Berlin moves up on Europe's more lauded capitals - Mortgages - Money - The Independent

Berlin moves up on Europe's more lauded capitals - Mortgages - Money - The Independent

London or Paris; Paris or London? Which of these two is Europe's greatest city?

The debate has gone on for decades, if not centuries, we never get the definitive answer and probably never will. But I'd like to throw in a leftfield choice, the German capital of Berlin.

Right at the centre of the continent – Berlin is 45 minutes from the Polish border, a few hours from Vienna and eight from Rome. It's the home of the German government, the most important in Europe, and is this year on course to attract more international visitors than Paris. It's a city which, two decades after the Berlin Wall fell and following a tumultuous and troubled century, feels more and more as if its time is finally coming. From the café culture, to the iconic buildings of previous Reichs, the seemingly endless art galleries and museums and the old west and eastern centres of the city, Berlin is abuzz with possibilities.