places to visit in berlin germany

Berlin   Travel Guide

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20 Best Things to Do in Berlin, Germany

Berlin's history of battling ideologies makes for some of the most fascinating sightseeing in Europe. Explore the remnants of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery , which has been transformed by colorful murals into the largest open-air

• All Things To Do

Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) free

U.S. News Insider Tip: A nice souvenir video of the Brandenburg Gate can be captured by taking a taxi on the northbound road (Bundesstraße 2) that loops around the Brandenburg Gate. Keep your camera steady out the window, and you’ll have an impressive panoramic video. – Michael Cappetta

Inspired by the Acropolis entrance in Athens , the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) is one of the most-photographed sites in Berlin. Located in Pariser Platz (Paris Square), one of the city's most famous squares, the Brandenburg Gate was built for King Frederick William II starting in 1788. Designed by royal architect, Carl Gotthard Langhans, the sandstone structure stands 85 feet high.

Reichstag Building Reichstag Building free

A symbol of Germany's past, present and future, the Reichstag, or Parliament Building, is a blend of different architecture styles from the late 20th to late 21st centuries. It symbolizes the country's path from a dark past to a brighter future.

Originally constructed between 1884 and 1894, the building was destroyed by arson in 1933, an act that marked a turning point in the history of the Third Reich. It was then bombed during World War II and didn't become the seating house of government again until 1999, when the distinguishing glass dome was added. Today, a visit to the dome is popular among travelers thanks to the stunning views it provides, particularly of the Tiergarten . If you're interested in a more in-depth history lesson, heed the advice of past travelers and take advantage of the free audio guide available to visitors.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe free

The Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas  (which translates to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe or, more simply, Berlin's Holocaust Memorial) consists of a sloping, wave-like grid of 2,711 concrete pillars constructed to memorialize the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Some of the pillars stand as tall as 15 feet.

Many visitors choose to simply walk among the gray slabs, but if you're interested in learning more about the history, you can descend to the underground visitor center, which displays information about the victims, including photographs, diaries and farewell letters. Recent travelers said they felt incredibly moved by the sheer size of the memorial (it spans more than half a square mile), and most highly recommended a visit when in Berlin. Reviewers note the memorial is within a five-minute walk of the Brandenburg Gate and across the street from Tiergarten Park , making it easy to visit all three top attractions.

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Topography of Terror Topography of Terror free

The Topography of Terror ( Topographie des Terrors ) museum sits on the site of the Gestapo and SS Police's former headquarters during World War II. By walking the grounds and touring the documentation center, travelers can learn about the atrocities committed by the German officers that once worked at this very site. In addition to the WWII history on display here, you’ll also see part of the Berlin Wall in the front of the building.

Other interesting exhibits that detail Berlin between 1933 and 1945 are found on the grounds, including excavated portions of the old building. For a more in-depth look at the museum, you can take the free English-speaking tour, which is offered Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. (Most exhibits are listed in German and English.) You'll want to sign up at the reception desk 30 minutes before the tour starts. 

Berlin Wall Memorial Berlin Wall Memorial free

Located in the center of Berlin, the Berlin Wall Memorial stretches for a little less than a mile along what was once the border that divided the city in two. Upon arriving at the memorial, you can stop into the visitor center to watch a short film on the history of the Berlin Wall, as well as explore a handful of exhibits. Visitors will learn about the political and historical context that led to the wall’s construction, its fall and the reunification of Germany.

Once you are finished in the visitor center, head across the street to see preserved remnants of the border strip. In addition to part of the Berlin Wall itself, you will find the Chapel of Reconciliation, a rebuilt structure that serves as a place of remembrance for the lives that were lost at the wall.

East Side Gallery East Side Gallery free

The East Side Gallery refers to the longest intact section of the Berlin Wall, which stretches for nearly a mile. If you want to experience the wall for the first time, this is the place to do it. After the Berlin Wall's fall in 1989, more than one hundred international artists congregated here, painting murals that depicted the world's joyous and optimistic reactions to the end of the Cold War era. What exists today forms the world's largest open-air gallery, featuring more than 100 murals.

Despite its distance from the main tourist attractions (a little less than 5 miles), the East Side Gallery still wins high praise from past travelers, who say it’s worth the side trip to see this history up close. Recent visitors suggested going early in the day to avoid crowds.

Museumsinsel (Museum Island) Museumsinsel (Museum Island)

Museumsinsel (or Museum Island) is the name given to a group of five museums, the Baroque-style Berlin Cathedral and large gardens clustered on a tiny island in the River Spree. Built between 1823 and 1930, some museums present a different aspect of German history and art, while others spotlight global arts and antiques, such as the Egyptian Museum and Pergamon Museum .

When you visit, see if you can guess which museum hangs which art; there's the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), the Altes Museum (Old Museum), the Neues Museum (New Museum), the Bode-Museum and the very popular Pergamon Museum.

Tiergarten Tiergarten free

The expansive Tiergarten sprawls 519 acres from central Berlin westward and attracts visitors looking for respite from the city's clamor. The name of the park translates to "Animal Garden," and it is also known as "Berlin’s Green Lung." The land where the park sits previously served as a royal hunting ground for select Germans during the late 17th century. Nowadays, visitors can still get a glimpse of animals by visiting Zoologischer Garten (the Berlin Zoo) located within the park. You can also stroll, jog or bike through the most popular green space in Berlin. For many locals, no visit to Tiergarten is complete without stopping at its two beer gardens, in particular Café am Neuen See, which occupies a picturesque lakefront perch.   

The Tiergarten also houses the Victory Column, which was erected in 1873 to commemorate Prussia's victory in the Franco-German War. Visitors can climb to the top of this monument to enjoy great views of Berlin.

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Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg) Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg)

Beginning its life as a summer home for the royal family in the late 17th century, Schloss Charlottenburg became a lavish palace after Frederick the Great commissioned some 18th-century upgrades and additions. Now the complex can take more than a day to tour from top to bottom. Located 6 miles east of Berlin’s city center, this is a popular destination for tourists interested in history and architecture. 

Inside the baroque palace, you can view Frederick I and Sophie Charlotte's living quarters, the chapel and the Neuer Fluegel (New Wing) where Frederick the Great once resided. You can also venture outdoors to the Royal Gardens, the family mausoleum and even an ornate teahouse.

Berlin Cathedral Berlin Cathedral

Located in the Museum District of Mitte, the Berlin Cathedral spans more than 67,000 square feet, making it the largest Protestant church in Germany. Along with its size, the cathedral is also recognized for its beauty – it shares a similar design to Rome ’s St. Peter's Basilica . Its interior features gold accents, intricate mosaics and imperial staircase. Along with the cathedral’s dome, which is accessible to visitors via a set of 270 steps, another highlight is the marble and onyx altar. More than one million visitors stop by the Berlin Cathedral annually for worship services, tours, concerts and special events. Visitors traveling with children should review the cathedral’s event calendar to see if any kid-friendly activities, such as family concerts, align with your visit.

Recent visitors use words like “peaceful” and “iconic” to describe the cathedral. Some reviewers complained about the admission costs, but others said it’s worth the price to be able to view the stunning interior and climb the dome for outstanding views of the city.

TV Tower (Fernsehturm) TV Tower (Fernsehturm)

U.S. News Insider Tip: The TV Tower is conveniently located near the Alexanderplatz station and shopping district. Schedule some extra time to visit some of the unique local shops. During the holiday season, this area is also home to a beautiful Christmas market. – Michael Cappetta

For the ever-popular panorama of the city, the Berliner   Fernsehturm (TV Tower) is a great place to go. Originally constructed in the late 1960s to widely broadcast television signals across Germany, the TV Tower is still the tallest structure in Germany (standing at 1,207 feet), and it's guaranteed to provide quite the view. Visitors can take one of two elevators to the top. If the 40-second trip makes you hungry, stop by the rotating Sphere Restaurant or Bar 203 for some light refreshments.

Pergamon Museum Pergamon Museum

Note: The Pergamon Museum will be closed beginning in October 2023 for extensive renovations. It will reopen in spring 2027, according to the museum’s website .

The Pergamon Museum, located on Museumsinsel (Museum Island)  on the River Spree, is one of travelers' favorite museums. Recent visitors used words like "remarkable" and "jaw-dropping" to describe the museum, which was completed in 1930 and houses many works that are important to the development of ancient art and architecture. Filled with an impressive collection of Greek, Roman, East Asian and Islamic art, exhibits include pieces like the reconstructed Ishtar Gate from Babylon and the Pergamon Altar – a massive monumental Greek temple that is believed to date back to 180 B.C. Other highlights include the Market Gate of Miletus, which dates back to the second century and the Mshatta Façade, which hails from a Jordanian desert castle.

Friedrichstadt-Palast Friedrichstadt-Palast

Friedrichstadt-Palast is home to the world’s largest theater stage. The theater’s roots date back to 1867, though the building that is used today opened in 1984 after the original theater had to be demolished in 1980 for safety concerns. Since its reopening, the theater has been used for entertaining circus performances, vaudeville acts, comedy and musicals. Every February, the theater hosts film screenings as part of the Berlinale, or Berlin International Film Festival.

Recent travelers enjoyed the theater’s beauty. Travelers also added that the theater’s location is very convenient as it sits within walking distance of other major tourist attractions, such as the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstagsgebäude .

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Berlin Beer Gardens Berlin Beer Gardens

No trip to Berlin is complete without visiting a classic biergarten (beer garden). Biergartens in Berlin are popular with locals for summer afternoon and evening activities – plan ahead so you don’t end up in a long queue on a hot day.

One of the most popular beer gardens is Prater Biergarten, which is located just 2 miles north of the city center. The historic beer garden first opened in the mid-1800s. Open daily starting at noon, Prater offers a classic menu of pilsners, along with tasty grilled sausages from the region of Thuringia. Other classic snacks included baked potatoes with cheese curds and pretzels. Before visiting the biergarten, make sure to check the weather forecast: it’s only open weather permitting.

Berlin Christmas Markets Berlin Christmas Markets free

The festive Christmas markets in Berlin attract thousands of travelers each year for their unique food, shopping, beverages and holiday cheer. With dozens of Christmas markets to choose from, it is important for travelers to take the time to research which area they would like to visit, and which theme they would like to experience.

One of the most historical and romantic Christmas markets in Berlin is located at the Charlottenburg Palace . Christmas lights and decorations adorn the largest palace in Berlin to welcome visitors to a winter wonderland. Hundreds of vendors exhibit booths in the palace's plaza, where guests stroll through for holiday gifts and treats. A more classic Christmas market, which has historically opened on Nov. 21 and runs through Dec. 22, is located in the town of Spandau, which is located approximately 10 miles from Berlin’s city center and a 30-minute ride on public transit. At the Spandau Christmas markets, travelers navigate a large plaza that is decorated with Christmas lights and trees to shop hundreds of vendors from around the world. The charm of being in the middle of Spandau's town square adds to the enchantment of shopping at a classic German Christmas market. 

Berlin Story Bunker Berlin Story Bunker

The Berlin Story Bunker is an immersive museum spread across five floors that invites visitors to explore centuries of Berlin and German history. World War II and Hitler are a major focus of the museum (a recreation of Hitler’s personal study and a model of the bunker where he died by suicide in 1945 are among the displays). In fact, the 70,000-square-foot museum is housed within a concrete World War II bunker that’s connected to the Anhalter railway station. Open since 2014, the museum contains multimedia displays, large-scale photographs, short films, sculptures and other art installations.

Recent visitors said the information was well-presented and called the museum a must for history buffs. Because of its size and the amount of reading required, it’s recommended that you set aside at least three hours for your visit.

Potsdamer Platz Potsdamer Platz free

Pre-World War II, Potsdamer Platz was Berlin's main plaza – and a bustling one, at that – but the ensuing wars left it ravaged. After the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War ended, companies like Sony and Daimler moved in and built their headquarters on the square, thus revitalizing the area.

But global companies weren't the only ones credited with rejuvenating the plaza: Attractions like the Deutsche Kinemathek, a museum dedicated to German film and TV, the Boulevard der Stars – Berlin's answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame – and the Theater am Potsdamer Platz, the largest show stage in Berlin, also set up shop. Families will enjoy the nearby LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Berlin and a sizable mall, The Playce. Plus, with a casino and one of Berlin's largest movie theaters, the entertainment possibilities are nearly endless.

Checkpoint Charlie Checkpoint Charlie

Many say a visit to the Checkpoint Charlie border crossing should not come without a visit to the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, or the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. Checkpoint Charlie was the most popular border crossing between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. It has also had a starring role in major films, including the James Bond franchise.

Experts and travelers say the museum gives context to what's left of the border crossing, and indeed you will find chilling stories of those who escaped from East to West via the Berlin Wall – as well as stories about those who didn't. You'll also get a thorough history of the Berlin Wall.

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Mauerpark Mauerpark free

Mauerpark is a 37-acre park that was officially opened in 1994. The park's name translates to "Wall Park:" It's located on the land in between the walls that separated East and West Berlin, formerly known as “death strip.” Don’t let that sinister name deter you; the park is now known for its "open-air culture in the middle of Berlin" and it provides a great activity space for travelers. What's more, the park has several barbeque areas, making it a perfect spot to prepare an outdoor meal during the summer.

If your visit to Berlin overlaps with a Sunday, set aside time to visit Mauerpark to peruse its flea market. It’s one of Berlin's largest second-hand shopping events, and features hundreds of vendors selling unique antiques, clothing, furniture, products and other wares. In addition to the flea market, live music, pick-up sports games and other events take place on weekends.

Olympiastadion Berlin Olympiastadion Berlin

U.S. News Insider Tip: Review the upcoming schedule of events for Olympiastadion Berlin and try to catch a Hertha BSC football match – the energy is electric! – Michael Cappetta

Olympiastadion Berlin is a large, majestic stadium in Berlin's Olympischer Platz neighborhood that has the capacity to host up to 74,000 fans. The stadium is known as the home of Hertha BSC, a popular German soccer team, and host to a variety of special events throughout the year, including Lollapalooza Berlin, an annual music festival held in September. It's also known for its dark history. The stadium originally opened in 1936 for the Summer Olympics, often referred to as the "Nazi Olympics" for the widespread Nazi propaganda on display during the games. 

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14 of the best things to do in Berlin

Jul 8, 2023 • 6 min read

Experience the best of Berlin with this guide to the top things to do © Westend61 / Getty Images

For a scene-stealing combo of glamor and grit, poised to mesmerize anyone keen to connect with vibrant culture, bold architecture, global food, intense parties and an easy-going vibe, head to Berlin .

Whether your tastes run to posh or punk, you can sate them in the German capital. Here are the best experiences Berlin has to offer.

1. See the treasures of Museum Island

Berlin’s "Louvre on the Spree", this imposing cluster of five treasure-houses is an undisputed highlight of the city’s impressive landscape. Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1999, Museumsinsel showcases art and cultural history from the Stone Age to the 19th century.

Feast your eyes on antiquities at at the Pergamonmuseum  and  Altes Museum , take in 19th-century art at the Alte Nationalgalerie and lean in for close-ups of medieval and Renaissance sculptures at the Bode-Museum . The  Neues Museum  is famous as the residence of the exquisite but controversial bust of Nefertiti which has been the subject of repatriation requests from Egypt for almost a century.

Planning tip:  As part of the ambitious  Museum Island Master Plan , the Pergamonmuseum will be completely closed to visitors starting October 23, 2023. The institution is not scheduled to partially reopen until spring 2027 – with some sections of the museum, including the famous  Ishtar Gate , scheduled to stay closed until 2037.

2. Follow the legacy of the Berlin Wall

Few events in history have the power to move the entire world. If you were alive and old enough for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, you will probably remember the crowds of euphoric revelers cheering and dancing at the Brandenburg Gate . Although little is left of the physical barrier, its legacy lives on in the imagination and in such places as Checkpoint Charlie , the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial) and the East Side Gallery  with its colorful murals.

3. Party at Berlin's world-famous clubs

Berlin’s reputation for intense and unbridled nightlife is rooted in the libertine 1920s when everyone from Marlene Dietrich to Christopher Isherwood partied like it was 1999. Since the fall of the Wall, Berlin’s club culture has put the city firmly back on the map of music-lovers everywhere .

The edgiest clubs can be found in locations like power plants, abandoned apartment buildings and other repurposed locations, especially in Kreuzberg & Neukölln and Friedrichshain . Electronic music dominates at cult favourites like ://about blank , Kater Blau and Griessmühle , while Prince Charles has made a name for itself as a hip hop mecca, fetish-focused KitKatClub is a must, and the local punks mosh away at SO36 .

Planning tip: Some of Berlin's best parties are its daytime raves: here's how to hit the clubs in the afternoon .

4. Enjoy drinks outdoors

Whether its beer gardens, rooftop bars or some casual drinks in parks and by the Landwehrkanal, Berliners take a relaxed approach to drinking and socializing outdoors. While Berlin has something to offer all year round, the city in the warm weather has a special buzz around it.

5. Be dazzled by the grandeur of Schloss Charlottenburg

An exquisite baroque palace,  Schloss Charlottenburg evokes the onetime grandeur of the Prussian royals. It is particularly special to visit in the summer when you can fold a stroll, sunbathing session or picnic in the lush palace park into a day of peeking at royal treasures.

6. Book ahead to visit the Reichstag

It’s been burned, bombed, rebuilt, buttressed by the Berlin Wall, wrapped in fabric and finally turned into the modern home of the German parliament, the Reichstag  is one of Berlin’s most iconic buildings. Designed by Paul Wallot in 1894, this is where the German parliament, the Bundestag, has been hammering out its policies since 1999.

Planning tip:  Reserve online in advance  to visit the striking glass dome  for free . This is a government building and you will need to provide identification to gain access.

7. Shop and eat at Markthalle Neun

This delightful 1891 market hall was saved by dedicated locals in 2009. Not only do local and regional producers present their wares but also, on Street-Food Thursday, they're joined by aspiring or semipro chefs, who set up their stalls to serve delicious snacks from around the world. There’s even an on-site craft brewery, Heidenpeters .

8. Tour Berlin's art scene

Art aficionados will be truly spoilt for choice in Berlin. Home to hundreds of galleries, scores of world-class collections and thousands of international artists, the city has assumed a pole position on the global artistic circuit. Its main contemporary art showcase is the Hamburger Bahnhof , a vast museum housed in a former railway station whose loft and grandeur are the perfect foil for this top-notch collection of paintings, installations, sculptures and video.

Local tip:  If you’d prefer something even more Berlin-centric, try Urban Nation in Schöneberg . A relative newcomer to Berlin’s array of galleries, this street art celebration turns the concept of a museum on its head and celebrates art in a unique way.

9. Get to know Jewish history and culture at Jüdisches Museum

Berlin’s Jüdisches Museum  presents an eye-opening and emotional journey through 2000 years of Jewish history in Germany, not just the 12 years of Nazi horror that such exhibits often focus on. Find out about Jewish cultural contributions, holiday traditions, the difficult road to emancipation, outstanding individuals like the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn and jeans inventor Levi Strauss, and the fates of ordinary people and families.

10. Wander or cycle the paths of Tiergarten

Berlin’s rulers used the grounds to hunt boar and pheasants in the rambling Tiergarten until master landscape architect Peter Lenné landscaped the grounds in the 18th century. With its sweeping lawns, shaded paths, woodsy groves, romantic corners, ponds and creeks, the Tiergarten is one of the world’s largest city parks and a wonderful retreat from the city bustle.

Planning tip:  In summer, several charming beer gardens beckon, including Café am Neuen See and the Teehaus im Englischen Garten.

11. See urban renewal at Potsdamer Platz

Despite the name, Potsdamer Platz is not actually a square but an entire city quarter, forged in the 1990s from terrain once bisected by the Berlin Wall. A collaborative effort by the world's finest architects, it is considered a showcase of urban renewal.

Planning tip:  The area itself is rather compact and quickly explored – unless you stick around to see Berlin from above from the Panoramapunkt or dive into German film history at the Museum für Film und Fernsehen .

12. Pose for a photo at the historic Brandenburg Gate

Prussian emperors, Napoleon and Hitler have marched through this neoclassical royal city gate that was once trapped east of the Berlin Wall. Since 1989 Brandenburg Gate  has gone from a symbol of division and oppression to the symbol of a united Germany. The elegantly proportioned landmark is at its most atmospheric – and photogenic – at night, when light bathes its stately columns and proud Goddess of Victory sculpture in a golden glow.

13. Go shopping along Kurfürstendamm

No trip to Berlin would be complete without a saunter along Kurfürstendamm (Ku’damm for short) in Charlottenburg . Along with its continuation, the Tauentzienstrasse, it is the city’s longest and busiest shopping strip, lined with high-street chains and designer boutiques. Don’t miss the KaDeWe , continental Europe’s biggest department store with a mind-boggling food hall, or the cutting-edge concept and flagships stores at Bikini Berlin , a revamped 1950s landmark near Zoo Station.

Local tip:  Take a moment to look up. Amid all this, the majestically ruined Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church) stands quietly as a poignant reminder of the absurdity of war.

14. Explore the exhibits of the Topographie des Terrors

In the spot where the most feared institutions of Nazi Germany (the Gestapo headquarters, the SS central command and the Reich Security Main Office) once stood, this compelling exhibit documents the stages of terror and persecution, puts a face on the perpetrators, and details the impact these brutal institutions had on all of Europe. A second exhibit outside zeroes in on how life changed for Berlin and its people after the Nazis made it their capital.

This article was first published Jan 28, 2015 and updated Jul 8, 2023.

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Berlin 3-Day Itinerary: 19 Absolute Best Things to do in Berlin

Berlin has it all. Vibrant culture, fabulous food, amazing parties, and tonnes of history, making it one of the best cities to visit in Europe. From exploring the grounds of the Prussian Charlottenburg Palace, wandering along the Berlin Wall, to standing in the very room where the Holocaust was planned, Berlin’s history is incredibly tangible. And it can all be seen in just 3 days in Berlin.

From where to eat, what to see and do, where to stay, and general Berlin travel tips, here is my 3 day Berlin itinerary and guide that will ensure you see and experience the very best of Berlin. If I don’t answer all you questions, then leave a comment below. Let’s get crackin’!

Map of Things do do in Berlin

Everything on this 3 day Berlin itinerary has been marked on ma map. Day 1 pins are in yellow, day 2 pins are in pink, and day 3 pins are in blue.

What to Do in Berlin in 3 Days: Day 1

Climb the dome at berlin cathedral (berliner dom).

Don’t let the name fool you, Berlin Cathedral is actually a parish church, and a very special one at that. This was the court church to the Hohenzollern dynasty who were the rulers of Prussia  (1415–1918) and later the German Emperors (1871–1918).

Since Berlin Cathedral is the city’s most important Protestant church, it’s worth paying the entrance fee to see its elaborate and decorative interior. The massive nave is a must-see along with the Hohenzollern Crypt which contains nearly 100 sarcophagi.

For awesome 360° panoramic views over the city, take the 270 steps to reach the dome’s outer walkway. The staircase itself is a highlight with its rich decorations which were originally intended for the German Emperor. An elevator is available for visitors with disabilities.

Berliner Dom offers a range of tours including audio guides, an organ gallery tour and  group guided tours which include the Hohenzollern family crypt, the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), and the Cathedral museum.

Opening times, ticket and tour information is available on the official Berlin Cathedral website here.

Going to Germany? Get my free German travel phrase guide here.

Explore the Impressive Pergamon Museum

Market Gate of Miletus, Pergamon Museum

If you only visit one museum in Berlin then make it the Pergamon Museum. Famous for its spectacular collection of art and antiquities from Turkey and the Middle East, the Pergamon Museum is one of Germany’s most visited museums and part of Berlin’s UNESCO-listed Museum Island.

Highlights of the Pergamon Museum include the gorgeous Aleppo Room built during Ottoman Period. The room was the reception in a broker’s home in Aleppo, Syria.

Built in the 2nd century AD during the reign of Emperor Hadrian is the Market Gate of Miletus, an impressive gate that was the northern entrance to the the agora (a public space in ancient Greek city-states) in the ancient city of Miletus, in modern-day Turkey. Unfortunately, the gate was destroyed by an earthquake in the 10th or 11th century but was later excavated by a German archeological team who rebuilt the gate and placed it on display here.

Tips for visiting Pergamon Museum

• The Pergamon Museum is undergoing some extensive restorations which means parts of the north wing will be closed until 2023, and sadly this includes the Pergamon Altar. The museum is still worth visiting and I would definitely recommend going.
• The Pergamon is open 10am to 6pm (Thursday until 8pm).
• During summer the queue can get rather long, either arrive early or skip-the-line and book an expert led tour. Book you tour Pergamon Museum here.
• Alternatively, buy a Berlin Pass which will give you free entry to the Pergamon Museum and many other major attractions in Berlin and free use of public transportation.
• Audio guides are included with all tickets
• Free cloakroom.

For opening times, check the official Pergamon Museum website here

See the Nefertiti Bust at the Neues Museum

Other important artefacts worth visiting include the Berlin Gold Hat, one of four known conical Golden hats from Europe’s Bronze Age, making it some 3,000 years old. Covered in thin gold-leaf, the hat stands almost 75 cm (30 inches) high. T the museum’s oldest exhibit is a 700,000 year-old axe head from the earliest Stone Age.

Berlin Gold Hat, Neues Museum

Tips for visiting Neues Museum

• The Neues Museum is open 10am to 6pm (Thursday until 8pm).
• I recommend buying a Berlin Pass which will give you free entry to the Neues Museum and many other major attractions in Berlin and free use of public transportation.
• Audio guides are included. Choose from English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.
• Last admission and ticket sales are 30 minutes before closing time.

See the Neues museum through the eyes of an art historian on this private 3-Hour tour or if you’re short on time, there is a shorter 1.5 hr tour.   For opening times, check the official Neues Museum website here.

Visit Marx-Engels Forum

There was a bit of public controversy surrounding the statues after Germany was reunited in 1990. Some locals wanted them to be removed entirely as they considered them as an unwanted reminder of a regime they opposed. Others argued that they had both artistic and historical significance. An argument which eventually prevailed.

Tips for visiting Marx-Engels Forum

• Marx-Engels Forum is located in a public park opposite the Berlin Cathedral. No ticket required.

Learn about Germany’s History at Deutsches Historisches Museum in Zeughaus

The Zeughaus was once an arsenal for weapons, today it’s one of the most important Baroque buildings in Berlin and houses the Deutsches Historisches Museum(DHM). The permanent exhibition has images and artefacts from the past 500 years of German history.

In the courtyard is a chilling display of 22 hanging “Heads of Dying Warriors”. Each face shows expressions of pain and suffering, which is a more truthful representation of war than simply showing victorious statues.

Every Saturday and Sunday a popular arts and crafts market runs along the east side of the Zeughaus.

Tips for visiting Deutsches Historisches Museum

• The Deutsches Historisches Museum is open daily 10am to 6pm
• Free admission with the Berlin Welcome Card all inclusive

For opening times, check the official Deutsches Historisches Museum website here

Pay your respects at the Neue Wache Memorial

Inside this neo-classicist style building is a large empty room with a pietà-style (a mother and her dead son) sculpture placed directly under the oculus in the centre of the room. Being placed here exposes the statue to the harsh Berlin climate, symbolising the suffering of civilians.

The building was originally built as a guardhouse for the troops of the crown prince of Prussia, hence its name Neue Wache, or ‘New Guardhouse’. It’s been a war memorial since 1931.

Tips for visiting Neue Wache Memorial

• The Neue Wache Memorial is open daily 10am to 6pm
• Free admission

Visit the iconic Brandenburg Gate

The neo-classical building was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, architect to the Prussian court who was inspired by the impressive entrance to the Acropolis in Athens.

Adorning the top of Brandenburg Gate is a Quadriga statue (a chariot drawn by four horses). In Ancient Greece and Roman, Quadrigas were emblems of triumph, victory, or fame. As such, when Napoleon’s army took Berlin in 1806, Napoleon had the Quadriga transported to Paris. It was eventually returned to Brandenburg Gate in 1814 when after Napoleon was forced to abdicate.

Tips for visiting Brandenburg Gate

• Located in an open square (Pariser Platz), Brandenburg Gate requires no admission.

Have Lunch near Brandenburg Gate

Where to eat.

By this point you’ll be hungry, and it’s a good place to have lunch with Brandenburg Gate in view. For outdoor dining with a view of Brandenburg Gate, go to Quarré restaurant   which serves traditional German dishes. Quarré is part of Berlin’s prestigious Adlon hotel so you can expect top service.

For a quick tasty meal, head to Wurst :-) am Brandenburger Tor for Berlin’s most treasured dish, the Currywurst, drenched in a kind of curried tomato sauce.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian try Samadhi Vegan Vegetarian Restaurant for a variety of Asian, Thai and Vietnamese dishes with vegetarian and vegan options. Sra Bua by Tim Raue is another great option, serving Asian and Japanese cuisine.

Climb the Glass Dome at Reichstag Building

The Reichstag has gone through various developments over the years. The original Reichstag building opened in 1984 and was the seat of the German Parliament until Hitler came into office in 1933 and the building was destroyed in a fire when it abandoned. Additional damage occurred in a World War II bombing and later it became a museum during the Cold War. It wasn’t until 1990 that it was fully restored and reopened.

An essential part of any visit to Reichstag is climbing the dome’s spiral walkway for the stunning panoramic views of Berlin. The rooftop terrace has a restaurant making for a great place to sit back and relax. The dome may seem out of place with the rest of the building architecture but its architect, Norman Foster, designed it to symbolise the goal of establishing political transparency, shedding light on the internal workings below.

There are several options to visit the Reichstag:

• Join a guided tour inside
• Climb up to the dome and the roof
• Join a walking city tour like this or a bike tour like this which includes visiting the grounds outside Reichstag
• Listen to a plenary session.

Tips for visiting Reichstag

• Entrance is free, but visitor registration is required in advance. Registration can be done at the German Bundestag Service Centre online here. Alternatively, you can book at the service points at the Berlin Pavillon up to two hours prior to your admission time.
• Upon arrival, all visitors must show proof of I.D. either a passport or official identification card
• Admission is every quarter of an hour with the last at 9:45 pm
• Security checks are carried out on all belongings, no large bags are allowed inside.
• Audio guides are available in 11 different languages.
• The Reichstag is open everyday from 8 am until midnight.
• During summer it gets especially busy, aim to visit on a weekday or move this itinerary around and choose an early-morning time slot to avoid crowds. Another option is to stay for sunset and get a dazzling view the city skyline.
• Reichstag is fully wheelchair accessible.

For more details, check the official Bundestag website here .

Wander around the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial)

It wasn’t until I moved to Italy that I came into contact with people, places, and memorials from WWII. Apart from seeing my first stolpersteine in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto (the small brass memorials in the ground inscribed with the names of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution) this was my first experience in seeing a Holocaust memorial.

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Covering 4.7 acres (1.9 hectares), the memorial is made up of 2,711 rectangular grey concrete blocks rising and falling in a grid formation. Its significance and symbolism has been interpreted in many different ways, as was intended by the US architect Peter Eisenman. He didn’t want to create a typical memorial, but something a visitor could derive their own meaning from.

One interpretation that resonates with me is how the downward slope directs you away from the outside world, representing the gradual escalation of the Third Reich’s persecution of the European Jewish community. Many visitors have said to have felt trapped the deeper they go in with their only option to move forward.

After spending some time walking amongst the concrete blocks, I recommend taking a private or small-group Berlin walking tour to gain further insight. Also on site is the underground Information Centre which includes moving exhibitions including the Room of Names, the Room of Dimensions, and the Room of Families.

Tips for visiting the Holocaust Memorial

• Entrance to the memorial and information centre is free.
• Visitors are not allowed to climb on the pillars. If you’re travelling with children, they may find it hard to resist this urge.
• This is a place of remembrance, avoid loud or disrespectful behaviour
• The memorial is wheelchair accessible.

For information centre opening times, check the official website here.

See Berlin from above at PANORAMAPUNKT

Whizzing you to the top in just 20 seconds is Europe’s fastest elevator. From up here you can see Brandenburg Gate, the Victory Column, and Bellevue Palace.

Tips for visiting PANORAMAPUNKT

• Get a reduced price (€7 instead of €10.50) with the Berlin Welcome Card and also receive a 360-degrees panoramic map
• Admission includes the lift to the top and entry to the exhibition ‘Views of Berlin’, located in nearby Potsdamer Platz.
• The platform is open 10am to 8pm in summer and 10am to 6pm in winter.
• PANORAMACAFÉ is open 11am to 7pm in summer and 11am to 5pm in winter.
• Last entry is 30 minutes before closing time

More details, visit the official PANORAMAPUNKT website here

Visit Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstraße

Located opposite on the corner of Schützenstraße and Zimmerstraße is the open air exhibition BlackBox Cold War which tells the story of those who failed and succeeded in escaping from East Berlin.

Tips for visiting Checkpoint Charlie

• As you can imagine, being an important landmark and located on a major shopping street, the best time of day is to visit either early morning, or late in the evening.
• BlackBox Cold War is open daily 10 am – 6 pm
• There are usually two actors in allied and Soviet attire that you can have your photo taken with. Note that they charge for this.

What to Do in Berlin in 3 Days: Day 2

Cross oberbaum bridge.

Walk along the East Side Gallery / Berlin Wall

The largest remaining section of the Berlin Wall is known as the East Side Gallery. The wall is fully covered in murals after over 100 artists from all over the world were invited to come and paint it after the fall of the wall. Take your time to walk its 1.3 kilometre length and see the colourful memorials. The most famous of which is the portrait by Soviet artist Dmitri Vrubel depicting the Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev kissing East German leader Erich Honecker – a Soviet sign of great respect. The mural is captioned with “My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love”.

Tips for visiting East Side Gallery

• The East Side Gallery gets progressively busier throughout the day. I quite liked and preferred being here in the early hours of the morning when no one else was around. Since I was staying at Hotel Indigo Berlin – East Side Gallery , I didn’t have to walk very far to get there. The only other people here at before 9 am were runners. Aim to arrive around the same time to have this historic place to yourself.

Wander around the idyllic Nikolaiviertel (Nikolai quarter)

In its heyday, Nikolaiviertel was full of taverns, shops, and tradesmen’s workshops. Famous artists lived and frequented the area including German poet Kleist, Casanova, and the German writer Lessing.

Visit Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas’ Church)

During World War II, St. Nicholas Church was severely damaged and was restored  ahead of Berlin’s 750th anniversary in 1987. Today, St. Nicholas Church houses the Berlin City Museum (Stadtmuseum) which documents the German capital’s 800-year history and history of the church.

Tips for visiting St. Nicholas Church

• Open daily 10am -6pm
• Admission is free with the Berlin Pass or is free on the first Wednesday of each month and for those under 18.
• Audio guides are included and are available in English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Italian.

For more details, visit the Stadtmuseum website here

Have Lunch in Nikolai Quarter

Brauhaus Georgbraeu

Nikolaiviertel is well-known for its quiet outdoor dining in a cosy surrounding. Choose from more than 20 restaurants, cafés and pubs, many of which serve traditional German dishes.

Servicing traditional dishes like wurst, roasted pork, stews, stuffed cabbage is Zur Gerichtslaube , just a stone’s throw from St. Nicholas Church. The interior is gorgeous with its vaulted ceilings and red brick illuminated by candlelight. Other great restaurants include Café & Restaurant Spreeblick and Brauhaus Georgbraeu , the later serves an amazing apfelstrudel (apple strudel).

See Awesome Views from Berliner Fernsehturm Tower

Sunset from Park Inn Hotel

Rising up out of Alexanderplatz is the Berliner Fernsehturm (Berlin TV tower), Berlin’s second most recognisable landmark. Towering 368 metres high, it is one of the largest construction in Europe. Berliner Fernsehturm has a panoramic floor offering absolutely epic views of the city.

• Open March to October daily from 9 a.m. to midnight, November to February Daily from 10 am to midnight.
• TV Tower Berlin: Fast Track Ticket
• Skip the Line: Fast View Ticket at Berlin TV Tower – Includes guaranteed window table, one glass of sparkling wine, 2 glasses of wine per person
• Skip the Line: Lunch atop the Berlin TV Tower – Enjoy a 2-course lunch including one soft drink
• TV Tower Berlin: Fast Track Entry & Restaurant Window Seat

If you prefer your view of the city to include the Berlin TV tower, then visit the small rooftop terrace at the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel located in Alexanderplatz. This is a no frills bar which has a small kiosk of drinks and snacks. The view is incredible though.

For more details about visiting Berliner Fernsehturm click here

Go shopping in Alexanderplatz

Up until the 1850s, Alexanderplatz was a military parade and exercise ground, and a marketplace for local farmers who sold their produce here.  

Alexanderplatz is also an important historic site. In November 1989 leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall, peaceful demonstrations against the East German regime culminated here. Since then Alexanderplatz has transformed into a transport hub and the city’s central meeting point.

Tips for visiting Alexanderplatz

• Most shops open between 9-10am and close between 8-9pm. All shops are closed on Sundays.

What to Do in Berlin in 3 Days: Day 3

Explore the opulent charlottenburg palace (schloss charlottenburg).

On your last day in Berlin, leave the hustle of the city behind you and visit Charlottenburg Palace located directly by the river Spree. The palace was built in the 17th century during Germany’s Hohenzollern Dynasty as a royal summer residence.

There is a lot to see at Charlottenburg Palace, highlights include the gardens which were inspired by the Gardens of Versailles and extravagant rooms such as King Friedrich I’s bedchamber and the Oak Gallery, just to name a few.

There is also the Charlottenburg Palace Park with its lovely tree-lined gardens which is open to the public. The Belvedere tea house here has an extensive porcelain collection can you visit along with the neoclassical mausoleum of royal marble tombs where Queen Louise was buried.

Another major reason to visit the palace is for the evening concerts performed by the Berlin Residence Orchestra (Berliner Residenz Orchester) who dress in baroque costumes. They play music by composers such as Bach, Handel, and Mozart, among others. Tickets include a 3-course candlelight dinner in the Palace Orangery. Tickets sell out weeks in advance. Book your Evening at Charlottenburg Palace here.

Tips for visiting Charlottenburg Palace

• Charlottenburg Palace palace is open 10am to 5pm between November and March and until 6pm from April through October. Closed on Mondays.
• Allow 2-3 to explore the palace’s main attractions.
• The gardens are free to enter.
• Admission to the New Wing includes an audio guide.

Visit the Charlottenburg Palace website for more details

Berlin Travel Tips

Where to stay in berlin, hotel indigo berlin – east side gallery.

I’ve stayed in three different hotels in Berlin and out of the three Hotel Indigo Berlin – East Side Gallery was the only one that checked all boxes and where I enjoyed staying in the most. From the warm welcome upon arrival to the free mini bar and awesome views from my window. This stunning boutique hotel is located in the East Side Gallery and upon request you can get fantastic views of the Berlin Wall from your room.

Make sure you head up to their top floor for a drink at the gorgeous rooftop bar (also open to the public). There is a large outdoor terrace with lounges. This is an excellent place to watch the sun go down with one of their fabulous cocktails in hand.

Hotel Indigo Berlin – East Side Gallery is well connected too, the Berlin Ostbahnhof train station is just a 10-minute walk and there are various bus stops even closer by.

Book your stay at Hotel Indigo Berlin – East Side Gallery here.

Recommended Tours

Got more time here are more places to visit in berlin.

If you have more time and depending on your tastes, you may want to swap out any of the items in this itinerary. Here are some excellent and highly rated tours in Berlin to choose from:

• Berlin highlights and hidden sites historical walking tour
• Learn all about Berlin’s history from during the eras of the Prussians, Imperialists, Nazis and the Cold War on this half-day walking tour
• Relax on the River Spree with this 2.5-hour boat tour
• See Berlin’s incredible street art on this 3-hour off the grid tour
• If any excuse will do to play computer games and learn about the 60 year history of video games. Then the Computer Games Museum is for you! Book your ticket .
• Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and Memorial is located just outside of the city centre.  On this walking tour you’ll learn about the terrible events that took place here under the Nazi regime. Tickets can we purchased here.

That’s it! After visiting the palace you’ll probably have to starting heading to the airport. I hope you’ve enjoyed this 3 days in Berlin itinerary . If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you. Don’t forget to take my free German travel phrase guide with you.

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25 Best Things to Do in Berlin, According to Locals

Here's how to fill your days (and nights) in Germany’s capital, from visiting museums to dancing the night away at legendary clubs.

Lindsay Cohn is a writer, editor, and avid traveler who has visited 45 countries across six continents — and counting. She contributes to Travel + Leisure, Hotels Above Par, InsideHook, Well+Good, The Zoe Report, and more.

Stephanie Pollak/Travel + Leisure

Berlin is a city of contradictions. Edgy and derelict in some ways but with a cosmopolitan flair, its juxtaposition of past and present stands for all to see. You’ll find reminders of Berlin’s painful Holocaust and Cold War history everywhere in the form of landmarks and memorials. Colorful murals now decorate the last remaining sections of the wall that once divided the East and West, while elsewhere, old Soviet Bloc architecture looms over thriving community gardens. Germany’s capital also has incredible art and culture scenes, with world-class museums, contemporary galleries, and exhibition spaces galore. Shopping runs the gamut from vintage stores to luxury designer boutiques. The hard-partying metropolis is famous for nightlife, from high-octane mega clubs that don’t let out until daylight to speakeasy-style cocktail bars and chill biergartens. And it’s far from a sausage-and-pretzels food destination, thanks to a wave of international restaurants and spots that elevate German cuisine to new heights.

Needless to say, there’s more than enough happening to warrant a lengthy trip. (Check out our favorite Berlin hotels to ensure you're comfortable during your stay.) But if you only have a few days, that’s when the challenge of narrowing down the long list of activities and attractions comes into play. To help you craft the ultimate itinerary and pack in as much as possible, we tapped local concierges to break down the best things to do in Berlin.

Museum Island

Stephanie Pollak/Travel + Leisure

Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a stunning complex that’s home to five major museums. Julien Gentle, head concierge at Hotel de Rome, a Rocco Forte Hotel , suggests prioritizing the Neues Museum, where you can admire Egyptian art like the famous bust of Nefertiti, and the Alte Nationalgalerie, which has an outstanding collection of 19th-century paintings and sculptures by German artists.

Berlin Wall Memorial

“The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse is a moving tribute to the division of Berlin and the victims of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) regime,” explains Gentle. “The open-air exhibition and documentation center share profound and tangible insights into the layout and construction of the Berlin Wall, most notably the former Death Strip.”

Brandenburg Gate

Brandenburg Gate is one of the most famous landmarks in Germany. “Once a symbol of division between East and West, since 1989 it's come to symbolize reunification and freedom,” explains Martin Werner, concierge at Hotel Adlon Kempinski .

Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Kaufhaus des Westens, or KaDeWe, is one of the largest and most famous department stores in Europe — it’s up there with Harrods in London. The Berlin institution spans six stories and sells an impressive selection of luxury goods, from designer clothing and cosmetics to bedding and kitchen wares. Don’t forget to visit the gourmet section on the 6th floor.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, designed by New York architect Peter Eisenman, honors the millions of lives lost in the Holocaust. It’s without question one of the most significant — and devastating — sights in Berlin. Werner encourages visitors to pay 3 euros for the audio guide, which includes emotional and informative audio commentaries.

Berliner Unterwelten

Steffi Loos/Getty Images

Berliner Unterwelten is a private collective that operates a variety of fascinating tours through the city's secret bunkers, tunnels, and Flak Towers built by the Nazis. It’s a fascinating way to gain unique insights into Berlin's history, particularly during World War II and the Cold War.

Schloss Charlottenburg

orava/Getty Images

Built by Frederick I, the largest palace in Berlin is a splendid example of Baroque architecture. Schloss Charlottenburg’s extensive palace gardens and Orangerie invite visitors to take long walks, while the interior boasts magnificent rooms and an impressive art collection. Pro tip: If you’re visiting over the holidays, be sure to check out the Christmas market.

East Side Gallery

In 1990, artists from around the world transformed the longest intact section of the Berlin Wall — between the Berlin Ostbahnhof and the Oberbaumbrücke, along the Spree River — into a permanent open-air exhibition that symbolizes peace and freedom over oppression.

Reichstag Building

With its spectacular glass dome, riverside location, and political importance, it's no wonder the Reichstag Building is one of the most visited sights in the city. In the summer months, Werner says, Berliners and tourists alike flock to the large lawn in front of this governmental meeting place.

Tempelhofer Feld

EyeEm Mobile GmbH/Getty Images

Originally a parade ground and later an airport, Tempelhofer Feld now acts as a vast open space for recreation and leisure activities. Visitors can bike, skate, barbecue, marvel at the urban gardening section, or simply enjoy the freedom and expansiveness of this uniquely Berliner location. Gentle recommends “a tour of the old Nazi terminal building that’s shrouded in mystery and conspiracy.”

Berlin Philharmonic

TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images

Music lovers shouldn't miss a chance to see a concert at the iconic Berlin Philharmonic, an architectural and acoustic marvel that plays host to one of the world's leading orchestras.

golero/Getty Images

Berlin's largest inner-city park and a green oasis in the heart of the urban sprawl, Tiergarten sits on the former hunting grounds of the royal family and comprises sprawling lawns, ponds, and monuments — notably the Victory Column, a commemoration of the wars of German unification leading up to 1871. According to Gentle, it’s one of the city’s most popular spots for walks, jogging, and picnics.

Viktoriapark

Artur Bogacki/Getty Images

Located in Kreuzberg, Viktoriapark attracts locals and visitors with its picturesque landscapes (including an artificial waterfall) and stunning views of the city from the top of the hill.

Mauerpark Flea Market

Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Getty Images

At Mauerpark Flea Market, a lively and colorful marketplace held every Sunday, visitors can find everything from vintage clothing and antiques to handmade crafts from local makers. The adjacent park is famous for its street musicians, open mic karaoke, and exuberant atmosphere.

House of the Wannsee Conference

Christian Ender/Getty Images

In 1942, the Nazis planned their “Final Solution” — the systematic extermination of European Jews — at the House of the Wannsee Conference. Today, the site serves as a memorial and a chilling educational center, providing insight on the logistics of one of the greatest tragedies in human history. It’s both painful and incredibly important.

Teufelsberg

Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

Teufelsberg is a man-made hill in western Berlin, topped by the ruins of a former U.S. listening station used during the height of the Cold War. The site offers not only historical tours but also spectacular views over the city. It’s also a popular spot for street art and murals and is one of the places Berliners go to cool off in the hot, humid summers.

Nikolaiviertel Boat Tour

Rafael Dols/Getty Images

A historic boat tour through the Nikolaiviertel, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, takes visitors along the Spree River for a fascinating perspective on its medieval and baroque history. “Because most of Berlin’s historic center was destroyed during WWII, this district is really the closest thing to an Old Town,” notes Gentle.

Klunkerkranich

aslu\ullstein bild via Getty Images

Starting in March and through the summer months, hipsters gather on the roof terrace of Klunkerkranich, a cultural center in the district of Berlin-Neukölln, to sip drinks and soak in the vibrant atmosphere. In addition to cocktails, visitors can enjoy casual vegan food and live music.

Kreuzberg Food Tour

Alina Rudya/Bell Collective/Getty Images

“A food tour through Kreuzberg gives visitors the chance to discover the culinary diversity of this multicultural district, from Turkish specialties to innovative fusion cuisine,” says Gentle. On Tuesdays and Fridays a sprawling market lines the banks of the Maybachufer. It’s a great place to stock up on Turkish snacks and all sorts of other tasty treats.

XEL SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

Holzmarkt is a creative and cultural center on the banks of the Spree River in the New East that’s awash with edgy bars, art installations, and indie shops. “It’s become a popular meeting place for locals and tourists looking to experience Berlin's more alternative scene,” adds Gentle.

Natural History Museum Berlin

JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

The Natural History Museum Berlin is famous for its impressive dinosaur skeletons, including a well-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex named Tristan Otto as well as the earliest known bird.

Andreas Altwein/picture alliance via Getty Images

Germany's oldest zoo is home to a diversity of different species. With its historic aquarium and expansive habitats, it’s one of the most popular attractions for families, children, and animal lovers of all ages. Insider tip from Gentle: You can enjoy a coffee and look directly into the monkey cages from the nearby Bikini concept mall.

Gendarmenmarkt

RossHelen/Getty Images

Arguably Berlin’s most beautiful square, Gendarmenmarkt houses the monumental Neue Kirche, Duomo dei Francesi (the French Cathedral), and the Konzerthaus Berlin. Planning a trip in the winter? Don’t miss the Christmas market.

Gardens of the World

Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images

A little further afield in Marzahn, the Gardens of the World (Gärten der Welt) fuels a sense of wanderlust for travelers and locals alike. The public park, which opened in May 1987, comprises 250 acres of ornamental gardens, ranging from a peaceful Japanese garden to a riad-style Islamic garden. There’s also a cable car that floats above and supplies panoramic views.

Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images

“The legendary techno clubs — most notably Berghain — are known for strict door policies. While people have been scratching their heads for years trying to figure out a way to trick the system, getting rejected from one of the city's hottest nightlife venues has become almost a rite of passage — so much so that it’s considered an essential part of the true Berlin experience for many visitors,” says Gentle. Of course, there’s always a chance you might gain access. In that case, debauchery and dancing well past dawn await.

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The 23 best things to do in Berlin right now

Not sure where to start in the German capital? We've got you covered with the absolute best things to eat, see and do in Berlin

Is there anything Berlin can’t do? The German capital was the city of the twentieth century and has carried that momentum into the twenty-first. What are the best things to do in Berlin? The diversity at the heart of the city makes it a ‘something for everyone’ sort of place, with museums and galleries for the culture vultures next to 72-hour parties for the buzz-chasing, erm, buzzards. Not the best analogy, clearly, but you see the point. If you want it, you’ll find it in Berlin. And that’s how we’ve curated our list the way we have: to show off each element of this fabulous city. In any case, a plan is a must, as this modern metropolis fills every inch of its territory with interest, so follow our guide to the best things to do in Berlin and get planning. You are in for one incredible trip.

RECOMMENDED: 🪩 The best clubs in Berlin 🍴 The best restaurants in Berlin 🏡 The best  Airbnbs in Berlin 🛏 The best hotels in Berlin 📍 How to spend  a weekend in Berlin .

This guide was recently updated by Berlin-based writer  Kate Bettes . Original photos by Berlin-based photographer Astra Pentaxia .  At Time Out, all of our  travel guides  are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our  editorial guidelines . 

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

Best things to do in Berlin

1.  spend a day at mauerpark.

• Parks and gardens

Berlin’s most famous, biggest and busiest vintage scene is at Mauerpark .  This Sunday flea market sees storeholders selling everything from clothes by local designers to eclectic collections of vintage items. It also hosts the immensely popular weekly outdoor singing session, Bearpit Karaoke . You can also try out the the flea markets on the RAW cultural site in Berlin-Friedrichshain, and for fresh fruit and vegetables or baked goods, head to  Neuköllner Wochenmärkte  on Tuesdays and Fridays.

🥙 Discover more of the best markets in Berlin

2.  Go clubbing at Berghain

• Friedrichshain

The Berlin clubbing scene is world famous, and rightly so. The most famous is Berghain , a techno temple whose fame as an 'out-there' venue sees queues as long as six hours, with possible rejection when you reach the front. If that happens, check out  Sisyphos  (famous for its 10 pm Friday to 10 am Monday hours),  Renate ,  KitKatClub  and rooftop  Klunkerkranich . 

The best way of getting in? 1) If you don’t like techno, learn to love it. 2) If you go to a club 'just to see it' instead of genuinely liking the vibe, you probably won’t get in. 3) Learn the DJs' names in case you’re asked. 4) Obviously, don’t turn up drunk.

3.  Get active at Tempelhofer Feld

After Tempelhof Airport ceased operation in 2008, the city opened the runways to the public. Now you can stroll down the runways where Second World War Stuka dive-bombers took off and where, during the Berlin Airlift of 1948 after the Soviets blockaded West Berlin, the Western Powers dropped supplies for the city’s 2.5 million residents.

Today, the 368-hectare open space of runways and grasslands is much enjoyed by walkers, kite surfers, cyclists, runners, skaters, and goshawks. There are designated sections for dogs to run free, basketball courts, a baseball field, beer gardens, and even small allotments where Berliners can grow their own veg.

4.  Take a day trip to Potsdam

Frederick the Great’s summer grounds make for an unforgettable day out in Potsdam, the state capital of Brandenburg, just an S-Bahn ride southwest from central Berlin. As well as touring the Sansouci palace itself, guests can spend hours getting lost in its gardens and the ornate Bildergalerie and Neue Kammern (‘new chambers’). A trip to the lush grounds is welcome after a few days of pavement-pounding in urban Berlin. Not a fan of royalty? Discover the Golden Age of Berlin film at Filmpark Babelsberg , visit the Dutch and Russian quarters, and cross the Glienicke Bridge AKA the Cold War ‘Bridge of Spies.

5.  Grab a beer with a view in Tiergarten

Ask any local Berliner what their favourite thing to do in the city is, and you can bet your bottom euro that many of them will say that it's plentiful green spaces. Tiergarten by the Brandenburg Gate is the most famous and makes a refreshing break from your sightseeing. In its lifetime, it has been a hunting area for wild animals, a public park as created by Frederick the Great, and a site of destruction during and post-WW2, where much of the greenery was destroyed. Today, newer trees have been grown, and it is once again a relaxing park in which you can while away your summer days.

Time Out Tip:  Check out  Volkspark Friedrichshain to sunbathe with a pretzel and  Treptower Park  for one of the city’s prettiest outdoor beer gardens by the river. 

6.  Paddle on a floating barge at Badeschiff

The  Badeschiff pool in Treptow  is a famous floating barge pool, right next to the River Spree. You can sip Aperol spritzes from its bar and lean back in the various deckchairs overlooking the Instagram-worthy pool in front of you. But don’t be tempted to take a quick snap. Badeschiff is one of the many venues where you are not allowed to take photos. Note, that booking is essential, particularly on those long, hot, and humid summer days. Just note it’s not open all year round, so check its website for opening times. 

7.  Go for a dip in a Berlin lake

The wider Brandenburg region has around 3,000 lakes. Many are accessible by public transport and are a gorgeous way to cool off in summer or exhilarating spots to ‘ice dip’ in winter. Overwhelmed? Wannsee to the city’s west and Müggelsee to the east are the classic destinations, but there are plenty of others to discover.

You can grab some cold radlers and take the S-Bahn to the Schlachtensee Lake in southwestern Berlin for forest vibes. Alternatively, Plotzensee in north-western Berlin charges you €8 for entry … but it’s worth it. From play equipment for children on the right, currywurst and pizza stores in the middle, and a dance floor, sofas, a bar, and a naked sauna on the left, it’s nothing if not left of field. Not your jam? There are more to choose from than you could swim in in your lifetime.

🛶 Discover more of the best lakes in Berlin

8.  Confront a dark past at the Jewish Museum

Going to the   Jewish Museum   can make for a challenging, and full-on experience, but a visit here should certainly be high on your things to visit in Berlin. Since 2001, the museum has showcased the vast experiences of the Jewish people, both their past and present, covering everything from the documentation of Jewish German families to Jewish history from the Middle Ages to today. Admission to the core exhibition is free. 

🏛️ Discover more of the   best museums in Berlin

9.  Get naked at Vabali

• Health and beauty

In pretty much every spa in Berlin, clothes are forbidden and are mixed-gender. While this might sound intimidating, it is perfectly normal in Germany, meaning almost all the time, people aren’t creepy. The exquisite and mind-blowing  Vabali   is a good place to start. For anything from two hours (from €23.50) to a full day (from €41.50), you can visit its sweat lodges, panoramic laconium saunas, infusion and herbal and birch saunas, as well as outdoor and indoor pools, an outdoor restaurant and a bar. Whether you’re simply wanting to lounge around or want to book a massage, you’re bound to see people from all over Berlin, in every shape and size, doing the same.

📍 Discover more of the best spas in Berlin

10.  Grab brunch at Kanaan

• Middle Eastern

When it comes to breakfast places, it’s easy to break out of the ‘avo on toast’ expat scene. Take   Kanaan in Prenzlauer Berg , a delicious and worthy collaboration for peace between Palestinian and Israeli chefs, with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. Opt for the multi-course brunch, with pomegranate salads, vine leaves, labneh, hummus, and   Baba Ganoush , delectably salty roast potatoes, and more. 

🥞 Discover more of the  best brunch in Berlin  

We visited Berlin's Fotografiska

@timeouttravel the coolest new museum in Berlin 🎞️🪩 #fotografiska #fotografiskamuseum #berlin #berlinexhibition #berlinart #thingstodoinberlin ♬ ten_the firrrrrsttt day back - Fredagainagain

More great things to do in Berlin

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29 Cool Things To Do in Berlin – the Touristy Stuff + My Favourite Hidden Gems

I have lived in berlin, still travel there many times a year and try to keep my finger on the pulse of what to see and experience in the german capital..

In this post, I will share some of the best & coolest things to do in Berlin .

Planning a last minute trip to Berlin? 🇩🇪 Here are my favourite places to stay & things to do in German capital. 🛌 Places to Stay : 1. Hotel Adlon Kempinski (luxury hotel where all the celebs are staying too, right by the Brandenburg Gate) 2. NH Collection Mitte (very good hotel with an even better location in the heart of Berlin) 3. H4 Hotel Alexanderplatz (affordable hotel near Alexanderplatz and my favourite area, Prenzlauer Berg) 🎟️ Top Activities & Tours : 1. Fast-track ticket to the TV Tower (skip the slow-moving queue) 2. Go on Boat Tour on the River Spree (lovely way to see a lot of sights) 3. Take a Third Reich and Cold War Walking Tour 4. Take a guided tour to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial 🚇 Get The Berlin WelcomeCard for easy access to public transport (it's also valid on the Airport Express train) & huge discounts on a lot of activities in Berlin.

I’ll mention the top things to do and come up with my favourites from when I lived in the German capital and from my many subsequent travels.

I used to run my own travel agency where I customised trips to Berlin, so if you’ve any questions about Berlin, you’re more than welcome to comment below.

1. The TV tower at Alexanderplatz

2. boat trip in berlin – see the sights from the river spree.

• 3. Sightseeing bus tour (Berlin is a huge city!)

4. The Stasi prison in Hohenschönhausen

5. berlin story bunker – wwii museum, the best way to see the sights in berlin: walk from alexanderplatz to the brandenburg gate, 6. alexanderplatz, 7. rotes rathaus, 8. berliner dom, 9. unter den linden, 10. bebelplatz, 11. gendarmenmarkt, 12. checkpoint charlie, 13. the wall panorama museum, wwii things to do in berlin, 14. topography of terror, 15. the holocaust memorial, 16. the brandenburg gate – berlin’s best-known sight, 17. the bundestag – the german parliament, the berlin wall, 18. east side gallery, 19. gedänkstätte berlin mauer, 20. museum island – 5 world-famous museums on one island, 21. panoramapunkt – see berlin from the top of potsdamer platz, 22. madame tussauds berlin, 23. alternative berlin experience – an alternative guided tour, 24. kurfürstendamm – the trendy shopping street in charlottenburg, 25. kaiser wilhelm memorial church, 26. berlin victory column and tiergarten, 27. berlin zoo, 28. olympiastadion – the olympic stadium used at the 1936 olympics, 29. eat a döner, what are the best things to do in berlin, what are some hidden gems & non-touristy things to do in berlin, when is it best to visit berlin, what are the best areas of berlin, how many days should you spend in berlin, what to do in berlin on a sunday.

First, I would recommend everyone going on a city break in Berlin buy the so-called Berlin Welcome Card .

It’s a card for tourists that gives access to the city’s public transport for 48 hours, 72 hours or 5 days. It is very useful when going around and seeing sights.

In addition to providing access to public transport in Berlin and transportation from Berlin airport to the city centre , you also get a discount on over 200 different sights in Berlin, so it makes a lot of sense to invest in the Berlin WelcomeCard.

Let’s begin with my guide to Berlin’s best things to do.

The legendary TV tower right by Alexanderplatz is an unavoidable attraction on the trip to Berlin.

The TV tower can be seen from most of Berlin and is a good benchmark for where you are in the enormous German capital.

The view from up there is awe-inspiring, and you get a sense of how big a city Berlin is.

A trip up the TV tower is thus also an excellent experience for children and adults.

• A mistake I made when I first went up the TV tower in Berlin was not buying a skip-the-line ticket.

How stupid I felt when I stood in the queue for an hour and a half and saw people skipping the line because they had already booked a ticket.

I won’t make that mistake again, and I can strongly recommend everyone who wants to visit the iconic tower buy a ticket from home.

Get your fast-track ticket here .

When going to Berlin on a city break, you’ll see the river Spree , which cuts its folds right through the middle of Berlin. The fact that the Spree is centrally located in the city means you pass a string of attractions on a boat trip in Berlin.

There are many different boat trips in Berlin, and many companies organise popular trips.

As always, however, it is possible to book the ticket from home and be guaranteed a place on a boat.

Look at this 1-hour boat trip around the Reichstag and Museum Island .

The boat docks in Berlin Mitte, my top recommended area for places to stay in Berlin .

3. Sightseeing bus tour ( Berlin is a huge city ! )

When I lived in Berlin, I took a bus ride with my family when they visited me.

I admit I should have done that as one of the first things as I got to the city.

Most people have tried to be on these classic sightseeing bus tours in various European cities, which can sometimes be a bit unnecessary, but in Berlin, in particular, it makes a lot of sense to go on a bus tour around and see the sights.

Berlin is huge and divided into many different districts, each with its own life and hubs.

With a bus tour (where you can hop on and off as you please for 24 hours), it is possible to experience several different parts of the city and sights quickly.

See more about sightseeing bus tours in Berlin here .

I when on a school trip to Berlin as a teenager in high school, where we started our trip by visiting the old Stasi prison in Hohenschönhausen . I don’t think I was the only one who got nauseous from being there.

In other words, it is not the most uplifting thing to do in Berlin, but it is perhaps the one on the list that has made the biggest impression on me.

You can only go on guided tours of the prison, and the wild thing is that the guides are often former prisoners under the GDR regime . In other words, they know what they’re talking about when they show around the dungeons.

A scary but exhilarating historical thing to do in Berlin .

There are guided tours in English every day at 10:40, 12:40 and 14:40.

You can book online here .

As the prison is located a good distance out in eastern Berlin, a special tour has been made where you are picked up by a private driver at your hotel and driven to and from the prison.

See more about this tour here .

Another fascinating place for those interested in history, particularly WWII, is the Berlin Story Bunker.

Here you can see the exhibition “Hitler, How Could It Happen” and learn about Hitler, Nazism and the history of Berlin.

In addition, there is a large model of Hitler’s “ führerbunker “, where he ended his days at the end of World War II.

See more about the Berlin Bunker Story .

When I had my own travel agency, I made tailor-made trips for Berlin (as well as London , Scotland and New York City ).

Here I also came up with recommendations of things to do and made walks that passed some of the city’s best attractions.

And perhaps, in particular, experiences in Berlin about the Second World War.

When I was a tour guide for a bus full of Danish tourists a few months ago, I finally got the opportunity to test my one walk myself and it worked really well!

So I would recommend it if you want to see some of Berlin’s best sights on a walk that takes about 1-2 hours, depending on the pace and coffee stops.

I’ve made a video where I’m walking this exact route in Berlin:

The tour starts at Alexanderplatz, which is well-known to many tourists. It’s not really because anything extraordinary is happening right here, but it’s a bit of a ‘hub’ for public transport and, thus, a fine landmark.

However, one thing you should see at Alexanderplatz is the World Time Clock .

(The TV Tower is also located here – so you could start the walk by going up the tower )

Then the tour continues past the Rotes Rathaus , Berlin’s town hall and one of the more iconic buildings in the German capital.

Rotes Rathaus is close to Alexanderplatz and is Berlin’s stunning town hall.

The river Spree is crossed and immediately thunders Berliner Dom as you start the tour on Unter den Linden .

From the road, you can even look towards Museumsinsel , the museum island, where the world-famous Pergamon Museum is located (more on this later in this guide).

Unter den Linden goes up to the Brandenburger Tor, which is (almost) the last point of the walk, but we turn left at Bebelplatz .

Bebelplatz is the square where the Nazis burned over 20,000 books by mainly Jewish authors in 1933.

The walk continues to Gendarmenmarkt, where we find both the French and German churches. A beautiful square inspired by the Piazza del Popolo in Rome.

This would be an excellent place for a coffee stop.

From here, it is a short walk down to another iconic attraction in Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie, which hardly requires much introduction.

Around Checkpoint Charlie is always a bit busy in the street with street vendors selling a lot of junk from the GDR era.

Personally, I don’t think the GDR is something that should be celebrated, and I always cringe when I see people who wear GDR merchandise but to each his own taste…

Right next to Checkpoint Charlie is an interactive museum that always triggers my curiosity when I’m on these edges. It is relatively new, and the times I have been past it, I have not had time to look inside.

On the other hand, I have only heard positive things about it and can also read from the reviews that it should be fascinating.

The museum is called THE WALL – Panorama and, although I can’t say for sure, I think it’s worth a visit.

Read more about the museum and buy a ticket here , it’s quite cheap actually.

The next places on the walk are unfortunately not ones you pass with a huge smile on your face, but I still think they are important to pass by.

From here, it’s just a matter of following the Berlin Wall westbound.

Then you hit (yet another) slightly depressing thing to see in Berlin, the SS’s old headquarters, which has now been converted into a museum, which shows just what atrocities the Nazis were behind – Topography of Terror .

The Topography of Terror in Berlin isn’t particularly cheerful, but I’d still recommend it if you’re interested in history – it’s free , by the way.

You could swing past Potsdamer Platz from here, which is often mentioned as a place in Berlin you should see, but in my view, there is nothing to go there for – it’s just a big square…

The next point on the walk is also not in the funny category, but nevertheless one of the city’s most well-known and visited attractions – the monument to the Jews killed during the Second World War .

You have undoubtedly seen pictures of the place, but it is a different experience to walk around in the middle of the memorial, which is surprisingly ‘deep’.

As a side note, Hitler’s bunker is buried a few meters from the memorial. But there is nothing to see as it’s just a parking lot and is not marked with anything other than a small sign, so it won’t be an attraction in itself – I like that very much.

Just around the corner from the memorial, we find the Brandenburg Gate, which must be one of the gates that have experienced the most in its history.

Like so many other places in Berlin, you feel the whir of history at the Brandenburger Tor and Strasse des 17. Juni , which leads up to the Victory Column.

However, my walk does not end there – it instead “ends” just around the corner at the German Bundestag.

The Bundestag building, like the Brandenburg Gate and generally this Berlin area, has seen much happen .

The history of the building is truly unique and, thus, an attraction in Berlin that you have to experience.

I have made a Google Map that shows all the mentioned sights you can experience on this walk from Alexanderplatz to the Bundestag:

Of course, you can’t make a guide on things to do in Berlin without mentioning the Berlin Wall , one of Berlin’s sights that must be experienced.

There are still quite a few pieces of the Berlin Wall around the city, but more and more are being removed year by year.

Below, let me briefly review two of the most well-known places to experience the Berlin Wall.

The East Side Gallery , located right by the Spree on the east side (close to, among other things, Warschauer Strasse Station and the well-known Simon Dach Strasse), is the part of the wall that most people have seen from home.

This is where the wall is decorated with graffiti and the well-known “kissing painting” of Gorbachev and Honecker, which in many ways symbolises the fall of the GDR.

You can still see that, and it is undoubtedly a rather exciting experience in Berlin, which can be recommended.

Incidentally, the area around the East Side Gallery has developed a lot (like the rest of the city) in the last few years.

When I lived in Berlin, the area was relatively dead – now it is packed with offices, brand-new buildings and the large Mercedes Benz Arena for concerts and ice hockey.

Check out this Cold War Walking Tour if you want to get the full experience at the East Side Gallery.

Many tourists love Prenzlauer Berg (I lived there myself and still love the area), so we like to go there. And it is especially recommended on Sundays when there is a large flea market in Mauerpark.

But did you know that a few hundred meters from Mauerpark are a larger area where you can see pieces of the Berlin Wall?

Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer is a larger area where you can experience the history of the Berlin Wall for free.

Read more about the site here .

Museumsinsel , the museum island , is located in Mitte and a stone’s throw from Berliner Dom so you could squeeze it into the sightseeing tour.

Still, there is also good reason to set aside most of the day if you want to visit all five museums on Museum Island.

Altes Museum is the island’s and one of Berlin’s oldest museums, originally built from 1823 to 1830. Here you will find antique exhibitions with everything from antique vases to sculptures and antique pieces of architecture.

Neues Museum was built between 1843 and 1855 but was unfortunately partially destroyed during World War II. The Neues Museum was then renovated and fully opened in 2009, where you can now see exhibits from the Egyptian Museum and much more.

Alte Nationalgalerie is, as the name suggests if you know German, the old national gallery where you will find all kinds of works from classicism, romanticism and much more.

Bode Museum is the island’s neo-baroque museum building, which, among other things, exhibits European sculptures, paintings and Byzantine art. In addition, you will find here one of the world’s largest coin collections in the Münzkabinett .

Pergamon Museum is the newest building on the museum island, and here you will find, among other things, the Museum of Islamic Art and exhibits from ancient Babylon.

However, it must be said that a large part of the Pergamon Museum is undergoing renovation and will not open until 2025 .

If you don’t make the trip up the TV tower or can’t get enough of the view over Berlin, you can make the trip past the Panorama point on Potsdamer Platz.

I haven’t gone up there myself, so I can’t describe the view myself, but I can see on the sales page that there are only good reviews of the ticket.

See more about Panoramapunkt here .

You might have thought Madame Tussauds was only to be found in a guide on things to do in London.

But no – the world-renowned wax museum has also opened in Berlin with great success.

It is thus possible to see similar wax dolls of Lady Gaga, the Beatles and Michael Jackson.

Madame Tussauds Berlin is a top-rated attraction where a certain number of people are admitted for 90 minutes at a time. This is positive, as it never gets too crowded at the wax museum.

However, remember to book the ticket from home and skip the long queue!

Skip-the-line tickets can be bought online here .

What is the ‘alternative Berlin’? The German capital is probably one of the edgiest cities in Europe, so it is easy to stumble across so-called alternative sights in Berlin.

Nevertheless, it makes sense to take a tour (which is relatively cheap) that shows off some of the more closed underground places in Berlin.

The trip takes place on foot and takes about 4 hours, where you pass by Kreuzberg and experience the most important sights in Berlin within various subcultures.

The alternative Berlin tour is top-rated among photographers. Still, with the knowledgeable tour guide, there is enough to do for everyone – indeed, an attraction/activity in Berlin that not everyone comes home to talk about.

Read more about the tour here .

Kurfürstendamm is to Berlin what Oxford Street is to London, 5th Avenue is to New York, and the Champs-Élysées favour Paris. To experience world-class shopping, you must pass Berlin’s most famous shopping street in West Berlin.

This is also where you will find KaDeWe , Berlin’s best-known shopping centre worth visiting. I also mention the area as very child-friendly in my guide on the best areas in Berlin .

There are other sights in the area, such as the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was bombed in World War II and was not restored on purpose.

The Kaiser-Wilhelm Church is a stark yet beautiful testament to the city’s turbulent past.

Severely damaged during the Second World War, its hollow spire, known as the ‘hollow tooth’, persists as a monument of resilience.

Adjacent to the ruined structure is a striking modern bell tower, adding to the site’s unique blend of history and modernity.

Visitors are greeted by a serene ambience accentuated by stunning blue stained-glass windows.

The Tiergarten is a vast park that starts from the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag.

From the Brandenburg Gate to the Siegessäule as it’s called in German, you can see the significant victory column celebrating the Prussian victory over Denmark , Austria and France in the 19th century.

The entire area around the Victory Column is full of history, and the road from the Brandenburg Gate is now called Strasse des 17. Juni must be one of the streets in the world that has seen the most historical moments .

These days the street is used for the Berlin Half Marathon (which I did a couple of years ago), and there are extensive screenings when Germany plays in the football World Cup.

Berlin Zoo is one of the most visited zoos in Europe and one of Berlin’s most visited attractions.

There are over 1,500 species and almost 20,000 different animals in the park, located on the western edge of the Tiergarten (Tiergarten can also be translated as Animal Park, so it all makes perfect sense).

As you know, Berlin hosted the Olympic Games in 1936, where Hitler got everyone’s eyes on him and perhaps hosted one of the first major sports-washing events …

For the 1936 Olympics, the Olympiastadion was built in West Berlin and is still in use. This is where Hertha Berlin plays its home matches, and you can also watch big stadium concerts at the impressive stadium.

I have been out there for a concert (with Bruce Springsteen), football matches (Hertha Berlin vs Bayern Munich ), and outside match days for a stadium tour.

Whether a football fan or interested in history, taking the S-Bahn to the Olympic Stadium is highly recommended.

I’ve got to be honest: I like kebab, but it’s not something I’m too fuzzed about. Apart from when I’m in Berlin!

Berlin has a rich, tangy secret that its history belies – the tantalising döner kebab .

While this savoury delight originates from Turkey, Berlin’s multicultural fabric transformed the döner into the city’s beloved fast food icon.

It was in the swinging ’70s that a Turkish immigrant named Kadir Nurman noticed Berlin’s bustling metropolis of on-the-go workers and decided to introduce a hearty, handheld meal.

He innovatively served up juicy rotisserie meat with fresh vegetables inside a fluffy bread pocket, and just like that, Berlin’s döner kebab was born.

Trying a döner in Berlin isn’t just about filling your stomach; it’s about tasting a story of migration, adaptation, and gastronomic innovation.

It’s definitely a must-do when you’re coming to Berlin – and it’s cheap as well.

My favourite place to eat döner in Berlin is at K’Ups Gemüsekebap in Prenzlauer Berg:

I hope you could use this guide to the best things to do in Berlin.

If you have any questions about your trip to the German capital, please comment below, and I will do my best to help.

With its compelling cocktail of history and modernity, Berlin offers much more than its star attractions – the imposing TV Tower , the iconic Brandenburg Gate, the moving Holocaust Memorial, and the notorious Checkpoint Charlie. But don’t stop there!

The real joy of Berlin lies in its hidden corners and bustling local haunts. In this guide, I’m excited to share 29 of my favourite spots that offer a unique peek into the heart of this dynamic city.

Here are a few hidden gems you might want to check out:

Spreepark : This abandoned amusement park in the Plänterwald has an eerie charm. You can’t go in, but you can walk around the perimeter and catch glimpses of the overgrown rides. Sometimes they even do guided tours.

Teufelsberg : This man-made hill built on top of a Nazi military school is now home to an abandoned Cold War-era spy station. It’s a fascinating spot for history buffs, with amazing street art and panoramic views of Berlin.

“ Thai Park “: Officially called Preußenpark, this spot in Wilmersdorf becomes a vibrant outdoor Thai food market on weekends. It’s a great place to grab a bite and enjoy a picnic.

Viktoriapark : This lovely park in Kreuzberg has a waterfall, a national monument, and a great view of the city. It’s a bit less touristy than other parks, so you can enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere.

Klunkerkranich : This rooftop bar in Neukölln is located on top of a shopping center parking garage. With its eclectic vibe, urban garden, and fantastic views, it’s an awesome spot to enjoy a drink and watch the sunset.

Sammlung Boros : This contemporary art collection is housed in a converted WWII bunker. Visits are by appointment only, so make sure to book ahead.

The best time to visit Berlin really depends on your preferences, but I absolutely love Berlin in spring through early fall (May to September) offers the most pleasant weather.

During this time, you can expect mild to warm temperatures, with plenty of sunshine and longer daylight hours. Outdoor events, festivals, and open-air cafes are abundant during these months, making it a great time to explore the city and soak up the atmosphere.

That said, winter in Berlin has its own charm, with Christmas markets and festive lights, but be prepared for cold temperatures and potentially snowy or wet conditions. Just make sure to pack warm clothes and enjoy the city’s cozy cafes and indoor attractions.

I used to live in Prenzlauer Berg , and I loved it. Prenzlauer Berg is still my favourite area, but Mitte , Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain also have much to offer. Check out my guide on the best places to stay for more about the different Berlin areas.

I’d say you should plan for at least 3-4 days to really get a good feel for the city. This should give you enough time to check out the must-see attractions, explore cool neighbourhoods, and maybe even catch a few off-the-beaten-path spots.

Of course, if you can spend more time, like a week or so, that’s even better! You’ll have a chance to dive deeper into Berlin’s history, art, and culture, plus enjoy some laid-back days in the city’s parks and cafes.

Berlin has so much to offer, and the more time you have, the more you’ll be able to experience it. Even if you only have a weekend, you’ll still have a blast – make sure to prioritise the things you really want to see and do

Unfortunately, most things in Berlin are closed, but one of my favourite things to do in Berlin is only open on Sundays. One of the best things to do on a Sunday is to head over to Mauerpark, where you’ll find a lively flea market – Flohmarkt im Mauerpark . It’s a fantastic place to browse for vintage treasures, unique crafts, and tasty street food. Plus, you can enjoy the famous open-air karaoke sessions that take place in the amphitheatre.

After you’ve had your fill of Mauerpark, why not explore the charming Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood? You can stroll along its tree-lined streets, check out some cute boutiques and art galleries, or grab a coffee and a bite to eat at one of the many cosy cafes. It’s a lovely area to unwind and soak up the laid-back Berlin vibe.

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24 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Berlin

Written by Bryan Dearsley and Lura Seavey Updated Dec 22, 2023

Berlin, the capital of Germany and the country's largest city, is also a major center of politics, culture, media, and science.

Noted for its cultural attractions, Berlin is home to the world-famous Berlin Opera and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, while its diverse art scene encompasses numerous events, galleries, and museums , including those on Museum Island , a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Despite the devastation of WWII, and following decades of decay to the east of the infamous Berlin Wall, the city has been rebuilt in a way that celebrates its successes while acknowledging a dark past.

Today, Berlin has earned a reputation as something of a youthful, hip tourist destination that offers an eclectic mix of places to visit, including new and classic architectural landmarks, dynamic entertainment, shopping, and a wide variety of sports and cultural institutions.

Whatever your interests, to help you get the most out of your sightseeing adventures, be sure to refer often to our list of the top tourist attractions in Berlin, Germany.

The Brandenburg Gate

The rebuilt reichstag, museum island, the berlin wall memorial, german historical museum, berliner fernsehturm: berlin's television tower, mauer museum (checkpoint charlie museum), charlottenburg palace and park, gendarmenmarkt, jewish museum berlin, the german museum of technology, memorial to the murdered jews of europe, grosser tiergarten and the victory column, pergamon museum, the humboldt forum, berlin cathedral church, the topography of terror, berlin zoological gardens, tierpark berlin, berlin-dahlem botanical garden and botanical museum, the nikolai quarter, kaiser wilhelm memorial church, französischer dom and the huguenot museum, berlin, germany - climate chart.

Berlin's most famous historic landmark is undoubtedly the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor). Once a symbol of a divided nation, it now stands as a symbol of unity and peace.

This impressively large Neoclassical gate was commissioned by King Frederick Wilhelm II in 1788, and its design was inspired by the Propylaea in Athens' Acropolis. The sandstone monument is 26 meters tall, standing in the Mitte district's Pariser Platz , just a block from the Reichstag building.

During the Cold War, its physical and symbolic position as a blocked gate along the Berlin Wall made it a frequent site for demonstrations by West Berliners. It's also famous for being the backdrop of US President Ronald Reagan's 1987 entreaty to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall.

It was also the scene of a poignant gesture in 1999, when political leaders from a variety of countries—including Germany's Angela Merkel, Russia's Mikhail Gorbachev, and Poland's Lech Walesa—together walked through the gate to commemorate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall 10 years earlier.

Visiting the Brandenburg Gate at night is a special treat, and undoubtedly one of the top free things to do in Berlin .

Address: Pariser Platz, 10117, Berlin

The Reichstag (Reichstagsgebäude) was originally completed in 1894 where the Neo-Renaissance palace served as the home of the German Empire's Imperial Diet until it burned in 1933. It was not used again until after the reunification of Germany, at which point it underwent a 10-year reconstruction and finally became the home of the German Parliament in 1999.

A highlight of this magnificent reconstruction is the replacement dome, the Kuppel. Made of glass, it offers superb views of the surrounding city, especially at night from the Rooftop Restaurant. If you're visiting in the summer months, be sure to check into the schedule of light shows and film nights for a memorable Berlin experience.

Note that entry to the Dome and Terrace is ticketed, and due to demand, it's recommended that tickets be requested in advance . While registration is available on the day, you should expect a two- or three-hour wait. Free English language audio guides are available.

Address: Platz der Republik 1, 11011, Berlin

Sandwiched between the River Spree and the Kupfergraben in a 400-meter-long canal, Spree Island—better known as Museum Island (Museumsinsel)—is one of the city's most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites .

Here, you'll find many of Berlin's oldest and most important museums , including the Old Museum (Altes Museum), built in 1830 to house the Crown Jewels and other royal treasures.

The New Museum (Neues Museum), destroyed during WWII, was rebuilt and opened again in 2009. It serves as the home of extensive collections from the Egyptian Museum, the Papyrus Collection, and the Collection of Classical Antiquities.

The Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie), opened in 1876, displays Neoclassical sculpture and paintings from 1815-1848, as well as Impressionist and early Modernist pieces. The Bode Museum houses a collection of Byzantine art, as well as a large sculpture collection spanning from medieval times to the late 1700s.

The city's most popular museum, the Pergamon features a Museum of Islamic Art, the Ishtar Gate, and reconstructed historic buildings from the Middle East. The newest museum attraction, the Humboldt Forum opened here in 2019 and houses the Ethnological Museum of Berlin and the Museum of Asian Art.

Address: Bodestraße 1-3, 10178 Berlin

The Berlin Wall originated in 1961 when East Germany sealed off that half of the city to prevent citizens from fleeing to West Germany. By the time it was torn down in 1989, the four-meter-high wall extended 155 kilometers, dissected 55 streets, and possessed 293 observation towers and 57 bunkers.

Today, only small stretches of this graffiti-covered travesty remain, including a 1.4-kilometer stretch preserved as part of the Berlin Wall Memorial (Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer). It stands as a chilling reminder of the animosity that once divided Europe.

Highlights of a visit include the Marienfelde Refugee Center Museum, with its exhibits relating to the one-and-a-half million people who passed through Berlin as refugees; the Günter Litfin Memorial, a former watchtower now set up as a memorial, which pays tribute to the first civilian killed trying to cross from east to west; and the Monument in Memory of the Divided City and the Victims of Communist Tyranny.

Be sure to also check out the Window of Remembrance and the Visitor Center with views over the remains of the wall. Guided tours are available in English.

Address: Bernauer Straße 111, 13355 Berlin

Established to mark Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987, the German Historical Museum (Deutsches Historisches Museum, or DHM) is a must-visit for those interested in learning more about the city's remarkably rich history.

This much-visited attraction consists of a number of historic exhibition halls jam-packed with fascinating displays of artifacts relating to various periods and events from the country's founding right up to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Other highlights include exhibits relating to medicine, fashion, religion, printing, art, and photography. Military buffs are also well catered to with the museum's vast collection of historic armor, weapons, and uniforms.

There's also a cinema located on-site, and a research library that's open to the public. English language guided tours are available, and for those expecting a longer stay (you'll want to, there's that much to see), there's a handy cloakroom and café.

Address: Unter den Linden 2, 10117 Berlin

Despite its age—it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020—the 368-meter-tall Berliner Fernsehturm (Berlin Television Tower) has lost none of its appeal to visitors to the city.

Since opening in 1970, Europe's third-tallest freestanding structure has attracted over 60 million visitors, most of them drawn for the spectacular views over Germany's capital.

Originally constructed to mark the prowess of communism (it's located in the former East Berlin district), the landmark can be picked out from pretty much every corner of the city, making it more significant as a symbol of the city's reunification in the 1980s.

Be sure to include the structure's observation deck in your visit, and if you're able to linger awhile, book a reservation at the 207-meter-high revolving restaurant.

Address: Panoramastraße 1 A, 10178 Berlin

Also of interest is the Checkpoint Charlie Museum (Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie). Marking the best-known crossing point between East and West Berlin, this fascinating tourist attraction features numerous displays and artifacts tracing the history of human rights, along with exhibits dealing specifically with the history of the Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie.

Situated next to the original guardhouse, the museum also highlights some of the most interesting attempts made by those trying to escape communist rule. These include an original homemade air balloon used in one successful attempt.

Also of interest is the nearby open-air BlackBox Cold War exhibit , which features sections of the Berlin Wall and related information stations.

Address: Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10969 Berlin

Berlin's oldest and largest Prussian estate, the late 17th-century Charlottenburg Palace was for decades the primary residence of German royalty.

Now beautifully restored, this huge palace has many extraordinary features, including a massive 50-meter-high central dome, opulent Baroque and Rococo décor throughout its expansive rooms, and a large garden that was inspired by the gardens at Versailles.

A highlight of the property's tour program is a visit to the New Wing , with its State Apartments and fine Banqueting Halls. Built in 1746, it's here visitors get a glimpse of the splendor in which the Prussian Kings and Electors lived, from Frederick I's bedroom and study with their fine furnishings and paintings, to the State Dining Room and 42-meter-long Golden Gallery with its rich, gilded stucco.

Over in the Old Palace is the Porcelain Cabinet, a room dedicated to a large historic porcelain collection and special exhibits, including the Crown Jewels and other royal items.

Other highlights are the Palace Park dating from 1697 and home to the New Pavilion (Neue Pavilion), built in 1788 in the style of a Neapolitan villa, and the Belvedere Teahouse with its fine collection of Berlin porcelain.

Be sure to visit the Mausoleum with its royal tombs, as well as the Grand Courtyard with its large statue of the Great Elector, Frederick William of Brandenburg. One of the top things to do in Berlin in winter is visit the Charlottenburg Palace Christmas Market , a spectacular display of more than 250 vendors and artisans exhibiting seasonal wares.

Address: Spandauer Damm 10, 14059 Berlin

The Gendarmenmarkt, one of Berlin's largest squares, is dominated by three historic landmark buildings: the Konzerthaus, the French Cathedral (Französischer Dom), and the German Cathedral (Deutscher Dom).

This picturesque 17th-century square is now one of Berlin's top tourist attractions and hosts numerous public events each year, including classical concerts on the steps of the Konzerthaus theater in the summer.

Come winter, the entire plaza becomes one of the most famous Christmas markets in Germany .

Konzerthaus : The Konzerthaus , built in 1821, is as famous for its architectural splendor as it is for the first-rate performances of Konzerthausorchester Berlin, one of the country's most popular symphony orchestras.

In front of the building stands a statue of the German poet Friedrich Schiller surrounded by four female figures who represent the artistic elements of Lyric Poetry, Drama, History, and Philosophy.

Cathedrals: The cathedrals are so named for their domes ("dom" is also the German word for cathedral) and are in fact not churches. The French Cathedral is home to the Huguenot Museum , and the German Cathedral exhibits the history of the German Parliament.

Alexanderplatz : Another well-known square in Berlin, Alexanderplatz was the center of East Berlin life and is now home to the World Time Clock, a popular meeting place. Nearby is the Television Tower (nicknamed Telespargel) with panoramic views of the city.

Address: Gendarmenmarkt, 10117 Berlin

Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the Jewish Museum Berlin (Jüdisches Museum Berlin) features a distinctive zinc-paneled exterior that makes it one of Berlin's most striking landmarks.

It was established in 2001, and inside visitors will find a wide range of historical artifacts and donated collections that illustrate the long history and struggle of Jewish Germans, from the Middle Ages to the present.

Exhibits include artwork, religious objects, and 24,000 photographs that have been preserved and recovered. Especially poignant is The Memory Void, where you'll find an installation called "Shalekhet," or "Fallen Leaves," a collection of some 10,000 iron faces spread across the ground. Sobering, to say the least.

The museum is also home to an extensive library and archives at the Academy of the Jewish Museum Berlin , where there are frequent educational programs. Museum galleries include sections dedicated to Hanukkah, anti-semitism, Middle East conflict, the history and culture of Jerusalem, and the life of Munich rabbi Leo Baerwald.

A variety of themed tour options are available, along with English language audioguides.

Address: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin

The must-see German Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin) was established in 1983 to showcase and celebrate Germany's industrial and technological prowess.

There are plenty of fun things to do for kids and families in this popular museum, including taking in displays related to the Industrial Revolution, getting some hands-on experience in a reconstructed workshop. In addition, the museum offers a fascinating look at the vehicles that evolved alongside this rise in mechanization.

There are plenty of vehicles and aircraft on display, including a number of preserved steam engines dating back as far as 1843. Other highlights include riding in a vintage 1930s train from the museum to its locomotive depot on the weekends.

Guided tours are available in English. For those wanting to make a day of it (which is recommended), there's a restaurant and picnic spot located on-site.

Address: Trebbiner Straße 9, D-10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg

A remarkable testament to the people of Germany and their commitment to never turn a blind eye to the atrocities of the past, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas)—also known as the Holocaust Memorial —is another Berlin landmark that attracts tourists from all over the world.

Sitting on the eastern side of Tiergarten, this collection of 2,711 concrete slabs covers 19,000 square meters of uneven ground. Below the sprawling memorial is an information center that houses the letters, diaries, and photographs of Holocaust victims. An audioguide is available in English.

Address: Cora-Berliner-Straße 1, 10117 Berlin

Literally translated as the "Large Animal Garden," Berlin's Grosser Tiergarten has long been a major tourist attraction. Originally a royal hunting reserve in which deer, wild pigs, and other game were kept, it was transformed into a public park in 1700.

Attractively laid out with an abundance of trees and shrubs and expanses of grass and flower borders, the Tiergarten covers 210 hectares and is a favorite spot for relaxation, walking, and boating.

The park also contains numerous statues and monuments, including the 1880 Statue of Queen Luise , which depicts her with a relief recalling her care of wounded soldiers during the War of 1806. There's also an 1849 Monument to Frederick Wilhelm III , with reliefs reflecting the King's peace-loving disposition.

The most famous of the Tiergarten's monuments is the massive Victory Column (Siegessaule), a 70-meter-tall structure crowned by an eight-meter-high gold statue of Victoria. The statue, dubbed Golden Lizzy by locals, was completed in 1873.

It's well worth climbing the 285 steps to the top of this magnificent monument for the views over the Tiergarten . And if you look closely, you'll still see evidence of bullet damage caused during WWII.

Address: Str. des 17. Juni, 10785 Berlin

The Pergamon , the most visited of the Museum Island attractions, is also one of Berlin's top sightseeing destinations. It is home to three main galleries, each occupying a wing of the massive building, including the Middle East Museum, the Islamic Art Museum, and the Antiquity collection.

The artifacts, which narrowly escaped harm during WWII, were collected by German archaeologists during the 19th and 20th centuries from excursions to Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.

Primarily focused on architectural marvels, including ornate façades and gates, some of the museum's most famous pieces are the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, the Roman Market Gate of Miletus, and the Mshatta Façade. A café and bookshop are located on-site.

One of the most popular attractions on Museum Island—a place that's already busting at the seams with great sightseeing opportunities—is the newly opened Humboldt Forum .

Established in 2019, this remarkable feat of construction sees two of Berlin's leading museum collections —the Museum of Ethnography (Ethnologisches Museum) and the Museum of Asian Art Museum (Museum für Asiatische Kunst)—now housed under a single roof: that of a completely reconstructed Berlin Palace. Both are considered to be the equal of leading museums around the world.

Visitors can now easily explore Germany's largest collections of non-European treasures , including a trove of more than 400,000 artifacts from across the globe.

Notable highlights include displays of ancient art from Asia, along with sizable collections focusing specifically on China. In addition to its theaters, the facility houses two restaurants and a shop.

Address: Schloßpl. 1, 10178 Berlin

Located on Museum Island next to the Lustgarten , the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) is one of the complex's most imposing buildings thanks to its 75-meter-high dome.

Built in the New Baroque style, the building is the largest church in Berlin and is divided into three main sections: the Memorial Church, the Baptismal and Nuptial Church, and the Parish Church. After decades of painstaking work to repair war damage, the church has been returned to its former glory.

Highlights of a visit include the Imperial Staircase, decorated with bronze cornices and 13 tempera paintings by Berlin landscape painter Albert Hertel in 1905. You should also plan to see the Imperial Gallery with its splendid views of Berlin.

Another popular feature is the Hohenzollern Crypt, which contains nearly 100 sarcophagi, coffins, and monuments from the 16th to 20th centuries.

Try to time your visit for one of the cathedral's many concerts, organ recitals, or special visitor services, and be sure to climb the 270 steps to the Dome for superb views over Museum Island. English language guided tours are available, and a café and shop are located on-site.

Address: Am Lustgarten, 10178 Berlin

Also known as the Museum of the Gestapo, the Topography of Terror (Topographie des Terrors) occupies the buildings that were once the central offices and prison of the Secret State Police and the headquarters of Gestapo operations during WWII.

The main exhibit focuses on the SS and police during Nazi rule, highlighting the terrible crimes that were committed and giving visitors a sense of the constant state of terror that was everyday life for Europeans under their control.

Exhibits include documents, photographs, audio, and film, and explore various themes, including persecution and extermination, occupied countries, and the postwar era.

Visitors are also invited to tour the historic grounds, which include remains of the Berlin Wall and the outdoor exhibition Historic Wilhelmstraße. Informative English language tours are available on Sundays.

Address: Niederkirchnerstraße 8, 10963 Berlin

Berlin Zoological Gardens (Zoologischer Garten Berlin) is the oldest zoo in Germany and remains one of Berlin's most popular attractions, welcoming 3.5 million guests each year.

Established in 1844 and completely rebuilt after WWII, the zoo has earned a reputation for its many successful breeding programs and is known for providing authentic habitats for the animals.

The zoo is home to nearly 20,000 animals big and small, from Arctic wolves to zebras. Famous residents include a pair of giant pandas, two species of giraffe, and a flock of diminutive African penguins.

The Zoological Gardens are also home to Europe's biggest aviary, as well as Aquarium Berlin , where you can watch more than 9,000 creatures swim in its 250 tanks, including reef and tiger sharks, jellyfish, tropical fish, reptiles, and insects.

Address: Hardenbergplatz 8, 10787 Berlin

Another zoo of interest is Tierpark Berlin . Spread across 400 acres and home to some 7,250 animals from 846 different species.

Opened in the 1950s, it's very nearly the equal of Berlin Zoo and is well worth a visit, especially if you're traveling with kids. Star creatures include its elephants (the zoo is known for its breeding program), polar bears, as well as a large herd of muskox.

If you're visiting in summer, be sure to time your visit to coincide with one of the regular late openings. And check out the zoo's website for details of special kids' programs, feeding schedules , as well as tours and unique animal experiences.

Address: Am Tierpark 125, 10319, Berlin

Originally the kitchen and herb garden of the Royal Palace, the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum (Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem) was built in 1679 on the instructions of the Grand Elector.

Covering 126 acres, it is one of the world's largest botanical gardens , home to more than 20,000 species of plants that represent the flora of not only Europe but also tropical and subtropical environments in the Great Tropical House.

There are also gardens of medicinal plants and a large pond forming the centerpiece of the biotope for marine and marsh plants.

If you can, try to visit at Christmas, or during the attraction's annual "Botanical Night" event, considered one of the most romantic things to do in Berlin in winter.

Also worth seeing is the Electoral Garden with its 17th-century garden greenery, the garden restaurant, and the excellent Botanical Museum with its herbarium featuring more than two million plants and an extensive library.

Address: Königin-Luise-Strasse 6-8, 14195 Berlin

One of Berlin's newer tourist attractions, the DDR Museum opened in 2006 and offers a sobering look at life in East Berlin under communist rule.

Located in the old government district of East Berlin, this popular attraction features a variety of hands-on, interactive exhibits related to such areas of life as surveillance, the privations of everyday life, as well as a replica tower block.

Other highlights of a visit include a replica prison cell, interrogation room, cinema, along with accompanying information. Be sure to try out the Trabant simulator, which provides a realistic driving experience along the Berlin Wall in a classic East German vehicle.

A large collection of authentic artifacts from this time period are also on display.

Address: Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1, 10178 Berlin

Berlin's Nikolai Quarter (Nikolaiviertel) is in the heart of the old city, and is where you'll find many of its oldest and most popular attractions, as well as plenty of interesting things to do beyond the usual places to visit.

This pedestrian-friendly quarter is known for its many small buildings set along narrow streets full of nooks and crannies, home to restaurants, cafés, and shops, along with craft workshops selling everything from basketry to wooden crafts.

Highlights include the district's many old fountains, lanterns, and lattice-windows on the older houses and historic buildings such as Ephraim Palace , built in the 1760s, which has exhibits dedicated to Berlin's rich artistic and cultural history, as well as an exquisite grand staircase.

Also of note is Knoblauch House , built in 1760 and representative of the former homes of the city's wealthy Jewish merchants and tradesmen.

Another favorite tourist spot is Berlin's most famous street, Unter den Linden . This broad avenue stretches some 1,400 meters and connects Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate to the Lustgarten.

Today, the two car lanes on the Unter den Linden are separated by a wide, central pedestrian area that extends much of the street's length and provides a wonderful place to relax and take in the bustling city around you. Popular attractions are the Gendarmenmarkt , the Opera House , and St. Hedwig's Cathedral .

Address: Nikolaikirchplatz, 10178 Berlin

One of Berlin's most interesting landmarks, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche) is in many ways two churches: the ultra-modern new church designed in 1961, and next to it, the ruins of the original, including most of the 63-meter-high tower.

Completed in 1895 in honor of Emperor Wilhelm I, the original was destroyed in 1943, but its remains were incorporated into the new complex.

The result is now a major Berlin landmark that also serves as a war memorial, with exhibits installed containing mosaic remains, architectural remnants, and photos. The centerpiece is a figure of Christ from the old church and a Cross of Nails from Coventry Cathedral, destroyed by German bombs earlier in WWII.

Guided tours are available, and visitors are welcome to participate in Sunday services; Evening Music Services featuring cantatas, organ recitals, and choral music; and regular weekday services. A very popular Christmas Market is held outside the church each winter.

Address: Breitscheidplatz, 10789 Berlin

The Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) was constructed in 1705 by and for French Calvinists (Huguenots) who came to Berlin in the late 17 th century seeking religious freedom. Its ornate dome was later added in 1785, and repaired in the 20 th century after sustaining damage during WWII.

The church's tower is one of the best places to get a bird's-eye view of the city of Berlin , offering panoramic views over the Gendarmenmarkt and nearby landmarks like the Berliner Dom and Pergamonmuseum on Museum Island.

The freshly renovated Huguenot Museum is located in the tower of the cathedral, dedicated to the history of those who were forced to relocate as a result of the Reformation. The exhibits focus on the contributions made by these immigrants who, at the time the church was built, made up around 25 percent of the city's population.

The museum includes paintings, photographs, books, and furniture, and also hosts lectures and special programs throughout the year. It is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 12 noon to 5pm.

Address: Gendarmenmarkt 7, 10117 Berlin,

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Home » Travel Guides » Germany » 75 Best Things to Do in Berlin (Germany)

75 Best Things to Do in Berlin (Germany)

No capital city in the world feels quite like Berlin, and maybe that’s because none has had a century as eventful. Here’s a city that was the party capital of the world in the Golden Twenties and was then razed and cut in two. One half rebounded as an economic juggernaut while the other languished in oppression and a sea of concrete.

And when the two halves were reunited a quarter of a century ago Berlin got a new identity as a fun-loving, disarmingly scruffy, cool and socially-conscious hotbed of ideas. And if you need photo-friendly sights Berlin has them in spades and they’re all permeated with the drama of the last hundred years.

Let’s explore the best things to do in Berlin :

1. Brandenburg Gate

Where Unter den Linden intersects with Ebertstraße stands what may be Germany’s most recognisable sight.

For first-timers in Berlin the Brandenburg Gate is obligatory, and it’s charged with real emotion and meaning, as an ever-present landmark during the destruction of the Second World War and the Berlin Wall when it stood at the divide.

This ceremonial monument was erected at the turn of the 1790s at the behest of the Prussian King Frederick William II, on the site of one of Berlin’s former defensive gates.

At the top is the Quadriga, a chariot pulled by four horses, all supported by 12 Doric columns forming five passageways.

Recommended tour : Discover Berlin Walking Tour

2. Reichstag

Another landmark that sums up the drama of the 20th century in Berlin is the Reichstag, the meeting place of the German Parliament.

This Neo-Baroque building dates from 1894 and housed the Imperial Diet until it was damaged in that infamous and historic fire in 1933. The ruins were merely maintained until after the Berlin Wall fell.

And as soon as it came down a restoration project by Norman Foster began to resurrect the Reichstag as an emblem of a unified Germany.

The plan included a new glass dome in which you can look down on the debating chamber and take in Berlin’s cityscape, all while hooked up to an audio-guide.

Available activity: Berlin Reichstag: Rooftop Dinner at the Käfer Restaurant

3. Tiergarten

After scurrying around the big-hitting sights and museums the Tiergarten could be a peaceful interlude.

It’s a large belt of thick foliage, coursed by the Landwehr Canal and spreading west from the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag.

Like so many European city parks the Tiergarten was once a hunting ground (for the Electors of Brandenburg) before being revamped in the 1830s by the Prussian architect Peter Joseph Lenné.

Schloss Bellevue, the residence for the President of Germany, is in the Tiergarten.

Beyond providing some respite from the city the Tiergarten is woven with monuments like the Bismarck memorial, and pretty spots like the Luiseninsel and rose garden.

4. Victory Column (Siegessäule)

Where the roads converge in the Tiergarten there’s another big photo opportunity.

The Victory Column was built in 1864 after the defeat of Denmark in the Danish-Prussian War.

But it would also come to represent a slew of other victories in that era, over Austria and then France in 1870-71. Following these successes an 8.3-metre sculpture of Victoria was added to the top of the column, weighing 35 tons.

The whole monument once stood in front of the Reichstag, but was moved in 1938-39 to its current spot at the centre of a roundabout as part of Hitler’s ambitious plan to remodel Berlin as “World Capital Germania”. For a small fee you can tridge the 285 steps of the spiral stairway to watch over the Tiergarten and Berlin 51 metres above the park.

5. Museum Island

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Museum Island on the Spree is an ensemble of five world-beating museums.

These are the Altes Museum, Alte National Galerie, Neues Museum, Bode-Museum and the Pergamon Museum.

This little district, and the wider notion of a museum as a venue for public edification, is a product of the Enlightenment and plans were set in motion in the early 19th century.

The museums were also an opportunity to show off the richness and sophistication of the Prussian royal collections and the fruits of its 19th-century victories.

The first institution to open was the Altes Museum in 1830, designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel who drew up several Neoclassical monuments around Berlin in that period.

The last was the Pergamon Forum from 1930, while the Neues Museum from 1859 was reopened in 2009 having been wrecked in the war.

Tip: If you’re planning to visit a few museums have a look at the Museum Pass Berlin: 3-Day Entry to Over 30 Museums

6. Neues Museum

Created in 1855, destroyed in 1945 and now reborn, the Neues Museum had been left to rot for the entire post-War period.

Finally, after reunification plans were put in place its treasury of ancient artefacts was finally moved from the Altes Musuem back to its rightful home in 2009. There are galleries for Ancient Rome and Greece, but it’s the Egyptian displays that pull in the crowds and none more so than the bust of Queen Nefertiti.

The 3,350-year-old sculpture was discovered at Amarna in 1912 and has been beguiling people ever since.

Still, Nefertiti is only one of many exhibits, from hieroglyphics to sarcophagi and two preserved ancient courtyards, one Egyptian and one Greek.

7. Gemäldegalerie

Paintings by Europe’s greatest artists up to the 18th century are in store at the Gemäldegalerie, one of the world’s top fine art museums.

For the sake of introduction, we’re talking about Botticelli, Albrecht Dürer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Hans Holbein, Raphael, Vermeer, Botticelli and many more than we can list here.

This wealth of painting wasn’t amassed by a single family, but was curated by the Prussian Government from 1815 as a cross-section of European art.

You have 1,250 works of the highest quality to see, by master after master, so don’t be surprised if you lose all track of time under their spell.

8. Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer

Some of the most memorable images from the early days of the Berlin Wall were recorded at Bernauer Straße where there’s now a memorial to this famous boundary.

A 70-metre length of the wall has been preserved here, including the Todesstreifen (Death Strip) in between, and a watchtower beside the street.

This whole section is closed off as a permanent memorial to those who lost their lives trying to cross between 1961 and 1989. Across Bernauer Straße is the visitor centre, which chronicles the wall, from when it was first enforced to its eventual destruction.

There’s also a five-storey observation tower giving you a true sense of the divide.

9. Pergamon Museum

At the Pergamon Museum you’ll come face-to-face with epic ancient monuments from the Near East, brought in pieces to Berlin from the 1910s and reconstructed in these galleries.

The 2nd-Century Pergamon Altar is the piece that gives the museum its name, a stairway and portico on a pedestal adorned with a frieze in high relief portraying scenes from Greek mythology.

Some other wonders are the colourful Ishtar Gate, rebuilt with the material discovered in its excavation, the Roman Market Gate of Miletus, the Islamic art of the Umayyad Mshatta Facade from Jordan and, oldest of all, the Mesopotamian Meissner fragment from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

10. Deutsches Historisches Museum

In the Zeughaus, one of the many palatial buildings on Unter den Linden, the German Historical Museum reveals 2,000 years of German history.

For this there’s an enormous exhibition of 7,000 artefacts arranged in chronological order.

These jump from precious pieces, like the iconic painting of Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the elder or Napoleon’s hat worn at the Battle of Waterloo, to things that give you a hint of everyday life.

So you can also cast your eye over Weimar election posters, penny farthing bikes from the 19th century, intact American supply drops from the Berlin Blockade and home appliances from the GDR.

11. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Not far from the Brandenburg Gate is the solemn and powerful memorial to the holocaust, designed by the New York architect Peter Eisenman.

Set on what used to be the “death strip of the Berlin Wall” are 2,711 concrete blocks of varying heights, in a grid pattern on an undulating open space that lends the memorial a wavelike form.

The blocks are on 54 north-south rows, and 87 perpendicular east-west rows.

The memorial encourages you to interact and reflect, and there’s also an underground gallery ; a network of themed rooms offers background on Jewish victims of the holocaust, with biographies, letters and personal effects of some of the victims.

12. Unter den Linden

Berlin’s oldest and most stately boulevard runs east to west from the Musuem Island to the Brandenburg Gate.

The route is as old as Berlin, and the lime trees that give Unter den Linden its name were planted in 1647. But it was only in the 18th century, during the reign of Frederick the Great that the boulevard took on its current grandeur.

The big sights like the Zeughaus, State Opera and Humboldt University all arrived in this period.

The list of alumni at the university includes Einstein, Marx, Engels and Hegel.

Many of the historic landmarks on Unter den Linden were levelled or badly damaged in the war and would take until after Reunification to be rebuilt or restored.

13. Gendarmenmarkt

Contained by Charlottenstraße and Markgrafenstraße is a square exuding Baroque opulence and plotted by the architect Johann Arnold Nering in the 17th century.

The showpieces are the French and German Churches, facing off at the northern and southern ends of the plaza.

They are both fronted by porticos and crowned with regal domes.

Between them is the newer and very imposing Konzerthaus, erected in 1821, in front of a statue of the writer Friedrich Schiller.

In December the square gets a sprinkle of fairy dust when the Christmas Market sets up, while the Classic Open Air is a programme of concerts in summer.

14. Topography of Terror

Like the Memorial to the Murdered Jews, the Topography of Terror stands as another sobering message for future generations.

On Niederkirchnerstrasse is the former location of the Gestapo and SS, two names that are instantly connected to possibly the most infamous period in European history.

The headquarters for these institutions were bombed in the war and then pulled down afterwards, before being abandoned on the course of the wall, which still stands here.

There’s an open-air exhibition on the excavated ruins of the headquarters, recalling life in Berlin during the Third Reich, the story of the SS and Gestapo, their key figures and the deeds that were plotted at this place.

15. Fernsehturm

Raised next to Alexanderplatz in the late-1960s, the Fernsehturm (Television Tower) was intended as a highly visible symbol of communist power in East Berlin.

Still the second tallest structure in all of the European Union, it is as much landmark for Berlin as the Reichstag or the Brandenburg Gate.

The Fernsehturm is also the highest building in Europe open to the public, and provided you plan ahead, the 40-second ride to the viewing platform 200 metres high is something you can’t turn down.

From this height you can zoom in on the minutest details with a telescope, and there’s also a revolving restaurant, which requires a bit of pre-planning if you want a table.

Suggested activity : Skip-the-Line Berlin TV Tower with VIP Dinner

16. Jewish Museum Berlin

On Lindenstraße the museum tackling the weighty topic of Jewish history in Germany opened in 2001 in an acclaimed Deconstructivist building by Daniel Libeskind.

From above, the museum’s plan resembles a bolt of lightning and has been compared to a dismantled star of David.

Once you start negotiating its zigzagging corridors there are empty spaces, 20-metre-high voids that express interrupted history and the sense of loss of the holocaust.

The permanent exhibition lays out the story of the Jews in Germany, starting in the towns on the banks of the Rhine in medieval times.

The hope and prosperity of the Jewish Emancipation of the 18th and 19th centuries gives way to National Socialism and the horrors that followed.

An alternative axis leads you to the Garden of Exile, and another to the Holocaust Tower, a hollow 24-metre silo.

17. DDR Museum

Believe it or not, “Ostalgie”, or nostalgia for the German Democratic Republic, is a thing in the former East Germany.

The DDR Museum opened just across from the Berlin Cathedral in 2006 and is a complete repository for the German Democratic Republic, documenting the good, the bad and the downright kitsch.

Among many things you can check out the decor and furnishings inside a typical flat in an East German “plattenbau” concrete tower block and see what it was like to drive a Trabant.

Across 27 themed spaces there’s memorabilia from the Free German Youth (FDJ), recordings of East German music, a reproduction of a classroom, but also information about the notorious Stasi and their efforts to pry into the lives of thousands of citizens.

18. Berlin Cathedral

Not strictly a cathedral, as it has never been the seat for a bishop, this temple on Museum island is still Berlin’s most important Protestant church.

It’s the fourth church at this setting next to the Spree, in a line that goes back to 1451. The current cathedral is in the exuberant Historicist style and was finished in 1904. Berlin Cathedral sustained damage in the Second World War when the lantern in the dome was destroyed, but the building never collapsed and has become another allegory for Berlin.

Restoration began in the 1970s and took until 1993. Through the portal there’s a profusion of goldwork, mosaics, sculpture and a mosaic hewn from marble and onyx by the 19th-century architect Friedrich August Stüler.

Below, enter the Hohenzollern Crypt, the resting place for the House of Hohenzollern, which produced Prussian Kings and German Emperors.

19. Alexanderplatz

The largest square in Germany and an energetic transport hub, Alexanderplatz is one of the most dynamic and exciting corners of Berlin.

This former parade ground became the city’s main shopping district at the start of the 20th century.

It was completely obliterated in the Second World War and owes its appearance to a GDR project during the 1960s.

In those days “Alex” was the scene of many public gatherings, including the peaceful protests against the wall in 1989. The rate of transformation since the wall came down has been dramatic, and following developments like the Alexa mall, Alexanderplatz is a major shopping and entertainment destination once again.

A lot of the GDR’s concrete architecture remains, most famously in the unforgettable silhouette of the Fernsehturm.

20. Checkpoint Charlie

The intersection of Friedrichstraße and Zimmerstraße is the site of the legendary border crossing between East and West Berlin.

This very place was almost the scene of a catastrophe in 1961 when American and Soviet Tanks stood off against each other for six days at the end of October.

Later, in 1962, it witnessed the death of Peter Fechter, a teenager shot trying to cross from East to West.

The name comes from the phonetic alphabet (Charlie meaning C), as Checkpoint Charlie was the third such border crossing set up by the allies in the city.

Now the guardhouse and sandbags in the centre of the street are worth a photo as you pass by.

21. Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears)

Also harking back to the days of the wall is a hall at Friedrichstraße Station, the only westbound border crossing by train, U-Bahn and S-Bahn link.

West Berliners making short visits to the east would return home from here, and the name Tränenpalast comes from the tearful goodbyes that would happen in front of the station.

The old terminal has an exhibition using firsthand accounts by people who made the journey between 1962 and 1990, describing the stringent security measures and customs checks.

There are hundreds of original artefacts to bring the reality home, while the original signs and instruction panels have been preserved and are still in place.

22. Treptower Park

A quick ride on the S-Bahn takes you to Treptower Park next to the Spree in the southeast of Berlin.

Summer is when the park is at its best as you can amble beside the river for four kilometres or catch a boat for a cruise on the Spree.

The park was landscaped in the English style in 1884 and spreads over 84 hectares, composed of abundant lawns, tree groves and a rose garden.

Right after the war an immense memorial and cemetery was built for the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who died in the Battle of Berlin.

It was East Germany’s chief war memorial and is a large ensemble of sculptures, including a central area lined with 16 stone sarcophagi, one for each of the Soviet republics.

This leads up to a 12-metre statue of a Soviet soldier holding a German child and standing on a smashed swastika.

23. Gedächtniskirche

The original Kaiser Wilhelm Church was built in the 1890s and had a Neo-Romanesque style.

The church was part of the Kaiser’s nationwide construction project to ward off the growing labour movement, and was named after his grandfather.

It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943, and after the war there was a big debate about whether it should be pulled down or rebuilt.

In the end the architect Egon Eiermann designed a stunning modern church next to the ruins.

This new building has walls inlaid with more than 20,000 blue stained glass panels and consecrated in 1961. The surviving, damaged tower of the old church remains as a memorial, holding an anti-war exhibition with a crucifix made from nails collected from Coventry Cathedral, bombed by the Nazis in 1940.

24. Olympic Stadium

Few sporting arenas have seen as much world-changing history as Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

When the Nazis came to power in 1933 they identified the upcoming 1936 Olympics as a propaganda opportunity, and Werner March was called upon to design a monumental stadium that would turn heads.

The result was a technical masterpiece and would be the arena where Jesse Owens took four gold medals, undermining any notions of Aryan supremacy.

Since then an immense steel roof has been installed, weighing 3,500 tons and the capacity has been cut back from 100,000 to 74,475. Visit for a tour during the week, or try to catch the famous atmosphere of a Bundesliga match when Hertha BSC play their home matches in the ground between August and May.

25. Berlin Philharmonie

The Berlin Philharmoniker is often voted in the top two or three symphony orchestras in the world.

So for classical music fans a night at the Philharmoniker’s home venue might represent a lifetime ambition.

The concert hall, noted for its tent-like roof, opened on the south side of the Tiergarten in 1963. In those days it was in a wasteland created by the wall, but is now at the green soul of the city and a member of the Kulturforum ensemble of important cultural venues.

An odd piece of trivia is that guns were used to test the acoustics during construction in the early 60s.

You might have your eye on an upcoming performance, but if you’d just like a taster there’s a free concert of chamber music every Tuesday at 13:00 in the foyer.

26. Deutsches Technikmuseum

A technophile’s idea of heaven, the German Technology Museum is a trip through transport and industry down the years.

Kids will be wild about the fleet of heavy-duty vehicles like steam and diesel locomotives and a gigantic aviation hall holding a V-1 bomb, an Arado Ar 96, the wreckage of a Stuka divebomber and Lancaster, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor.

As for industrial processes, the museum doesn’t just tell you how things are made; it shows you with live demonstrations of paper production and typecasting for newspapers for instance.

Kids can also get involved at the Science Centre, where wacky experiments will deepen their understanding of concepts like electricity, light and magnetism.

27. Charlottenburg Palace

The summer home of the imperial Hollenzollern family is an easy journey west on the S-Bahn, and is the largest and most refined palace in the city.

Berlin’s answer to Versailles was first built in 1695, and then expanded according to the taste of its owners over the next century or so.

And like Versailles, Charlottenburg could easily consume a day, as there’s so much to see at the palace and its various outbuildings, many hosting museums.

The baroque Old Palace has a magnificent porcelain cabinet, sumptuous tableware, the crown jewels and royal silver collection.

The Rococo New Wing has the state apartments of Frederick the Great, while the Hohenzollern mausoleum is where members of that prestigious family are buried.

The delightful Belvedere outside has a display of Berlin porcelain, while the old palace theatre has a museum for prehistory.

28. Kaufhaus des Westens

Shortened to KaDeWe, Kaufhaus des Westens is a department store without rival.

This eight-storey monster is the most famous shopping destination in Germany and the second largest department store in Europe.

If you’ve got money to burn the first three floors are all about high-end women’s and men’s fashion, and if you think you’ve seen it all before, the dazzling “Luxury Boulevard” on the ground floor is like a mini 5th Avenue.

But for the rest of us the show-stopper is the immense “Delicatessen” food hall on the 6th floor where scores of confectioners and bakers work their magic, and almost any specialty food under the sun is available.

Then above is the winter garden, setting the scene for KaDeWe’s 1,000-seat self-service restaurant.

29. Museum für Naturkunde

You can say hello to the world’s largest mounted dinosaur skeleton at the central hall of Berlin’s natural history museum.

Standing at 13.27 metres this beast, a sauropod, would have weighed 55 tons when it was alive.

Nearly all the material is from one animal, discovered in Tanzania in the early 20th century.

Tristan the T-Rex, and the groundbreaking archaeopteryx fossil (the missing link between reptiles and birds), are the other main events.

But there’s a lot more keep you rapt in the museum’s galleries: Take the 4,500 mineral specimens in the Hall of Minerals, a taxidermy of a dodo, and an exhibition illustrating the theory of evolution with perfect clarity.

30. Mauerpark Market

Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg is the setting for a shopping trip to remember.

The market is at its best in summer, when you can compare it to a small music festival.

In among the stalls are musicians playing gigs for little crowds, as and street food vendors selling international fare.

The stallholders themselves are mostly everyday people trying to sell stuff they no longer need.

But there are also professionals flogging antiques and collectibles like Soviet paraphernalia, and artisans selling handicrafts, clothing and art.

At 15:00 all attention turns to the amphitheatre where there’s a mass karaoke session in which anyone can take part, as long as they don’t mind singing in front of hundreds of people!

31. Alte Nationalgalerie

When the wealthy banker and art patron Joachim Heinrich Wilhelm Wagener passed away in 1861 he bequeathed his bountiful collection of 262 paintings to Prussia.

That collection would be the basis for the Nationalgalerie, and work began on a venue within two years.

Friedrich August Stüler’s came up with a stately Neoclassical temple that has a few Eclecticist flourishes thrown in.

As for the contents, the museum deals only with the 19th century.

We’re talking about the Romantic art of Caspar David Friedrich and his contemporaries, moving through Impressionism and paintings by Renoir and Monet, into the early roots of Modernism via Max Liebermann and Adolph von Menzel.

32. Konzerthaus Berlin

The grand concert hall on Gendarmenmarkt was actually a theatre for most of its history.

As the Königliches Schauspielhaus, and then the Preußisches Staatstheater, the most illustrious actors of the 19th century trod its boards.

It functioned in this capacity up to the Second World War when it was bombed out.

The ruins were left untouched until the building was revived as a concert hall and the venue for the Berlin Symphony Orchestra (Now the Konzerthausorchester Berlin). Check the season in advance and buy, beg, borrow or steal to get a seat, as the acoustics in the Konzerthaus are rated in the top five in the world.

33. Berlin Zoo

No animal attraction in Europe gets more visitors than the Berlin Zoo, which is enveloped in woodland on the southwestern corner of the Tiergarten.

At just over 1,5000 the array of different species is the largest on the planet, and the zoo toes the line between ethical animal treatment and crowd-pleasing exhibits.

All the big cats are present, along with chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos and gorillas: As of 2017 Fatou here is the oldest gorilla in the world at 60 years olc.

Though space is at a premium near the centre of the city, the inhabitants are kept in humane enclosures that resemble they’re natural environments.

The zoo engages in breeding programmes for rhinos, gaurs and various rare deer and pig species, while a pair of giant pandas arrived in 2017 on a breeding loan and are presented in a large glass habitat.

34. Potsdamer Platz

On the southeast corner of Tiergarten, Potsdamer Platz was an empty no-man’s-land divided by the wall from the end of the war to the 1990s.

That was all a far cry from the Golden Twenties when the square had been the bustling centre of the city, an equivalent to Times Square for its transport connections, shopping, entertainment and nightlife.

After the wall came down developers were presented with a blank canvas to re-imagine a unified Berlin as a modern, forward-thinking capital.

Only a quarter of a century later Potsdamer Platz is a futuristic business district in the mould of La Défense or Canary Wharf.

Daimler’s Haus-Huth here was the only facade to survive the devastation of the war, and behind it lies a free museum for modern and contemporary art delving into movements from Bauhaus to Minimalism.

35. Sony Center

Maybe the showpiece for the new Potsdamer Platz is this building complex that went up during the 1990, designed by Helmut Jahn and Peter Walker.

The centre is a kind of plaza, encircled by arresting glass towers and sheltered by a tent-like canopy, which creates a real sense of spectacle.

Around it are shops, hotels, museums, cinemas, an IMAX theatre, restaurants and offices.

There’s free Wi-Fi on the plaza and sure to appeal to kids is the branch of the Legoland Discovery Centre, an indoor theme park based on the much-loved building toy.

36. East Side Gallery

Warschauer Straße station is the spot to start a walk beside the longest preserved stretch of the Berlin Wall.

Every patch has been adorned with art, turning this into the world’s longest outdoor gallery.

Some of the murals have gone down in history and are indelible, while others are constantly being replaced and updated.

Most of the work is bold, colourful and thought-provoking.

The lasting image depicts GDR leader Erich Honecker and General Secretary of the Communist Party Leonid Brezhnev locked in a kiss.

Painted by Dimitri Vrubel in 1990, it was restored by the artist in 2009 as part of an ongoing fight to preserve the most famous images in the face of erosion and tagging.

37. Museum of Film and Television

The Deutsche Kinemathek is Germany’s film and television archive, which unveiled its museum in 2006. If you’re enchanted by Weimar-era silent movies like Nosferatu and Metropolis, trailblazers in the horror and sci-fi genres, you owe it to yourself to come for the inside story at the museum.

There are vintage posters, costumes, scene sketches, photos and original props.

One of the biggest stars of the era, Marlene Dietrich has a special place in the exhibition, and there are artefacts from her breakthrough, The Blue Angel and a collection of her personal belongings.

The highlight of the television exhibition is the archive footage of momentous 20th-century events like the fall of the Berlin Wall or Germany winning the World Cup in 1954.

38. Prenzlauer Berg

Somewhere to try and grasp the dizzying speed of change in Berlin since Reunification, Prenzlauer Berg is a former East German neighbourhood.

As a residential area it escaped a lot of the wartime destruction that levelled the rest of the city.

So the dominating five-storey Neoclassical apartment blocks survived, falling into dilapidation on the socialist side of the border.

When the wall came down these blocks and their courtyards were taken over by squatters, whose radical ideals and rough edges have been gradually smoothed out over the last quarter of a century.

Still young, it’s a neighbourhood of leafy streets, artsy boutiques, hookah bars and trendy restaurant concepts.

39. Botanischer Garten

Planted with over 22,000 plant species, Berlin’s 43-hectare botanical garden is heaven on earth for horticulturalists, gardeners and anyone who needs to recharge their batteries.

The garden is in the residential area of Dahlem, having moved from the centre of the city between 1897 and 1910. At this time the largest of the park’s 15 greenhouses, the Große Tropenhaus (Great Tropical House) was raised in a graceful Art Nouveau style.

Its humid interior is 30°C all year, and supports a giant bamboo.

Outside you can get lost in a 14-hectare arboretum, which has the absurdly romantic “Arbour of Roses” at its heart.

And real scholars can immerse themselves in the Botanical Museum, teeming with plant trivia and exhibits like the Prussian royal specimen collection.

40. Stasi Museum

Berlin confronts another difficult period from its past at the former headquarters of the State Security Service for the GDR. At Haus 1 of the Ministry for State of Security, the museum is in a suitably oppressive-looking complex in Lichtenberg, some way east of the centre.

The full scope of the surveillance conducted by the Stasi on the GDR’s citizens and its efforts to infiltrate the west are laid bare.

Anyone who’s into espionage will get a kick out of the miniature cameras, bugs and concealable weapons, and there are explanations of the Stasi’s structure and recruitment methods.

Go upstairs and things get really interesting, as everything has been left exactly as it was in 1989. Desks, chairs, filing cabinets and safes are all in place, and you can step into the office of its head, Erich Mielke, the man known as “The Master of Fear”.

41. Bode Museum

The last of our Museum Island attractions is on the northern tip, and was named for its curator when it first opened in a Neo-Renaissance palace 1904. The focus is on classical sculpture, Byzantine art, Renaissance painting, liturgical art and a massive numismatic collection.

The Italian Renaissance halls are maybe the most accessible for first-timers, and are bursting with frescoes, glazed terracotta and sculptures by artists like Donatello.

Equally spellbinding is the Byzantine art from the 3rd to the 15th centuries made up of carvings, mosaics and painted icons from Greece, the Balkans, Italy, Turkey and Russia.

And as for that coin collection, only 4,000 pieces of the 500,000-strong reserve can be shown.

This was first assembled by the Brandenburg Electors in the 16th century.

42. Kurfürstendamm

Shooting west from the Gedächtniskirche is Berlin’s glitzy and upscale shopping avenue in the Parisian tradition, drawn up at the behest of Otto von Bismarck in the 1880s.

Framing four rows of plane trees are luxury emporia and flagship stores for international mid-market brands like Urban Outfitters and C&A. Next to the Gedächtniskirche is the Europa-Center, Berlin’s oldest shopping mall, beneath a rectangular 1960s skyscraper which is now a protected building.

In the Golden Twenties Kurfürstendamm was Berlin’s hottest entertainment district, and “Theater und die Komödie am Kurfürstendamm” are throwbacks to that era.

Café Kranzler harks back to before the war when it was known as Café des Westens and the haunt of bohemian Berlin’s intellectuals and writers.

43. Hackesche Höfe

Opening onto Hackescher Markt is a chain of eight connected Art Nouveau courtyards, conceived at the turn of the 20th century by the architect August Endel.

Between Rosenthaler Straße and Sophienstraße are bars, clubs, theatres, shops and a cinema, all on courtyards organised according to their occupants: So to explain, a lot of the entertainment is on Courtyard I and II, which stay open at all hours, while the quieter businesses and residential courtyards further back are closed off at night.

After the war Hackesche Höfe was neglected on the GDR side, though its heritage listing meant it couldn’t be torn down.

The courtyards and their beautiful Jugendstil motifs were restored in the 1990s and have become a dynamic testament to a unified Berlin.

44. Museum Berggruen

In 1996 the Jewish native Berliner Heinz Berggruen sold his astounding modern art collection to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation for a nominal sum.

This was a gesture of reconciliation after being forced to flee Berlin in 1933. He left at the age of 18 and became a prominent art patron in the intervening years, making friends with Pablo Picasso and having an affair with Frida Kahlo.

Picasso and Paul Klee are the two stars of his collection, represented by more than 200 pieces.

They are joined by celebrated artists like Seurat, van Gogh, Braque, Cézanne and Matisse Giacometti, whose monumental “Large Standing Woman III” greets you at the entrance.

45. Kreuzberg

Bounded to the east by the Spree, Kreuberg is a neighbourhood that was a little desolate in the 20th century as it was surrounded on three sides by the wall.

The low cost of living appealed to an eclectic mix of immigrants, squatters, anarchist communes, artists and musicians, and Kreuzberg became the centre of Berlin’s counterculture and gay scenes.

With the arrival of start-ups, gentrification has crept in over the last few years, but Kreuzberg still has that communal, creative spirit at shared gardens, cultural centres an markets.

There’s a multicultural mix of restaurants, shops you can’t find anywhere else and countless places to catch live music.

A little more polished, Friedrichshain to the east is packed with museums, and officially has the highest density of nightclubs in Berlin.

Recommended tour : 2.5-Hour Walking Tour through Kreuzberg 61

46. Landwehr Canal

Dug in the 1840s, the Landwehr Canal created a navigable route between Friedrichshain in the east and Charlottenburg in the west.

The canal cuts right through Kreuzberg, and its embankments are calm, green and walkable.

Along the Maybachufer on the south side of the canal there’s a Turkish market on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, which feels like a bazaar and has a cornucopia of Turkish produce and goodies.

Facing Maybuchufer from the north side is Paul-Lincke-Ufer, traced with canal-side cafes and bars, while Fraenkelufer has the vestiges of a synagogue, demolished by the Nazis and with one wing still intact.

47. Brücke Museum

Connoisseurs of Expressionism won’t mind going the extra mile to Dahlem by the Grunewald where there’s a fabulous museum for Die Brücke.

This group of Expressionists was formed in Dresden in 1905 and among its members were some of the most exciting painters of the period, like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Emil Nolde.

The museum opened in 1967 and was endowed with the private collections belonging to two of its members, Karl Schmidt-Rottluf and Erich Heckel.

The total reserve of 400 paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings is shown in temporary exhibitions that home in on a specific theme or individual painter.

48. Grunewald

Within walking distance of the Olympic Stadium is the northern cusp of Berlin’s largest green area, sprawling across 3,000 hectares.

Berlin’s streets will seem far away once you’re on a peaceful trail in deep birch and coniferous forest.

And you can thank Berlin’s early-20th-century environmental movement for helping to protect the Grunewald from the city, which was expanding west at the time.

Pack a picnic in summer, as well as your bathing suit on the hottest days as swimming is permitted at Wannsee and Schlachtensee.

There are many more smaller lakes in the forest, like Grunewaldsee, which has the Renaissance Jagdchloss Grunewald on its shore, the oldest palace in Berlin.

It’s one of a host of historic residences either ensconced in the woodland or on its fringes.

49. Teufelsberg

In the northernmost expanse of Grunewald is the extraordinary Teufelsberg, a man-made hill cresting at 120 metres.

When Berlin’s streets were cleared at the end of the war, rubble from some 400,000 bomb-hit buildings was deposited in the forest.

The hill was started in 1950 and the last load of debris was dropped in 1972. That was all dropped on top of an incomplete Nazi military-technical academy, designed by Albert Speer.

Like a lot of Nazi concrete constructions the academy proved too difficult to demolish with explosives so was buried.

In the 1960s an American listening station was built on top, and urban explorers will love pottering around this abandoned site if they don’t mind paying a €8 fee at the gate.

50. Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz

In 1914 the pharmaceutical magnate Ernst Marmlier built himself a luxurious Neoclassical villa on the shore of Wannsee, to the southwest of Berlin.

Not long after this would come into the hands of Nazi-sympathiser Friedrich Minoux, who sold it to the SS during the Second World War.

And that’s how it was involved in one of the grimmest chapters in world history.

The Wannsee Conference in 1942 is where the plan was drawn up for the “Final Solution”. The museum at the villa has documents from the conference and multimedia outlining how the genocide of millions of Jews came about.

The exhibition goes into depth on deportation, concentration camps and life in the ghettos before the Final Solution was put into action.

51. Liebermann-Villa

Also on the lake, next door to the Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz is the summer residence for the eminent German Impressionist, Max Liebermann.

Lovers of his work will be captivated by the garden, which shows up in around 200 of Liebermann’s paintings and has been restored to Max’s early 20th-century designs.

A terrace faces Wannsee, and this is framed by a lovely birch grove on one side and gardens with boxwood hedges on the other.

The artist’s studio holds a poignant exhibition about the Liebermann family’s persecution under by the Nazis, while the top floor has around 40 of Max’s later works and portraits of friends and important figures from the time.

52. Spandau Citadel

Billed as one of the best-preserved Renaissance fortresses in Europe, the Spandau Citadel also contains the oldest surviving building in Berlin.

Julius Tower is the symbol for the citadel, 35 metres high and a remnant from a medieval castle predating the Renaissance fortress by about 300 years.

The four-bastioned stronghold took shape around the tower in the second half of the 16th century, and was besieged by the Swedes in 1674 and taken by Napoleon’s troops in 1806. As you go in, you’ll see how gravestones from a medieval Jewish cemetery were reused in the citadel’s walls, and the Commander’s House chronicles the fortress’ eventful history.

In winter the vaulted cellars are a haven for hundreds of flying fox bats, and there are bat-themed tours for closer look of these harmless creatures.

53. Domäne Dahlem

A trip on the bus or the U3, Domäne Dahlem is a manor house and rural museum on the southwestern fringe of the city.

The oldest architecture in the manor goes back to the 1560s, while the land on its grounds has been farmed for more than 800 years.

Naturally Domäne Dahlem is just the setting for a museum about traditional agriculture and nutrition, dealing with its topics in a smart, creative way.

In the stables is the Culinarium, in which three floors of interactive exhibits and multimedia explain the history of nutrition in Europe, and where our food comes from today.

In the manor house there’s a recreation of a shop from the Renaissance, where a hologram merchant will assist you, and in the grounds is a real blacksmith’s forge and furniture workshop.

54. Schloss Köpenick

On an island in the Dahme River, just before it feeds the Spree, sits the only Baroque palace in Berlin to make it to the 21st century unchanged.

Another residence for the Hohenzollerns, Schloss Köpenick is often referred to as the Water Palace (Wasserschloss) for its picturesque waterside setting, and took on its current form under after a reconstruction ordered by the future Frederick I in the 17th century.

He turned a Renaissance hunting lodge into a plush Baroque residence, adorned with exuberant stuccowork by the Italian decorator Giovanni Caroveri.

Within there’s an exhibition by Berlin’s Kunstgewerbemusuem showcasing applied art from the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo periods.

55. Käthe Kollwitz Museum

You can pick up the Käthe Kollwitz thread once more at this museum dedicated to the female painter and sculptor.

In a Historicist villa on Fasanenstraße are some 200 woodcuts, paintings, sculptures, graphics and posters.

A member of the Expressionist and then New Objectify movements, Kollwitz spent a lot of her career in Prenzlauer Berg, which was a working class district at the time, and her art gave a voice to the downtrodden during industrialisation.

That empathy shines through in prints like “Brot!”, and the anti-war woodcut cycle “Krieg”. On the top floor, in a gallery drenched with natural light is a well-known two-metre sculpture of Kollwitz by Gustav Seitz.

56. Neue Wache

A good follow-up for the Kollwitz Museum is the Neoclassical temple on Unter den Linden.

The architect behind this monument was Karl Friedrich Schinkel who designed it in the 1810s as a memorial to the fallen soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars and specifically the German Campaign of 1813. The building was also employed as a guardhouse for the troops of the Crown Prince, up to the end of the First World War and the start of the Weimar Republic.

Since 1993 this solemn space has been dedicated to “Victims of War and Dictatorship”. Kollwitz’s sculpture Mother with her Dead Son is the centrepiece under the oculus where it is exposed to the elements to signify the civilian suffering during the Second World War.

57. Friedrichstadt-Palast

You can recapture the spirit of the 1920s at a cabaret show in Berlin.

And while there’s no lack of options the Freidrichstadt-Palast (1919) deserves special mention for the incredible dimensions of the theatre and the lavish revues it puts on.

The stage floor of 2,854 square metres is claimed to be the largest theatre stage in the world.

And if the venue is palatial, the shows are an explosion of glitz and glamour.

The casts are huge, and the costume design, acrobatics and choreography are from a less restrained Las Vegas.

In 2017 the marquee event was Jean Paul Gaultier’s “The One Grand Show”, boasting 500 costumes, more than 100 performers and a multi-million Euro budget.

58. Bauhaus Archive/Museum of Design

The impact of the Bauhaus School (1919-1933) on architecture and design is impossible to overstate, and at the Bauhaus Archive you’ll be treated to the largest assortment of works from the movement.

The venue is from the 1960s and its futuristic appearance and serrated lines have made it a shooting location for movies like Æon Flux and V for Vendetta.

The exhibition meanwhile uncovers the origins of the Bauhaus movement and its key figures, and has models by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius.

There’s also art from the period by László Moholy-Nagy, Paul Klee , Kandinsky, Lionel Feininger, along with a complete library for the movement, furniture by Gunta Stölzl, Marcel Breuer and Josef Pohl, sketches, schematics and photography.

59. Hamburger Bahnhof

In 1996 the old terminal for the Berlin-Hamburg Railway reopened as a contemporary art museum.

The distinguished Neo-Renaissance hall became obsolete early on, when trains were re-routed to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof in 1884. After that it served as a museum of transport, which closed following damage in the war.

A donation of contemporary art by Berlin businessman Erich Marx set things in motion again, and there are noteworthy works by Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer and Joseph Beuys.

Video art, particularly from the 1970s is prominent, along with contemporary photography by Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff and Bernd and Hilla Becher.

60. Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island)

Pfaueninsel on the Havel River is part of a World Heritage Site that encompasses Potsdam and Berlin’s stately properties.

Excavations on the island have brought up evidence of occupation from the Iron Age, and in the 1600s it was the site of a royal-approved glassworks founded by the man of science Johannes Kunckel.

But what we see today is straight from the Romantic period at the end of the 18th century when Friedrich Wilhelm II commissioned a summer residence intended to resemble the ruins of a Romanesque castle.

The gardens are in the English style, which was in fashion at the time, and are littered with follies and grottoes, as well as an aviary.

The most famous inhabitants though are the many free-ranging peacocks that give the island its name.

Get there by S-Bahn and on a ferry, which is part of the fun.

61. Strandbad Wannsee

In Berlin’s westernmost borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Wannsee is a neighbourhood beside two lakes on the River Havel.

By Großer Wannsee on the southern limit of Grunewald is the Strandbad Wannsee, affectionately known as Berlin’s “bath tub”. On sunny summer days you can join the herd on the S1 or S7 and wallow in the clean, mostly shallow water and lounge in the sun on the beach.

At more than a kilometre long the lido has been accommodating bathers since 1907. The beach is traced by a promenade and there are sports facilities, boat rentals, playgrounds for little ones and a selection of bars, cafes and kiosks.

Tour starting here : 2-Hour Seven Lakes Tour from Berlin’s Wannsee

62. Tempelhofer Feld

Many of Berlin’s cherished landmarks and public spaces are still here because residents came together to stop developers getting hold of them.

And that is exactly what happened at the city’s former Tempelhof Airport after it was decommissioned in 2008. The airport is now a public park only a few minutes south of Kreuzberg: A generous flat space criss-crossed by former runways and taxiways that are a dream to cycle and skate on, and still commanded by a listed terminal building.

Tempelhof was where the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49 was coordinated, and was the last of Europe’s great pre-war city airports to cease operation as a passenger hub.

63. Story of Berlin

On a jaunt down the swanky Kurfürstendamm you can brush up on the history of Germany’s capital.

Across 23 rooms you’ll be led on a journey through eight centuries, from the first recorded mention of Berlin to German Reunification in 1990. All the facts are relayed via multimedia displays, and if you’re with kids the museum’s short bursts of information and interactivity are ideal for young attention spans.

There are also some fascinating artefacts, like a genuine nuclear bunker from the Cold War, the GDR leader Erich Honecker’s Volvo limousine and pieces of the Berlin Wall.

64. Berliner Funkturm

You don’t need to be an architecture expert to know where the idea for Berlin’s 150-metre-high radio tower came from.

Its designer Heinrich Straumer clearly based his steel framework construction on the Eiffel Tower, and the Berliner Funkturm was inaugurated during the Great German Radio Exhibition in 1926. Not long after, during the 7th edition of the exhibition, Albert Einstein himself gave a speech from the base of the Funkturm.

The tower later made history in 1936 when it transmitted the world’s first regular television programme.

The observation platform is at 124 metres and has a view to rival the Fensehturm, precisely because the Fernsehturm is part of the panorama!

65. Markthalle Neun

This Baltard-style market hall in Kreuzberg first opened in 1891, getting its name from being the ninth of fourteen halls around Berlin.

After the war residents fought off developers for years to preserve this much-loved landmark.

In the end Markthalle Neun was sold to a trio of entrepreneurs who reopened it as a food market in 2011. The venue hosts delectable culinary extravaganzas throughout the year like a wine fair, a cheese festival and a wurst and beer event.

There are stalls selling produce and speciality foods on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and the rest of the week you can come for one-off establishments like an Italian bakery, craft beer microbrewery, an artisanal pasta maker and traditional butcher’s shop.

The third Sunday of the month brings a breakfast market, while Thursday nights are all about street food.

Included in this tour : 2.5–Hour Culinary Tour with East Side Gallery

66. Natur-Park Südgelände

After Berlin Anhalter Bahnhof shut down in 1952 its buildings and infrastructure dating back to the 19th century were left to rust and be reclaimed by nature.

The site slowly turned into an unofficial park, before it was properly landscaped in the 1990s.

What’s special about this place is how old industrial structures like a 50-metre water tower, a cavernous locomotive shed, tracks, bridges, a turntable and a DRB Class 50 engine mingle with the woodland and meadows.

The shed is used for markets, avant-garde performance art, and as an atmospheric shooting location for movies.

67. Marx-Engels Forum

A relic from a very different time, the pair of statues depicting Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels stand in the shadow of the Fernsehturm on the right bank of the Spree.

The statues were cast in 1986, not long before the wall came down, and after Reunification there was much discussion about whether to remove them or keep them as a reminder of the past.

Eventually they remained, which makes sense as these two 19th-century figures loomed large over life in Berlin until 1989. The park around it used to be a quarter of the Old Town before it was flattened in the war and it would be three decades before the ruins were cleared and a green space laid out.

68. Oberbaumbrücke

The last of our run-down of Berlin’s postcard-worthy landmarks crosses the Spree between Kreuzberg and Frierichshain.

When Berlin was divided, the border between the former American Zone and East Berlin hugged the right bank of the Spree.

Oberbaumbrücke became an armed checkpoint, only allowing crossings in one direction from West to East.

And when the wall fell in 1989 some of the most memorable images were taken at this location.

Since then road and U-Bahn traffic has resumed, and the bridge has been restored to its 19th-century Gothic Revival appearance.

Movie buffs may also know Oberbaumbrücke from Run Lola Run and the Bourne Supremacy.

69. Currywurst

On the topic of films, if you’ve seen any movies about Berlin you’ll know that there’s always a scene at an Imbiss.

These are temporary snack bars set up on street corners or parks and cooking up comfort food.

In 1949 a German icon was born at an Imbiss on Charlottenburg, when Herta Heuwer poured a mixture of ketchup and curry powder over bratwurst to create the currywurst.

The sausage normally comes chopped up in the sauce and served with a side of French fries, and something like 70 million currywursts are enjoyed every year in Berlin alone.

The exact spot where Herta is said to have made her first currywurst is now marked with a plaque.

70. Street Food auf Achse

The courtyard in Prenzlauerberg’s evocative KulturBrauerei is the scene of a new culinary institution that arrived in Berlin in January 2015. Every other Sunday this space is filled with a cosmopolitan variety of food trucks, fitting for a city as multicultural as Berlin.

There’s food on the go from almost anywhere you can imagine, within reason: We’re talking local faves like currywurst, as well as Vietnamese, Thai, South Korean, Tex-Mex, Polish, Brazilian and almost anything in between.

The trucks show up in every season, rain or shine, but the experience is maybe most satisfying in summer when you can nibble at your own pace at the Frannz Club Biergarten, which has a laid-back atmosphere.

Related activity : Berlin: Evening Food Tour by Bike

71. Gardens of the World

In the eastern Marzahn-Hallersdorg district is a celebration of landscaping and horticulture from all over the globe.

There are gardens from Japan, China, the Middle East, Bali and Italy, faithfully designed, and tended with love and no little skill.

In 2017 a new English garden opened in time for the Internationale Gartenasstellung (International Garden Exhibition). Also installed for 2017 is the IGA Cable Car, which crosses the attraction and connects with the Kienberg U-Bahn station.

The individual gardens have been planted one by one since the Chinese Garden in 2000. There are seasonal events here, like the cherry blossom festival in April and the Chinese moon festival towards the end of summer.

72. Classic Remise

A U-Bahn ride west of the centre will bring you to a 1920s tram depot on Wiebestraße in Moabit.

This industrial building came through the war relatively unscathed and in 2003 became an amenity for storing classic cars.

Even though this facility isn’t actually a museum you’ll come close to a bewildering array of privately-owned Ferraris, Bugattis, Rolls Royces, Mercedes, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Porsches and many more prestige marques.

These are stored in two-tired, metal-framed glass containers, which regulate temperature and humidity.

Car connoisseurs can also tour the mechanic’s workshop to see these vehicles being serviced and restored.

73. Sanssouci Palace

A day out in Potsdam has to be on the cards, and you can reach this city in under half an hour by commuter train.

The first reason to make the journey is to see Frederick the Great’s UNESCO-listed summer escape, a Rococo palace embedded on a vine-decked hillside atop a terraced stairway . The king would get away from it all at Sanssouci, as the name “sans souci” (carefree) makes clear.

The palace is beautifully formed, but isn’t lavish in scale, which tallies with Frederick’s reputation as a self-effacing sort of person.

There are ten rooms on the tour and a uniting feature is the exuberant stuccowork by the sculptor Friedrich Christian Glume.

See the Voltaire Room, where the French philosopher would stay in the mid-1700s, and the Carrara marble columns in the main reception room, the Marmorsaal (Marble Hall).

Recommended tour : Potsdam: Sanssouci Palace Guided Tour from Berlin

74. Sanssouci Park

One explanation for the relatively modest size of the palace is that the king wanted to make the most of the outdoor space.

That vineyard in front of the palace was planted with vines from France, Italy and Portugal under Frederick’s orders, and beneath this is a Baroque parterre, modelled on Versailles and sprinkled with conical boxwood topiaries and marble statues of mythological figures.

After that you have the enormous expanse of the park to cover, and its fountains, ponds and groves of lofty mature trees.

All over the park are delightful follies of temples and miniature Rococo palaces, which were often used as accommodation to make up for the shortage of guestrooms in the palace itself.

75. Sightseeing by Bike

Germany’s public transport company Deutsche Bahn operates a bike-sharing system in Berlin.

You have to register in advance, but after that you’ll be free to hire a bike and pay by the minute or by the day.

There are also a few private bike rental companies in the city, including Rent a Bike on Grunerstraße.

There’s no reason to feel daunted about cycling in Berlin as the city has almost 1,000 klilometres of designated bike paths, as well as lanes on pavements and on the roads (you can track down plenty of maps online). There’s a deep-seated cycling culture too, and it’s safe enough that people don’t generally wear helmets.

For inspiration on two wheels, you can zip around the sights at Tiergarten and Potsdamer Platz if time is of the essence, or coast around trendy Kreuzberg’s cafes and galleries.

75 Best Things to Do in Berlin (Germany):

• Brandenburg Gate
• Victory Column (Siegessäule)
• Museum Island
• Neues Museum
• Gemäldegalerie
• Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer
• Pergamon Museum
• Deutsches Historisches Museum
• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
• Unter den Linden
• Gendarmenmarkt
• Topography of Terror
• Fernsehturm
• Jewish Museum Berlin
• Berlin Cathedral
• Alexanderplatz
• Checkpoint Charlie
• Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears)
• Treptower Park
• Gedächtniskirche
• Olympic Stadium
• Berlin Philharmonie
• Deutsches Technikmuseum
• Charlottenburg Palace
• Kaufhaus des Westens
• Museum für Naturkunde
• Mauerpark Market
• Alte Nationalgalerie
• Konzerthaus Berlin
• Potsdamer Platz
• Sony Center
• East Side Gallery
• Museum of Film and Television
• Prenzlauer Berg
• Botanischer Garten
• Stasi Museum
• Bode Museum
• Kurfürstendamm
• Hackesche Höfe
• Museum Berggruen
• Landwehr Canal
• Brücke Museum
• Teufelsberg
• Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz
• Liebermann-Villa
• Spandau Citadel
• Domäne Dahlem
• Schloss Köpenick
• Käthe Kollwitz Museum
• Friedrichstadt-Palast
• Bauhaus Archive/Museum of Design
• Hamburger Bahnhof
• Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island)
• Strandbad Wannsee
• Tempelhofer Feld
• Story of Berlin
• Berliner Funkturm
• Markthalle Neun
• Natur-Park Südgelände
• Marx-Engels Forum
• Oberbaumbrücke
• Street Food auf Achse
• Gardens of the World
• Classic Remise
• Sanssouci Palace
• Sanssouci Park
• Sightseeing by Bike

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15 Things to Do in Berlin, Germany

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Berlin is a city of experiences. Whether it is standing before the reborn grandeur of the Reichstag, traveling along the dividing force of the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, or partying throughout the night, the city has layers of living history.

It is the most visited city in Germany (and its capital) and the third most visited destination in all of Europe. There are enough things to keep a visitor occupied for a lifetime, so use this guide to find the top attractions, from beautiful parks to historical sights to flourishing markets and world-class museums. 

Cross Through the Brandenburger Tor

TripSavvy / Christopher Larson

One of Berlin's most iconic landmarks is the Brandenburg Gate. In German history, the gate has reflected the country's turbulent story like no other landmark in Germany .

Inspired by the Acropolis in Athens and topped by Quadriga, a four-horsed chariot driven by Victoria, the gate acts as the entrance to the boulevard Unter den Linden on one side and Die Strasse des 17. Juni and the Siegessäule on the other. During the Cold War, the Brandenburg Gate stood between East and West Berlin and was the sad symbol for the city's division. When the wall fell in 1989 and Germany was reunited, the Brandenburg Gate became a symbol for untied Germany.

Gaze Out the Glass Dome of the Reichstag

The Reichstag in Berlin is the traditional seat of the German Parliament. A mysterious fire here in 1933 allowed Adolf Hitler to claim emergency powers, leading to his dictatorship. It was also here his empire collapsed as the Russians raised a flag above its ruined dome on May 2, 1945.

When the historic building was remodeled in the 1990s, it was adorned with a modern glass dome that symbolized glasnost theory. Visitors can book a visit and ride up to the top of the building and look down through the dome to literally watch politics in motion. It also offers a stunning view of the Berlin skyline with a free audioguide to acquaint yourself with the city.

Walk Along the Berlin Wall

Berlin's East Side Gallery (ESG) is the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall at nearly a mile long. After the wall fell in 1989, hundreds of artists from around the world, among them Keith Haring and Thierry Noir, came to Berlin to transform the grim and gray wall into a piece of art. The art covers the east side of the former border between Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg . Once untouchable, it now has more than 100 paintings and is the largest open-air gallery globally. On the other side of the water is the Spree River and iconic Oberbaumbrücke.

Another wall-centric location is the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Memorial to the Berlin Wall) in Prenzlauer Berg . There is a preserved section of the double-layered wall—complete with death strip—and a powerful museum documenting the history.

Besides these two locations, there are segments of the wall left throughout the city and souvenir pieces of "the wall" in every tourist shop.

Explore Museum Island and the Cathedral

 TripSavvy / Christopher Larson

Berlin is home to more than 170 museums and galleries with some of the finest collections in the world.

Berlin's Museum Island is home to five world-class museums covering everything from the famous bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti to top European paintings from the 19th century. Of the five, the most famous is the Pergamon Museum, renowned for its collection of classical antiquities, including the Museum of the Ancient Near East and the Museum of Islamic Art. Highlights are the full-scale reconstructions of the Pergamon Altar, Market Gate of Miletus, and the Gate of Ishtar. This unique ensemble of museums and traditional buildings on the small island in the river Spree is even a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Unter den Linden runs through Mitte and leads over the island. The Berliner Dom, the impressive Protestant Cathedral, with the Lustgarten before it are the main areas to lounge on the small river-surrounded island.

Shop, Sing, and Chill at Mauerpark

GettyImages / hanohiki

Many people in Berlin find themselves at Mauerpark ("Wall Park") on a Sunday. Its location in the trendy Prenzlauer Berg  neighborhood and its party atmosphere perfectly encapsulate the chaotic spirit of the city. An estimated 40,000 people leisurely filter through the area every Sunday.

A massive city park that occupies the space that once held the Berlin Wall, it now has the largest flea market in the city with international street food , a dedicated karaoke amphitheater, sports facilities like basketball courts and the inevitable soccer pick-up game, a graffiti wall with swings soaring over the scene, and an unmissable view of the Fernsehturm  (TV tower) in the distance.

Get Lost in the Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe

The Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) is one of Germany’s most impressive and moving monuments to the Holocaust . Located between Brandenburger Tor and Potsdamer Platz , the massive sculpture park comprises 2,711 geometrically arranged concrete pillars.

Visitors can walk through the uneven, sloping field from all four sides and wander through the columns, evoking a disorienting feeling of isolation. Like many monuments, its 2003 construction was contentious, but now it is an accepted must-see site.

For a personal story of the Holocaust, enter the free underground museum that exists below. It is here that the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims are recorded, along with many of their stories.

Look Up to the Siegessäule

TripSavvy / Christopher Larson  

The slender Victory Column in the middle of Strasse des 17. Juni beside the Tiergarten is known as the Siegessäule, or less formally as "Golden Else" or even "chick on a stick." Else played an important supporting role in the German film "Wings of Desire" and is a focal point during Berlin's boisterous Christopher Street Day Parade (which helped lend its name to the city's most popular gay magazine ). Berlin's incredibly long boulevards mean you can see her from miles away.

To see the city from her viewpoint, visitors must climb 285 steep stairs to reach the open-air viewing platform with 360-degree views of the park and cityscape in the distance.

Wander the Royal Hunting Grounds of the Tiergarten

Berlin's Tiergarten was once only accessible to Prussian kings, but now is one of the most popular public parks in the city. The largest inner-city park covers nearly 550 acres with leafy paths, trickling creeks, gleaming statues, rose gardens, playgrounds, open-air cafes, and biergartens . While there is plenty to do in the park, the best thing is to find a sunny spot in a secluded meadow for a picnic or a bit of clandestine sunning (some of the lawns permit nude sunbathing; look out for the signs that say "FKK").

If you are in the park on a Sunday, look for the nearby Berliner Trödelmarkt with a range of second-hand offerings from fancy crystal chandeliers to gold door handles. If you haven't packed a picnic, you can fill up at the Cafe am Nueun See or Schleusenkrug, or step out of the park toward Tiergarten S-Bahn station for a giant platter of German food at Tiergartenquelle.

Pay Your Respects at the Memorial Church

The Protestant Memorial Church of Berlin is actually easier to say than Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche. No matter what you call it, the half-ruined church is an important stop on any visit.

It is one of the city's most prominent landmarks as one of many sites heavily damaged by air raids in World War II. Unlike other buildings that were razed to make room for new development, Kaiser Wilhelm was reinforced in its partially demolished state so everyone could observe what most of the city looked like when the war was over. Berliners have taken to calling it "der hohle Zahn," meaning "the hollow tooth."

Walk inside what little remains to examine the church's beauty, history, and legacy. Also not to be missed are the early '60s era church and bell tower and the nearby pop-up mall with international food court, Bikini Berlin.

Look at the Animals and the Skyscrapers at the Zoo

Berlin's historic city zoo is the oldest in Germany, filled with exotic species of animals and surrounded by skyscrapers.  

Enter through the impressive Elefantentor (elephant gate) and enjoy visiting the many animals. Once home to international star polar bear Knut, visitors today can see the hippopotamus aquarium, panda enclosure which features two panda cubs, and climate-controlled aviaries. For the kids, there is also an elaborate playground that vies for a favorite spot in the zoo.

Also on site is a small aquarium. Visitors can buy combination tickets, or even combination tickets with these two attractions and the former East Berlin Zoo, the Tierpark .

Browse at Hackescher Markt

Berlin building’s straight-laced facades often hide the vibrant mini-centers of the city. Sometimes surrounding a quiet residential courtyard with bikes, dumpsters, and children's play gear, other hofs (courtyards) are a window into Berliner's busy social lives.

Lively Hackescher Markt is an area brimming with cafes, chic shops, and art galleries. Start at Hackesche Hoefe, an ensemble of historic courtyards, the largest enclosed courtyard area in Germany. Colorful tile work stretches upwards, while below there are one-off shops, bio (organic) ice cream stands, and theaters. The surrounding streets of Weinmeisterstrasse, Alte Schoenhauser Strasse and Rosenthaler Strasse provide further retail therapy.

The area is becoming increasingly commercial, and tour groups frequently make their way through the narrow alleyways, but it remains a charming and unique site. Look for lesser-known attractions like the tiny Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt , which waged secret opposition to the Nazi party, or the art shop above the independent cinema, Kino Central.

Relive the Olympics

GettyImages / Siegfried Layda

Massive and imposing, Olympiastadion was originally built for the 1936 Olympic Games. It was here that Jesse Owen's dominated that year's track and field competition in defiance of Hitler.

Today, visitors can admire the visually arresting architecture at the many sporting events that still occur here or while attending one of Germany's top festivals . Visitors can't miss the high-spirited Ostkurve (east curve) when hometown Fussball (soccer) team, Hertha Berlin, plays here. Outside the stadium, the Glockenturm (Bell Tower) can offer a bird's eye view of the area. The stadium is periodically open for tours, and there is even a public pool on site. Even on non-event days, an estimated 300,000 visitors come to Olympiastadion.

Enjoy Berlin's Neverending Nightlife

Berlin nightlife is legendary. In this city that never sleeps, clubs don't really come to life until around 2 a.m., but all the other hours can be spent in biergartens , beach bars , light night hangouts, breweries , or open-air clubs. The party just doesn't stop.

The city has an unpretentious nightlife scene with some of the top nightlife performers globally, making it a destination along with its affordable rates and in-the-know vibes. The Berlin districts best known for their nightlife include Mitte, Kreuzberg, and Friedrichshain with world-renowned clubs like The House of Weekend, Sisyphos, Tresor, and Berghain.

Boat Through the City Center

Boat tours are common throughout Berlin's historic city center. After a long day of walking giant city blocks, a boat ride on the Spree past famed landmarks can be a relaxing break.

Glorious when the sun is shining, tours run rain or shine within the comfortable confines of the glass-topped boats. Hop on a boat at Museums Island, where many different tours are offered in increments of 45 minutes or longer with special dinner cruises as well as themed events around Christmas take place.

Visit the Iconic Potsdamer Platz

One of the busiest squares in Berlin—and thus in all of Germany, Potsdamer Platz is Berlin's attempt at a commercial center. The neon dome of Sony Center is a showstopper, towering over this high-traffic space of restaurants, museums, offices, and a modern fountain. Potsdamer Platz has up to 100,000 visitors who pass through it every day.

Nearby, Europe's first stoplight and a piece of the Berlin Wall hint at the area's uneven history. Below ground, it is a major transport hub with activity in the form of trains, S-Bahns, U-Bahns, and moving walkways.

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18 Best Things to Do in Berlin

Thirty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1989, the German capital's intoxicating mix of grit, glamour, and anything-goes expression born from historical repression has made it one of the most dynamic cities on earth. Where else can you saunter through Prussian palaces, venture into Nazi-era bunkers, tour the world's longest outdoor art gallery, and lose yourself in Europe's most famous techno temple? (And that's just day one.) So bring an open mind, pack your stamina, and get ready to dive into all the city has to offer. Read on for the very best things to do in Berlin.

Read our complete Berlin travel guide here .

Every review on this list has been written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination. When choosing things to do, our editors consider landmarks and experiences that offer an insider's experience of a destination, keeping authenticity, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.

Hackesche Höfe and Haus Schwarzenberg Arrow

Beneath its rough exterior, Berlin hides elegant urban courtyards behind the Altbau buildings that survived World War II. In the heart of Berlin’s central Mitte neighborhood, Hackesche Höfe is a cluster of eight café- and boutique-filled public courtyards dating from 1907. Following a complete renovation to restore the interconnected höfs (courtyards) to their former glory, the labyrinth reopened in 1996. Several doors down on Rosenthaler Straße, Haus Schwarzenberg is Hackesche Höfe’s gritty, graffiti-covered brother, and it offers a fascinating glimpse of what much of Berlin looked like before gentrification swept in.

Charlottenburg Palace Arrow

Built in 1699 as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, wife of King Friedrich I, this massive, multi-winged baroque structure is Berlin’s largest palace. Heavily damaged in World War II and rebuilt and restored over several decades, the palace is home to a number of priceless collections, including royal porcelain and silver, crown jewels, and important 18th-century French paintings by artists such as Antoine Watteau. The rooms themselves, most of which were entirely reconstructed, feature ornate plasterwork, gilding, and frescoes, all based on original designs. The highlight is the gardens, created in the French and English style, with orderly hedges, fountains, ponds, and tree-lined gravel paths.

Berlin Wall Memorial Arrow

This free indoor/outdoor museum and memorial is the best place to learn how the Berlin Wall sprung up, practically overnight, what life was like in the former East German state, and the heroic (and heartbreaking) attempts people made to reunite with their families. As you walk along this one-mile stretch of Bernauer Strasse, an open-air exhibit features photographs and signs detailing the stories on either side of the barrier. There’s also a preserved piece of the original border wall and a watchtower, as well as an indoor visitor center with exhibits chronicling the political and historical events surrounding the city’s division.

Mauerpark Flea Market Arrow

Located along a former part of the Berlin Wall that was a militarized no-man’s land known as the “Death Strip,” the area that is now Mauerpark (“Wall Park") was where guards stationed in watch towers would shoot would-be escapees trying to flee from East Berlin to West. Today, the attack dogs and soldiers are gone, and in their place, the city’s largest and best outdoor market is held every Sunday. Surrounding the bustling market in the trendy green space is something of an anything-goes circus, filled with jugglers, picnickers and the world's largest karaoke party, known as Bearpit Karaoke.

Berghain Arrow

Perhaps no club in Berlin (or the world, for that matter) is more hallowed than Berghain. Set in a former East German power station, this cavernous, nondescript warehouse is the Holy Grail for techno fans, hosting three-day-long debauchery-induced raves. Every weekend, the club attracts some of the best DJs from all over the planet to spin and pump beats so intense that they ring in your bones instead of your ears.

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Reduced to rubble after one of history's most infamous fires in the 1930s, and then rebuilt decades later, the stately Reichstag is arguably Germany's most iconic landmark . The building has been home of Germany’s parliament (the Bundestag) since 1999 and now serves as a symbol of the country’s reunification. Today, a glistening glass dome designed by starchitect Norman Foster sits atop the grand old structure, and anyone with an advanced booking can ascend its 755-foot-long ramp for sweeping views over the city. The Reichstag dome is one of the most enriching free experiences for first-time visitors to the city, where a troubled past exists side by side with a trendsetting future. Few places employ this juxtaposition quite as well as this monument to freedom and openness, which was literally built atop the site that saw Nazis rise to power.

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The Humboldt Forum’s collection is vast and varied—and honestly more than a little overwhelming. The main exhibit is the Ethnological Collection and Asian Art, which displays about 20,000 objects from Berlin’s former Ethnological Museum and Museum for Asian Art of the State Museums. What’s most interesting here is that many objects are examined in a critical context—for instance, looking at how they were taken from African nations during colonial rule, with descriptions in both German and English. The fascinating, if sprawling, Berlin Global exhibit examines Berlin’s impact on the world in six categories: Boundaries, Entertainment, Fashion, Interconnection, Revolution, Space, and War. The After Nature (Humboldt Lab) exhibition critically examines the interplay between climate change and democracy in countries around the world. Then there are a few exhibitions reminding you of the building’s complex history: a Sculpture Hall displaying fragments of the original palace as well as six large 18th-century sculptures; the Palace Cellar below ground that includes part of the medieval Dominican monastery originally on the site as well as preserved sections of the Berlin Palace’s foundations; and a large-scale video panorama about the history of the site (“800 years of history in just 14 minutes!”) Plus, a panoramic rooftop on the fourth floor (accessible with an extra fee) offers lovely views of the Berlin rooftops. Also of note: As befits a modern museum, a good number of exhibits are interactive, with buttons to push, videos and virtual reality stories to watch, and audio to listen to.

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This triumphant neoclassical arch is Berlin’s most famous monument and the only remaining gate of the 14 that originally surrounded the city when it was a proud Prussian metropolis. Since then, Napoleon and Hitler have stormed through it and the world watched as thousands of Berliners swarmed the site with sledgehammers to topple the nearby Wall in 1989. Ever since, this Acropolis-inspired 1791 monument has come to symbolize German reunification. Conveniently located within easy walking distance of a trio of boldfaced Berlin sites ( Tiergarten Park , the Reichstag , and The Holocaust Memorial ), the Brandenburg Gate serves as a central meeting place for tourists.

Topography of Terror Arrow

You’re on the site of the headquarters of the Gestapo, Nazi Germany’s secret police force between 1933 and 1945, where many political prisoners were tortured before being sent to concentration camps and prisons. The Reich Security Main Office, created by Nazi paramilitary organization Schutzstaffel (SS) head and chief of the German police Heinrich Himmel—which was responsible for organizing the Holocaust—was also headquarted here starting in 1939. Indoor and outdoor exhibitions walk visitors through the history of these organizations and the crimes that they committed. Especially moving is the outdoor exhibit “Berlin 1933-1945. Between Propaganda and Terror” that looks at how the Nazis came to power in Berlin; it’s displayed amongst excavated sections of the fomer building (visible through glass panels) where the Nazis planned their crimes against humanity. The comprehensive inside exhibit goes into even more depth, using photos and stories to tell the story of when the Nazis came to power and the crimes they committed until World War II ended. Both exhibits, plus regularly rotating temporary ones, are free to visit. For even more history, to the site’s north you’ll find the longest section of the Berlin Wall still remaining in the city center.

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Berlin's Smithsonian on the Spree, Museumsinsel (“Museum Island”) is a UNESCO-inscribed collection of five world-class museums and a must-see for anyone coming to Berlin. Spanning 6,000 years of art and history, the island’s ensemble of museums (The Altes Museum, Neues Museum , Alte Nationalgalerie, Pergamonmuseum , and Bode Museum) represent the pinnacle of Germany’s museum collection. Here, visitors can come face to face with Nefertiti; ascend an ancient altar dedicated to Zeus; and marvel at Monet, Cézanne, and Degas’ landscapes before crossing the bridge back to mainland Berlin.

Neue Nationalgalerie Arrow

All of the Neue Nationalgalerie’s art dates from the 20th century. The museum’s permanent collection is strong on German Expressionism—think Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann, and Emil Nolde— along with Cubist and Dada works, plus worthy pieces by such 20th-century art world luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, Piet Mondriaan, Joan Miró, and Wassily Kandinsky. Though the permanent exhibition space on the lower floor is large, it only holds about 250 pieces, so selections from the museum’s collection of about 5,000 artworks rotate throughout the year. (A new, larger “berlin modern” museum is under construction next to the Neue Nationalgalerie to display more of the artworks; however, its planned opening in 2027 is in question, as it’s already behind schedule and millions over budget.) When the Neue Nationalgalerie reopened in 2021, the permanent exhibition space featured art from 1900 to 1945; from late 2023 through October 2025, the museum is displaying works from 1945 to 2000, with such artists as Barnett Newman, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, and Louise Nevelson. Visitors also have the chance to catch the Gerhard Richter Art Foundation, which has loaned 100 works from the renowned German artist to the museum until at least 2026. You can hit the highlights in 60 to 90 minutes, but it will be a bit rushed. Two hours will give you a much more relaxed pace to explore the permanent and temporary collections, and to maybe even spend some time enjoying the lovely sculpture garden, if the weather’s nice.

Sammlung Boros Arrow

A renovated Nazi-era bunker in the now-posh Mitte district houses this private collection of contemporary art, owned by Christian and Karen Boros (who actually live in an apartment on the roof). The selection of sculpture, paintings, photographs, and installations by international artists rotate every four years, but have recently featured contemporary artists like Katja Novitskova, Guan Xiao, and Kris Martin. A guided tour across its five floors reveals not only the impressive collection but also the long history of the bunker, which was used as a Nazi air raid shelter and later became an underground techno club (you can still see vestiges of fluorescent paint in some rooms and stairwells). Tours (required) book up months in advance, so plan accordingly.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Arrow

A short walk from Brandenburg Gate , this sprawling, maze-like set of 2,711 concrete columns is a haunting reminder of the atrocities and toll of World War II and Germany’s main memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Officially called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the site occupies an entire 205,000-square-foot city block and was designed by American architect Peter Eisenman after an exhaustive 17-year planning process. The memorial’s abstract design offers no explanation or prescribed walking path, but simply invites visitors to enter and become swallowed in its tomb-like slabs.

East Side Gallery Arrow

With more than 100 paintings, the East Side Gallery is the world's largest (and longest) open-air art gallery. The 0.8-mile stretch of the Berlin Wall, which runs parallel to the Spree River, once trapped East Germans inside. But when the rest of the Wall came crumbling down in 1989, this stretch remained and became a concrete canvas for international artists, who splashed it with murals between February and June of 1990.

Tempelhofer Feld Arrow

Built by Hitler’s henchmen and used as a lifeline by some two million people during the Allied Airlift, Tempelhof Airport is now a sweeping urban playground that’s larger than Central Park . On sunny days, thousands of Berliners come to jog down the abandoned runways, bike under the old radar station, and grill next to grounded Cold War-era planes. Stay long enough and you’ll see beekeepers in the lawn, windsurfers on the runway, cricket players by the tarmac, zipliners in the forest, and much more.

Tiergarten Arrow

Berlin's signature park and "green lung," Tiergarten Park is a leafy 519-acre oasis that was once used as the hunting grounds of Berlin’s rulers (“Tiergarten” means “animal park”). These days, the boars and pheasants have moved on, and in their place a series of lakes, hiking paths, English gardens, and even a biergarten attract joggers, cyclists, and sunbathers. Towering over the center of the park, the gilded Siegessäule (Victory Column) is the most famous of Tiergarten’s many monuments and commemorates Prussian war victories. Nearby, the white Schloss Bellevue palace is where the German president lives. Elsewhere, don’t miss the manicured English Garden and teahouse, and Berlin’s most attractive and romantic biergarten, Café am Neuen See, where lovers can enjoy a pint, a pizza, and a paddle aboard a rowboat on the lake. It would take you days to see all of hte park—we recommend downshifting and taking your time here with a bike, a blanket, and a book.

Prater Garten Arrow

Prater Garden, Berlin's oldest biergarten, comprises almost a full acre of communal tables and benches. Although Germany’s capital city doesn't have the biergarten culture of Bavaria, this gem has been around since 1837—and has withstood the multiple tests of time for good reason. Like most biergartens, the atmosphere is relaxed and convivial: People focus on their company first and their drinks (think Pils and housemade dark beer) second. This is also Berlin's best spot for a bratwurst fix; nothing goes better with sun and bier than a grilled sausage, so choose from spicy or standard. Bavarian pretzels make for great beer-side snacks, too.

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50 Awesome Things to Do in Berlin: Local Recommended!

Living in Berlin for over 9 years now , my list of the best things to do in Berlin in 2024 combines some of the most important tourist sights with locals’ favorite spots that visitors to Berlin never see.

It’s one of those cities that is really just really cool – and knows it . When I first moved to Berlin from a mid-sized German city, it was like going to the future – grocery stores open past 8PM, public transit that runs late, there’s even so much WiFi WLAN I don’t even know what to do with it, I need to cancel my data plan! I immediately saw what Germans mean when they say that Berlin is a city like no other in Germany. Not just in terms of conveniences, but attitude .

Read on for 50 essential Berlin experiences that will help you fall in love with the city and might even convince you to stick around for a while. You’ll need much more than the standard weekend in Berlin that so many tourists have, though I’m sure you can something fun to do on this list, whether you’ve got two weeks or just a few hours.

Some links in this post are to affiliate sites. If you purchase something through them, I may earn a small comission — which costs you nothing! I am very grateful when you use my links to make a purchase.

Are you trying to decide where to stay in Berlin? Don’t miss my extensive Berlin neighborhood guide and tips on where to stay in Berlin that explains the best place to stay based on what you want to experience in the city, as well as your budget. Based on my experience living in Berlin for over SEVEN years!

Are you visiting Berlin in Winter? I’ve got a dedicated post on things to do in Berlin in Winter which lists a number of activities and sights you can only experience during the Winter season! Go check it out if you’re feeling festive and will be visiting Berlin in December , January, or February.

50 Best Things to Do in Berlin

Honestly there are so many amazing things to do in Berlin, narrowing down a list of 50 was hard. But I’ve done my best to prioritize the must-do things — especially if you are a first-time visitor .

So, as an adopted local, and including tips from Berlin natives, here are the best things to do in Berlin regardless of the season. My top three recommendations are summarized here:

1. See Berlin’s most famous landmarks by boat!

Summer is coming! And now that both my and my boyfriend’s parents have visited, it’s fair to say I know boat tours . I can personally recommend the boat tours by Stern & Kreis , and the most time-efficient tour with them is the 1-hour Berlin City Tour by Boat . You’ll learn about Berlin’s history, and really hit the highlights in term of Berlin’s landmarks in a short period of time.

In good weather it’s an amazing way to see Berlin’s main sights and scenic neighborhoods. In colder weather, the boats have indoor seating as well. Put me on a boat and put a Bier in my hand, and I’m a happy girl.

Now that the weather is getting better (and tourism is finally picking up again), seats on these boat tours get snapped up fast. I definitely recommend booking in advance (and showing up early!) to make sure you’re able to enjoy this experience.

2. Go inside the dome of the German Parliament Building, the Reichstag

The mighty German parliament comes here to spend their time walking around this cool glass dome at the Reichstag. The original parliament was destroyed in the war, and was rebuilt with this glass dome. You can even take a tour and climb it yourself for a view over Tiergarten. At the top, there is a cafe where you can get coffee or lunch. Who knows, maybe you’ll even see a famous German politician you don’t recognize 😏

One thing to know is that you MUST book your appointment to visit the Reichstag more than one month in advance in the peak season . Entry is free for a self-guided walk about if you do it in advance through the German government , but you can also get a sense of the history of the building by taking a tour in English , and they’ll help you apply for entry to the building which includes a background check.

3. Visit the Museum Island’s world-famous museums

The Germans take their museums very seriously, and there are a ton of great museums located on the Museum Island, right in the center of Berlin. You could spend a day or more hopping between them.

If you love museums, pick up the three-day museum pass .

You are almost guaranteed to save money, and the pass covers more than 30 museums around the city like the excellent Jewish Museum and the German Technology Museum.

Here’s a summary of the five museums located on the Museum Island.

My personal favorites are the Pergamon Museum and the Neues Museum , though the Bode Museum is also quite good too.

Nefertiti’s bust is possibly the most tantalizing attraction of the Museum Island. Earlier this year, hackers claimed to have covertly 3d scanned it, which was later said to be a hoax .

Don’t try to take a picture of it, or a grumpy Museum Frau will scold you. The funny thing is though, if you stand outside the room and use a zoom lens, you are still allowed to take a picture.

I’m pretty sure it’s because they don’t want people leaving on their flash and slowly destroying the paint on the bust, which is still in amazing condition.

4. See the Brandenburg Gate, which Napoleon once marched through

The Brandenburg Gate is easily one of the most recognized sights in all of Germany, not only in Berlin. It was built on top of the former city gate, on the orders of the Prussian king Frederick William II in the late 1700s. About fifteen years later, Napoleon has even passed through the Brandenburg gate, after the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt. So just think, you’ll be passing through a place where Napoleon once stood! I don’t know about you but that gives me a sense of gravity .

If you want to take photos with minimal crowds, do show up early in the morning. Brandenburg Gate is one of the most popular sites in Berlin for a reason!

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5. Take a tour inside the former airport built by Hitler

One of the neatest things about Berlin is how many abandoned and defunct buildings you can find. Probably the most famous one in the entire city is the former airport, Tempelhof, which was originally commissioned by Hitler himself.

He imagined it to be a grand stadium where he would give speeches, and it was designed that literally one million people could fit in the stands to listen to him. Ironically, he never even saw the completed airport. Apart from the history of the airport, you’ll learn a lot about the history of Berlin, history about Berlin during the second World War, and a ton of topics that can give you perspective to shape your trip to the city.

My boyfriend and I loved the tour of the airport – it was even led by an architecture student who had really great insights on how Hitler personally influenced the design of the airport. The exact tour I can recommend you try out is Berlin Tempelhof Airport: The Legend of Tempelhof Tour !

Apart from seeing airplanes and hangars, you can also see how the Americans repurposed the airport to their own needs while they occupied part of Berlin after the second World War. No spoilers though 😉

6. Visit the Versailles of Berlin, Sanssoucci Palace

If you have more than a day or two in Berlin, don’t miss visiting Sanssoucci Palace , the palace occupied by Prussian kings and queens of yore. It’s got plenty of grounds to walk around, making it an excellent place to spend time both outside and inside. You can explore the palace grounds and gardens, the opulent interiors, and spend the rest of the time in Potsdam, the surrounding city.

It’s possible to reach Sanssoucci Palace either by public transit, or you can take a guided tour of Sanssoucci for a very reasonable price. Don’t miss either a guided tour or audio guide to dive deep into the history of Berlin! Fun fact: In French, Sans soucci means “Without Worry” 😄 You can understand why the kings and queens chose this name for their Summer home.

7. Enter a former spy station (and Europe’s largest street art gallery)

Teufelsberg , literally “Devils Mountain”, is a former spy station that the Nazis originally constructed as a military college, and was repurposed by the American NSA to listen to Russian communications.

Today it’s covered in graffiti, but you can still go up and explore this abandoned building. Climb all the way to the top to enter the echo room and listen to your voice while you admire the impressive art.

Not only is the spy station neat, but you also get an impressive view over the forest surrounding Berlin from the top of the station.

Reaching the spy station involves a short hike through the Gruenewald forest and a small sense of adventure. You can also take a guided tour of Teufelsberg .

8. Visit Peacock Island

Known in German as Pfaueninsel , Peacock Island is home to – you guessed it – peacocks! You can walk around a number of different landmarks, go for a picnic, and just generally enjoy being an on inside within the borders of Berlin. Makes for a great combination if you’re exploring the Gruenewald area, the biggest forest near Berlin. For more details, read my post on Peacock Island .

9. Have a huuuuuge beer! Eine Maß Bier, bitte!

Go big or go home, amirite? Not everywhere in Berlin offers the big ones, but you’re sure to find it at the Hofbräuhaus , a sizable beer hall modeled after the eponymous one in Munich. If you’re looking to experience Oktoberfest but find yourself in Berlin instead of Bavaria, here’s a sure bet for seeing a ton of people in Lederhosen singing traditional German songs. If you care more about craft, try Hopfenreich .

10. Picnic in the Tiergarten

Literally, “Animal Garden”, Berlin’s Tiergarten is a massive park including lakes, lots of willows, plucky ducks, and a lovely beer garden. It’s 520 acres of nature, right in the middle of the city. Outsized in Germany only by Berlin’s own Tempelhofer Park and Munich’s Englischer Garten (English Garden), it’s called Tiergarten because the Berlin Zoo – the zoo with the most species in the WORLD mind you – is located at its feet.

11. Visit the zoo with the most species in the world

Would you have ever guessed that Berlin is the home to the zoo with the most species in the entire world? Me neither. But it’s true! Now, what percentage of those critters are actually creepy crawlies I cannot say, but nonetheless you are bound to be impressed by this expansive zoo. And once you’ve had a lot of fun observing the different animals, you can go and visit…

12. Drink cocktails with the monkeys!

After your trip to the zoo, why not visit Monkey Bar for a fancy drink. The big draw of this bar is the people monkey-watching opportunities. Swing right once you enter the bar for the best views over the monkey enclosure at the Berlin Zoo! Sometimes you wonder who is watching who in the zoo 🤔

There are monkeys down there. I saw them entertaining the zoo-goers.

There are tons of awesome rooftop bars in Berlin in addition to Monkey Bar, so don’t miss reserving one if you happen to be visiting in Summer.

13. See the Fernsehturm from all over Berlin

Whether you’re trying or not, you will see the TV tower while you hop around the city’s main sights. You can even go up to the top, and use skip-the-line tickets to avoid a long wait during peak season. There’s even the possibility to eat dinner at the restaurant at the top of the tower – I haven’t done it yet but it’s definitely on my list of things to do before I eventually move out of Berlin!

For a close up of the exterior of the TV tower, pop by Alexanderplatz, just don’t stick around the area afterwards as it a bit lacking in shops or restaurants. Instead…

14. Eat some traditional German food

By now, you’ve worked up an appetite and deserve some serious eats. German food is the definition of hearty, so make sure you have a friend to carry you home. I have an entire post dedication to where to eat German food in Berlin , which covers not only the restaurants I recommend that you try, but also which foods to try! Naturally, Schnitzel is a great option but it’s not the only option. Thankfully, there are even vegetarian-friendly German options like Kaesespaetzle (think: German mac and cheese) and Gemuese Maultaschen (vegetable dumplings).

In Berlin I always recommend making a reservation, just to be on the safe side. That said, if you’re only 1 or 2 people, there’s a good chance most places will be able to find you a table.

15. Climb the Kreuzberg for a panoramic view of the city

I would be remiss if I didn’t bombard you with recommendations in Kreuzberg (my own neighborhood, represent!). Ascend the hill in Viktoriapark until you reach the apex, where you’ll see a sweeping view of Berlin. See if you can find the TV tower, Gendarmenmarkt, and other famous landmarks.

16. Spend an afternoon in a beer garden

Alas, one of my favorite pasttimes! Germany has got its beer game down , and nowhere is that clearer that in a garden expressly designed for the purpose of drinking it. I’ve got a whole guide of best beer gardens in Berlin , but you can scroll down for a summary.

Here are some of my favorite beer gardens in Berlin:

• Cafe am neuen See : It’s like an oasis inside an oasis. Located on a lake in Tiergarten, you can sit at a bench right that is practically in the lake.
• Restaurant Brachvogel : This is a locals secret in the Bergmannkiez – the food is so-so, but the garden itself is completely surrounded by trees and you’d never know you’re actually in a residential neighborhood. Come here if a good sports match is on!
• Golgatha Biergarten : If you find yourself thirsty after climbing the Kreuzberg, simply climb back down on the other side and you’ll wander onto this biergarten. This place is a great spot to relax after a busy day of sight-seeing.
• Pratergarten : The godfather of Berlin’s biergärten, Pratergarten is a favorite of many located in Prenzlauerberg.

17. Take an underground tour

In preparation for the bombing campaigns of World War II, the German government built civilian shelters and bunkers which exist to this day. You have to see this to get an idea of what it was really like living in Berlin in the thick of intense bombings during the war. You can learn more about underground tours on the Berliner Unterwelten website. They have a number of different tours to pick from and many options in English. I’ve never done it before but I’ve had friends and colleagues rave about these tours!

18. Climb the Siegesäule for a view over Berlin’s Tiergarten

Located in the middle of a busy roundabout, the Siegesäule (Victory Column) might remind you of the Arc d’Triomphe – with the distinct difference that this one has tunnel access so you don’t have to risk your life running across traffic like you do in Paris. The stairs be narrow, but the view be worth it. The cost to enter is very low, just a couple of euro.

Apart from the view from the top, there’s also a small museum inside about the history of the Victory Column. How it was relocated by the Nazis during World War II, which luckily helped it survive the bombings of Berlin by the Allied Forces. You’ll also see replicas of many other monuments around Germany and the world.

19. See the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery

Do not, I repeat, do NOT go to Potsdamer Platz to see the Wall. Potsdamer Platz is ugly and soulless, whereas the East Side Gallery has the most famous pieces you’re expecting to see. Just don’t stick around the immediate area once you’re done, instead head back in to the Wrangelkiez and maybe grab a craft beer at previously mentioned Hopfenreich 😉

If you want to get some more history about the Berlin Wall, consider doing a dedicated Berlin Wall tour.

20. Go swimming in one of Berlin’s surrounding lakes

If you’re lucky enough to spent some summertime in Berlin and it’s sunny and warm, it’s practically a sin not to take a dip. Berlin’s got numerous surrounding lakes, including Müggelsee , Schlatchtensee , and many others ( Check out this nice long list by the Berlin Tourism Office ).

21. …and if it tickles your fancy, go naked!

Many of these beaches have also got an FKK Bereich (Free body culture area). Let it all hang out with the oldies and you’re on your way to a perfect tan. If you’re more of a spa kind of person, Vabali Spa Berlin will also offer you a chance to get naked with the locals in a slightly more private setting.

22. Visit the Oberbaumbrücke

This bridge is one of the most recognizable sights in Berlin. If you decide to go on a boat tour, you’ll definitely pass under it at some point during the trip. If you’ve watched some Berlin-based TV shows like Berlin Station , you’ll also recognize this bridge. Come here for some lovely pictures from the north side of the river!

23. Eat street food at Markthalle IX on Thursdays

This market is a busy one. All summer they host themed breakfast markets, and on Thursdays, a streetfood market where vendors from all over Berlin come and set up shop. You can check out their website for a weekly schedule on the different markets they are running, and all sorts of special events. Besides the vendors that come and go, there are also long-term tenants such as Sironi , the bakery responsible for Berlin’s top-rated bread, Heidenpeters , a craft beer corner, or some delicious coffee at Kaffee 9 .

24. Go for wine at a pay-what-you-want wine bar

Berlin is so cheap, I LOVE IT. Der Weinerei on Veteranenstrasse, to me, the epitome of cheap Berlin. It works like this: you go in, you pay for your glass, you serve yourself from the open bottles at the counter or ask to taste something else, and off you go! It’s a great way to try wine before really committing to a glass – or just to drink a lot of wine.

25. Wander the cobbled streets of old town Berlin

Berlin is not like those quaint German villages you see in Rick Steve’s Europe, with criss-cross designs all over them, perched over the Rhine river. We’ll say, it’s not “traditionally beautiful.” But there’s a small corner of the city that has this small town charm, called the Nikolaiviertel. Come to the Berlin old town to see a reconstruction of the oldest settlement in Berlin from 1200.

26. Drink some third-wave coffee

I’m not sure what first or second wave coffee was like, but third wave coffee is delicious. I personally recommend two locations in Kreuzberg: Concierge Coffee and Chapter One . For more options check out this massive list of third wave coffee places by Stil in Berlin .

27. Eat a döner kebab at its birthplace

Cheap eats abound in Berlin, and none is more iconic than the venerable döner (okay, this point is arguable, but more on that later). Be warned: not all döner is created equal. Look for a line and stand in it, or go to the supposed birthplace of the döner, Hasir in Kreuzberg, or the kebap place famous for having the longest lines, Mustafa's . If you’re wondering what exactly is inside a döner, don’t worry, we all are.

28. Get lunch at the Turkish market on the Maybachufer

On Thursdays the Turkish market sells fresh produce and delicious (and cheap!) meals. Grab a plate of something yummy and park yourself on the banks of the nearby canal.

29. Read inspiring quotes by Josef Stalin at the larger-than-life Soviet War Memorial

Over 5,000 Russian soldiers are buried at the memorial in Treptower Park. There are enormous statues of Russian soldiers and a mixture of German and Russian on every plaque. Come here to wonder at the sheer scale of this installation as a detour from your walk along the Spree river.

30. Shop your heart out at Europe’s largest department store

For the luxury travelers out there, this one is for you. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t even afford the shoe polish at the Kaufhaus des Westens (shortened to KaDeWe). Between 40,000 and 50,000 shoppers pass through eight floors housing more than 380,000 articles every day .

Autumn in Berlin is a transient season in a transient city. These things to do take advantage of the wonderful place between the vibrant summer and dead of winter!

31. Go to “Thai Park” and eat tasty food cooked by Thai mamas

Just around the corner from KaDeWe is Preußenpark , which transforms into “Thai Park” on summer weekends. The grassy pitch is filled with tiny tables where Thai ladies provide home-cooked Thai food. The busiest day is Sunday, so get it while it’s hot!

32. Eat currywurst (also available vegan!)

Personally, I had one bad currywurst and that was enough for me. But a LOT of people swear by it, so I’d be remiss not to include it in the list. You can get a currywurst for a steal all over Berlin, so it doesn’t hurt to pick one up and see if the tantalizing combination of wurst, curry, and ketchup does it for you.

33. Grab a beer at the Späti and drink it with the hipsters on the Admiralsbruecke

Did you know that Berlin has more bridges than Venice? Enjoy some quality bridge time with the hipsters of Kreuzberg, watch the sun go down over the Landwehrkanal, and take in the gorgeous scene kissed by golden hour. If you have the patience, you can get some of Berlin’s best pizza from Il Casolare . Be warned, it will take at least an hour on the weekend and they will not be friendly, but dayum that pizza!

34. Sing karaoke at the Mauerpark

Sing your heart out with a serious crowd! Every Sunday, people gather in Mauerpark, mostly for the Flea market, but also for an impromptu karaoke festival. So pick up something vintage and head for the song pit!

35. Go swimming in the Badeschiff

A must for any list of Berlin to-dos. If you’re lucky enough to be here in high Summer, you’d be remiss not to take a dip in this swimming pool that’s partially submerged in the Spree.

36. See (and taste) the latest and greatest of urban gardening in Berlin at Prinzessinnengarten

This place takes “farm to table” to a whole new level. Come here for lunch and feast on food that was grown in the very ground you’re walking on! It’s amazing to see a place like this right in the middle of the city.

37. Try to get into the world’s most famous nightclub

Berghain is famous for rejecting people at the door for no reason, but if you get through, you’re greeted with the hottest club in the world. Just make sure you’re wearing enough black to pass the “cool test”. If you don’t like the idea of rejection, the Berghain Kantine next door hosts concerts and you can still dance as much as you want.

38. Pay your respects at the Holocaust Memorial

Possibly one of the most striking views in Berlin, this memorial makes you feel lost and disoriented. For a historical look at how Jews came to Germany and their contributions to this country, don’t miss the Jewish Museum.

39. Browse flea markets all over town for your next treasure

While the flea market in Mauerpark is the best known, it’s surely not the only. Go there for vintage cameras, leather goods, and locally made clothing. Don’t miss the Art Market at Zeughaus or the Antiques Market at Straße des 17.Juni . There’s also the newer RAW Flohmarkt at Revaler Strasse , which hosts themed markets several times a year.

40. Drink Glühwein at one of Berlin’s many majestic Christmas markets

Most people come to Berlin during the summer, but if you brave the winter cold you may be rewarded with Christmas market season, which basically lasts for the month of December. Some of the best markets in town are: Gendarmenmarkt , Schloss Charlottenburg , and the lesser known Richardplatz .

Don’t miss my post on Berlin’s best Christmas markets , which I’ve just updated for 2019 and listed out the new opening dates, hours, and entry prices for this year.

41. Peek in on the Berlin startup scene’s hipster programmers

St. Oberholz is infamous for providing shelter to legions of Mac nerds from the few stray rays of sunshine that happen to grace Berlin a few times a year. You’ll find them typing away in silence on their super secret startup ideas. Blend in with the crowd by bringing your shiny computer and indulging in some delicious cake. The surrounding area (Tor Strasse and Rosenthaler Platz) is lined with cool bars and restaurants.

42. Visit the Gärten der Welt (Gardens of the World) for cherry blossom season

One of the most beautiful places to see Spring in Berlin, there is accompanying music, dancing, theatre, and of course – food. These Flowers aren’t the only attraction of the gardens. There are also Chinese, Balinese, Korean, and Renaissance gardens, with an English garden also planned.

You don't have to go to Japan to experience cherry blossom season. Berlin has over two kilometers of cherry blossoms waiting to be wandered through, admired, and photographed! Here are the best places in Berlin to enjoy cherry blossoms.

43. Build your own free art walking tour in Mitte

Although some of the better known galleries do charge admission, and are likely worth the entrance fee, it’s totally possibly to give yourself a free art tour .

44. Hang out with the Mitte-hipsters at Rosenthaler Platz

There are just tons of fabulous places to eat and drink in the area (as well as people-watching!). Be fancy and have fabulous Italian at Hartweizen or go grungy-hipster-style beers at Mein Haus am See . Continue up the bikes-only Weinbergsweg for a lovely and lively tree-lined street with even more bars and cafes galore.

45. Check out the street festivals happening year round

Berlin loves festivals for all occasions, and especially in the summer it seems like a different one is happening every weekend. Some well-attended festivals in Kreuzberg include the Maifest (May Day Festival) on May 1st, Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures), and the most mature of them all: the Jazz festival!

46. See a movie in a Freiluftkino (Open air cinema)

Germans celebrate summer like no other people I know. One clear evidence of this is the concept of Freiluftkino , where the wonderful warmth is celebrated by showing films outdoors. Check out what’s playing this Summer

47. Drink a coffee in a cemetary

While not everyone’s taste, enjoying a coffee in a cemetary is bound to be very…peaceful. If you need somewhere super quiet to nurse your hangover after a wild night out, you’ll find no better cafe than Café Strauss .

48. Have a barbecue in the park

One of the many wonderful consequences of having no laws against drinking in public is how free you are to have a beer and beef barbecue in the park! Grab a blanket, brewskies, and some Fleisch and head to one of the BBQ-friendly parks .

Bargain barbecues can be found at any supermarket in the summer – so grab some coal and hit the park!

49. Rent a canoe on the Insel der Jugend (Island of Youth) and paddle around the Spree

In between Treptow Park and Forst Plänterwald (Plänterwald Forest) is a tiny island, connected to mainland Berlin by the oldest bridge of its kind in Germany. Come for a picnic, live music on Sundays, or to rent a canoe and go padding along the River Spree.

50. Rent an apartment and stay for a while!

Because why not? Find a long term AirBnb, learn a few words of German, and see what all the fuss is about. Interested in making Berlin your home? Check out my guide to emigrating to Germany and places to check for startup jobs in Berlin .

Have you ever been to Berlin? What am I missing on my list of essential Berlin experiences?

Share your suggestions in the comments and I will DEFINITELY check them out myself!

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About the author

Hi there! I'm Monica, an American expat living in Germany for over six years and using every opportunity to explore the world from my homebase in Berlin. My goal is to capture my memories in photos and posts that show how easy it is to start from scratch and travel the world by working abroad.

Follow along on Instagram , Twitter , Bloglovin , & Facebook .

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The Best Places to Visit in Berlin, Germany

Written By: Thomas Carney

Updated On: January 23, 2024

Berlin, the capital city of Germany, has a rich, storied past stretching back through the Cold War, the two world wars, to the swinging 20s and beyond. Today it is the largest city in the European Union, yet at the same time, you’ll find that Berlin is surprisingly affordable when compared to other larger European cities.

In this article, we’ll run through some of the best places to visit in Berlin, including its historical sites and attractions. Are you ready to explore this sprawling city of almost four million inhabitants based on my experience of living on and off in the city since 2008? As Germans say, “ Los geht’s! ”.

Table of Contents

Things to do in Berlin, Germany

Visiting Berlin? Book your private airport transfer from the Berlin Brandenburg Airport. We love booking a private transfer when landing in a new city. The meet and greet service at the airport’s arrival hall makes for a seamless transfer in comfort to our hotel lobby.

This article about popular historic tourist attractions in Berlin was originally written by Berlin resident Thomas Carney . It has been updated and expanded for 2022 with fresh new Berlin tours and places to stay.

1. Visit the Reichstag

The Reichstag building is the home of the German Parliament. Famously, its burning in 1933 was a trigger for the Nazi’s consolidation of power. After German reunification in 1990, the rebuilt Reichstag was restored after years of neglect since World War II and today is one of the most popular sites in all of Germany thanks to free entrance to the glass dome on top that gives spectacular views of Berlin. The glass dome was created for more than just the view; it represents transparency and Germany’s united democracy.

You’ll have to register ahead of time to book a visit, and it’s important to bring your ID. Personally, my favorite time to visit is just before closing when you get a view of Berlin at night.

2. Stop by Brandenburg Gate

No visit to Berlin would be complete without visiting one of Berlin’s most famous gathering places. Located just five minutes walk away from the Reichstag building, you’ll find the famous Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s old city gate. It was in front of this monument that Regan issued an ultimatum to the Soviet leader, Gorbachev, to tear down the Berlin Wall. To the east of the gate, you’ll find the Pariser square, which leads on to “Unter den Linden”, a wide boulevard leading down towards Museum Island, which is lined with embassies, five-star hotels, and high-end boutiques.

We took this Berlin Third Reich Walking Tour that visited all the major attractions and historical spots in Berlin. Meeting at Brandenburg Gate, we began the tour by listening to the history of the final days leading up to World War II. We passed the rebuilt Reichstag and seat of the German House of Parliament, visited the Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten, The Holocaust Memorial, and Hitler’s Bunker, which is now a very unremarkable parking lot.

3. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Berlin is full of reminders of the crimes of the Nazi era, from the brass-plated stones you’ll find in the sidewalks marking the last residence of victims of the Nazi regime to monuments such as The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as The Holocaust Memorial is a monument is located centrally just beside Brandenburg Gate. It’s made up of 2711 rectangular blocks that descend deeper as you walk further into the memorial, giving you a sense of isolation and unease.

The Holocaust Memorial is free to visit, and it is suitable for wheelchairs. Located underground beneath the memorial, you’ll find an information center on the Holocaust with free entrance almost every day.

4. Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie is the most famous border crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin, and it is featured in countless films such as Bridge of Spies. It was the top tourist attraction we wanted to see when visiting Berlin. (outside the Berlin Wall, of course) The Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie, which provides information on the Berlin Wall, is worth a visit. Read: Top 16 Fun Facts About Germany That You Probably Didn’t Know

We took a free walking tour in Berlin to see many of the historical sites in Berlin. We highly recommend free city tours as they are often hosted by a local, and when the tour is over, you only pay what you can to suit everyone’s budget. We recommend 10 Euros per person, but it really is up to you. We took the Original Free Berlin walking tour here.

4. Visit a Remaining Piece of the Berlin Wall

Remnants of the Berlin Wall that separated East Berlin from West Berlin still exist around the city. One such place is the Berlin Wall Memorial, where you’ll find a visitor center along with a remaining section of the wall. Another section of the Berlin Wall Memorial that is popular is the East Side Gallery on the Spree River, which has many famous graffiti sections.

The Berlin Wall memorial is one of the top attractions in Berlin, and there are several places to see its remains. We took a Street Art and Workshop in Berlin and it was amazing. Graffiti has a strong history in Berlin and is entrenched in its history. Learn about its origins and then have a lesson on how to make some street art of your own. This tour shows you how to create graffiti with spray paints (it’s harder than it looks) and then paint your graffiti on the original Berlin Wall, where you’ll get a picture of your Graffiti on the historic wall. Get more details here.

5. The Berlin TV Tower at Alexanderplatz

East Germany built the TV Tower to be a symbol of the technological advances of the Eastern Bloc in 1969. Today, the Berlin TV Tower is the highest vantage point in Berlin. You can take an elevator up to the 203-meter-high observation deck and viewing platform, where you’ll get the best view in all of Berlin. This being Germany, you can also enjoy a beer at the top of the bar or even eat at the restaurant that slowly revolves around to give you a 360-degree view of Berlin.

You can book tickets in advance here for fast-track tickets and priority entrance to Berlin’s Television Tower at an exclusive window seat in the Sphere restaurant. From 200 meters (656 feet) above the city admire views of the Reichstag, Berlin Cathedral, the Olympic Stadium, and Potsdamer Platz. See more information here

6. Museum Island

Berlin is home to some amazing museums. Conveniently, you’ll find five world-class museums situated on Museum Island right in the center of Berlin. Museum Island (Museumsinsel) is located in the middle of the Spree River. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most frequented museums in all of Europe.

As these museums on Museum Island have large collections, I personally would choose one to visit rather than trying to take in all five in one day. Let’s break down the museums individually to help you decide which one to see. Hours: 8 to Midnight daily

Pergamon Museum – Perhaps the most famous on Museum Island, the Pergamon Museum Art Museum has been undergoing renovations since 2013. (so expect exhibits to be closed and have long lines). In the Middle East Museum, you’ll find entire historical buildings such as the Pergamon Altar, Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and the Processional Way from Babylon. The Islamic Art Museum lets you discover artifacts from Muslim as well as Christian and Jewish groups and the Antiquity Collection houses one of the most significant collections of Greek and Roman Art. Book your entrance ticket in advance here.

Altes Museum – The Altes Museum has an amazing collection of Greek and Roman antiquities where you will immerse in the art and culture of the Greeks and Romans. There are monumental columns and a rotunda inspired by the Pantheon Tickets can be bought here.

Alte Nationalgalerie – The Old National Art Gallery houses Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Biedermeier, Impressionism, and early Modernity. Highlights include Sleeping Beauty and Impressionist works by French Impressionists such as Manet, Monet, and Renoir. Discover Romanticism with The Monk by the Sea, the Group of Princesses, and the Gothic Cathedral at the Water. Tickets here

Neues Museum – See three museums in one at the Neues Museum. It has exhibits from the Egyptian Museum, the Antique Collection, and the Museum of Prehistory and Early History. Highlights of the Neues Museum include the famous bust of Queen Neferti and Priam’s Treasure from the Heinrich Schliemann collection. Get your tickets here.

The Bode Museum houses the Museum of Byzantine Art and the Sculpture Collection, plus one of the largest coin collections in the world. Get your tickets here. All museums are part of the UNESCO World Heritage designation.

7. Berlin Cathedral

When visiting any European city it is always worthwhile going into the city’s main cathedral. The beautiful Berlin Cathedral is topped by picturesque domes, creating a striking scene. It is the largest cathedral in Berlin and is located near Museum Island. Like so much of Berlin, it was heavily damaged during World War II but has been restored. Make sure to climb to the top for views of the city, and don’t forget to visit the crypts below.

Take this boat tour – A boat tour is an amazing way to see the capital city from the water while enjoying a light lunch. See the government district, Bellevue Palace, and Berlin Central Station on the 2.5-hour boat tour along the River Spree.

8. Stop by Gendarmenmarkt for a Coffee

Berlin was largely destroyed in the Second World War, so many parts of the city lack the historical buildings of other European capitals. One exception is Gendarmenmarkt, a market square situated between Under Den Linden and Checkpoint Charlie. It’s perfect for sitting out on a cafe terrace and enjoying a coffee before your next stop of the day.

Over the holiday season , you’ll find one of Berlin’s best Christmas markets in Berlin at Gendarmenmarkt, where you can sample mulled wine and German Christmas biscuits.

9. Oberbaum Bridge

Spanning the Spree River, The Oberbaum Bridge (The Oberbaumbrücke) is one of the most photographed places in Berlin. It was used as a checkpoint between East and West Berlin during the Cold War from 1961 to 1989 and has become a symbol of Berlin’s unity. It was.

Built in 1895, the Oberbaum Bridge, this beautiful double-deck bridge spans the River Spree connecting the districts of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. The two decks are for transportation, the upper carrying the U-Bahn and the lower being a roadway. It was used as a checkpoint

10. Tiergarten

Tiergarten is to Berlin as Central Park is to New York . Spanning 519 acres, it is the heart of the city, bordering major attractions like Brandenburg Gate. It was once the royal hunting grounds but, in the late 17th century, was turned into a leisure park.

After WWII many of the trees were cut down and used as fuel in the winter, but in 1949, many trees were replanted from donations across Germany. Inside the park, there are tree-lined paths, a Biergarten, and Siegessäule (Victory Column). Note you can climb to the top of the Victory Column for a birds-eye view.

11. Berlin Zoo

While we typically don’t recommend zoos, but the Berlin Zoo has extensive breeding programs to reintroduce endangered species. It is located in Tiergarten, and it works to keep animals in natural environments as close to their natural habitats as possible.

12. Berlin Nightlife

Berlin probably has one of the most lively nightlife scenes in all of Europe, and no visit to Berlin would be complete without going out at least once! We chose the nightlife scene in the artsy and bohemian district of Kreuzberg for our evenings out. Other hot nightclub areas in Berlin include Torstrasse in the clubbing district of Mitte and the historic Nollendorfplatz in Schöneberg (the oldest LGBTQ neighborhood). Berlin is famous for having everything from techno dance clubs to indie rock bars.

13. Charlottenburg Palace

Located a little outside the center of the capital city, Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Germany. Take a tour to see the apartments of Frederick the Great. For something unique to do in Berlin, book An Evening at Charlottenburg Palace that includes dinner and a concert experience with the Berlin Residence Orchestra. Charlottenburg Palace was a former summer residence for the royal House of Hohenzollern. You can book your tour in advance here.

14. Kaufhaus des Westen (KaDeWe)

It’s the largest department store in continental Europe and has been welcoming patrons for more than 100 years. It was destroyed after WWII but reopened in the 1950s and has become one of Berlin’s top tourist attractions. It’s a great place for shopping for souvenirs and name brands all under one roof. This is also a good place to grab a bit to eat. Head to the 6th floor for some affordable and delicious German food. German Food: 20 Traditional Dishes To Try in Germany or At Home

Where To Stay to Make the Most of Your Berlin Trip

If you’re excited about Berlin and want to make a trip out of it, you then have the question of where to stay. Berlin is a sprawling city, so making sure you choose the right location to stay in will make a big difference. We have a whole article dedicated to Where To Stay in Berlin: Best Areas To Stay For First-Time Visitors .

As you may have noticed, many of the popular historical sites of Berlin are found in “Mitte”, literally meaning Center in German. If you have the budget, this is a great area to stay in as it is within walking distance to many popular sites and attractions. Hotels along the “ Unter den Linden ” Boulevard are very centrally located but also among the most expensive in Berlin.

Accommodation around the “ Volkspark am Weinberg ” offers an excellent mix of locations as well as great surrounding restaurants and bars.

• Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin – Berlin’s premier hotel located right next to the Brandenburg Gate.
• AC Hotel by Marriott – close to Teirgartn and the attractions in Berlin Mitte with a more affordable price tag.
• Radisson Collection Hotel Berlin – located in Berlin Mitte near Alexanderplatz Square just opposite the Berlin Cathedral.

How to Get Around Berlin, Germany

Berlin has a very efficient public transportation system. The best way to get around Berlin is by using the underground trains known as the U-Bahn. You can purchase tickets per zone, and there are ten different lines. Most of the tourist attractions in Berlin are located in zones A and B. Zone A spans the city center of Berlin, including the S-Bahn-Ring. Zone B begins outside the S-Bahn ring and goes to the city limits. The fare zone Berlin AB is used most by travelers.

The U-Bahn runs 24 hours on weekends and 1 am on weekdays. Before boarding the U-Bahn, make sure to validate your ticket in the machine. You can’t simply purchase a ticket and walk on, it must be validated beforehand.

You can download the BVG App to help you get around Berlin. We also use Google Maps to get around cities, you can easily follow the best transportation route on Google Maps.

When’s the Best Time to Visit Berlin, Germany

The best time to visit Berlin is from May to September. This is when the weather is pleasant, there are plenty of festivals and events, and it’s great for patio season. In my opinion, the month of May is the best time to visit Berlin, as you’ll enjoy warm weather without overheating (Germans don’t do air conditioning as a rule). The city also feels incredibly vibrant as people awake from the long winter.

Berlin winters are long, cold, and dark. In mid-December, the light will start to fade around 3:30 pm. However, the Christmas markets with mulled wine and holiday decorations do offset the dreary winters.

April and October are also good times to visit Berlin, and you can find better deals during the shoulder season.

Berlin Tours

Dave and I took our tours in Berlin with Get Your Guide. It is our go-to tour company when traveling. This highly rated Berlin Wall and Graffiti walking tour is a great way to explore Berlin’s alternative art and graffiti culture. We really enjoyed this graffiti-inspired walking tour along the streets of the Mitte, Kreuzberg, and Friedrichshain districts.

And there you have it, the best places in Berlin, Germany. If you are visiting the capital city, make sure to spend a few days discovering its history, culture, and nightlife scene. Have you been to Berlin? Share your Berlin travel tips and advice in the comments below.

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Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Book Your Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner. We have used them for years and have found that they have the best flight deals.

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor.

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Safety Wing - Occasional Travelers.
• Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Book Your Activities: Looking for walking tours, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more? Then we recommend Get Your Guide.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

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About Thomas Carney

Thomas is an Irish resident of Berlin who loves travel, hiking and the outdoors. As a fan of minimalist backpacking, he writes about minimalist packing lists and merino gear at MerinoWoolRocks.com

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8 thoughts on “The Best Places to Visit in Berlin, Germany”

Berlin’s rich history is fascinating, and this article does a great job of highlighting key attractions like the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate. It’s impressive to see how Berlin has transformed over the years, while still preserving its past. The Reichstag’s glass dome is not only a remarkable architectural feature but also a symbol of Germany’s united democracy. I’ve found that having a map at hand is essential when exploring sprawling cities like Berlin. The tip about visiting the Reichstag just before closing for a nighttime view is a gem. Overall, this article provides valuable insights for anyone planning a trip to Germany’s capital.

I added Germany tour in my calendar may be 2024. I am thankful for your blog and shared knowledge able information

It makes me want to go back to Berlin after reading this post! There is so much to do there that I will definitely check out the locations you mentioned and that I haven’t visited yet the next time I visit. Thank you very much for sharing your site, I received a lot of help from it. You’ve done a fantastic job on your own site, and I really enjoy it.

They are masterminds when it comes to the R32 and VR6 prototype. And don’t forget the W12 edition also. 🙂

Good !! Definatly once I Want To Visit .

Berlin is one of my most favorite cities! I lived there for a year and hold the city close to my heart 🙂 I can’t wait to go there again – perhaps for ITB in March! Thanks for the rundown of the historical sights in Berlin. I love the Reichstag and pretty much everything. Even though the Checkpoint Charlie has become a bit too touristy to my liking. Berlin is an awesome place to visit!

i will plan to visit in berlin soon once i have a free time by this coming summer, a wonderful place to be with thanks

Berlin seems to be a lively city despite its dark past. Would love to explore its historic places.

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History Hit Story of England: Making of a Nation

10 Historic Places to See in Berlin

Dating to the 13th century, germany's vibrant capital berlin is brimming with history. here's 10 sites that you can't miss..

Lucy Davidson

06 sep 2021, @lucejuiceluce.

As the European Union’s most populous city, Berlin is an artistic, historic, and social hub. The city has been under the rule of the Kingdom Of Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich. After the Second World War, it was famously severed in half by the Berlin Wall, which was only taken down in 1989. As a result, there are endless monuments, museums, and historical sites to explore the capital’s multifaceted history with.

From famous places steeped in history like the Reichstag, to lesser-known sites like Berlin Flak Tower, there’s a wealth of sites to visit. Here’s our pick of 10 of the best.

1. Brandenburg Gate

Probably Berlin’s most famous landmark, the Brandenburg Gate is a stunning Romanesque structure modelled on the ancient gateway to the Acropolis in Athens. Standing at the heart of the city, the Gate is a symbol of the German capital and is consistently ranked among the top 10 things to see in Berlin.

Commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia and built between 1788 and 1791, today, visitors from around the world come to see the Brandenburg Gate and its ornate carvings, including its dramatic depiction of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, driving a horse drawn chariot.

2. Reichstag

No visit to Berlin can miss the famous German parliament building, the Reichstag. One of the most popular places to visit in Berlin, the Reichstag Building as we know it today is a fusion of the original 19th century building – heavily damaged by the infamous fire of 1933 and subsequent WWII bombing – and a restoration project which finished in 1999.

As well as viewing the stunning architecture particularly the remarkable roof terrace and dome, visitors can explore more via guided tours are available, but these must be booked in writing well in advance.

3. Berlin Wall

Probably the most famous of all the places to see in Berlin, the Berlin Wall split the city and was a dramatic symbol of the ideological struggle of the Cold War. An 87 mile long concrete barrier that divided East and West Berlin, the Wall was the most obvious embodiment of the so-called ‘Iron Curtain’ between eastern and western Europe.

The fall of the Berlin Wall finally occurred on 9 November 1989, and was almost completely dismantled in the weeks that followed. Very few segments of the wall remain today, but those that have are extremely popular for visitors and locals alike. The largest section can be found at the open air East Side Gallery, although small sections are dotted throughout the city.

4. Berliner Dom

One of the most stunning buildings in Berlin, Berliner Don is an exceptionally beautiful early 20th century Cathedral built during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Constructed between 1894 and 1905, this ornate structure is crowned with a remarkable, imposing dome and is now open to the public to explore.

It’s the capital’s largest and most important Protestant church and, when it comes to deciding what to see in Berlin, this hugely popular landmark is an absolute must.

5. The Holocaust Memorial - Berlin

History runs to the very heart of Berlin, and while joyous events are celebrated, there are a number of sites which document darker moments from the city’s past. Berlin has made the conscious decision to ensure that the horror of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust are not forgotten. One of the most moving sites of all is the Holocaust Memorial.

The Holocaust Memorial is a vast granite maze covering 19,000 square metres which remembers the millions of European Jews murdered by the Nazis. It makes for sombre and thought-provoking viewing.

6. The Pergamon Museum

Located on Museum Island, the Pergamon Museum showcases a vast and fascinating world famous collection of ancient artefacts, Ancient Near East, and Islamic art. For lovers of history, it ranks as one of the very best things to do in Berlin.

As well as a host of incredible artefacts, the museum houses monumental structures such as the Pergamon Altar and the Market Gate of Miletus, which all consist of original parts brought from their original locations in Turkey.

7. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

Originally built in the 1890’s and dedicated to Kaiser William I by his grandson Kaiser William II, today the fusion of Romanesque and modern architecture make the Kaiser Wilhelm Church a fascinating place to explore.

Seemingly odd to view from the outside – being as it is a largely 18th century tower with a modern concrete, steel and glass hulk attached – inside the Church is truly stunning, with beautiful glass walls and an epic feel. A truly unique experience.

8. Berlin Stasi Prison

An infamous East German prison which operated during the Cold War, the Berlin Stasi Prison is a memorial to those who were persecuted there. Following WWII, East Berlin was under the occupation of Soviet Russia as the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Stasi were the official security forces of this state. The Berlin Stasi Prison became the detention centre for anyone considered hostile to the state until it was eventually disbanded in 1989 as the GDR began to falter.

Today, the prison is a memorial to those who were detained there and is a stark reminder of the atrocities carried out during the Cold War. Tours are offered and visitors can see a film about the prison’s history.

9. The Berlin Flak Tower

One of the more hidden and obscure places in Berlin to visit, the Berlin Flak Tower is a Second World War anti-aircraft station and bunker which can now be seen via organised tours run by the Berlin Underground Association.

Visitors can explore three of the seven floors of the bunker and discover the astounding underground landscape. The most striking experience that the site offers is the opportunity to stare deep down into the very depths of the building.

10. Charlottenburg Palace

Built in 1713 as a summer getaway for the first queen of Prussia, Charlottenburg is Berlin’s largest royal estate. One of Berlin’s most beautiful museums, the architecture is predominantly baroque, reflecting the taste during the period when it was first constructed.

Today, Charlottenburg ranks among the top places to visit in Berlin and visitors can undertake a guided tour through both the Old Palace and the New Wing. Tours guide visitors through the rich family history of Sophie Charlotte, in addition to the property’s extensive collection of artworks.

27 Hidden Gems in Berlin: Off the Beaten Path and Unusual Things to Do

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Ali Garland, Berlin expert & long term resident What to Do

It’s easy to find information about the major attractions in Berlin – places like Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island, to name a few. But what about the hidden gems in Berlin ? Places that are really interesting but aren’t as widely known by visitors can make for an enjoyable experience. I’ve been living in Berlin since 2015, so to help you out, I’ve put together this list of Berlin off the beaten path sights and even some unusual things to do in Berlin .

My Berlin local tips includes some quirky Berlin attractions that are simply fun to see or do. It also includes some places that aren’t as popular or visited as much as the big sights in Berlin , but they’re ones that I think are really worth seeing anyway. And then I’ve also listed some sights and experiences that aren’t normally on Berlin top 10 lists.

What you'll find here

Unusual places to stay in Berlin

If you’re looking for hotels that are less than ordinary, you definitely have some choices in Berlin. Here are some hotel recommendations for unique places to stay in Berlin.

25Hours Hotel Bikini Berlin

Upscale hotel with “jungle” rooms that overlook the Berlin Zoo and TIergarten Park

Hüttenpalast

Quirky hotel where you can sleep in retro-style caravans and cabins located within an indoor camping site

nHow Berlin Friedrichshain

Midrange hotel along the Spree River where you can rent a guitar for free

Eastern & Western Berlin Boat

Unique budget hotel & hostel in a moored boat in the Spree River near the East Side Gallery

For a more detailed look at the different neighborhoods and our hotel recommendations, check out our guide to where to stay in Berlin .

Unique Berlin Tours

Berlin has lots of great tours to help you see more of the city. But if you’re looking for a Berlin off the beaten path walking tour instead of the standard options, these are a few we recommend.

• Berlin Street Art Tour : Learn about Berlin’s street art scene, legal and illegal street art, and see some off the beaten path art as well as a few famous ones.
• Berlin Neighborhoods Off the Beaten Path Walking Tour : Explore different areas of Kreuzberg, Mitte and Friedrichshain that most tourists don’t get to see.
• 3-Hour Alternative Berlin Bike Tour Vibes of Berlin : See Berlin on a 3 hour bike tour through alternative areas of Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Neukölln, and Treptow neighborhoods.
• Berliner Unterwelten Tours : The Berlin Underground tours are tours of an alternative side of Berlin, including old bunkers, subways, escape tunnels under the Berlin Wall, and more.

Berlin hidden gems

Berlin off the beaten path map.

I’ve created this map of the places mentioned in this post to help you see where they all are. Towards the end of the post, I have some quirky and off the beaten path day trips, and they are not on the map. Check out the map, and keep reading to learn more about these quirky sights and hidden gems.

9th of November 1989 Platz

The Berlin Wall is a big part of the city’s history, but there are so many different sights around Berlin that have to do with the Cold War , the Wall, and the division of Berlin. One of my favorites that often gets overlooked is the 9th of November 1989 Platz (Platz des 9th November 1989 in German) near the Bornholmer Strasse Sbahn station.

Here you’ll see a remaining piece of the Berlin Wall , plus an interesting display about the fall of the Wall. The former border crossing here was the first place the border opened up on November 9, 1989, so it holds a lot of history.

November 9th was an infamous date in German history before the fall of the Wall, and you can also learn about other dark events that took place on that day in history. This is also an especially nice place to visit in spring to see cherry blossoms .

Location: Bornholmer Str. 61, 10439 Berlin Opening Hours: 24/7 Entrance: free

Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen

The Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen , or the Berlin Hohenschönhausen Memorial, is a museum in a former Stasi prison. It was the main prison of the East German secret police. At this memorial, you can learn the history of the Stasi and the communist dictatorship, and stories of the many people who ended up here as prisoners. Some, but not all, guides were former prisoners themselves.

Location: Genslerstraße 66, 13055 Berlin Opening Hours: daily 9am – 6pm Entrance: The permanent exhibition is free; tours are 8 euros

Parliament of Trees

The Parliament of Trees a unique Berlin sight and a creative memorial honoring people who were victims of the Berlin Wall. It uses 58 authentic parts of the Berlin Wall, and for each year the Wall stood, there is a number indicating how many people died. It’s only open on Sundays in Berlin and not in the winter, so plan ahead.

This memorial includes 16 trees, one planted in 1990 by the state president from each of the 16 German federal states. Photos, flowers, memorial stones, and more round out this interesting Cold War site in Berlin .

Location: Schiffbauerdamm, 10117 Berlin, east bank of the Spree River, opposite the Reichstag Building Opening Hours: April to October, Sundays only, 12 noon – 5pm Entrance: free

Medieval city wall remains

While the Berlin Wall is the wall Berlin is most known for, you can still see a remaining section of the old medieval walls that once protected the city.

It might not be the most exciting thing to see in Berlin, but it’s certainly interesting that, despite everything, even this little bit of the old city walls still exists. And not far from here, check out the Franziskaner-Klosterkirche church ruins.

Location: Waisenstraße 2, 10179 Berlin Opening Hours: 24/7 Entrance: Free

Urban Nation

Urban Nation, the museum for urban contemporary art, is a free museum dedicated to street art, graffiti, and urban art. It’s the world’s first urban art museum, which is fitting since street art is such a huge part of Berlin’s landscape.

The exhibits change, as does the art covering the outside of the building. You can see fun, quirky art here, but also more serious pieces that have a message to send about current events. Check out my full guide to visiting the Urban Nation Museum and more free Berlin museums .

Location: Bülowstraße 7, 10783 Berlin Opening Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday 10am – 6pm, Thursday – Sunday 12 noon – 8pm, closed Monday Entrance: Free

>>Finding lots of things closed on Mondays? Check out my ideas for what to do on Mondays in Berlin .

North Side Gallery

You’ve heard of the East Side Gallery, the most famous remaining section of the Berlin Wall . But what if you could see street art on another section of the Wall, but one that is very much under the radar?

Just a few steps away from the Bernauer Strasse Wall Memorial is the Park am Nordbahnhof where you can see a few sections of the Berlin Wall that are still standing. And they have been turned into another legal place for street art. It’s privately run, so you have to get permission to paint on these walls.

For an alternative Berlin outdoor art display, I highly recommend taking a stroll through this park and enjoying the different sections of the North Side Gallery.

Location: Doesn’t really have an address, but look here and here Opening Hours: The park is open daily 6am – 10pm Entrance: Free

Teufelsberg

Tucked into the Grunewald, Teufelsberg is a former Cold War NSA spy station that’s been turned into one of the largest street art galleries in the world.

You can take a tour to learn about the site’s Cold War history as well as see what it’s been transformed into today. Keep in mind that you have to hike there, and they don’t have running water, so the only toilets are port-a-potties.

Location: Teufelsseechaussee 10, 14193 Berlin, 30 minute walk from the Heerstr or Grunewald Sbahn stations Opening hours: Monday – Friday 12:00 pm to sunset; Saturday, Sunday, public holidays: 11:00 am to sunset Entrance: 8 euros online, 10 euros at the door (cash only)

Bierpinsel translates to “beer brush”, which is sort of what this quirky 47 meter building looks like. It’s located right next to the Schloßstrasse U-Bahn in the Steglitz district, and it’s definitely a unique Berlin attraction.

Opened in 1976, this building used to be a restaurant. Unfortunately after the last tenant moved out of the building in 2010, it has remained empty for quite some time. A new owner is supposedly doing repairs and renovations with the hope of reopening it in a few years.

Location: Schloßstraße 17, 12163 Berlin Opening Hours: n/a Entrance: n/a

Computerspielemuseum

Do you love video games? Then the Computerspielemuseum is for you. This museum is dedicated to video games, and you’ll find games from decades ago all the way up to modern day games. And the best part is you can play some of them.

This is a particularly kid friendly place in Berlin , so if you’re not traveling with kids, you might want to avoid weekends and school holidays. That way you can experience the museum with smaller crowds.

Location: Karl-Marx-Allee 93A, 10243 Berlin Opening Hours: Daily 10am – 8pm Entrance: 11 euros

David Hasselhof Museum

I feel like “museum” is a bit of a stretch, but inside the Circus Hostel in their bar area, there’s a tiny, and a bit cheesy, David Hasselhof Museum. You’ll find photos and memorabilia honoring the singer/actor. Who is American, not German, in case you didn’t know.

Location: Weinbergsweg 1A, 10119 Berlin Opening Hours: Open when the bar/microbrewery is open, daily starting at 7pm Entrance: Free, but I recommend staying to buy a tasty beer

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More unusual museums in Berlin

Looking for more quirky museums? Berlin has plenty. Here are a few others to check out if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary.

Disgusting Food Museum : Learn about weird foods that people eat in other parts of the world, and at the end you can even try a few, like insects. Located at Schützenstraße 70, entry 16 euros. Closed Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Hemp Museum : The Hemp Museum (Hanf in German) is located at Mühlendamm 5 in Nikolaiviertel and covers everything hemp related, from history to its different uses. Closed on Mondays, entry 6 euros.

Buchstabenmuseum : For something a little off the beaten path in Berlin, check out the Buchstabenmuseum, or Letter Museum. This privately run museum is dedicated to old neon signs and other types of interesting letters and signs. If you’re a fan of design, typography, and signage, this one is for you. Located at Stadtbahnbogen 424, entry 12 euros. Closed Monday to Wednesday.

I think a lot of tourists don’t know about Tempelhof, a huge park that was once an airport. It’s definitely a unique Berlin attraction where you can walk on the runway (or run or ride a bike or many other things) and the airport building is still there. This airport also holds a lot of history as the base of the Berlin Airlift during the Cold War.

Even for those who do know about Tempelhof, did you know you can take a tour ? The tour shows you around the airport building, tells you about the history, and takes you to places not open to the general public.

And just recently they opened a viewing platform at Tempelhof. Both the Tempelhof Airport tour and the viewing platform are paid attractions, but they’re great ways to enjoy this hidden gem in Berlin.

Location: Tempelhofer Damm, 12101 Berlin; Airport building: Platz d. Luftbrücke 5, 12101 Berlin Opening Hours: Daily dawn to dusk (changes with the seasons) Entrance: Park entrance is free, tour is 17.50 euros, viewing platform is 6 euros

Markthalle Neun for Street Food Thursday

Well known by locals, this is one tourists might not be aware of. Markthalle Neun is an indoor market in Kreuzberg that focuses on local and organic (Bio in German) produce, meats, cheeses, and other products.

The main market runs on Saturdays and there are some stalls open every day except Sunday. But come by on Thursday night for Street Food Thursday. This is a popular event with locals where you can try lots of different and interesting food. It gets crowded though, so bring some patience.

Location: Eisenbahnstraße 42/43, 10997 Berlin Opening Hours: Thursdays 5pm – 10pm (hours are only for Street Food Thursday) Entrance: Free

Do you enjoy indoor markets? Also consider checking out Arminiusmarkthalle in Moabit and Marheineke Markthalle in Kreuzberg.

Kulturbrauerei for Street Food Sunday

Another street food event I quite like is in the courtyard of Kulturbrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg on Sunday afternoons.

On Street Food Sunday, you can find a bunch of food trucks set up selling everything from Korean fried chicken and Thai food to Uzbeki cuisine. Anything goes, and it’s a great atmosphere.

Location: Schönhauser Allee 36, 10435 Berlin Opening Hours: Sundays 12 noon – 6pm Entrance: Free

Klunkerkranich

Berlin has many rooftop bars , but one of the most hidden ones is Klunkerkranich. Yes, it’s well known, but the challenge is finding it once you arrive.

You have to work your way through a parking garage to find the entrance, and it can feel like you must be in the wrong place. Come for the view and enjoy some drinks and a little food.

Location: Karl-Marx-Straße 66, 12043 Berlin Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday 5pm – midnight; Thursday – Sunday from 4pm Entrance: 2 to 8 euros depending on what’s going on that night

This eclectic market along the Spree River is a collection of bars and food stalls in a creative space. It’s pretty well known by locals but off the beaten path for Berlin visitors.

They also hold one of the less touristy Christmas markets in Berlin , so check it out if you’re in Berlin in December .

Location: Holzmarktstraße 25, 10243 Berlin Opening Hours: evenings on weekdays, afternoons and evenings on weekends Entrance: Free

Free lunchtime concert at the Philharmonie

Every Wednesday between September and June, the Philharmonie puts on a free show at lunchtime. The music is wide ranging but always sure to entertain.

The show lasts about 40-50 minutes. The number of guests is limited, so you may want to arrive early. Not only is this a fun free thing to do , but it’s a Berlin hidden gem not many people know about.

Grab a beer at a Späti

Spätis are unique Berlin convenience stores that are usually open 24 hours a day, though sometimes a few hours less. They mostly sell beer, but you can find other alcoholic beverages, potato chips, chocolate bars, sodas, and other snacks. Some will also sell bakery items or quick sandwiches or even items approaching groceries.

Certain Spätis have picnic tables outside where you can sit with your newly purchased beer, making it almost, but not quite, like a bar. Give it a try, it’s definitely one of the non touristy things to do in Berlin.

Location: Within a few blocks from wherever you are

Spandau Citadel

Charlottenburg Palace is the most well known castle in Berlin for good reasons. But if you’re looking for a castle that’s a little off the beaten path in Berlin, I highly recommend Spandau Citadel. It’s a fortress, so it’s more defensive than Schloss Charlottenburg, so you’ll also get to see a different kind of castle here.

The Citadel dates back to the 12th century, and it was strategically built where the Havel and Spree Rivers meet. Spandau is a district in the far northwest corner of Berlin, so it’s outside the center, but it’s still easy to reach by Ubahn or Sbahn.

Location: Am Juliusturm 64, 13599 Berlin Opening Hours: Thursday 1pm – 8pm, all other days 10am – 5pm Entrance: Adult 4.50 euro, Child 2.50 euro

If you’re visiting Berlin in summer and you want to cool off, go for a swim at the Badeschiff. This is a barge that’s been converted into a pool, and it’s located in the Spree River.

Not only is it a unique thing to do in Berlin, but you’ll have some great views of the Oberbaum Bridge and nearby areas from the pool.

Location: Eichenstraße 4, 12435 Berlin Opening Hours: Varies and can change, check website Entrance: 8 euros, book online only, max 4 days ahead

David Bowie’s apartment

From 1976 to 1978, David Bowie lived in Berlin, and during that time, he created three albums: Low, Heroes, and Lodger. Today his former apartment building is marked with a plaque, and often people leave flowers or other mementos.

Location: Hauptstraße 155, 10827 Berlin Opening Hours: n/a Entrance: n/a

Spas are very popular in Germany, and Berlin has quite a few good ones. But the Liquidrom is a unique Berlin place to go because it’s not your typical spa. Here you can listen to techno music underwater, because Berlin loves its techno, and a few nights a week there’s even a DJ. Definitely a interesting thing to do at night in Berlin .

Location: Möckernstrasse 10, 10963 Berlin Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday 9am – midnight; Friday and Saturday 9am – 1am Entrance: starts at 22.50 euros, depends on services

Mauerpark karaoke

Sunday flea markets are a big thing in Berlin, and the one at Mauerpark is one of the most popular. But the most alternative things to do in Berlin also takes place here, and it’s karaoke.

It’s free, anyone can perform, and there’s a fun, relaxed vibe. If you want Berlin local tips, this is definitely one of them.

Location: Mauerpark, right about here Opening hours: Sunday afternoons Entrance: free

Looking for other flea markets? I recommend the RAW flea market and the Boxhagener Platz flea market, both in Friedrichshain.

Park Inn viewing platform

I love views of places from high vantage points. It’s one of my favorite things to do when I travel, so I have tons of favorite places for views of Berlin from above .

While I certainly think the views FROM the TV Tower are amazing, there’s one place that has the best view OF the TV Tower. And somehow it remains one of the Berlin secret places that’s hidden in plain sight.

This viewing platform is in the Park Inn hotel at Alexanderplatz. Because it’s so close to the TV Tower, it is THE place to go if you want fantastic photos of the tower.

It’s on the 39th floor of the hotel, where you’ll be 153 meters (about 502 feet) high. Unfortunately it’s not wheelchair friendly though, because even though you take the elevator most of the way, you have to climb 80 stairs from the 35th floor up to the 39th floor.

Location: Alexanderpl. 7, 10178 Berlin Opening Hours: April to September 12 noon to 10pm, October to March 12 noon to 6pm; can close in bad weather Entrance: 6 euros, cash only

Looking for other viewpoints that aren’t the TV Tower? Try Victory Column , the French Cathedral at Gendarmenmarkt , or Panoramapunkt .

Berlin is known all over the world for being a party city, and for some people, clubbing is the main reason to come here. But one of the more unusual things to do in Berlin is to go to what is probably the smallest dance club in the world.

It’s called Teledisko, and it’s basically a cross between a phone booth and a photo booth that plays music. You pay a few euros, pick a song, and dance your heart out. You can even pay a little extra for pictures or videos. It’s super cheesy, but definitely a quirky Berlin activity.

There are three that I know of, although Google Maps only seems to know of two. I’ll link to all three locations.

Location: RAW , Holzmarkt , Mercedes Platz Opening Hours: 24/7 Entrance: 2 to 6 euros, cash only

Quirky bars in Berlin

Berlin has plenty of bars, but for something truly weird, here are a few suggestions.

Train Cocktail Bar : For cool places to go in Berlin for a drink, why not try the Train Cocktail Bar? This bar is in an original Berlin Sbahn train car from the 1920s, so it’s a pretty cool setting. Located at Hauptstraße 162.

Berlin Ice Bar : This bar is very close to several tourist attractions, but I still think it’s quite an unusual thing to do in Berlin. The Berlin Ice Bar is a place where everything is made of ice and the temperature is 14F (-10C). But don’t worry, coats and gloves are provided. Located at Spandauer Str. 2.

Klo : Klo means toilet in German, and this is a toilet themed bar. The bar is decorated with toilet brushes, bedpans, actual toilets, and just about anything else related. Berlin quirky things to do? Yes, definitely. Located at Leibnizstraße 57.

MacLaren’s Pub : This is a How I Met Your Mother themed bar, completely decked out in just about every detail you could imagine from the show. Lily’s nude paintings of Marshall and Barney. Barney’s motivational posters from his office. The blue French horn. Just to name a few. Even better, this bar was started by two Berliners, one who was studying architecture, and one was studying law. Located at Boxhagener Str. 16.

Off the beaten path day trips from Berlin

The most popular day trips from Berlin are Potsdam and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp , and for good reasons. But if you’re looking for something a little different, here are a few suggestions.

Cottbus : For a charming small city near Berlin, consider a day trip to Cottbus . It has the look and feel of a typical German old town but it’s a bit under the radar, so it’s not too crowded. Plus there’s a palace with a park that has two odd grass pyramids.

Peacock Island : Just on the edge of Berlin there’s an island with a fairy tale castle and peacocks that roam freely. It’s called Pfaueninsel in German. This is a good choice for a little nature that’s still within the city but feels like a world away.

Tropical Islands : Maybe not so off the beaten path since it is definitely well known, but this is a bit quirky. Great if you’re traveling with kids, Tropical Islands is a water park in an old zeppelin hangar. The temperature is kept warm all year round, so it’s actually a great place to go in the winter if you want to pretend you’re in the south Pacific.

Berlin Travel Resources

I want you to have the best trip to Berlin, and hopefully this guide to hidden gems in Berlin and Berlin off the beaten path is helpful. But there are lots more tips on the site!

• 101 Best Things to do in Berlin
• 23 Impressive Castles in Berlin (And Nearby)
• 27 Best World War II & Cold War Sights in Berlin
• 29 Fun Day Trips From Berlin
• 75 Things to Know Before Visiting Berlin: Essential Berlin Travel Tips
• What to Wear & What to Pack for Berlin, Germany: Your Ultimate Berlin Packing List
• How to Get Around in Berlin: An Easy Guide to Berlin Public Transportation

Check out my favorite travel planning sites and resources

These are the sites I like for travel planning, plus items I like to travel with.

Planning Booking.com : Find a Berlin hotel here.

Rick Steves and Lonely Planet : My favorite guidebook resources.

Tours, Activities, Tickets Viator : Great site for finding tours and other activities.

GetYourGuide : Another good option for tours and activities.

Transport Welcome Pickups : No stress option for airport pickups.

Discover Cars : Find a rental car for Germany road trips.

Deutsche Bahn and FlixBus : Best options for getting around Germany.

Packing Orange SIM & eSIM : Great option for SIM & eSIM cards for German & EU.

Collapsible water bottle , plug adapter , and stuff bag : Small things that will make your trip a little easier.

Packing Orange SIM & eSIM : Great option for SIM & eSIM cards for Germany & EU.

Book a local photographer Flytographer : Hire an amazing local photographer anywhere in the world.

Related Posts

Berlin Christmas Markets Itinerary: How to Combine Markets & Sightseeing

What to do in Berlin on Monday: 25+ Museums & More

What to do in Berlin on Sunday: 15+ Ideas

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Best Diplomats

15 best places to visit in germany for first-time visitors.

• Post author: Oleksandra Mamchii
• Post published: September 19, 2024
• Post category: Blog / Travel
• Post comments: 0 Comments

Germany is a top European destination that welcomes over 40 million international tourists each year. From the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, which attracts more than 3 million visitors annually, to the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle, with over 1.4 million tourists each year, Germany offers diverse attractions for every traveler. The country’s combination of historical landmarks, vibrant cities, and picturesque landscapes make it a unique and engaging destination. Whether exploring medieval castles or experiencing world-renowned festivals like Oktoberfest, the best places to visit in Germany promise unforgettable experiences for millions of annual visitors.

List of 15 Best Places to Visit in Germany

• Brandenburg Gate
• Neuschwanstein Castle
• Cologne Cathedral
• The Black Forest
• Berlin Wall Memorial
• Heidelberg Castle
• Sanssouci Palace
• Oktoberfest
• Miniatur Wunderland
• Marienplatz
• Reichstag Building

1. Brandenburg Gate

Any traveler to Germany for the first time must see the Brandenburg Gate. Completed in 1791, this famous building represents not only Berlin but also the reunification of the nation following the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The 26-meter-tall gate is a magnificent example of Neoclassicism, modeled after the Athens Acropolis. Millions of tourists visit it every year in Pariser Platz in the center of Berlin.

Constructed initially as a symbol of harmony, the gate has witnessed significant events in German history, such as Napoleon’s conquest and the divide of the Cold War. Reminiscent of its illustrious past is the iconic Quadriga, a statue depicting a chariot pulled by four horses, which stands atop the gate. Walking through the gate’s six grand columns, you’re stepping into history. Be sure to visit at night when it’s beautifully illuminated, making it an even more magical experience.

2. Neuschwanstein Castle

When traveling to Germany, you definitely must see the fairytale site known as Neuschwanstein Castle. King Ludwig II had the castle, which is perched majestically atop the Bavarian Alps and provides stunning views of the surrounding area, built in 1869. Neuschwanstein, also referred to as the “castle of the fairy-tale king,” is one of Germany’s most popular tourist destinations, drawing in over 1.4 million visitors each year.

Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle was inspired by the magnificent castle’s architecture, which features turrets and tall towers. Inside are lavishly furnished chambers, such as the opulent Throne Hall, which captures Ludwig’s passion for mythology and medieval legends. The castle was ahead of its time, having modern features like running water and central heating despite its medieval appearance.

3. Cologne Cathedral

One of Germany’s most stunning sights and a must-see for visitors is the Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although work on the famous Gothic cathedral started in 1248, it took more than 600 years to finish, with completion occurring in 1880. At 157 meters, it is the world’s highest twin-spired church and welcomes almost 6 million tourists annually.

The exquisite sculptures, stained-glass windows, and the Shrine of the Three Kings will astound you within. Don’t pass up the opportunity to ascend the South Tower’s 533 steps, which will reward you with an amazing perspective of the city and the Rhine River.

Cologne Cathedral has stood resilient through history, surviving World War II bombings with minimal damage. Its grandeur and spiritual significance make it one of the most awe-inspiring places in Germany for any traveler.

Also Read: Political Parties in Germany

4. The Black Forest

A must-see for first-time visitors to Germany is the natural wonder of Black Forest. Spanning over 6,000 square kilometers, this deep forest in southwestern Germany is recognized for its stunning views, small villages, and rich cultural past. Renowned for being the cradle of the cuckoo clock, the area welcomes around two million visitors each year, making it one of the most popular travel destinations in the nation.

With more than 23,000 kilometers of paths that wind through picturesque forests, meadows, and rolling hills, hiking and cycling are popular sports here. Triberg Falls, Germany’s tallest waterfall, which plunges 163 meters into a lovely valley, is also located in the Black Forest. 

5. Berlin Wall Memorial

Any first-time visitor to Berlin should not miss seeing the Berlin Wall Memorial, which serves as a potent reminder of the divided history of Germany. This historical location honors the Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Berlin during the Cold War and stood from 1961 to 1989. The memorial, which traces 1.4 kilometers of the original wall and welcomes more than a million people annually, provides a comprehensive look into the effects of this famous wall.

Discover surviving wall parts, a rebuilt watchtower, and the “Death Strip,” the site of catastrophic escape attempts, all at the memorial. The Documentation Center offers engaging displays, including pictures and firsthand accounts from those impacted by the wall.

A key highlight is the Window of Remembrance, which honors the 140 individuals who lost their lives trying to cross into West Berlin. Visiting the Berlin Wall Memorial is a deeply moving experience that offers valuable insight into the history of Germany’s reunification.

6. Heidelberg Castle

First-time visitors should not miss Heidelberg Castle, one of Germany’s most charming and historic sites. Situated on a hill with a picturesque view of the Neckar River, the 13th-century castle welcomes more than a million tourists every year. Its blend of Renaissance and Gothic styles, along with its allure as a ruin, create a magical ambiance.

Notable features of the castle include the gigantic Heidelberg Tun, a wine barrel with an incredible capacity of 219,000 gallons, and the gorgeous courtyard that displays the elaborate façades of the castle’s former magnificent structures. Explore the German Pharmacy Museum within the castle’s walls and its sumptuous chambers with a guided tour.

Don’t miss the panoramic views from the castle terrace, where you can admire the red-roofed town of Heidelberg and the lush river valley below. Heidelberg Castle’s timeless beauty and rich history make it a highlight of any German adventure.

Also Read: Historical Places in Germany

7. Sanssouci Palace

Known as the “Versailles of Germany,” Sanssouci Palace is a magnificent royal retreat that all first-time visitors should see. Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, lived in this magnificent Rococo mansion during the summer months between 1745 and 1747. Situated amidst an expansive park, Sanssouci welcomes more than two million tourists every year, drawn by its magnificence and exquisitely designed gardens.

The name of the palace, Sanssouci, means “without a care,” which symbolizes Frederick’s wish for a peaceful sanctuary apart from the demands of life at court. Magnificent chambers, such as the stately Marble Hall and Frederick’s library, can be found within. The king’s passion for philosophy and culture is evident in the many artworks housed at the palace.

8. Oktoberfest

For first-time visitors, Germany’s famous beer festival, Oktoberfest, is a must-attend event. This famous festival, which takes place in Munich every year from late September to the first weekend in October, draws almost 6 million tourists from all over the world. Oktoberfest, which began as a royal wedding celebration in 1810, has grown to become the world’s biggest beer festival and an opportunity to experience authentic Bavarian culture.

There are 14 spacious beer tents at the festival, all serving different regional brews from Munich’s six main breweries. You can savor a variety of authentic Bavarian dishes, such as pretzels, sausages, and roast chicken, besides beer. The celebration is renowned for its vibrant parades, upbeat music, and traditional folk dancing.

Visitors can immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere by donning traditional lederhosen or dirndl outfits and participating in various activities, from carnival rides to live performances. Oktoberfest’s blend of culture, cuisine, and camaraderie makes it an unforgettable German experience.

9. Miniatur Wunderland

A fascinating site that’s ideal for travelers to Germany for the first time is Hamburg’s Miniatur Wunderland. Featuring complex miniature landscapes across 1,500 square meters, Miniatur Wunderland is the largest model railway display in the world, drawing in over a million people each year.

The display, which debuted in 2001, showcases detailed model representations of several locations, such as the United States, Scandinavia, and the Alps. Thousands of cars, trains, and aircraft are on display in these displays; each one has been painstakingly built to bring these tiny worlds to life. Interactive features in the show include moving cars and scenery with lights that vary according to the time of day.

One of the highlights is the night-time simulation, where the entire exhibit transforms with a stunning array of lights. Miniatur Wunderland’s attention to detail and creativity make it a delightful and immersive experience for visitors of all ages, offering a unique perspective on both model-making and global landscapes.

Also Read: Best Places to Visit in Switzerland

10. Marienplatz

Marienplatz, located in the heart of Munich, is an obligatory stop for any first-time tourist to Germany. Dating back to the 12th century, this busy central square is well-known for both its historical significance and lively atmosphere. Millions of visitors visit Marienplatz every year because of its famous landmarks, exciting events, and quaint stores.

Completed in 1909, the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) is a striking example of Gothic Revival architecture that dominates the square. The Glockenspiel is a fascinating mechanical clock that draws large crowds every day at 11 a.m. and noon when its moving figures act out historical events.

Adjacent to the New Town Hall stands the historic Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus), with its picturesque front and medieval tower. Marienplatz is also a gateway to Munich’s shopping streets and seasonal markets, including the famous Christmas market, making it a vibrant and cultural focal point of the city.

11. Reichstag Building

For travelers to Germany for the first time, a must-see is the Berlin-based Reichstag Building. Though its history goes back to 1894 when it was first built, this historic site has served as the German parliament’s seat since 1999. The structure is well-known for its eye-catching glass dome, which provides expansive views of Berlin’s skyline and was created by architect Norman Foster.

Over three million people visit the Reichstag annually to take in its stunning architecture and discover more about Germany’s political past. The dome, which lets people see the legislative discussions below, is not just a marvel of contemporary architecture but also a representation of openness in politics.

The Reichstag has witnessed significant events, including the fire of 1933, which played a crucial role in the rise of the Nazi regime. Today, it stands as a powerful symbol of Germany’s democratic rebirth and offers guided tours that provide insights into its rich history and political significance.

12. Erfurt 

For first-time tourists, the charming city of Erfurt in central Germany is a wonderful vacation. Erfurt, which has a history spanning more than 1,200 years, offers a charming combination of cultural experiences and medieval buildings. Every year, millions of tourists flock to the city to see its vibrant town center and well-preserved historical attractions.

Erfurt’s magnificent old town, where you can walk along cobblestone alleyways and take in medieval architecture, especially the striking Erfurt Cathedral and the Church of St. Severus, is its main attraction. One of the city’s most recognizable sights, the Krämerbrücke is a distinctive bridge surrounded by half-timbered homes that provides insight into Erfurt’s former glory as a major commerce town.

First-time travelers should not miss Weimar, a fascinating city in central Germany that is rich in cultural and historical value. Weimar, which is well-known for its contribution to the German Enlightenment and its connections to prominent people like Friedrich Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, draws tourists with its extensive literary legacy and immaculate historical sites.

Explore exhibitions about the life and works of this literary genius at the Goethe National Museum, located in the city of Goethe’s former home. The Schiller Museum, which is close by, provides information on the life of Friedrich Schiller, a close friend and collaborator of Goethe.

Weimar also boasts the Bauhaus Museum, celebrating the influential Bauhaus movement that began in the city in 1919, reshaping modern architecture and design. The city’s beautiful parks, including the Eichenbaum and the Park an der Ilm, provide a serene backdrop for strolls. With its blend of history, culture, and natural beauty, Weimar offers a uniquely enriching experience for visitors.

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Berlin is a beautiful, diverse city that ought to be on the agenda of any first-time traveler. The capital of Germany is well known for its dynamic culture, lengthy history, and inventive spirit. Berlin is a popular tourist destination in Europe , with over 11 million visitors a year because of its varied offerings.

One must-see site is the famous Brandenburg Gate, which represents Germany’s reunification. The Berlin Wall Memorial, which is close by, provides a moving look into the split history of the city. World-class museums like the Neues Museum and the Pergamon Museum can be found on Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for art and history lovers.

Berlin’s lively cultural scene extends to areas like Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, known for their eclectic mix of bars, restaurants, and street art. The city also boasts expansive green spaces, such as the Tiergarten and Tempelhofer Feld, perfect for relaxation and recreation.

The capital of Bavaria, Munich, is a must-see destination for visitors to Germany. Munich is a popular travel destination , drawing millions of tourists each year with its breathtaking architecture, rich cultural history, and energetic environment. The city is famed for its iconic landmarks and exciting events, with Oktoberfest being the most famous, drawing over 6 million visitors annually.

Marienplatz, a lively square encircled by old buildings, is in the center of Munich. Notable among these buildings is the magnificent New Town Hall, which is home to the well-known Glockenspiel. Explore the stunning Frauenkirche and the sumptuous Nymphenburg Palace nearby.

Munich is also a cultural hub, with world-class museums such as the Deutsches Museum, the largest museum of science and technology, and the Alte Pinakothek, home to an extensive collection of Old Master paintings. The city’s numerous parks, including the expansive English Garden, provide perfect spots for relaxation and outdoor activities.

Conclusion:

Germany’s diverse attractions ensure a memorable visit for every traveler. With iconic sites like the Berlin Wall Memorial, drawing over 1 million visitors annually, and the scenic Black Forest, welcoming nearly 2 million tourists each year, the country offers unforgettable experiences. The cultural vibrancy of Munich’s Oktoberfest, which attracts around 6 million attendees, and the historical allure of Heidelberg Castle, with its 1 million yearly visitors, highlight Germany’s broad appeal. As you explore its historic landmarks, stunning landscapes, and lively festivals, you’ll discover why Germany continues to be one of the most visited countries in Europe .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

What is the most beautiful part of germany.

The most beautiful part of Germany is often considered to be the Bavarian Alps, featuring stunning landscapes like the picturesque Neuschwanstein Castle and the serene Lake Königssee. The region offers breathtaking mountain views and charming villages.

What Is the No 1 Tourist Attraction in Germany?

The number one tourist attraction in Germany is the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. This iconic landmark draws millions of visitors annually, symbolizing the reunification of East and West Berlin and offering a historical glimpse into Germany’s past.

Which Part of Germany Should I Go To?

For a diverse experience, visit Berlin for its rich history and vibrant culture, Bavaria for its scenic beauty and charming towns, or the Rhine Valley for picturesque castles and vineyards. Each region offers unique attractions catering to different interests.

Is Germany Expensive to Visit?

Germany can be moderately expensive to visit, with costs varying by city and region. Major cities like Berlin and Munich tend to be pricier, but there are affordable options for accommodation, dining, and attractions, especially if you plan.

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German chancellor’s Social Democrats seek to hold off far right in Brandenburg state election

The Associated Press

September 22, 2024, 4:37 AM

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BERLIN (AP) — A state election is taking place in Brandenburg on Sunday, three weeks after a far-right party made gains in two other states in eastern Germany.

Around 2.1 million people are registered to vote for a new state parliament in Brandenburg, the state that surrounds the German capital, Berlin.

Sunday’s election is being watched closely for signs about the country’s political direction.

The latest polls showed that the far-right Alternative for Germany is neck-and-neck with the Social Democrats, the party that has governed Brandenburg continuously since German reunification in 1990.

The Social Democrats, the largest party in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-way coalition government, are hoping to maintain control of their stronghold in the face of rising support for parties on the extreme right and left.

If the Social Democrats lose in Brandenburg, it would be seen as a bad omen for Scholz a year before a federal election that is due to be held on Sept. 28, 2025. Scholz lives in Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg, and German political observers believe the chancellor’s political future will be shaped by the results of Sunday’s vote in Brandenburg.

The fate of the Brandenburg governor, Dietmar Woidke, is also hanging in the balance. He made it his goal for his Social Democrats to beat Alternative for Germany, or AfD, and vowed to resign should the AfD win.

“If I lose against the AfD, I am gone,” Woidke said.

The Alternative for Germany won the most votes in the state of Thuringia and also did well in an election in Saxony on Sept. 1. A new party founded by a prominent leftist also made a strong impact, while the parties in Scholz’s unpopular national government obtained extremely weak results.

That was the first time the far right won an election in Germany since World War II, and it dealt a heavy blow to Scholz’s centrist coalition. It also generated concerns in Germany and abroad about the growing support for the extreme right in the largest European Union country, and a member of NATO.

The far-right party has gained support amid a growing backlash to large-scale migration to Germany over the past decade and several recent extremist attacks. Germany’s economy, once a powerhouse, has been weakening, adding to a general feeling of malaise.

Sunday’s vote follows a heated election campaign centered on the issues of migration, internal security and peace. Both the far right and the new leftist movement, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance , or BSW, want to end weapons deliveries to Kyiv as Ukraine tried to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Even if the Alternative for Germany wins in Brandenburg, it is unlikely to govern because other parties have refused to work with it.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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