Berlin - Do & See
Whether you see the sights of Berlin by coach, steamer, bicycle or on foot – you’ll pass a lot of famous buildings and memorials. We’ll tell you which ones you really can’t afford to miss!
Jewish Museum Berlin
The zinc-coated zig-zag building by Daniel Libeskind is one of Berlin’s major landmarks. Over 7 million people have visited the museum’s permanent exhibition with 13 epochal segments leading through the eventful history of Jews in Germany.
DDR Museum
The DDR Museum is Berlin’s interactive museum. You’re taken on a jouney into the socialist past, taking a seat in a Trabi, dancing the Lipsi, or rummaging around in an authentic apartment - a hands on experience of history!
Sightseeing in Berlin
BBS – your Partner in Berlin and surroundings: reliable, flexible, 24h-Hotline, experienced DMC, own fleet of buses. Daily sightseeing tours – City Circle hop on/hop off. All incoming-services: www.bbsberlin.de / info@bbsberlin.de
Alexanderplatz and the TV-tower (Fernsehturm)
Once the heart of the former East Berlin, Alexanderplatz is today the largest inner-city square in Germany and has developed into a popular shopping attraction. The view from the Television Tower, its height of 368 metres (1,207 ft) making it the tallest tower in Germany, is absolutely fantastic. A perfect 360° all-round view is provided by the revolving restaurant, which rotates at a rate of twice an hour.
Brandenburger Gate
It’s Berlin’s most famous landmark and became the symbol of overcoming the division of Germany once the Berlin Wall came down. From an architectural perspective, the sandstone structure, built by Carl Gotthard Langhans, is one of the most magnificent examples of German classicism. Nowadays the Gate serves as a backdrop for festivals, big sporting events or New Year’s Eve parties.
Wall Museum, House at Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous of the inner-German border crossing points and a name known the world over, was where Allied border guards registered members of the American, English and French Armed Forces (and their families) before they visited East Berlin. Right next to it is situated today the “Wall Museum - Museum House at Checkpoint Charlie” and a reconstruction of the Allies’ first guardhouse.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Not far from the Brandenburg Gate is located the Memorial for Europe’s Murdered Jews, a site of stelae (concrete slabs) arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field accessible from all sides. It serves as a central place of remembrance and admonition and is supplemented by an underground information centre, containing the names of all known victims and details on the places of horror. There is no charge for admittance.
East Side Gallery
The “East Side Gallery” in Friedrichshain is both the longest section of the Berlin Wall still remaining intact and the largest open-air gallery. It runs for 1.3 km (1,420 yds) along the banks of the river Spree. A total of 118 international artists from 21 countries are immortalised here with colourful graffiti art and paintings.
Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church)
The ruins of the Old Tower are another of Berlin’s most famous landmarks. They are both a reminder of the horrors of war and – as a memorial – a sign of hope for peace. Millions of visitors a year from all over the world come to see the memorial hall next to the Old Tower.
Berlin Wall Memorial and Documentation Centre
In Bernauer Straße along the former border between East and West Berlin there still exists a section of the Berlin Wall intact together with death strip and watch tower. The structure, now a memorial, shows how the border installation was built. The exhibition in the Documentation Centre describes the history of the erecting of the Wall in 1961 and the situation in the divided city.
Gendarmenmarkt
With the Deutscher Dom (German Dome) on one side and the Französischer Dom (French Dome) on the other side as well as the Konzerthaus (Concert House) and Schiller Memorial in the middle, the Gendarmenmarkt is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. In summer there are open-air classical music concerts, in winter glühwein (mulled wine) at one of the most beautiful and romantic Christmas markets in Berlin.
Museumsinsel (Museum Island)
This small island in the Spree, representing the heart of Berlin’s museum landscape, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Situated on it are the Berliner Dom, the Altes Museum (Old Museum), the Alte Nationalegalerie (Old National Gallery), the Bode, Pergamon as well as the Neues (New) Museum, representing altogether some 6,000 years of artistic and cultural history.
Nikolaiviertel (Nikolai Quarter)
The Nikolaiviertel is the place to experience the old Berlin, being the oldest residential area in the city. Containing the Nikolai Church from the 13th century, the typically medieval streets and numerous restaurants, this is one of the most popular tourist attractions for visitors to Berlin.
Potsdamer Platz
In view of the colourfully spotlighted pavilion roof of the Sony Center and the many high-rise buildings around it, it’s difficult to imagine that Potsdamer Platz for a long time lay in the death strip of the Berlin Wall and was nothing but a desolate wasteland. Now though, it’s the place for stars and starlets in Berlin – and not only during the Berlin Film Festival every February, thanks to all the top cinemas for premieres there.
Kulturforum (Cultural Forum)
After Museum Island, the Kulturforum is the second centre of art in Berlin: this is the home not only of the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery), the Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery), the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Applied Arts) and other museums but also the Philarmonie (Philharmonic Hall) and the Staatsbibliothek (National Library).
Reichstag with glass cupola
From the glass cupola designed by Sir Norman Foster you get a fabulous view of the city and German politics. Although it doesn’t cost anything to visit the cupola and roof terrace, registering the visit beforehand is absolutely essential due to the enormous interest.
Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Palace)
The magnificent Schloss Charlottenburg is situated at some distance from the centre of Berlin. The palace, built by King Friedrich III of Prussia around 1700 for his adored wife Sophie-Charlotte – who was also revered by the people, lies in the middle of a picturesque park directly on the Spree.
