Hotels near Tiergarten and Victory Column

The Tiergarten is Berlin's green heart - 210 hectares of forested park, lakes, and statues running from the Brandenburg Gate to Charlottenburg. At its centre stands the Siegessaule (Victory Column), a 67-metre Prussian war monument crowned with a gilded Victoria statue - the angel from Wim Wenders's Wings of Desire.

Climb the column's 285-step spiral staircase (EUR 4) for a 360-degree view down the Strasse des 17. Juni axis to the Brandenburg Gate. The park itself is criss-crossed by paths past the Soviet War Memorial, the English Garden, the Cafe am Neuen See beer garden, and the rebuilt Schloss Bellevue (the German president's residence).

Pro Tip: Rent a bike at Hauptbahnhof and cycle the Tiergarten end to end (4 km). Cafe am Neuen See has rowing boats for hire (EUR 13/hour) on a small lake - the most relaxed afternoon in central Berlin.