Berlin

Borrough: Charlottenburg - Wilmersdorf

Districts: Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf, Schmargendorf, Grunewald, Westend, Charlottenburg-Nord, Halensee

Once the heart of the West Berlin with Kudamm and its chic stores, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church and the zoo, Charlottenburg lost on popularity for some years. However, since 2013 it reawakened due to the Zoofenster, the Bikini-house and a expanded nightlife. The district is the most diverse of Berlin. Celebrities live next door to ordinary people and students, as well as alternatives of the 1960s movement. Start-ups and artists move here, as studios are more affordable than in Kreuzberg. Charlottenburg Castle, the Deutsche Oper, the Theater des Westens as well as several cinemas, theaters and museums make Charlottenburg one of the most culturally appealing parts of the city. The Technical University is located in Charlottenburg.
With town mansions, residential development as well as old and new apartments Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is diverse in way of housing, too. The rents differ, however residential property is most expensive of the whole city in Wilmersdorf.

Verkehr: U-Bahn: U1, U2, U3,U7, U9
S-Bahn: S3, S5, S7/75, S41/42/46 (Linien S41/42 part of S-Bahn-Ring)
Station Zoologischer Garten is stop of several regionaltrains  (RE1, RE2, RE7, RB14)
Opposite the exhibition halls is the central bus station (ZOB). 
Parks: Grunewald, public parks at Diana-, Koenigs-, Hubertus- und Halensee; Volkspark and Preußenpark. The most popular parks in Charlottenburg are Park am Lietzensee, Schlosspark of Charlottenburg Castle, as well as Volkspark Jungfernheide.
Shopping: Kurfürstendamm, Tauentzienstreet as well as their sidestreets (Uhlandstraße, Fasanenplatz), Reichsstraße Westend.

Borough: Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg

Districts: Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg

Colourful and cheerful, these words fit both Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Both districts offer many nightlife opportunities to young people.
Kreuzberg with its multiple colorful bar districts and pub miles along Oranienstraße and Bergmannstraße one of the top locations for nightlife. However, Friedrichshain does not need to hide in matters of nightlife as a pulsating nightlife scene developed around Simon-Dach-Straße, Wühlisch-Straße and Boxhagener-Straße.
The rents in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg increased drastically in the last years as old buildings were renovated and sanified. Nowhere else in Berlin did the rents increase as much as here. Therefore, instead of students, which lived in here before, more and more people with higher income move in. Friedrichshain is very interesting and attractive for young creative as location for industry and commerce.

Verkehr:

U-Bahn:U1, U5, U6, U7, U8

S-Bahn: 7 S-Bahn lines in East-West direction and 4 in East-West direction; Ostbahnhof is an important station for regional and interregional trains (IC, ICE RE1, RE2, RE7, RB14).

Parks: Volkspark (sports and leisure time facilities), Görlitzer Park, Viktoria Park, new Park at Gleisdreieck.
Shopping: Frankfurter Allee, Ostbahnhof and at Karl-Marx-Allee; Bergmannstraße with its neigbouring and parallel streets and Moritzplatz.

Borrough: Lichtenberg-Hohenschönhausen

Districts: Alt-Hohenschönhausen, Neu-Hohenschönhausen, Falkenberg, Fennpfuhl, Friedrichsfelde, Karlshorst, Lichtenberg, Malchow, Rummelsburg, Wartenberg

Hohenschönhausen is especially known for its "Plattenbauten" (large housing estates). Nevertheless, it has a natural park character in some parts: Malchow, Wartnberg and Falkensee. Those parts are neighbouring to Brandenburg and its agricultural farms and recreation areas. Due to the rather low rents and the extension of its infrastructure, Hohenschönhausen has improved its image. Especially students, young families and young creatives move here. 

Equally attractive to students and young families became Lichtenberg. in the center of the Borrough, Alt-Lichtenberg, prevail renovated buildings from the 1870s, administrative buildings and green areas. Karlhorst is known as the best area to live in Lichtenberg. Composed of many villas, 1870s apartment houses and housing estates, it provides a high level of living quality.

Verkehr:
U-Bahn: U5
S-Bahn: S3, S5, S7, S75, S41, S42
Lichtenberg has an important station with connection to regions in the North and North-East. (RB12, NE26, OE25, OE60).
Parks: areas of allotments, public parks at Obersee, Orankesee and Faule See, Regionalpark Barnimer Feldmark, Stadtpark at the Parkaue, Fennpfuhl-Park, zoo Friedrichsfelde and Landschaftspark Herzberge.
Shopping: Landsberger Allee (Allee Center), Konrad-Wolf-Straße ( „Hohenschönhauser Tor"), „Lindencenter" at Prerower Platz. Möllendorffstraße, „Storkower Bogen", Ring-Center II, Anton-Saefkow-Platz

Borrough: Marzahn - Hellersdorf

Districts: Biesdorf, Mahlsdorf, Hellersdorf, Kaulsdorf, Marzahn

Marzahn and Hellersdorf are famous for their "Plattenbauten" (large housing estates). Those were painted in multiple colours and parks and gardens were planted around them In order to stop the moving away from the borroughs. However, today satisfaction of living in "Plattenbauten" is good.  People of all social stratums live in Marzahn and Hellersdorf. However, in Marzahn-Hellersdorf are not only "Plattenbauten". Mahlsdorf and Kaulsdorf represent the largest area of one-family houses of Berlin.

Living condtions improved through the center of Hellersdorf "Helle Mitte" with its infrastructure, shopping possibilities and cultural offers. Although, vacancy decreases due to housing shortages in the whole city, the rents in Marzahn and Hellersdorf are still very low. 

Verkehr:
U-Bahn: U5
S-Bahn: S5, S7
Bus: M6, M8
Parks: Wuhletal, „Helle Mitte" has two parks, recreation park Marzahn with the famous "gardens of the world" („Gärten der Welt")
Shopping: „Helle Mitte", „B1-Center" ,Marzahner Promenade, Shopping-Center Eastgate, Havemann-Center.

Borrough: Mitte

Districts: Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Tiergarten, Mitte, Moabit, Wedding

The district Mitte is the centre of trade, administration and government of Berlin. The borrough Mitte provide all necessary functions a capital city needs. It provides a enormous entertainment and sopping centers, restaurants, bars cultural attractions and sights as the world-famous museum island. Although, being the symbol of boomtown Berlin, Mitte provides idyllic places for recreation, too. The Tiergarten is one of the world-largest inner-city parks. An alternative art scene is situated in Mitte as well as many embassies.

In the districts Mitte, Tiergarten and Moabit the rents are significantly above average in Berlin. Due to the increased rents here, the former inhabitant of the districts (artists, students and shop owners) moved to cheaper apartments houses and “Plattenbauten” in the neighbourhood of Alexanderplatz or Wedding.

Verkehr:
Mitte has considerably good connections; Berlin main station is located in Mitte;

S-Bahn: S1, S2, S21, S25, S3, S7, S75, S41, S42, S8


U-Bahn: U2,U6,U8, U9, U55


Many Buses and trams

Parks: Tiergarten, Monbijoupark, Mauerpark, Volkspark am Weinberg, Marx-Engels-Forum , Fritz-Schloß- and Spreebogenpark, Volkspark Rehberge, Goethe- and Schillerpark Goethe- and Schillerpark

Shopping: Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstraße, Unter den Linden. Hackescher Markt, Neue and Alte Schönhauser Straße, Potsdamer Platz, Leopoldplatz, Gesundbrunnen-Center, Bad- and Brunnenstraße, Müllerstraße

Borrough: Neukölln

Districts: Britz, Bukow, Gropiusstadt, Neukölln, Rudow

The image of Neukölln changed rapidly with the increasing of rents in Kreuzberg. The image changed to an extremely popular and good place to live among young people, especially the area between Gräfekiez and Maybachufer. Real estate prices in Neukölln are rising and everywhere small bars, galleries and organic shops as well as small businesses settle down. Neukölln provides a wide range of housing possibilites: densely populated and multcultural in the north to the southern middle-class neighborhoods with one-family houses. 

Verkehr:
U-Bahn: U7, U8
S-Bahn: S41/42, S46 S-Bahn-Ring
Bus: M11, M41, M44, M46
Parks: Nearly 30% of the borrough are parks: Britzer Garten, Hasenheide, Körnerpark and Lessinghöhe.
Shopping: Berlin´s biggest shopping mall the "Gropius-Passagen" is located in Bukow. Further good shopping opportunities are: in the north: Hermannplatz and Hermannstraße, Karl-Marx-Straße and Sonnenallee
in the south: the "Wutzky-Center"

Borrough: Pankow – Prenzlauer Berg

Districts: Blankenburg, Blankenfelde, Buch, Französisch Buchholz, Heinersdorf, Karow, Niederschönhausen, Pankow, Prenzlauer Berg, Rosenthal, Stadtrandsiedlung, Malchow,Weißensee, Wilhelmsruh

Parks and forests as well as high-quality old and new buildings make Pankow an attractive place to life and more and more popular. Hardly any factory is situated in Pankow. Many ambassies and ambassador´s residences are still located in this district. The housing in Pankow differs considerably: high-scale apartment buildings, smaller villa quarters and one-family house areas. However, old buildings prevail in Pankow.Prenzlauer Berg changed most since the fall of the Berlin Wall and is now more trendy than ever since. It is still a focus for alternative lifestyles, however the population changed significantly. The old buildings were renovated and the rents increased heavily. The former population composed of students and artists mainly moved away and younf families as well as people with higher incomes want to live in this trendy district. The rents i some parts of Prenzlauer Berg are on equal lelvel with those of the noble districts as Grunewald or Dahlem. Many large parks such as the Volkspark Prnazlauer Berg or the Mauerpark with its flea markets or karaoke performances invite to escape from the city trouble for a moment. 

Verkehr:
S-Bahn: S1, S2, S41/42
U-Bahn: U2
Busse: M1, M2, M13
trams
Parks: Bürgerpark, Schlosspark, Schönholzer Heide, Mauerpark, Volkspark, Anton-Saefkow-Park
Shopping: Main shopping areas are Berliner Straße, Breite Straße and the „Rathaus-Center"; Kastanienallee, Oderberger Straße and Schönhauser Allee

Borough: Reinickendorf

Districts: Frohnau, Heiligensee, Hermsdorf, Lübars, Märkisches Viertel, Reinickendorf, Tegel, Waidmannslust, Tegel

Reinickendorf offers a high level of living quality. One quarter of the borough is composed of forest, additionally there are a lot of parks and water areas. Many people moving to Berlin move to Reinickendorf. Frohnau is the “best address” of this borough.

Although, the range of rent differs as much as the quality of housing in the borough, on average, the rents are lower than average in Berlin.

Especially low rents are in the districts in the east and south-east and in the large apartment blocs in the north-east.

Tegel airport is boon and bane at the same time. On the one hand it pollutes the air with dust and noises, on the other hand it is an important infrastructural plus factor.

Verkehr:
S-Bahn: S1, S25, S41, S42, S46
U-Bahn: U6, U8, U9

Parks: Berliner Forst, Tegeler Fließ, Schäfer- and Steinbergsee,

Shopping: „Märkische Zentrum", „Hallen am Borsigturm", Ludolfinger Paltz, Zeltinger Platz, Heinestraße, Nordmeile

Borough: Spandau

Districts: Gatow, Hakenfelde, Haselhorst, Kladow, Siemensstadt, Spandau, Staaken, Wilhelmstadt

Spandau offers high city qualities with the historic centre as well as scenic qualities with the forests and the rivers Spree and Havel. Those who want to live in a country-like atmosphere and in affordable lodges close to the water, move to Kladow and Gatow. The housing is manifold from attractive one-family house areas to large apartment buildings. In Spandau 20% of the flats are social flats, this is a considerably large part.
Siemensstadt, the largest and most important industrial site of Berlin is part of Spandau. BMW, Bosch Siemens, Orenstein & Koppel and Osram amongst others are situated here.
In matters of housing the rents in most districts of Spandau are relatively low. However, living in Gatow and Kladow is more expensive.

Verkehr:

U-Bahnen: U7

S-Bahnen: S3, S75

Bahn: regional trains to Berlin city centre (RE2); station for interregional trains (IC, ICE)
Parks: spacious areas of water and forest, Südpark, Park and greenfields at Spektesee, Koeltze-, Münsinger- and Wröhmännerpark, punlic parks along Havel and around the Zitadelle, Spandauer Forst (local recreation area).
Shopping: historic centre and „Spandau Arcaden".

Borough: Steglitz-Zehlendorf

City districts: Dahlem, Lichterfelde, Lankwitz, Nikolassee, Steglitz, Wannsee, Zehlendorf

Steglitz is a district for living in a rather bourgeois way. It´s a mixture of parks and large shopping malls, of old mansions, 1960s residential developments and smaller family houses. Rents differ throughout Steglitz, but in average they are rather a bit above average of Berlin. 
Zehlendorf is probably the most prestigious district of Berlin. Luxurious mansions as well as forests and lakes, as the Wannsee, determine the district´s high quality of living. Because of its historical background of being in the American sector and because of several international schools within the district, families from with a English-speaking background often move here. Because of the good adress and the good image of the district he rents are rather high. One of the most exclusive and expensive districts of Berlin is situated in Zehlendorf: Dahlem. Furthermore, the Freie Universität, the secon big university of Berlin is located in Dahlem. 

Verkehr:
U-Bahn: U9, U3
S-Bahn: S2/25, S1, S7
good connection with "City-West" through motorway and regional trains (RE1, RE7)
Parks: Bäkepark, Stadtpark Steglitz, Gemeindepark Lankwitz, Lilienthalpark, Botanical Garden. Grunewald and Berliner Forst with Schlachtensee and Wannsee; Forst Düppel, Thielpark, Fischthalpark, Heinrich-Laehr-Park, Pfaueninsel, Volkspark Klein-Glienicke
Shopping: Central shopping street is the Schloßstrasse in Steglitz, smaller shopping-centres are Leonoren- and Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße, Kranoldplatz and Drakestraße; Teltower Damm

Borrough: Tempelhof – Schöneberg

Districts: Friedenau, Lichtenrade, Mariendorf, Marienfelde, Schöneberg, Tempelhof

Tempelhof has a rather middle-class, partly even conservative character as location for living. In the north it is composed of more dense old housings, whereas in, Mariendorf, Marienenfelde and Lichtenrade spacious one-family house areas prevail.
The north of Schöneberg is especially popular among young people because of its bars and cultural opportunities. Throughout Schönerberg quality of living varies. Most quietly and finest is the Bavarian quarter and Friedenau. In Schöneberg are still some old housing in need of renovation.

Next to housing estates a large industrial area is still situated in Tempelhof. Alcatel, Bahlsen, Mercedes Benz, Gillette, Raab Karcher, Schindler lifts amongst others are situated in Tempelhof. In 2008 the famous Tempelhof airport was closed. Since then it is a spacious public field and provides many possibilities for leisure time.

Verkehr:

S-Bahn: S1, S2, S25, S41, S42, S47,
U-Bahn: U1, U2, U3, U4, U6,U7, U9
Station Südkreuz is one of the most important interregional stations of Berlin
Parks: Alte Park, Bose- and Francke-Park, Volkspark Mariendorf, Gutspark Marienfelde, Freizeitpark Marienfelde, area of the former Tempelhof airport „Tempelhofer Feld", Westpark, Rudolph-Wilde- and Heinrich-Lassen-Park, Insulaner
Shopping: Tempelhofer Damm, Hafen Tempelhof, Hauptstraße, Potsdamer Straße, Schlossstraße, Kaufhaus des Westens, Winterfeldplatz

Borough: Treptow-Köpenik

Districts: Adlerhof, Altglienicke, Alt-Treptow, Baumschulenweg, Bohnsdorf, Friedrichshagen, Grünau, Johannistal, Köpenick, Müggelheim, Niederschönweide, Oberschönweide

Treptow-Köpenick is one of the more heterogeneous boroughs. In the east and the south are very idyllic colonies located, next to the Müggelsee, Dämeritzsee and along the Dame (Langer See). The historic centre in the north is sanified to 80% and gained a lot of attractiveness. 

The district Oberschöneweide in the north-west, the former most important industrial site of Eastern Berlin get revitalised. Oberschöneweide become more and more popular for living.

The science and commerce park in Adlershof is one of the largest technology parks of the world. And became the most important and most modern technology park of Europe in the last twenty years. The area is very important for new buildings as well.

Treptow and Köpenick have both, large areas of forest and lakes. Köpenick is covered with forests and waters to nearly 70% and Treptow is one of Berlin´s most popular recreational areas.

Verkehr:

S-Bahn: S3, S47, S46, S8, S45, S85, S9

Buses and Trams
Parks: Berliner Forst with Dammheide, Mittelheide and Krummendammer Heide, Volkspark Wuhlheide, spacious waterfronts (e.g. Luisenhain), Treptower Park, Plänterwald, Natur- and Landschaftspark Adlershof, Köllnische Heide; insider tip: the small but lovely botanical garden („Arboretum") Späthstraße.
Shopping: Bahnhofstraße in Dammsuburb, shopping mall Elcknerplatz, „Park-Center", Marktpassagen and centre Schönweide.