No matter how long you stay in Berlin, you will never run out of activities in Germany’s capital which is in constant movement. Nevertheless, there are some main attractions you cannot miss while visiting this vibrant city.
Visit Berlin’s best-known landmark, the iconic Brandenburg Gate, which is until today the national symbol of unified Germany. Berlin’s most famous church, the Berlin Cathedral, can be visited from the inside and outside and is located on Museum Island. Not only home to the Berliner Dom, but also the city’s oldest museums, Museum island is well worth a visit to marvel at fantastic architecture in beautiful surroundings
See where the German Parliament is operating at Berlin’s Reichstag. You can enter the transparent dome to catch a panorama of the city and learn about its history. Don’t forget to bring your passport and book your tickets in advance.
Another impressive building is Charlottenburg Palace. Although the royal palace can be toured, its grounds and gardens are the genuine highlights, best enjoyed on a summer afternoon. The French Cathedral is a further example of splendid architecture in the German capital.
Hang out at Potsdamer Platz and Alexanderplatz, two of the city’s main squares, featuring Berlin’s iconic TV tower. Go up to the top to catch dazzling views of the city. A typical Berlin institution is the KaDeWe, a famous but expensive department store with a gourmet food court.
See some preserved parts of the Berlin Wall on Bernauer Straße or visit the famous East Side Gallery, a part of the wall which was turned into an open-air art gallery. Located right next to East Side Gallery in the Friedrichshain district, the Oberbaum Bridge is a classic landmark. In general, Friedrichshain is an alternative and trendy neighborhood popular with artists and students and worth to be explored. Find spectacular street art, hip boutiques and markets, trendy cafés and bars, and some of the city’s best nightclubs in this area.
Thanks to its turbulent history and reputation as a haven for artists of all kinds, Berlin has a museum scene that is second to none. Learn about diverse aspects of World War II and Berlin during Communist rule in several museums. The most popular museums are the Topography of Terror Museum, documenting the horror of the Nazi regime and Holocaust, the Stasi Museum, showcasing the exploitation of East Germany’s secret police, the DDR Museum, documenting life in Berlin during Communist rule, and the Jewish History Museum, focusing on Jewish history and culture.
A whole island, the Museumsinsel, is dedicated to some of the capital’s best museums. The complex includes Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, the Bode Museum, and the Pergamon Museum. Check out the different museums which showcase ancient pieces and art collections spanning several millennia, from ancient Greece to the late 18th century. Neuse Museum, housed in a once bombed-out building, is home to a vast collection of artifacts from the ancient world including the bust of Nefertiti, jewelry, mummies, and more. The Natural History Museum is educative and fun for both, young and old and hosts more than 30 million items relating to zoology, geology, mineralogy, and paleontology.
Art lovers will get their money’s worth by visiting Berlin’s excellent art museums such as Berlinische Gallerie, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum, or Sammlung Boros.
Visit the Deutsche Kinemathek to learn about German filmmaking in an interactive way or the German Museum of Technology which exhibits historical technical artifacts such as airplanes, WWII rockets, u-boats, and more.