Prenzlauer Berg

The boho chic berg
Talk of the town: With one of the highest birth rates in Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg is often called "nappy valley".
Noteworthy for: Local landmark, the red-brick water tower, was used by the Sturmabteilung (Brownshirts) as a torture chamber. It has now been converted into expensive apartments.

Prenzlauer Berg, formerly in the East, was once one of Berlin's most radical areas, but the creative types that migrated here grew up, got jobs and settled down. Gentrification swept through, and it is now charming verging on chi chi. Though Kastanienallee and Oderbergerstrasse are still full of vintage shops, cool cafes and a youngish crowd, the older generation keep the expensive organic delis and quaint, quirky boutiques in business.
The few sights include the somehow surviving synagogue in the courtyard of Rykestrasse, 53, and a huge Jewish cemetery (Schönhauser Allee). But the nicest time to visit is Thursday (12noon - 7pm) or Saturday (9am - 4pm) for the mouthwatering Kollwitzplatz Farmers' Market. Fill your suitcase with the gastro fodder, and nibble on fish Brötchen or cinnamon waffles.

Ever popular - especially on Saturdays - if its too hectic head to the neighbouring Helmholtzplatz market (Lychenerstrasse), which has a smaller but interesting selection and some lovely surrounding cafes such as Wohnzimmer cafe.