Things to do in Berlin
Get your bearings from Norman Foster's glass cupola atop the Reichstag or the Siegessäule column overlooking Tiergarten's patchwork of greenery. A classic saunter through Mitte takes in tree-fringed Unter den Linden boulevard, the triumphal Brandenburg Gate and Unesco World Heritage galleries on Museum Island. Edging east brings you to Libeskind's zinc-clad Jewish Museum in Kreuzberg and an arty stretch of the Berlin Wall at Friedrichshain's East Side Gallery. Most museums open daily 10am-6pm (until 10pm Thursday).
Natural History Museum
Scientific treasure trove
Berlin's Natural History Museum in the Mitte district showcases 30 million
zoological, paleontological and mineralogical specimens, and is the biggest
of its kind in Germany. The highlight of the collection is the world's
largest assembled dinosaur skeleton, a Brachiosaurus brancai.
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Cost
€6; concessions €3.50
Opening Hours
Tue-Fri 9.30am-5pm; Sat & Sun 10am-6pm
Address
43 Invalidenstrasse, Berlin 10115
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 2093 8591
Jewish Museum
German-Jewish History
Daniel Libeskind's zinc-clad edifice in Kreuzberg houses the Jewish Museum,
evoking a broken Star of David. Tunnels lead to the bare concrete Holocaust
Tower, Menashe Kadishman's Shalechet void filled with 10,000 iron
faces, and a heart-rending exhibition mapping German-Jewish history.
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Cost
€5; concessions €2.50; under-6s free
Opening Hours
Mon 10am-10pm; Tue-Sun 10am-8pm (last entry 1 hour before closing)
Address
9-14, Lindenstrasse, Berlin 10969
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 2599 3300
DDR Museum
Back to the GDR
The DDR Museum in Berlin Mitte is an eye-opening look at everyday life behind
the Iron Curtain. From watching TV in a Communist-era living room to revving
a Trabant, this hands-on museum's exhibits present an exploration of former
East Germany.
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Cost
€5.50; concessions €3.50
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-8pm; Sat until 10pm
Address
1, Karl-Liebknecht Strasse, Berlin 10178
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 8471 23731
Hamburger Bahnhof
Avant-garde arthouse
Housed in an old railway station, Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin Tiergarten
harbours a peerless contemporary art collection. The echoing halls display
works from modern masters like Lichtenstein, Hirst and Beuys. An undisputed
highlight is Warhol's grinning Chairman Mao.
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Cost
€12; concessions €6; under-16s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 11am-8pm; Sun 11am-6pm
Address
50-51, Invalidenstrasse, Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin 10557
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 3978 3411
Berlin Picture Gallery
European Old Masters
Berlin Tiergarten's Picture Gallery shelters a staggering collection of 13th-
to 18th-century European art. A journey through its 72 rooms reveals
masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Vermeer and Caravaggio. Be sure to admire
the octagonal gallery graced with 16 Rembrandt originals.
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Cost
€8; concessions €4; under-16s free; Thu 6pm-10pm free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-6pm (until 10pm Thu)
Address
Matthäikirchplatz, Berlin 10785
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 266 2951
Pergamon Museum
Ancient Greece in Berlin
The Pergamon Museum is the star attraction of Museum Island, a UNESCO World
Heritage site. Visitors are transported to Ancient Greece via the marble
steps of the Pergamon Altar, then to Babylon, and the mosaic Ishtar Gate
emblazoned with mythical unicorns.
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Cost
€10; concessions €5; under-16s free; Thu 6pm-10pm free
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-6pm; Thu until 10pm
Address
5, Am Kupfergraben, Berlin 10117
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 2090 5577
Reichstag
Parliament of glass
Sir Norman Foster's striking glass cupola atop the Reichstag (German
Parliament) draws architecture lovers to Tiergarten. A lift races up to the
crystalline dome, where a mirrored funnel creates optical illusions and a
viewing platform shrinks Berlin to toytown scale.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 8am-12am (last entrance 10pm)
Address
1, Platz der Republik, Berlin 10111
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 227 0
Fernsehturm
Soviet-era landmark
With its giant silver sphere and needle-thin tower, the 368m-high Fernsehturm
(Telecommunications Tower) in the Mitte district is Berlin's most visible
landmark. Dominating Alexanderplatz, this monument of the GDR in the 60s
affords sweeping views that reach up to 40km on clear days.
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Cost
€10; under-16s €5.50; under-3s free
Opening Hours
Mar-Oct daily 9am-12am; Nov-Feb daily 10am-12am
Address
1a, Panoramastrasse, Berlin 10178
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 24 75 75 37
Siegessäule
Victory column
Rising high above Tiergarten's greenery, Siegessäule commemorates victory in
the Prussian-Danish war. Perched atop the column is the winged Victoria
statue, nicknamed 'Golden Else' by Berliners. Scale 285 steps to the
platform for far-reaching views over central Berlin.
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Cost
€2.20; concessions €1.50
Opening Hours
Apr-Oct Mon-Fri 9.30am-6.30pm; Sat & Sun 9.30am-7pm, Nov-Mar Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat & Sun 10am-5.30pm
Address
1, Grosser Stern, Berlin 10557
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 391 2961
Checkpoint Charlie
East meets west
Symbol of a once-divided city and former border crossing between East and
West Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie now draws camera-toting tourists to its
reconstructed guardhouse and soldiers' post in the Mitte district. The
adjacent Mauermuseum tells real-life stories of ingenious escape
attempts.
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Cost
Free (Museum €12.50; concessions €5.50-€9.50)
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-10pm
Address
43-45, Friedrichstrasse, Berlin 10969
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 253 7250
East Side Gallery
Art by the wall
A remnant of the Berlin Wall, the East Side Gallery stretches 1.3km through
Friedrichshain. Artists have revamped dull concrete to create the world's
largest open-air gallery, featuring 106 airbrushed murals from Trabant cars
to politically charged works like Bruderkuss (Brotherly Kiss).
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daylight hours
Address
Mühlenstrasse, Berlin 10243
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 251 7159
Brandenburg Gate
Triumphal arch
Towering above Pariser Platz square in Berlin Mitte, neoclassical Brandenburg
Gate is the most potent symbol of German reunification. Look up to glimpse
Victoria, goddess of victory, charging forth on Quadriga. At dusk, light
bathes its Doric columns in gold.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Pariser Platz, Berlin 10117
Transport
Brandenburger Tor S-Bahn
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Sombre Holocaust museum
Comprising 2711 dark concrete slabs, the labyrinthine Memorial to the
Murdered Jews of Europe in Tiergarten is Peter Eisenman's moving tribute to
victims of the Holocaust. Dark, narrow alleyways between the slabs
eventually emerge at the Information Centre's permanent exhibition.
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Cost
Free but donations appreciated
Opening Hours
Daily all day (Information Centre: Apr-Sep Tue-Sun 10am-8pm, Oct-Mar Tue-Sun 10am-7pm)
Address
1, Cora-Berliner-Strasse, Berlin 10117
Telephone
+49 (0) 30 2639 4336
Tiergarten
Green haven
A swathe of greenery in the heart of Berlin, Tiergarten is where locals flock
when the sun is out. Once a Prussian hunting ground, the city's largest park
is crisscrossed with footpaths leading to tranquil lakes, mature woodland
and English-style gardens.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daylight hours
Address
Berlin 10557
Transport
Tiergarten S-Bahn
Unter den Linden
Showcase boulevard
Flanked by lime trees, Under den Linden is Berlin's classic strolling
boulevard in Mitte. Linking Brandenburg Gate with Schlossbrücke bridge, the
former Prussian bridle path is studded with monumental landmarks including
Humboldt University, where Einstein taught.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Berlin 10117
Transport
Brandenburger Tor S-Bahn
