Must-see
The 12 must-see places in Berlin
In Berlin, don't miss Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Berlin Holocaust Memorial and Museum Island Berlin: here are the 12 must-sees, ranked, with the time to allow, the price and a tip for each.
See all 12 on the map-
MonumentBrandenburg Gate
The monument that sums up Berlin's history: a neoclassical gate topped by a quadriga, once stranded in the border zone.
Free to visit day and night; the quadriga is lit up in the evening.
≈ 30 min See the page → -
MonumentReichstag
A historic parliament topped by Foster's glass dome, with a spiral ramp and views over the government district.
Free, but you must register in advance with the Bundestag; bring official photo ID.
≈ 1 h 30 See the page → -
MonumentBerlin Holocaust Memorial
A field of 2,710 concrete slabs you walk into and lose your bearings, plus an underground centre on the victims of the Shoah.
The field of stelae is open day and night, and entry is free, information centre included.
≈ 1 h See the page → -
MuseumMuseum Island Berlin
Five UNESCO-listed museums on a single Spree island: antiquities, sculpture and 19th-century painting.
From two museums on, the one-day Museumsinsel ticket is cheaper; everything is closed on Monday.
≈ 4 h See the page → -
MonumentBerlin Wall Memorial (Bernauer Strasse)
The one place where a stretch of the border strip is still preserved, with the wall, a watchtower and marked escape tunnels.
Entirely free; the documentation centre and its viewing platform are closed on Monday.
≈ 2 h See the page → -
MonumentEast Side Gallery
1,316 metres of standing Wall covered in murals painted in 1990, including the famous Brezhnev-Honecker kiss.
Open 24 hours, free; allow about 20 minutes on foot without stops.
≈ 1 h See the page → -
MuseumNeues Museum Berlin
The bust of Nefertiti, displayed alone under a dome, in a building Chipperfield restored while keeping the scars of the war.
Open Tuesday to Sunday; audio guide included in the ticket, and no photos in the Nefertiti room.
≈ 2 h See the page → -
MuseumTopography of Terror
On the very site of the former Gestapo and SS headquarters, the exhibition shows how Nazi terror was organised.
Free entry every day; a roughly 200-metre stretch of the Wall runs along the outdoor site.
≈ 2 h See the page → -
MonumentBerlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm)
A 360-degree viewing platform at 203 metres, at the top of Germany's tallest structure.
Tickets are for a time slot; booking online costs less than buying at the ticket desk.
≈ 1 h 30 See the page → -
CastleSanssouci Palace in Potsdam
Frederick the Great's rococo summer residence on its vineyard terraces, in the heart of a UNESCO-listed park.
The palace admits visitors only with a timed ticket, Tuesday to Sunday; the park is free.
≈ 5 h See the page → -
MuseumJewish Museum Berlin
A zigzag building by Libeskind, with its voids and the Garden of Exile, that makes you feel absence as much as it explains it.
The permanent exhibition is free; the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday.
≈ 3 h See the page → -
MuseumHumboldt Forum Berlin
The rebuilt Hohenzollern palace, housing ethnological and Asian art museums, facing Museum Island.
Closed on Tuesday; several ground-floor areas are free to enter.
≈ 3 h See the page →
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MonumentCheckpoint Charlie
The Cold War border crossing: a reconstruction, but with a free open-air exhibition on the city's division.
Fifteen minutes is enough for the crossing; the Mauermuseum needs at least two hours.
≈ 30 min See the page → -
MonumentGendarmenmarkt Berlin
Berlin's most beautiful square: Schinkel's Konzerthaus framed by two almost identical churches.
Open at all hours; you can climb the Französischer Dom tower, so allow two hours with the exhibition.
≈ 45 min See the page → -
MonumentBerlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)
Germany's largest Protestant church: green dome, Hohenzollern crypt and a gallery overlooking the Lustgarten.
One ticket covers church, crypt, museum and dome; audio guide included, last entry at 5 pm.
≈ 1 h 30 See the page → -
CastleCharlottenburg Palace, Berlin
The largest surviving Hohenzollern residence in Berlin, with baroque apartments and a garden to wander.
Each wing is ticketed separately, a combined ticket exists, and the garden is free.
≈ 4 h See the page → -
MuseumBerlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial
The former Stasi prison, with former political prisoners as guides: a first-hand account of life under surveillance.
Open every day; the guided tour lasts about 90 minutes, and the exhibitions are free to enter.
≈ 2 h See the page → -
CastleSachsenhausen Memorial
The SS's model concentration camp, under an hour by train from Berlin, with its original buildings.
Free entry, open every day from 8:30 am; plan a half day including the trip.
≈ 4 h See the page → -
MuseumDDR Museum Berlin
A hands-on museum of everyday life in East Germany, where you open drawers and handle the objects.
Texts are in German and English; it also works well for families.
≈ 1 h 30 See the page → -
Park & GardenTiergarten
207 hectares of lawns, lakes and statues in the middle of the city, between the Brandenburg Gate and the government district.
Free to enter day and night; explore it on foot or by bike.
≈ 1 h 30 See the page → -
ShoppingMarkthalle Neun
An 1891 market hall in Kreuzberg where regional producers and cooking stalls make for a relaxed, tasty meal.
Open Monday to Saturday; the Thursday evening Street Food Thursday draws big crowds.
≈ 1 h 30 See the page → -
Park & GardenTempelhofer Feld
The former Tempelhof airport turned park: over 300 hectares of runways for walking, cycling and kite flying.
Free entry; the gates' opening hours change every month, so check them before you go.
≈ 2 h See the page → -
MuseumGemäldegalerie Berlin
European old masters from the 13th to the 18th century: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Bruegel, Botticelli.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Monday; free for under-18s.
≈ 2 h 30 See the page → -
MonumentVictory Column
A column nearly 70 metres tall rising above the Tiergarten, with a viewing platform just below the golden Victory.
285 spiral steps; the climb is paid and cash only.
≈ 45 min See the page →
