Germany’s capital, Berlin has a special place in the heart of capital cities around the world. Apart from having a great history known to every corner of the world, Berlin is also a great place to live with all the privileges like any other capital city. It is the cheapest capital in Western Europe, yet with world-class social life.
Berlin is nine times bigger than Paris. And the city in the world with three functioning opera houses.
Info :
How many days do you need to explore Berlin : a stay of 3 days, 2 nights is recommended.
Language spoken in Amsterdam : Deutsche (German).
Do locals speak English: Yes, You won’t feel of them as just German. Quite alot of locals are fluent in English and even Bilingual.
Currency used : Euros ( € )
Here is a complete list of top-rated best things to do while traveling in Berlin.
1. Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Tor or Gate is the most famous landmark in Berlin. It is a Neo-classical monument, built to serve the purpose of one of the eighteen gates for Berlin Wall. After all the catastrophic and unfortunate events from history, Brandenburg Gate is now the symbol of peace and unity for Germany and Europe.
2. Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is one of the most popular public squares in Berlin. It is well-known for being used as its underground bunkers during the time of Second World War.
It is the most visited area in Berlin, with more than 360,000 a day. You can find major commercial centers, shopping outlets, restaurants, bars and pubs in the surroundings of Alexanderplatz.
3. Berliner Fernsehturm (Berlin’s Television Tower)
As long as you are at Alexanderplatz, You can explore Berlin’s television tower. With 368 meters in height, Berliner Fernsehturm is the best observation deck and offers you a breath-taking aerial view of the city.
You can buy the tickets from the counter and online for a price of €17,50 (euros) per person. You will have access to the observation deck and the bar located above 203 meters from Alexanderplatz.
4. East Side Gallery (Berlin Wall Memorial)
East side gallery is not art gallery, but a wall of 1.3 km long painted with murals. When Berlin was unified, Painters from all over the world gathered to paint murals on the remains of the wall.
Perhaps, the most famous mural is the kiss of death, which reads “My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love” on the wall.
Note : East Side Gallery is a must, if you want to indulge in understanding the dramatic historical events of Germany.
5. Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie or Checkpoint C is a quick-visit famous touristic attraction on the street Friedrichstraße. It is well-known for being the only cross point for the public between East-Berlin and West-Berlin during the cold war (1947 – 1991).
Note : Friedrichstraße is a great area to explore, So while you are at it you might as well pay a quick-visit to Checkpoint Charlie.
6. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is also known as Holocaust Memorial. It is a memorial dedicated to the Jewish victims during the Holocaust.
The Memorial spreads across 19,000 square meters of area covered with 2,711 concrete slabs varying from 0.2 meters to 4.7 meters in height.
7. Berlin Wall Memorial (At Bernauer Strasse)
Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer in English Berlin Wall Memorial is a wall on the west side of Berlin. It is nothing more than the remains of a wall for those looking to have a good time in Berlin. But it is a mere feeling of empathy and grievance for those who lost their lives between human trails to possess power and self immersed beliefs.
At the Memorial, You will also find Chapel of Reconciliation, a church that survived the Second World War.
8. Berlin Cathedral
Berlin Cathedral is a Protestant church located on the museum island of Berlin. The cathedral is also known as Berliner Dom for its tremendously large-sized dom of 74 meters width.
The cathedral is divided into three sections mainly. Memorial Church, the Baptismal and Nuptial Church, and the Parish Church.
9. Reichstag Building
Reichstag roughly translates to “imperial parliament” in English. Frontward of Reichstag BuildingIt is the one of the most famous meeting places for both locals and tourist.
It was first used in 1894 as the seat of Germany’s government and is now the lower house of Germany’s national legislature.
You can visit the roof terrace and dome of the Reichstag Building. It offers spectacular views of the parliamentary, government district and Berlin’s sights. The entry is free, but you need to register online in advance at the official website.
10. Gendarmenmarkt
Gendarmenmarkt is known one of the most beautiful public squares in Europe. It was first built in 1688 to serve as a marketplace. The festive markets during the time of Chirstmas are the best thing today.
The place includes intriguing architectural buildings such as Berlin Concert Hall, French and German Churches, and a monumental statue of German Poet Friedrich Schiller.
11. Pergamon Museum
Pergamon Museum is located on Museum Island of Berlin. It is the most visited of all museums in the city. The museum is divided into three sub-parts, namely, the antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the museum of Islamic art.
Attractive highlights of this museum are Pergamon Altar, Ishtar Gate of Babylon, Roman Market Gate of Miletus from the 2nd century, the huge stone Mschatta façade from Jordanian desert castles, and the statuette of a man at prayer that dated back at around 2400 BC.
Price: The Pergamon Museum costs €12 (euros). You can buy also buy Berlin Museum Pass for €29 from the official website that opens Free entry to over 30 exhibitions and museums.
12. Potsdamer Platz
Before the fell of Berlin Wall, Potsdamer Platz was nothing more than a wasteland and the widest point in Berlin’s death strip. It was completely destroyed during the Second World War and is now an important public squares and a major urban site ever since German unification.
Potsdamer Platz offers a delightful experience to indulge in modern architecture and is located just 1 km away from Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag Building.
13. Charlottenburg Palace
Charlottenburg Palace is a baroque architectured palace and a perfect survived example of the passions and skills of the Prussian kings towards architecture. The original palace was commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Friedrich I, Elector of Brandenburg during Holy Roman Empire.
The interior is configured with lush decorations in baroque and rococo styles. The palace is surrounded by large gardens with a pleasureful woodland.
Price : The entry into the gardens is free and delightful throughout the year. It costs €17 (euros) to explore the palace (Schloss Charlottenburg, New Pavilion, Belvedere and Mausoleum)
14. Victory Column
Victory Column located in the center of Tiergarten is one of the most famous landmarks and major tourist attractions in Berlin.
With Victoria (Greek Goddess of Victory) standing on top of the column, It measures 8.3 meters (27 ft) height, weighing 35 tons (31751.5 kilos). The entire column including the sculpture, is 67 meters (220 ft) tall.
Victory Column has a platform to view the city from top. It costs €3 (euros) as an entry and offers a stunning view of Tiergraden and the city landscape of Berlin.
15. Großer Tiergarten
On your way to Victory Column, You can aslo explore the Tiergarten. It is the most popular inner city parks and spreads across 210 hectares (520 acres). The park is full of beautiful Lakes, interesting sculptures and delightful walking trails.
Tiergarten in English is Deer Park was an enclosed park where deer were kept for hunting by the nobility. The entry into the park is free and open all day and night.
16. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church known as Gedächtniskirche is a protestant church. It was originally built between 1891–1906, but damaged in a bombing raid happened in 1943, then rebuilt between 1959–1963.
The Berliners nicknamed the church der hohle Zahn, which means “the hollow tooth” as the way its structure looks.
It doesn’t charge any money from visitors to enter, it doesn’t even accept any donations if one wishes to do so.
17. Topography of Terror
Topography of Terror is an outdoor and indoor museum With a segment of the intact Berlin Wall. Its location was the headquarters of Nazi Regime from 1933 to 1945.
The entry to visit Topography of Terror museum is free. This place allows oneself to be taken over by an emotion of history. The museum is quite large and takes at least a couple of hours to read text accompanied by the photographs.
18. DDR Museum
DDR Museum is a unique themed museum making it very popular for letting its visitor experience the everyday life of the former East Germany. The style of exhibition of DDR museum is rather unconventional that shows the taste of life as Eastener.
In general, the museum doesn’t focus on an individual object, but rather the atmosphere of emotions from daily life.
Price : Normal entry fare is €8.50 (euros) and can be bought online from the official website
19. The Berlin Zoological Garden (Zoo Berlin)
Zoo Berlin is the oldest and well-reputed zoological garden in Germany. It has about 1,380 different species and over 20,200 animals making it one of the comprehensive collection of animals in the world. The zoo is highlighted for including elephants, giraffes, gorillas, and Germany’s only giant pandas.
Berlin Zoological Garden also has an aquarium and a park, which the Tiergarten. The zoo alone spreads across 35 hectares (86.5 acres).
20. Sanssouci – Park
Sanssouci Park is a large greenery surrounding the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, which was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. People often treat it as the rival German version of Palace of Versailles in France.
Sanssouci is just more than a park with baroque flower garden, grand staircases and majestic fountains.
Sanssouci – Park is located in Potsdam 25 minutes away from Berlin central station.
Price: It costs €19 (euros) for the normal price, that allows you to visit all the palaces, and public places in Potsdam.
21. Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum
The Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum covers an area of 43 hectares. With over 22,000 different plant species, it is located in Dahlem neighborhood of Berlin. It was constructed between 1897 and 1910. The initial purpose to present the exotic plants returned from German-Colonies.
Price : It costs €6 (euros) to visit and free entry for kids under 6 years.
Have you been to Berlin already?
What did you like the most about it?
1 comment
[…] these in your wishlist or maybe a few. Also, do not forget to check out our other blog about ‘Best Things to do in Berlin‘ Let me know how you spent your time in […]