A city rich in history with a reputation as a party capital Berlin has a lot to offer, as Liz Lamb discovers.

You need stamina to spend a weekend in Berlin. As a committed party girl, I was determined to make the most of the city's liberal licensing laws and open-all-hours clubs. But I also wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on Berlin's fascinating cultural history, not always easy when a girl needs her beauty sleep.

Armed with a collection of travel guides nestling among my clubwear, my friend and I arrived at Schonefeld airport less than two hours after taking off from Newcastle.

Berlin is the perfect place if you want to get away for the weekend without spending too much time in the air, after all it does eat away at valuable leisure time, and with so much to see we were not prepared to scrimp on that.

An enviable thing about Berlin is its first rate transport system. Travel by tram, underground or train to the city centre and the suburbs is relatively cheap, with an all-day pass for the U- and S-Bahn costing five euros.

Our first stop was at our hotel, the Berlin Hilton, situated in the Mitte district of the city, which we got to easily by U-Bahn.

The Hilton is a vast 589-room hotel with bars, restaurants, shops and leisure facilities, and within easy walking distance of government buildings, ministries and embassies.

We were in Berlin for only four days, so one of our first priorities was to work out what we most wanted to see in the time we had. We decided the Jewish Museum, the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate were top of our list.

We were able to walk to Brandenburg Gate, a short distance away from the hotel and close to the now infamous Aldon Hotel where Michael Jackson hung his baby over a balcony. The Gate, built in 1791, is situated at the head of Unter den Linden. An impressive structure, it has survived both wars, the separation of East and West Berlin, and even reduced Margaret Thatcher to tears on a state visit.

Beware of street sellers who claim to be selling pieces of the Berlin Wall with supposed certificates of authentication. Original pieces are hard to come by and the stone is very rarely genuine.

A ten minute walk away from the gate is the Reichstag, the home of the German Parliament, and where Hitler wrestled to seize control of Germany. Modified in 1999 by a British architect, the building is a mix of old and new but one of its most impressive features is the viewing deck which gives a magnificent sight of the city.

One of the most disturbing places to visit is the Jewish Museum. It tells the stories of families whose lives were caught up in the Holocaust through photographs, letters and artefacts. An eerie display of 12 grey columns and a dark, windowless room, erected by a German architect to symbolise the loneliness of prison camps, is a bleak reminder of their suffering.

Halfway into our stay we moved to the Hotel Bristol Kempinski, on Kurfurstendamm, a main shopping street of both designer and mainstreem stores, such as German favourite H&M. Prices vary but we still managed to find a few bargains that would have cost us a lot more back home.

We concluded our days by sampling the Berlin bars and clubs, which are mixture of traditional pubs and cafs, as well as more trendy outlets.

We visited Oranienburger Strasse, a long street full of bars that attract arty types, and Hackescher Markt where there are several pubs and restaurants housed under railway arches.

The AM:PM bar, open 24 hours, is worth a look - they serve huge glasses of vodka which you can drink as you dance along to Eighties pop until the last customer goes home. It's also a very good place to people watch. The students who have had one too many try to outdo each other on the dancefloor with hilarious consequences. While we were there we got chatting to a German David Beckham lookalike who didn't quite appreciate our English sense of humour when we asked where Posh was and hassled him for an autograph.

Oranienburger Strasse is a lively district which is very popular with both locals and tourists. It is also home to a Singapore restaurant called Mirchi where we were greeted with a glass of champagne as we perused the menu. Prices were reasonable with drinks and a meal coming to around £14 each.

A gay festival was being held in the city when we were there and we were surprised to see floats filled with people dancing to Techno music winding their way through the streets past bemused shoppers on a busy Saturday afternoon.

With so much to see and do in Berlin, four days didn't quite seem enough time, especially when we were partying so hard in the evenings and getting up early in the mornings to sightsee. But it is definitely somewhere I would visit again; only this time I'll remember to pack more hangover pills.

TRAVELFACTS

* EasyJet flies daily from Newcastle International to Berlin. Fares start from £22.99 one way, including taxes and charges. Book online at www.easyJet.com

Liz Lamb stayed at the Hotel Bristol Kempinski courtesy of OctopusTravel.com