Before you go: bookings and closing days
- Reichstag dome: free visit, only by prior online registration on the Bundestag website; photo ID is required from age 16. It is closed from 19 to 30 October 2026 (the roof terrace remains accessible).
- Neues Museum and Humboldt Forum: dated tickets online, recommended at weekends and during holidays.
- Sanssouci (Potsdam alternative): fixed entry time and a limited number of places each day.
On Mondays the Neues Museum, the Gemäldegalerie, the Jewish Museum and the documentation centre at Bernauer Straße are closed; the Humboldt Forum closes on Tuesdays. Avoid placing day 2 on a Monday or Tuesday. Charlottenburg Palace is open Tuesday to Sunday: avoid placing day 4 on a Monday too. For a shorter stay, see our itinerary Berlin in 3 days.
Day 1: the government district and the Tiergarten
9am-10am, the Brandenburg Gate. Start early on Pariser Platz, before the groups. See the Brandenburg Gate page.
10am-12pm, the Holocaust memorial. The field of 2,711 stelae is open at all times; the underground information centre is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, free entry. See Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
12:30pm-2pm, lunch and the Tiergarten. Walk through the Tiergarten to the Victory Column.
2pm-3:30pm, the Victory Column. The climb of 285 steps costs €4.50, in cash. See the Victory Column page.
Late afternoon, Potsdamer Platz. Reach the square by bus or on foot and go up to the Panoramapunkt (€9, daily from 10am to 7pm, last ascent 6:30pm). See the Potsdamer Platz page.
Evening, the Reichstag dome. Book a slot close to sunset. See the Reichstag page.
Day 2: Museum Island and Alexanderplatz
10am-12:30pm, the Neues Museum. Arrive at opening time: the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, ticket €14 (the "Museum Island" ticket is €24). The Pergamonmuseum is closed for renovation. See Neues Museum and Museum Island.
1pm-2pm, lunch and the cathedral. Berlin Cathedral costs €15; on Sundays it only opens at noon.
2:30pm-4:30pm, the Humboldt Forum. See the Humboldt Forum page; the roof terrace costs €3. Closed on Tuesdays.
5pm-7pm, the TV tower. Take an end-of-day slot (ticket from €20 online). See the TV tower page.
Evening, Hackesche Höfe. Have dinner in the district of courtyards: see Hackesche Höfe.
Day 3: the Wall and Kreuzberg
9:30am-11:30am, Bernauer Straße. The Berlin Wall Memorial includes the open-air exhibition and the documentation centre (closed on Mondays). See also our guide following the Wall.
12pm-2pm, Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror. See Checkpoint Charlie and Topography of Terror.
2:30pm-4:30pm, the Jewish Museum. See the Jewish Museum Berlin; the permanent exhibition is free and the museum is closed on Mondays.
5pm-7pm, East Side Gallery. The longest surviving stretch of the Wall is open to all. See the East Side Gallery page. End the evening in the bars of Kreuzberg or Friedrichshain.
Day 4: Charlottenburg and Teufelsberg
10am-12:30pm, Charlottenburg Palace. The palace is open Tuesday to Sunday (10am to 5:30pm from April to October); the Old Palace ticket costs €12, with an entry time set at purchase. See the Charlottenburg Palace page.
1pm-2pm, lunch and Kurfürstendamm. See Kurfürstendamm and the Memorial Church.
3pm-6pm, Teufelsberg. Take the S-Bahn to Heerstraße or Grunewald, then allow half an hour's walk. Admission is €12; in October the last entry is at 6pm (closing 7pm), and at 3:30pm in November and December (closing 4:30pm): adapt the day's schedule. See the Teufelsberg page. In summer, extend with a walk in the Grunewald forest.
Alternative: Potsdam
For Sanssouci, take the train to Potsdam (zone C: ABC ticket). The palace is open Tuesday to Sunday, with a €14 ticket at a fixed entry time. Allow the whole day.
Itinerary summary
| Day | Stops | Booking | Main journeys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust memorial, Tiergarten, Victory Column, Potsdamer Platz, Reichstag | Reichstag compulsory (free) | On foot and bus 100 |
| 2 | Neues Museum, cathedral, Humboldt Forum, TV tower, Hackesche Höfe | Neues Museum and Humboldt Forum recommended | On foot on the island, S-Bahn Hackescher Markt |
| 3 | Bernauer Straße, Checkpoint Charlie, Topography of Terror, Jewish Museum, East Side Gallery | Jewish Museum recommended | U8, U6, U1 or U3 |
| 4 | Charlottenburg, Kurfürstendamm, Teufelsberg | Teufelsberg online recommended | Bus, U-Bahn, then S-Bahn |
Entry budget
| Site | Full price |
|---|---|
| Reichstag, Holocaust memorial, Topography of Terror, Bernauer Straße, East Side Gallery | Free |
| Victory Column | €4.50 |
| Panoramapunkt | €9 |
| Neues Museum | €14 (Museum Island ticket €24) |
| Berlin Cathedral | €15 |
| Humboldt Forum, roof terrace | €3 |
| TV tower | From €20 |
| Charlottenburg Palace, Old Palace | €12 |
| Teufelsberg | €12 |
Prices observed in October 2026. Under-18s enter the National Museums of Berlin free of charge. The Museum Pass Berlin, at €32 for three days, covers the permanent exhibitions of participating museums.
Transport tickets for 4 days
The whole itinerary is in zone AB, except Potsdam (zone C). A single AB ticket costs €4.00 (valid for two hours) and the AB 24-hour ticket €11.20: four 24-hour tickets come to €44.80. As many stops are on foot, a few single tickets are often enough on days 1 and 3. All the details are in our guide to transport in Berlin; to hire a bike, see Cycling in Berlin.
Adapting the itinerary
If it rains
Day 2 is spent almost entirely indoors. Keep it for the rainiest day and replace Teufelsberg on day 4 with the Gemäldegalerie. See what to do in Berlin when it rains.
With children
Under-18s enter the National Museums free of charge. Replace the Topography of Terror with the German Museum of Technology or the Berlin Zoo. See Berlin with children.
Depending on the day of the week
On Mondays, favour the sites that are open: Brandenburg Gate, field of stelae, Reichstag, Topography of Terror, East Side Gallery, cathedral and TV tower.
Going further
Our Berlin in 3 days itinerary is a shorter version; for a longer stay, see Berlin in 5 days. To sleep in the right place, read where to stay in Berlin; for views over the city, see our viewpoints in Berlin.
