BRAVE the cold weather to visit the capital of Germany, Berlin.

Germany's  capital Berlin is home to an enthralling 153 museums, including the Alte Nationalgalerie and its 19th-century art collection, located on the Unesco World Heritage-listed Museum Island.

Music lovers are spoilt for choice, with three main opera houses, the Deutsche Oper, the Berlin State Opera and the Komische Oper, to choose from.

The cosmopolitan city is also awash with diverse architecture, from the many grand Prussian monuments such as the Berlin Cathedral, to the Reichstag and historic Potsdamer Platz, a public square that was divided by the Berlin Wall until 1989.

A trip to Berlin would not be complete without a visit to the baroque Charlottenburg Palace. Built at the end of the 17th century, the ornate building was used as a summer palace for the Electress Sophie Charlotte.

End your visit to Germany's largest city with a trip to one of the many popular beer gardens and try a Berliner Weisse, a young wheat beer that ferments in the bottle, preferably with a shot of red raspberry or green woodruff syrup.

GETTING THERE:

Expedia (0871 226 0808/www.expedia.co.uk) offers three nights room only at the Savoy Berlin from £206pp (two sharing), including return Heathrow flights with BA.