What to See in Berlin

Overview

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Palaces and Parks of Berlin ★★★
Spread across Berlin and especially Potsdam, these include 500 hectares of parks and 150 structures (including several palaces) built between 1730 and 1916, all listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Neighborhoods and Tourist Areas

Monuments and Architectural Ensembles

Alexanderplatz ★★
One of the city's main activity hubs, it was the center of East Berlin during the GDR era. Its architecture still clearly reflects the socialist style of the period.

Palaces and Parks of Berlin ★★★
Spread across Berlin and especially Potsdam, these include 500 hectares of parks and 150 structures (including several palaces) built between 1730 and 1916, all listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Charlottenburg Palace ★★★★
One of Berlin’s most beautiful palaces, built in the late 17th century in the Baroque-Rococo style and surrounded by stunning gardens. Charlottenburg also houses a porcelain museum and a prehistory museum.

Berlin TV Tower ★★
Or Television Tower. Once a pride of East Berlin at 368 metres tall, the structure offers a remarkable view from its observation deck. It is one of the city's most visited sites.

Karl-Marx Allee ★
It was the socialist-era equivalent of Unter den Linden during the time of the two Germanies. You can still see GDR-style architecture here.

Brandenburg Gate ★★★
Along with the Berlin Wall, it is the symbol – including of the division during the era of the two Berlins – of the city.

Potsdamer Platz ★★
Once divided by the Berlin Wall, this square is now home to numerous buildings from the 1990s and 2000s. Alongside several cinemas (including a dedicated museum and the Boulevard of Stars), shopping centres, bars, and restaurants, you’ll find three massive glass-and-steel structures, including the Sony Center. Over time, Potsdamer Platz has become a lively and highly touristic spot.

Reichstag ★
Restored a few decades ago, this building (best known for the 1933 fire) that houses the German Parliament can be visited in part.

Unter den Linden ★
Lined with lime trees (hence the name), this is one of Berlin’s main thoroughfares—and the most famous. It’s flanked by some of the city’s finest buildings and monuments before ending at the Brandenburg Gate.

Religious Buildings

Berlin Cathedral ★
This imposing building in the Italian Renaissance style is just over a century old. It is recognisable by its domes.

Friedrichswerder Church ★
This is an imposing 19th-century neo-Gothic building. It houses the K.F. Schinkel Museum, featuring classical sculptures and, above all, a presentation of the work of this architect, who left a significant mark on the city and Prussia through his designs.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church ★
This late 19th-century church stands out for its destroyed spire—left as it was after World War II. The building was completed in the 1960s with a memorial to the destruction caused by the conflict.

New Synagogue ★
Built in the mid-19th century in an "original" style blending Moorish and Indian architecture, the site, beyond its religious purpose, hosts various exhibitions on the history of the synagogue and Berlin's Jewish community.

Museums

Among the many museums in the city that make Berlin one of Europe's top cultural destinations, notable ones include:

Alte Nationalgalerie ★
Despite its appearance as an ancient temple, the "Old National Gallery" is a museum. It showcases 19th-century German paintings and sculptures, as well as a collection of French Impressionists.

Bode Museum ★
This is a museum on Museum Island. The beautiful riverside building houses two thousand works of art, from antiquity to the early 19th century, including Old Master paintings and a renowned sculpture collection. It is also a museum of Byzantine art.

Checkpoint Charlie ★★
During the Berlin Wall era, this was the main crossing point between East and West Berlin. Right next to it, the Wall Museum recounts its history and, indirectly, that of the thousand people who died trying to escape the socialist dictatorship.

East Side Gallery ★★
This is actually the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, stretching 1,300 metres. Since its fall in 1989, it has served as an open-air gallery for street art (118 works in total) by established artists.

Holocaust Memorial ★★
A field of 2,711 concrete stelae commemorating Jewish victims of the Holocaust, supplemented by an information centre. Berlin also has three other similar memorials dedicated to homosexuals, Roma, and victims of Nazi euthanasia.

Bauhaus Archive Museum ★
This striking building, with its original forms, aims to showcase the artistic contributions of the Bauhaus, one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century, in architecture, design, photography, and furniture.

Parks, Gardens, and Natural Spaces

Grunewald ★
Berlin’s largest forested area, covering 3,000 hectares. A favourite with locals for outdoor activities, even in winter.

Berlin Zoological Garden ★★
It is the oldest zoo in Germany and one of the most significant in the world, with 20,000 animals representing 1,400 species. In addition to this one, there is another zoo in the east of the city (Berlin-Friedrichsfelde) that is affiliated with it.

Landwehr Canal ★
This shaded canal, stretching about twelve kilometres, offers great opportunities for walks on foot, by bike, or by boat.

Müggelsee ★
This is the largest of Berlin’s many lakes and a favorite among Berliners.

Tiergarten ★
It is the second-largest green space in the capital, spanning 210 hectares and extending from the Brandenburg Gate. A favorite among Berliners, it is also home to several monuments, including the Victory Column and the Soviet Memorial.

Further Reading