Just think. On July 9 you'll be making your merry way to Berlin to watch the World Cup final. But hold your lederhosen-sporting horses: you can't just fly off and hope for the best. That's where we come in.

Places to stay
You've sold that pesky second kidney to land a pair of World Cup final tickets so you might as well go all out and make sure you wake up on the big day curled up and purring like a kitten in the lap of luxury. Berlin has more hotels than it does mullets (probably, at a stretch), so we'll offer our personal recommendations before pointing you in the direction of Berlin's tourist office, where you can find anything to suit your budget.

For a healthy dose of grandeur, you could do worse than head to the Mitte quarter's Westin Grand Berlin: it's slap-bang in the middle of the best shops and theatres, a tipsy sprint from Oranienburger Strasse's famous bars and a stone's throw from Friedrichstrasse station, which has trains running direct to the stadium.

If you favour design over splendour, Berlin's other trump card is the Brandenburger Hof, close to the famed Kurfürstendamm shopping mile and within the Charlottenburg district that also houses the stadium. Every detail has been attended to here and though it'll leave your wallet feeling somewhat violated, the service and the food (Michelin star!) will ease the blow.

You'll also find the Hotel Kronprinz in Charlottenburg. It's clean and neat enough to earn four stars but takes a more utilitarian approach to accommodation: if you don't need it, you won't find it - unlike the plasma screens that rise from the sleigh beds in suites at the Brandenburger. The major bonus is that it's only 20 minutes from the stadium, but set back from the road to offer a moment of peace.

The touristy things to do when there's no football on
The chances are that there will be at least an hour or two of your time in Berlin that won't be taken up by German-baiting/face-painting/drinking yourself into an early grave. Fear not. In case it's escaped your attention, Berlin has enough history to keep even nosy garden pilferer Tony Robinson happy, and there are plenty of different ways to enjoy it.

Museum-goers and military history enthusiasts might well consider Berlin a small slice of heaven, and even if it's not usually your scene, places like Checkpoint Charlie (the former Berlin wall gate) are worth a visit. The accompanying museum is home to various tales of Soviet-fleeing derring-do complete with the cars, amplifier boxes and suitcases used. It was set up by Rainer Hildebrandt, who played a part in countless under- and over-wall moves, and is now run by his passionate, if slightly eccentric, wife.

The Story of Berlin exhibition is an hour well spent if you fancy tracing the city from 1237 to the fall of the wall (actually more interesting than it sounds), and they have a radiation-proof bunker you can look around too (actually slightly less interesting than it sounds). Arty types should get along to the Bauhaus, otherwise try to make a moment for the Jewish museum, full of haunting stories, photos and hands-on installations.

If you'd prefer to stay outdoors on a warm summer's day, we'd recommend booking yourself one of Berlin on Bike's tours. It's a great way to see the city, taking in the wall (those few bits that haven't been hacked up and stuck onto postcards, of course) and the Brandenburg Gate.

The city will also be full of various football-related snippets of mayhem, designed to induce a carnival atmosphere and keep ticketless tourists up on the action. There are going to be big fat screens across all host cities with free viewings of the matches - Berlin's will be close to the Reichstag, and they'll all have various sports activities, markets and tacky corporate gifts to take home and treasure.

Getting to the ground
Berlin has a brilliant over- and underground train system, which, handily, remains easy to use even after the fan's obligatory 12-stein pre-match preparation, and the Olympic Stadium is equally handily positioned close to the Olympiastadion stations. The trains are as frequent and efficient as you'd expect from the Germans, and though Berlin doesn't have one significant, central station exactly, you can't stagger drunkenly beneath a red and white jesters' hat for more than about half a mile without finding a station. You'll have a bit of a walk from the station to the ground, but if you time it right you'll probably find about 56,000 others to follow.

The Olympic Stadium
Amazing, and more so since it was refurbished. Each stone around the outside was taken down, cleaned and replaced in exactly the spot it came from, and it's no wonder the Germans opted for this stadium as the one for the final. It's got a 76,000 capacity and when it's full, as it will be for the final, and the atmosphere is electric - especially if the Brazilians are in town. The pitch can feel a little distant, thanks to the athletics track around the pitch and the sheer scale of the place, but the facilities are great, the staff are friendly and there are proper German sausages on sale outside. What more could you want?

Post-match celebrations
If previous World Cups are anything to go by, there is nothing worse than spending final day stone-cold sober - win or lose. Happily, there can't be many corners of Berlin dry of a beer or two, so it could well be a case of take your pick (let's face it, you'll not be too choosy), but there are certain establishments worth making a beeline for - and be warned, there aren't too many pubs in the shadow of the stadium, so head into town if it's a pub you fancy.

Places to try if you're the sort who patiently demands ham, egg and chips no matter what corner of the world you're in: the Irish Harp Giesebrechtstrasse 15 [big screens, normally plenty of spaces, and cosy Irish-English pub atmosphere], The Oscar Wilde on Friedrichstrasse [big screens, Irish and English food, karaoke], and White Trash on Sch?nhauser Allee [pub/club to accommodate those in need of a boogie].

Places to try if you're not: Anywhere around Savignyplatz is well worth a visit, but Hefner is our pick, plus Sohpie'n Eck on Grosse Hamburger Strasse [spit and sawdust], and Mutter Hoppe on Rathausstrasse [finally, a chance to clank Steines with moustachioed accordion-playing Germans]. Both are on the same S-Bahn route as the stadium.

Places to go if you just want to neck as much foreign beer as you can hold, and then another Stein or two: head east is the key. Potsdamer Platz (which has its own station) is riddled with beer gardens and is apparently planning to go big during the World Cup. Hackescher Markt [beer gardens, restaurants and beach bars] is also worth a try.

Getting back to the hotel after all that
The trains run fairly late in Berlin but if you've partied into the small hours (or spent several hours explaining to a bemused German barman exactly why it's actually unfair that England lost), there are taxis (those beige Mercedes) everywhere, and they're pretty cheap.

Way to go

Eurobreak (eurobreak.co.uk; 020 8780 7700) offers six hotels in Berlin, ranging from three to five stars including the five-star Westin Grand and Hotel Brandenburger Hof. Georgina Turner stayed at the four-star Hotel Kronprinz for three nights on B&B, with prices starting from £96 per person for accommodation only. For stays until March 31, it's offering three nights for the price of two.

Eurobreak offers a booking service with Air Berlin, with fares starting at £75 per person, which include in-flight catering and pre-booked seats. Regional flights are available at a supplement. For the weekend of the World Cup final, Ryanair, Easyjet and Air Berlin still have some reasonably priced, direct flights from London to Berlin. At the time of publication, return flights for the weekend were priced at £76.55 including taxes. Check skyscanner.net for the best deals.

A Super Berlin Tour (half day) with Berolina Berlin costs £18.

For more information on Berlin visit www.berlin-tourist-information.de.