Ride the Stadtbahn (express local trains - not the U-Bahn) from Zoologischer Garten to Berlin Ostbahnhof station for a rooftop view of the many different characters of the city. Start in the heart of the old west and travel via the Tiergarten, new Berlin central station, government district, Freidrichstrasse, Museum Island and Alexanderplatz, ending up in the old East Berlin. Cheap, very frequent and clean. A good alternative is BVG Bus route 100, which links most of the same major sites and sights.

Zoologischer Garten station, just off Kurfurstendamm/Tauentzienstrasse or any S-Bahn station en route, see www.bvg.de for details of Berlin public transport

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We stayed with a friend in Berlin who is a keen cyclist. He took us on several rides within the city, along canal and riverbank paths as well as on the road system. By bike you can cover larger distances than walking, and experience more of the atmosphere than on public transport. Other vehicles respected us as fellow road users.

We also took the bikes on the train to Potsdam (special carriages, look for the cycle symbol) and cycled round the town and Park Sanssouci. Although cycling in the park is not strictly allowed, it is extremely large and would be difficult to take in all the small palace buildings in one visit on foot.

As our host had the bikes we did not have to look for hire shops, but I am sure they exist as it is a cycle friendly city - or take your own with you!

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Berlin's own public tourist bus route. The 100 sets off from Zoologischer Garten and goes past all the main sites - the Tiergarten, the Reichstag, Unter den Linden, and Berlin’s neo-baroque cathedral. The 200 goes in the same direction but takes a slightly different route via Potsdamer Platz. No need to get on one of those naff 'historic' tour buses.

www.bvg.de

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You can take a ferry ride from Wansee to Kladow for free if you have a travelcard: it’s part of Berlin’s marvellous public transport network. Kladow is itself a great place to spend a day - stroll through the village and across the line of the Berlin Wall, past crystal clear lakes with good swimming beaches, to the Heilandskirche and castle at Sakrow. From Sakrow you can get a Viking ship in summer to Potsdam.

http:www.kladow-online.de

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This trip can be done with a day ticket (tageskarte) or with a small group ticket (kleingruppekarte) for 3-5 people. Allow about 2 hours 30 minutes, but longer if you want to stop off. Take the U8 from Alexanderplatz to Boddinstrasse, then the 104 bus marked 'Neu Westend' from the stop outside Woolworths, but before you do look inside Woolworths (seriously) at the painted ceiling - it was once the Kindl beer hall and restaurant.

Try and sit upstairs left on the bus which goes past: the Turkish Mosque, the American airlift plane, Templehof airport (the longest building in Europe), the airlift memorial, Schoneburg Town hall (where JFK made his famous speech), Wilmersdorf, Halensee Lake, the former Avus race track and buildings, the Funkturm radio tower (you can climb it), exhibition centre and Neu Westend. From here you can take U2 back to Alexanderplatz.

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Trabi Safari is a 90-minute guided tour around Berlin in one of the iconic former DDR cars. The highlight of this tour is that YOU are the driver. A great and fun way for you and three friends to see the city and engage with a piece of Berlin history.

www.trabi-safari.de

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Berlin’s public bike rental scheme, run by Die Bahn, Germany’s railway. The bikes are easy to spot - they are everywhere, and are red and white. Simply phone up Callabike using your mobile then cycle off. The great thing about the scheme is that you can dump your bike wherever you want when it starts to rain: you don’t have to bring it back anywhere. Might be worth getting someone who speaks German to register you initially.

www.callabike.de

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