Berlin

Things to Do in BerlinWhether you see the sights of Berlin by coach, steamer, bicycle or on foot – you’ll pass a lot of famous buildings and memorials. We’ll tell you which ones you really can’t afford to miss!DDR MuseumThe DDR Museum is an interactive museum that takes you on a journey into the socialist past. You'll see countless iconic objects from the former East Germany, will take a simulated ride in a Trabi, dance the Lipsi and rummage around in an authentic apartment. It's an essential Berlin history trip.
Read More...Address: Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 1, Berlin
Phone: +49 30 847 1237 30
Website: www.ddr-museum.de/en
Operating Hours: Daily 9am–9pm
More Info: Located in CityQuartier DomAquarée
Tickets: Adults €9.80
Visit Berlin
Berlin Christmas MarketsThe smell of candied apples and toasted almonds drives Berliners out of doors during the cold season into their city's Christmas markets. With more than 400 stalls at the weekends, the Christmas markets offer sensual concerts, unique handicrafts, and culinary delights from top chefs — the winter magic is in the air at the Gendarmenmarkt. A romantic Christmas market is held in Charlottenburg. The illumination of the castle and the castle park create an enchanting backdrop. Winter sports enthusiasts head to Winter World in Potsdamer Platz. At the Christmas market, you can go ice skating and sledging on the largest mobile toboggan run in Europe.
If you feel a bit intimidated by the abundance if choice and want to have the smoothest introduction to Berlin's Christmas Markets — book a guided tour with several snacks and mulled wine included!

Read More...Address: Approx. 60 markets throughout the city
Website: www.berlin.de/en/christmas-markets
Operating Hours: open in late November and last through December, closing right after 25 December, with a few staying open for New Year's
cmophoto.net/unsplash.com
Brandenburg GateIt’s Berlin’s most famous landmark and became the symbol of overcoming the division of Germany. From an architectural perspective, the sandstone structure, built by Carl Gotthard Langhans, is one of the most magnificent examples of German classicism. Nowadays the Gate serves as a backdrop for festivals, big sporting events or New Year’s Eve parties.
Read More...Address: Brandenburger Tor, Pariser Platz, Berlin Mitte
Claudio Schwarz/unsplash.com
East Side GalleryAn East German Trabant car, which appears to be breaking through the concrete. Honecker and Breschnew locked in a kiss of brotherly, socialist love. With the East Side Gallery, a segment of the Berlin Wall has been turned into the longest open air gallery in the world.
The open-air East Side Gallery is located along the banks of the river Spree in Friedrichshain. At 1316 meters, it's also the longest segment of the Berlin Wall that is still standing. Right after the fall of the Wall, this stretch was painted by 118 artists from 21 different countries. Using various techniques, the artists commented on the political events that took place in 1989 and 1990 in over 100 works of art found on the eastern side of the wall.

Read More...Address: Mühlenstraße 1, Berlin Friedrichshain
Email: info@eastsidegallery-berlin.com
Phone: +49 30 251 71 59
Website: www.eastsidegallery-berlin.de
Jeison Higuita/unsplash.com
Berlin Highlights Bike TourExperience Berlin like a local and cover all the must-see attractions in just half a day with this highlights tour on a bicycle — ideal for cycling enthusiasts with limited time in the city. You'll be introduced to iconic landmarks such as the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Brandenburg Gate, among others. You don't have to worry about navigation, as your knowledgeable guides will lead you through a carefully planned route while sharing engaging stories about Berlin's culture and history.Michał Parzuchowski/unsplash.com
Boat Cruise on the River SpreeOne of the best ways to see any city is from the water — and Berlin is no exception. Enjoy a boat cruise along the River Spree and catch a glimpse of many city attractions including the government district, Bellevue Palace, Berlin Cathedral, and Museum Island in just a couple of hours. Perfect plan for when your legs are already tired but you are still in the mood for adventure. Choice of morning or afternoon departure.
Read More...Address: Stern und Kreisschiffahrt GmbH, Anleger Friedrichstraße/Reichstagufer, Berlin
Email: info@sternundkreis.de
Phone: +49 30 53 63 600
Website: www.sternundkreis.de/en/Startseite/en/Trips/K102.htm
Stern und Kreis
Museum IslandThe five historical museum buildings on Museum Island have been part of UNESCO world heritage since 1999 and represent a collection that's unique in the world. Each museum building on the island was designed by famous architects of their time. Museum Island is home to collections in the Altes Museum (Old Museum), the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), the Bode Museum, and the Neues Museum (New Museum), as well as the Pergamon Museum. The exhibitions cover prehistoric times, ancient history and 19th century art.
Read More...Address: Museumsinsel Berlin, Am Lustgarten 1, Berlin
Website: www.smb.spk-berlin.de
Operating Hours: Tue–Sun 10am–6pm. On Thu until 8pm
Santiago Flores/unsplash.com
Berlin Palace Humboldt ForumThe Berlin Palace on the Museum Island in the Mitte area of Berlin, was the main royal residence from 1443 to 1918. It was badly damaged during the Allied bombing in World War II, and was demolished by the East German authorities in 1950 to build the modernist East German Palace of the Republic. After German reunification and several years of debate, the Palace of the Republic was itself demolished and the Berlin Palace was constructed anew to house the Humboldt Forum museum.
Today, the Humboldt Forum museum houses a rich collection of Asian art and craft objects dating from the 5th millennium BC through to the present day. Explore East Asian paintings and prints, lacquer objects and ceramics, the art and culture of the Silk Road, South Asian and South-East Asian art, Hindu and Buddhist sculptures and much more.

Read More...Address: Berliner Schloss, Museum Island, Berlin-Mitte
Phone: +49 30 99 211 89 89
Website: www.humboldtforum.org/en
Operating Hours: Mon, Wed, Thu & Sun 10am–8pm, Fri & Sat 10am–10pm, Tue closed
Geoprofi Lars/Wikimedia Commons
Alexanderplatz and Television TowerOnce the heart of the former East Berlin, Alexanderplatz is today the largest inner-city square in Germany and has developed into a popular shopping attraction. The view from the Television Tower, its height of 368 meters (1,207 ft) making it the tallest tower in Germany, is absolutely fantastic. A perfect 360° all-round view is provided by the revolving restaurant Sphere and Bar 203, making a full turn twice an hour.
Read More...Address: Alexanderplatz und Fernsehturm, Panoramastraße 1A, Berlin Mitte
Email: info@tv-turm.de
Website: tv-turm.de/en
Operating Hours: The observation deck: daily 10am–10pm
Tickets: Adults €22.50
Alexanderplatz © Scholvien
Friedrichstadt-Palast BerlinFriedrichstadt-Palast Berlin, also shortened to Palast Berlin, is a gorgeous building and a brilliant piece of entertainment that cannot be found anywhere else in Europe. Jean Paul Gaultier designed the over 500 daring and extravagant costumes. The dazzling shows spark a mesmerizing abundance of emotions: hope, happiness and a joy for life. Recommended by the New York Times as "Must-See in Berlin".
Also suitable for international guests, who do not speak German.

Read More...Address: Friedrichstraße 107, Berlin Mitte
Email: happiness@palast.berlin
Phone: +49 30 2326 2327
Website: www.palast.berlin/en
Operating Hours: Evening show 7:30pm, matinee 3:30pm. Mon closed
Tickets: Tickets from €24.90
Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin/Flickr
PanoramapunktThe best views of Berlin: With the fastest elevator in Europe in just 20 seconds to 100m height. You'll speed up to the terrace where photo-worthy views of the German capital await. Spectacular views of the city’s most famous landmarks and historic sites! The Brandenburg Gate and a lot more are just a stone’s throw away. Check out the view, an exhibition and a cool cafe.
Read More...Address: Potsdamer Platz 1, Berlin
Phone: +49 30 2593 7080
Operating Hours: Summer 11am–7pm, Winter 11am–6pm
Tickets: Adults €7.50
Visit Berlin
Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg MemorialWhile Berlin is great for parties and long walks with friends, it is also a place where grand and terrifying political events took place. It's worth taking a half-day trip to get a sobering look at the Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg Nazi concentration camp. You will learn about the more than 200,000 prisoners that passed through the camp’s gates from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May 1945. The camp mainly held political prisoners throughout World War II.Website: www.sachsenhausen-sbg.de/en
More Info: The memorial is about 45 minutes away from the city centre
Miguel Ángel Díaz Magister/unsplash.com
Get Closer to David BowieBack in the 1970s, Berlin was the home of the legendary David Bowie. Together with a specialist guide, you'll navigate the city on foot and by public transport, discovering the Berlin that inspired David Bowie's seminal Berlin Trilogy. You'll see Hansa Studios, where 'Heroes' and 'Low' were recorded. Stop by 155 Hauptstrasse, where Bowie and Iggy Pop lived and created together in 1977. This tour is an absolute must for all the fans of Ziggy Stardust.
Read More...Address: Tours depart from Ständige Vertretung cafe, Schiffbauerdamm 8, Berlin-Mitte
Felipe Tofani/Flickr (image cropped)
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of EuropeNot far from the Brandenburg Gate you'll the Memorial for Europe’s Murdered Jews, also known as the Holocaust Memorial. It is a grid of stelae (2711 concrete slabs) on a sloping field accessible from all sides. It serves as a central place of remembrance and admonition and is supplemented by an underground information center, containing the names of all known victims and details on the places of horror.
Read More...Address: Cora-Berliner-Straße 1, Berlin Tiergarten
Phone: +49 30 263 94 30
Website: www.stiftung-denkmal.de/en
Operating Hours: Always open
More Info: You are meant to walk between the slabs, not climb on them
Tickets: Free admission
Giulia Gasperini/unsplash.com
GendarmenmarktGendarmenmarkt square is a beautiful example of an architectural ensemble which includes both the French and the German cathedral, as well as the Concert House. Many Berliners believe that the Gendarmenmarkt is the most beautiful place in Germany and indeed in all of Europe. A must-see for all visitors to Berlin.
Read More...Address: Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin Mitte
Samuel Svec/unsplash.com
Teufelsberg — Field Station BerlinIn the heart of Grunewald lies Teufelsberg the highest mountain built from the rubble of the World War II with a fantastic 360° view over Berlin. British and American secret services operated their most important and spectacular spy station here. On weekends guided tours through the ruins with high profile street-art galleries are a Berlin highlight.
Read More...Address: Teufelsseechaussee, Berlin
Website: www.berlinsightout.de/englisch.htm
More Info: Visiting the Station is possible only with public or private guided tours.
Gero Camp/unsplash.com
Berlin City Hop-on Hop-off TourBerlin is a vast city with not one, but several centers that come in their distinct and varied flavors of cool. The fastest and most time efficient way to hit all the main attractions is to get on one of those hop-on hop-off busses. You can get a 24- or 48-hour ticket, as well as an option to upgrade to a river cruise boat. Busses run every 10–15 minutes. Of course, you get audio commentary in multiple languages, plus a kids' channel.Phone: +49 30 880 41 90
Operating Hours: Busses run 10am–6pm
More Info: info@berlin-city-tour.de
Berlin City Tour
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial ChurchThe protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is a beacon of peace and reconciliation. It stands for the will of the Berliners to rebuild their city during the period after the war. Most of the original structure was destroyed by a British bombing raid in World War II — all that remained was its gaping, ruined tower. The first plans to rebuild the church would have removed the crumbling tower completely. However, Berliners protested the demolition of the 70-meter (230-feet) belfry and the new modernist church buildings are centered around this piece of history.
Read More...Address: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche, Breitscheidplatz, Berlin
Email: info@gedaechtniskirche-berlin.de
Phone: +49 30 218 50 23
Website: www.gedaechtniskirche-berlin.de
Operating Hours: Daily 10am–6pm
More Info: Because of the distinctive geometrical shapes of the new buildings, locals nicknamed the church "Lippenstift und Puderdose" (the lipstick and the powder box)
Ana Paula Hirama/Flickr
Jewish Museum BerlinThe Jewish Museum Berlin is housed in the impressive museum building designed by Daniel Libeskind. The zinc-coated zig-zag building is one of Berlin’s major landmarks. The permanent exhibition traces the high and low points of German-Jewish history from the end of the Roman Age to the present day. The museum is a must for architecture nerds, history buffs and anyone who wants to understand the enormous intellectual, economic and cultural contribution made by the Jewish citizens of Berlin.
Read More...Address: Jüdisches Museum Berlin, Lindenstraße 9-14, Berlin Kreuzberg
Email: info@jmberlin.de
Phone: +49 30 259 93 300
Website: www.jmberlin.de/en
Operating Hours: Daily 10am–7pm
Tickets: The core exhibition is free. €8 for temporary exhibitions in the Old Building
Lovie Tey/unsplash.com
ReichstagThe Reichstag the glass-domed building that houses the Bundestag — the lower house of Germany's parliament. Redesigned and expanded by British architect Sir Norman Foster in the 90s, the Parliament building retains its extensive, historical dimensions, yet looks ultra-modern and airy. From the accessible glass cupola you get a fabulous view of the city and German politics. Although visiting the cupola and roof terrace is free, it is essential to book in advance — the Reichstag is immensely popular.
To learn more about German political system and the daily life of the Parliament, you can book a 90-minute guided tour. Guided tours of the Reichstag Building are held in weeks when Parliament is not sitting.

Read More...Address: Platz der Republik 1, Berlin Tiergarten
Phone: +49 30 227 321 52
Website: www.bundestag.de/en
Tickets: www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/registration-245686
Ricardo Gomez Angel/unsplash.com
Wall Museum — Checkpoint CharlieCheckpoint Charlie, the most famous of the inner-German border crossing points and a name known the world over, was where Allied border guards registered members of the American, English and French Armed Forces (and their families) before they visited East Berlin. The "Wall Museum - Museum House at Checkpoint Charlie” is right next to this major tourist spot. The museum displays an incredible number of original means and tools that people used in their escape out of the GDR: from the hot-air balloon to a mini-submarine, plus plenty of real and fake travel documents.
Read More...Address: Mauermuseum, Friedrichstraße 43-45, Berlin Kreuzberg
Email: info@mauermuseum.de
Phone: +49 30 253 720
Website: www.mauermuseum.de/en/visit
Operating Hours: Daily 10am–6pm
Tickets: €12.50
Santiago Flores/unsplash.com
Potsdamer PlatzLooking at the vast pavilion roof of the Sony Center and the many high-rise buildings around it, it’s difficult to imagine that Potsdamer Platz for a long time was in the death strip of the Berlin Wall and was nothing but a desolate wasteland. These days, Potsdamer Platz is a major public transportation hub, as well as a center for business, entertainment, culture and shopping. Here you'll also find an IMAX cinema and the German Film Archive — Museum of Film and Television in Berlin. Perfect destination after taking a mandatory pic next to the Brandenburg Gate.
Read More...Address: Potsdamer Platz, Berlin Tiergarten
Website: www.potsdamerplatz.de
Massimo Virgilio/unsplash.com
Nikolai QuarterThe Nikolai Quarter is a peculiar reconstruction of the way Berlin used to be before its destruction in Wold War II. The area was restored in the 1980s in preparation to Berlin's big 750th birthday. Stroll around the idiosyncratic mixture of reconstructed historic houses and concrete slab Plattenbau blocks, and discover some of the most famous traditional German restaurants and bars.
The Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas’s Church), with its striking double spire, is the heart of the quarter. The Ephraimpalais, with its curved Rococo façade, is a masterpiece of 18th century Berlin palace architecture. Don't miss the Baroque architecture of the Knoblauchhaus, built in 1760.

Read More...Address: Nikolaiviertel, Nikolaikirchplatz, Berlin Mitte
Website: www.berlin-nikolaiviertel.com
Jorge CG/Flickr
Berlin Wall MemorialThe Berlin Wall Memorial is the central memorial site of German division. Located directly at the former border strip in the Bernauer Straße is a 1.4-kilometer piece of the Berlin Wall with border strip and watchtower. The Gedenkstätte memorial is the last remaining stretch of the Wall as is existed during the separation era, and is it conveys an impression of how the border fortifications really looked.
The Visitor Center and the Documentation Center with a viewing platform are located on the other side of the street that belonged to the western part of the city. The exhibition “Border Stations and Ghost Stations in Divided Berlin” is shown inside the Nordbahnhof S-Bahn station.

Read More...Address: Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer, Bernauer Straße 111, Berlin Mitte
Phone: +49 30 213 085 123
Website: www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de/en
Operating Hours: Visitor centre: Wed–Sun 11am–5pm; Memorial Grounds: daily 8am–10pm
Tickets: Free admission. Guided tours €3.50 per person
Markus Spiske/unsplash.com
Charlottenburg PalaceThe Charlottenburg Palace dome is one of Berlin's famous landmarks. The lavishly decorated Baroque palace was built around 1695 as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, Electress of Brandenburg and as of 1701, the first Queen in Prussia. Frederick the Great had the New Wing added in 1740s. The interior contains, amongst others, the famous Porcelain Collection.
Read More...Address: Schloss Charlottenburg, Spandauer Damm 20-24, Berlin Charlottenburg
Email: info@spsg.de
Phone: +49 331 969 42 00
Website: www.spsg.de/en/home
Operating Hours: Apr–Oct: Tue-Sun 10am–5:30pm; Nov–Mar, Tue–Sun 10am–4:30pm
Tickets: €17
Dmitry Makeev/unsplash.com
KulturforumAfter Museum Island, the Kulturforum is the second center of art in Berlin. It is the home not only of the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery), the Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery), the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Applied Arts) and other museums, but also houses the Philarmonie (Philharmonic Hall) and the Staatsbibliothek (National Library).
The New National Gallery was designed by a star architect Mies van der Rohe.

Read More...Address: Matthäikirchplatz 4-6, Berlin Tiergarten
Phone: +49 30 266 42 42 42
Website: www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/kulturforum/home
Operating Hours: Depends on the venue, but all museums are closed on Monday
Eraku/Flickr
Computerspiele MuseumThe world's first computer games museum opened in 1997 in Berlin. Since January 2011, the museum presents its new permanent exhibition in Berlin's trendy Friedrichshain district. A fascinating exhibition has transformed the historic interior of the former East Berlin cult cafe Warsaw into a pixelated game landscape. Drop by to relax and play some of your favorite video games, while also learning the history behind the industry.
The Computer Game Museum is situated right in the middle of the biggest European cultural monument — the Karl-Marx-Allee.

Read More...Address: Computerspielemuseum, Karl-Marx-Allee 93a, Berlin
Email: service@computerspielemuseum.de
Phone: +49 30 6098 8577
Website: www.computerspielemuseum.de
Operating Hours: Daily 10am–8pm
Tickets: Regular: €9
Foto: Jörg Metzner Copyright: Computerspielemuseum