Berlin, a city of great avenues and buildings, with a classic touch and that has been rebuilt completely after the Second World War. A city that offers a thousand faces, modern, multicultural and best of all, where it is impossible to get bored.
We have made a list of what we believe are the 10 places to visit in Berlin. Let’s start!
1. Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is one of the symbols of Berlin, inaugurated in 1791, not the typical arch of triumph, but one of the ancient gates to the city. At the top, there is a quadriga representing the Goddess of Victory and has been a privileged spectator of many parades and historical events of the city. We recommend you to visit it during the day and especially at night when it looks spectacularly lit.
It is located on the Pariser Platz, at the end of the avenue Unter den Linden, the most important street of the city. This 1.5-kilometer Boulevard runs from the Brandenburg Gate to the castle bridge. In this street also are some of the most important buildings of Berlin, Of which our favorites are the building of the New Guard with its poignant sculpture of its interior, and Bebelplatz where there is a monument in the ground in memory to the burning of thousands of books in this place in the days of Hitler.
2. Berlin Wall (East Side Gallery)
One of the best things to see and do in Berlin is to walk around and see the art on the Berlin Wall, especially the East Side Gallery. This area of the wall of more than a kilometer is considered as the largest outdoor art gallery in the world.
The wall was built after World War II, in the middle of the cold war and divided the city between the eastern and western areas. Many people died trying to pass by, until it fell in November 1989, a historic moment that was the beginning of the unification of the two Germanies. Do not miss out on some graffiti like the kiss or the car coming out of the wall.
East Side Gallery is a little far from the center,
3. Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a historic square and one of the must visit places in Berlin. The square is huge, belonged to the Soviet side and its most outstanding building is the Television Tower, 368 meters.
You can climb the tower by elevator to enjoy the best panoramic views of Berlin or to eat in its revolving restaurant.
Other places of interest in this square are the Fountain of Friendship among the Peoples, the Kaufhof Gallery and the Clock of the World Hours, where you can see the hours of many cities in the world. In the square there is also a large metro station, trains, and trams, making it easy to reach from anywhere in the city. In the surroundings, you will find the Church Marienkirche and the Rotes Rathaus or Red House,
4. Museum of Pergamon
The Pergamon Museum is the most famous museum in Berlin and one of the most important in the world. Located on the beautiful Island of Museums, the building was built according to the measure of the works of art it was going to host. It is made up of three museums: the Museum of the Ancient Near East, the Museum of Islamic Art and the Collection of Classical Antiquities.
The main works are the reconstruction of the Gate of Ishtar of Babylon, the Altar of Zeus of the city of Pergamon for more than 2,000 years, the gate of the Roman market of Miletus, the Mushatta Facade and the Aleppo Hall. All of them a must visit.
Visiting hours: every day from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Thursdays close at 20:00.
Entry included in the Berlin Pass.
5. Berlin Cathedral, one of the best places to visit in Berlin
Berliner Dom or Berlin Cathedral is the most important religious temple in the city, located near the River Spree and Museum Island. It stands out for its copper dome of green color and after the visit, it is worth approaching to see the altar, realized in white marble and its impressive organ.
You can also visit the Hohenzollern Crypt, which houses several members of the Hohenzollern’s imperial family. To us, what we liked most about the cathedral was the ascent to the dome from where we could enjoy the sights of Berlin with the River Spree in the foreground.
Visiting hours: every day from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sundays and holidays from 12:00 to 20:00.
Entry included in the Berlin Pass.
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6. Park Tiergarten and the Reichstag
Tiergarten is Berlin’s main park, located in the center of the city, where you will be able to get out of the city while walking in its green areas. It is a huge park that can also be cycled along with monuments such as the Bismarck National Monument or the Victory Column, as well as the Reichstag where the German Parliament has been located since 1999 and was partially destroyed during world war II. You must make a pre- reservation online in time to visit. The visit is made with an audioguide in which stands out from the entrance to the controversial glass dome of Norman Foster.
Reichstag visit schedule: every day from 8:00 a.m. to 24:00 p.m. Last entry at 22:00.
7. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church would not be one of the most prominent places to visit in Berlin if it had been rebuilt after World War II. Partially destroyed by the bombing of Allied troops, it was kept in ruins to recall the effects of the war. There are a modern part and a small reconstruction that allows to visit it.
The church is located on the Kurfürstendamm boulevard, next to the Unter den Linden, two of Berlin’s most important avenues.
After the visit, you can always take the time to stroll through them and enjoy the many fashionable shops and shopping centers, which highlights KaDeWe, the Harrods of Berlin, making it one of the best places in the city for shopping.
Visiting hours of the church: every day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
8. Holocaust Memorial
One of the most breathtaking places to visit in Berlin is the Holocaust Memorial. It is a monument in memory of the Jews murdered by the Nazi regime and is formed by an extensive grid area of corridors in which are raised concrete blocks of different heights. There is an underground space next to the monument where the information center is located, where a hall with the names and dates of birth and death of the victims of the Holocaust stands out.
We recommend walking with respect and silence, not long ago, pictures were taken in various mass media of people on top of the blocks or taking photos with inappropriate poses, taking into account the place and its meaning.
Visiting hours’ information center: from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. From October to March they close at 19:00.
9. Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous passage of the Wall of Berlin during Cold War that maintained the Americans and the Russians. Only authorized people could be allowed to pass from one side to the other: military personnel, embassy personnel … and if not, the guards were ordered to shoot to kill in unauthorized attempts to pass.
In 1990 it was dismantled and in 2000 became a tourist attraction when constructing a reproduction of the checkpoint. There is also a replica of the poster with the phrase: ” It is abandoning the American sector “.
Nearby you can visit the Checkpoint Charlie Wall Museum, with lots of information on the Cold War and the construction of the Wall. It is curious to see the collection of objects, reproductions, photos and texts of people’s attempts to cross the wall.
Visiting hours: every day from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Entry included in the Berlin Pass.
10. New Museum
The Neues Museum or New Museum is located in a spectacular building of Museum Island and is one of the most important of the city, next to the one of the Pérgamo. The jewel of the museum is the bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti of 3300 years, discovered by the German explorer Ludwig Borchardt. Also noteworthy are the collections of Ancient Egypt and Prehistory and History.
Visiting hours: every day from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Thursday closes at 20:00.
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