Itineraries
Where to stay
Mitte for first-timers near the main sights; Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg for nightlife and food; Charlottenburg for a calmer West Berlin base.
The areas: Mitte, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, Charlottenburg.
Where to stay in Berlin: areas and adviceHotels in BerlinPlaces to see
All things to do in GermanyFoodBergmannstrasse, KreuzbergThe lively heart of a Kreuzberg neighborhood, with a market hall, thrift stores and cafes and restaurants of every kind.Entry: Pay as you go
ChurchBerlin CathedralThe domed cathedral by the Lustgarten, with the Hohenzollern crypt below and a panoramic view from the dome.Entry: Ticketed entry
TransportBerlin HauptbahnhofBerlin's main station, where ICE Sprinter trains leave for Munich several times a day.Entry: Train ticket needed
ViewpointBerlin TV TowerThe 368 m tower on Alexanderplatz, with a timed-entry observation deck looking across Berlin.Entry: Book online; prices vary by time slot
MuseumBerlin Wall MemorialAn open-air memorial on Bernauer Strasse with original Wall, a watchtower and a documentation centre with a viewing tower.Entry: Free to visit
ViewpointBrandenburg GateBerlin's only surviving historic city gate, built 1788 to 1791 and a symbol of division and reunification.Entry: Free to visit
MuseumCharlottenburg PalaceA royal palace in the west of Berlin, cared for by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, with a palace garden.Entry: Ticketed entry
NeighborhoodEast Side GalleryThe longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, 1,316 m along the Spree, painted by artists from 21 countries.Entry: Free to visit
FoodHackesche Höfe and Hackescher MarktLinked Art Nouveau courtyards in Mitte, the largest in Germany, in a busy area of cafes and restaurants.Entry: Pay as you go
FoodKaDeWe food hallThe sixth-floor delicatessen of the department store opened in 1907, with food counters, restaurants and cafes.Entry: Pay as you go
ChurchKaiser Wilhelm Memorial ChurchThe memorial church on Kurfürstendamm, kept as a reminder of war, with tall blue stained-glass windows.Entry: Open to visitors
NeighborhoodKurfürstendammWest Berlin's grand shopping boulevard, running about 3.5 km from Breitscheidplatz with side streets of restaurants.Entry: Free to visit
MarketMarkthalle NeunA historic market hall in Kreuzberg with bakers, butchers, a brewery and lunch counters from many cuisines.Entry: Pay as you go
MuseumMemorial to the Murdered Jews of EuropeA field of 2,710 concrete stelae near the Brandenburg Gate, with an underground information centre on the Holocaust.Entry: Free to visit
MuseumNeues MuseumOne of the five historic museums on Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Berlin.Entry: €[fee]
ViewpointReichstag domeThe glass dome on top of the German parliament building, free to visit once you have registered online.Entry: Free; register online in advance
FoodSavignyplatzA leafy Charlottenburg square surrounded by restaurants, bars and long-established West Berlin venues.Entry: Pay as you go
FoodSimon-Dach-Strasse, FriedrichshainThe best-known street of Friedrichshain's nightlife district, lined with bars and places to eat near Boxhagener Platz.Entry: Pay as you go
MuseumTopography of TerrorA free documentation centre on the site of the former Gestapo and SS headquarters in central Berlin.Entry: Free to visit
ViewpointVictory ColumnThe column crowned by a golden angel on the Grosser Stern in the Tiergarten, with 285 steps to the top.Entry: Cash only; 285 steps, no lift