 2010 issue. Photo by Achim Hatzius. See all of Philippe Werhahn’s favorite places in the Neukölln neighborhood of Berlin.

Freiburg is still getting near-daily April showers. While walking through the Black Forest, we took a path that lead up to a clearing, offering this view of houses nestled into the hillside. As soon as we reached the top of the hill we saw that there were also huge rainclouds headed our way. We decided to keep walking anyway, figuring that we would get wet even if we did turn back. We managed to take a bit of refuge under some trees and didn't get soaked after all. It was amazing to watch this storm pass over the distant city, temporarily disrupting our view of the buildings, and finally to clear once again to bright blue skies and chirping birds.