Berlin is different. We get this feeling every time we walk through the streets of Berlin. Berlin is hipper and more creative than other German-speaking cities. Berlin is anything but spruced up. We wouldn’t necessarily say that Berlin is beautiful in the classical sense. However, we are of the opinion that you have to experience the special charm of this city.
In this blog article we will show you what awaits you on a city trip to Berlin. Which sights shouldn’t I miss? Where is a good place to have lunch? And where should I stay? In the meantime we have been guests in the capital of Germany countless times and have summarized our best tips for you. You can also find all recommendations on a map at the end of the blog article.
1 . The most beautiful sights in Berlin Brandenburg Gate One thing is clear: there is no getting around the Berlin landmark. The neoclassical triumphal gate is a symbol of the turbulent history of the division and reunification of Germany.
The Brandenburg Gate itself is easy to explore. There is no museum or anything like that you can visit here. Nevertheless, we find it simply impressive to look at. We recommend that you come by both during the day and in the evening. The illuminated Brandenburg Gate also looks beautiful in the dark.
Information on visiting the Brandenburg Gate Gate Address: Paris Square, 10117 Berlin
Getting there: Underground/S-Bahn station Brandenburg Gate
Berlin Cathedral The largest church in Berlin is also well worth seeing. A special feature awaits you here. You can climb the dome of the Berlin Cathedral. 285 There are steps to cover before you can enjoy the view. But it really is a highlight. You have a direct view of Berlin Mitte including the Museum Island.
Our tip: You can take a great long exposure at the back of the Berlin Cathedral from the banks of the make the Spree.
Information on visiting the Berlin Cathedral Address: Am Lustgarten, 10178 Berlin
Arrival: U-/S-Bahn station Alexanderplatz, S-Bahn station Hackescher Markt Admission: 7 euros
East Side Gallery Who doesn’t know it: The famous street art motif that shows the kiss between Brezhnev and Honecker? It is located on the longest preserved section of the Berlin Wall, the so-called East Side Gallery.
The East Side Gallery houses a total of 100 Paintings at 1.3 kilometers. This makes the East Side Gallery the largest open-air gallery in the world. You can walk along it either from the Warschauer Straße or from the Ostbahnhof. Nowhere else in Berlin is the history of division and reunification as present as here.
Information on visiting the East Side Gallery Address: Mühlenstrasse 3-100, 10243 Berlin
Getting there: U-/S-Bahn station Warschauer Straße
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church The striking Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is one of the most important sights in all of Berlin. It consists of a historic church ruin and two new buildings and stands as a memorial against war.
The view of the altar of the octagon building is very well known. The facade of the new buildings is decorated with colored glass designed. Interesting detail: The fact that the glass windows glow so intensely blue is due to the LED lights that are attached behind them.
Information on visiting the Kaiser- Wilhelm Memorial Church Address: Breitscheidplatz, Berlin
Arrival: U-/S-Bahn station Zoologischer Garten or U-Bahn station Kurfürstendamm
Reichstag building The Reichstag building is one of the most famous and beautiful buildings in Berlin. The historic building was built in the 90s with a glass dome including a viewing platform that you can visit .
The visit to the dome is free, but you have to register in advance. You can find more information on this on the official website of the German Bundestag: Dome & roof terrace Reichstag building.
Would you rather take part in a guided tour? Then this might be something for you: Guided tour of the parliament district & Reichstag with plenary hall and dome.
Information on visiting the Reichstag building Address: Republic Square 1, 11011 Berlin
Arrival: underground station Bundestag
Holocaust Memorial One of the most impressive places in Berlin is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, called the Holocaust Memorial for short. It consists of 2711 differently sized concrete blocks, lined up on a huge area. You can look at the memorial from the outside, but you can also enter the countless, slightly sloping corridors.
The memorial is accessible free of charge at any time of the day. Also worth seeing is the underground exhibition called “Information Center”. The exhibition is open every day except Monday.
Information on visiting the Holocaust Memorial Address: Cora-Berliner-Strasse 1, 2018 Berlin
Arrival: U-/S- Train Station Brandenburger Tor
Admission: Free
Jewish Museum Berlin Not to be confused with the Holocaust Memorial is the Jewish Museum Berlin. It is the largest Jewish museum in Europe and is very elaborately and impressively designed.
If you are in Berlin for a longer period of time or maybe there is bad weather -We are looking for an alternative, so we can highly recommend a visit.
Information on Visit to the Jewish Museum Address: Lindenstrasse 9-14, 10969 Berlin
Arrival: subway station Hallesches Tor
Entry: 8 euro
Checkpoint Charlie The former border crossing of divided Berlin is well known, but in our opinion it is not one of the city’s big highlights. At today’s Checkpoint Charlie, the situation at that time is recreated with a sentry box and “soldiers”. Our conclusion: You may have seen it before, but there are definitely more exciting places in Berlin.
Information on visiting Checkpoint Charlie Address: Friedrichstrasse 50-45, 10178 Berlin
Arrival: U – Train station Kochstraße/Checkpoint Charlie
Hackesche Höfe The Hackesche Höfe are a historical ensemble of buildings. As the name suggests, they consist of a total of eight inner courtyards. In the courtyards you will find several shops, restaurants and cafés. There is even a cinema here.
The facades are partly very artistically designed and it is definitely worth taking a look through the courtyards stroll. Incidentally, the courtyard of the Haus Schwarzenberg is out of line. The crumbling walls are littered with graffiti. In this courtyard you will also find the entrance to the Anne Frank Center and the Otto Weidt Museum for the Blind.
Information on visiting the Hackesche Höfe Address: Rosenthaler Strasse -41, 10178 Berlin
Getting there: S-Bahn station Hackescher Markt
2. The best view of Berlin Victory Column One of our favorite views of Berlin is from the Victory Column. 285 Steps separate you from the observation deck in 50 meters in height. Once at the top, a panoramic view in all directions awaits you. The viewing platform is very narrow and it can be quite windy, but the view is really a dream.
Our tip: Depending on the season you can marvel at a great sunset from the Victory Column. Unfortunately, the Victory Column closes too early in summer, but you are lucky in winter and in some autumn and spring months. With a bit of luck with the weather, the view is really fantastic!
Information on visiting the Victory Column Address: Big Star 1, 10557 Berlin
Arrival: S-Bahn station Bellevue or U-Bahn station Hansaplatz ) Entry: 3 Euro
Berlin TV Tower The Berlin TV Tower is the classic among the vantage points in Berlin. The television tower is 285 meters high and thus the tallest building in Germany. After all, the viewing platform is in round 50 meters high and gives you a spectacular view over Berlin.
In our opinion, the Berlin television tower has two disadvantages: On the one hand, the viewing platform is inside behind glass. This of course means that the flair is different than on an outdoor terrace.
And the second disadvantage is the high price: The visit beats with 17,45 Euro per person to book, which of course is a whole lot. In addition, you can only buy this classic ticket on site and have to expect a waiting time. (On our last visit to Berlin it was two hours.) Many people therefore immediately resort to a Fast View Ticket (22,41 Euro). You can order this online and directly choose your desired time of visit. The few euros more are definitely well invested here.
You can book your ticket in advance here: Fast View Ticket Information on visiting the Berlin TV Tower Address: Panoramastrasse 1A, 10178 Berlin
Arrival: U-/S-Bahn station Alexanderplatz
Entry: 10,41 Euro (25,50 Euro for Fast View Ticket)
Panorama point Panorama point at Potsdamer Platz you can call it a little insider tip. The viewing platform is “only” on 90 meters high and thus far lower than those in the television tower. But you are in the open air here, which of course has a completely different charm. You reach the platform with the supposedly fastest lift in Europe in just 20 seconds.
By the way, not only the view of Berlin is special, but also the architecture of the Panoramapunkt itself. You could actually think that we mirrored the photo, right?
Information on visiting the panorama point Address: Potsdamer Platz 1, 10785 Berlin
Getting there: Subway/S-Bahn station Potsdamer Platz
Admission: 7.5 euros
3. Our favorite cafés and restaurants in Berlin Monkey Bar & NENI in the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin We know and have loved the NENI in Vienna for years. So it didn’t surprise us that we were also enthusiastic about the offshoot in Berlin. Creative Israeli, Mediterranean dishes are served here.
The restaurant is located in the 10. Floor of 22hours hotels, so you have a great view over the Tiergarten. If you just want a drink, you’re in good hands in the associated Monkey Bar.
Address: Budapester Strasse , 10787 Berlin
Arrival: U-Bahn/S-Bahn station Zoologischer Garten or U-Bahn station Kurfürstendamm
Silo Coffee A very Silo Coffee is a cool café in the trendy district of Kreuzberg . We went there for breakfast and have nothing negative to say about it. The menu features hipster classics like avocado toast and chia pudding. The coffee is also excellent.
We really liked the cozy atmosphere, although we would recommend coming during the week. The Silo Coffee is supposed to be extremely busy at the weekend.
Address: Gabriel-Max-Strasse 4, Berlin
Getting there: U-/S-Bahn station Warschauer Straße
House of Small Wonder One of the hippest places where you can brunch in Berlin is this House of Small Wonder. The location is something special. With the spiral staircase and the many plants, the House of Small Wonder is more reminiscent of a Brooklyn apartment than a restaurant.
We serve mainly western dishes with a touch of Japan. We were there for brunch, but you can also have dinner. The only downside: the shop is extremely popular and you cannot reserve during the day (only in the evening). We therefore had to wait about half an hour for a table.
Address: Johannisstrasse 20, 10117 Berlin
Getting there: U-Bahn station Oranienburger Tor or S-Bahn station Oranienburger Straße
4. Hotel tip for Berlin We can highly recommend the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin. This stylish, young boutique hotel is in an ideal location right in the center and close to the underground and S-Bahn. The rooms are very individually furnished. With a bit of luck you will have a great view over the Tiergarten.
The atmosphere in the hotel is generally very cool and the breakfast is excellent. You really can’t go wrong with this hotel. Clear recommendation!
You can book the hotel here: 17hours Hotel Bikini Berlin
5. More travel reports from Berlin and Germany The most beautiful photo spots in Berlin All Germany items at a glance Transparency: Affiliate Links This blog article contains our personal recommendations in the form of so-called affiliate links. If you book or buy something through the links, we will receive a small commission. For you, this does not change the price at all. A thousand thanks from both of us!
Have you already been to Berlin and do you have any other recommendations? We look forward to your tips for sights, restaurants or cafés – thank you!
