Attractions in Berlin
Centrum Judaicum – New Synagogue
This synagogue, completed in 1866 in the heart of the Scheunerviertel, Berlin’s Jewish quarter, was considerably damaged in the hail of bombs in 1943. After the reconstruction in the mid-nineties, the Moorish-style dome of the synagogue can still be admired in its original splendor.
The Jewish Center with its exhibition rooms is also housed in the New Synagogue. The Old Jewish Cemetery at Schönhauser Allee 23-25 is only a few minutes’ walk away.
Address: Oranienburger Straße 28-30, Mitte, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 28 40 13 16
Opening hours: Sun-Mon 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tue-Thu 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Website: http://www.cjudaicum.de
Entrance fee: With admission fee.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
DDR Museum
History conveyed in a lively, interactive and playful way: the DDR Museum Berlin shows life and growing up in the German Democratic Republic in all its facets. As the first and only museum for everyday culture in Berlin, it is the third building block of the scientific analysis of the former GDR.
In the various thematic areas, exhibits are waiting to be touched and experienced: The Trabi in the exhibition still smells original of GDR: take a seat, turn the ignition key, look straight ahead, step on the accelerator and off you go! Typical Trabi operating noises and a simulated drive through a prefabricated housing estate convey what it was like to drive in such an original.
There is much more to discover in the GDR Museum: television in the authentic GDR living room, rummage in the drawers of the Carat wall unit, the spice rack in the kitchen smells like it did then and the pressure cooker is still on the stove.
The visitor can let reports take their place in original GDR cinema armchairs, kick the soccer game “GDR vs. FRG” himself or dance Lipsi. All of this packed with the most important information on the subject.
Address: Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 1 (Spreepromenade an der Liebknechtbrücke), Berlin
Telephone: (030) 847 12 37 31
Opening times: Sun-Fri 10 am-8pm, Sa 10 am-10pm.
Website: http://www.ddr-museum.de
Entry fee: Yes.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
The central German Holocaust memorial, which commemorates the six million Jews of Europe who were murdered during the Nazi era, stands on a 19,000 square meter open space south of the Brandenburg Gate.
2,711 steles, which are up to five meters high, were arranged symmetrically on the gently but irregularly lowered area. When walking through the rows of pillars, a feeling of uncertainty and trepidation can arise. The memorial has an underground information site where visitors can find out more about the Holocaust. Guided tours are offered for individual visitors and for groups.
Address: Cora-Berliner-Straße 1, Mitte, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 26 39 43 36
Opening hours:
Stelae field: Open 24 hours a day.
April to September. Tue-Sun open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
October to March: Tue-Sun from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last entry 45 minutes before closing).
24-26 Closed on December and 1 January, closed on December 31 from 4 p.m. The Information Center is open on all other public holidays, including Easter Monday, Whit Monday, and May 1st.
Website: http://www.holocaust-mahnmal.de
Entrance fee: No.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
German Museum of Technology Berlin (DTMB)
At present, 14 departments present only a quarter of their treasures on around 25,000 square meters: cultural history of transport, communication, production and energy technologies on over 25,000 square meters with the exhibition on inland and deep sea shipping, one of the largest collections of rail traffic in historic locomotive sheds, the Classic car depot with 70 automobiles and motorcycles as well as the museum park with brewery and mills.
There is a permanent exhibition on aerospace in the new building. In the historic buildings you will also find looms, household and machine tools, jewelry production, computers, radios and cameras, diesel engines, steam engines, scientific instruments, paper machines, printing presses and much more.
Address: Trebbiner Straße 9, Kreuzberg, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 90 25 40
Opening hours:
Tue – Fri from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Sat and Sun from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.sdtb.de
Entry fee: With admission fee.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Television tower
The best view in East Berlin is obtained from the television tower at Alexanderplatz. At 368 m, this tower is the tallest building in Berlin and a good landmark. The television tower was inadvertently designed by the communist architects so that the sun’s rays reflected from the faceted surface form a Christian cross. Visitors can take the elevator to the viewing platform at a height of 203 m or to the revolving café, from which you get a great panoramic view of the city.
Address: Panoramastraße 1A, Alexanderplatz, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 242 33 33
Opening hours:
Daily 9 a.m. to midnight (March-October); daily 10 a.m. – midnight (Nov.-Feb.).
Website: http://www.tv-turm.de
Entry fee: Yes.
Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No
History of the Berlin Wall
Most of the wall or the “anti-fascist protective wall”, as the GDR authorities called it, fell victim to the enthusiastic partiers and souvenir hunters and later, above all, to the contractors, but some parts have survived.
The East Side Gallery along Mühlenstraße (Ostbahnhof S-Bahn station) became a moving symbol of new hopes in the years after the fall of the wall, as this preserved part was covered with inspiring works of art. In 2009 these were restored for two million euros. In 2013, parts of the longest preserved piece of the Berlin Wall were removed for construction projects and set up again parallel to the course of the wall.
The Berlin Wall Memorial is part of the wall without graffiti that is protected by the authorities. The visitor center provides information about the time of the wall, while a chapel commemorates the approximately 80 victims who died trying to cross the wall.
You can get the best feeling for what the divided city really was in the Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie next to the place where the famous border crossing once stood. The permanent exhibition documents the history of the wall in a historical context. The famous paintings on the west side are also shown.
Wall Museum
Friedrichstrasse 43-45, Berlin
Address:
Bernauer Straße 11, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 467 98 66 66 (memorial). (030) 253 72 50 (Wall Museum).
Opening hours:
Checkpoint Charlie: Open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Berlin Wall Documentation Center
Exhibition in the memorial area:
Mon – Sun 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Visitor center and documentation center
April to October: Tue – Sun from 9.30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
November to March: Tue – Sun from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.berliner-mauer-dokumentationszentrum.de
Entrance fee: Memorial: free entry.
Wall Museum: With admission fee.
Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No
Jewish Museum
The striking architecture of the monument to the life of the Jewish population of Berlin, designed by Daniel Liebeskind, is based on a broken Star of David.
Even before the permanent exhibition with which the life and history of the Jewish population in Germany was portrayed through the centuries had been set up, visitors came to take a look at the atmospheric rooms in this impressive building.
Address: Lindenstraße 9, Köpenick, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 25 99 33 00
Opening hours: Mon – Fri from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Website: http://www.jmberlin.de
Entry fee: Yes.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Kennedy Museum
The Kennedy Museum at the Brandenburg Gate commemorates the 35th President of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy, who was murdered in November 1963.
In addition to numerous photos and personal items, it also shows the City of Berlin’s Golden Book with Kennedy’s entry during his visit to Berlin on June 26, 1963, and the memo with which the US President prepared for the speech in front of the Schöneberg Town Hall that later became legendary (“I am a Berliner”). They are on loan from the Berlin Senate Chancellery. The other objects, such as letters, documents and personal items, are partly owned by the Kennedy family.
Address: Pariser Platz, Mitte, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 20 65 35 70
Opening hours: Tue-Sun from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Website: http://www.thekennedys.de
Entrance fee: Yes.
Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No
Kulturforum
With the opening of the Gemäldegalerie in the Kulturforum in 1998, the building complex received an impressive collection of paintings from the 13th-18th centuries. Century.
The Arts and Crafts Museum and the New National Gallery also belong to the Kulturforum. The latter was designed by Mies van der Rohe and contains German Expressionist and realistic paintings and other works of art from the 20th century, as well as a sculpture garden.
Address:
Am Kulturforum, Potsdamer Straße 50 (Neue Nationalgalerie), 10785 Berlin
Telephone: (030) 266 42 30 40
Opening times:
New National Gallery: Tue-Fri 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Thu to 10 p.m.), Sat and Sun 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/ant/s.html
Entry fee: Yes.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
LEGOLAND® Discovery Center
The LEGOLAND® Discovery Center amusement park with 3500 square meters is located in the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz in the middle of Berlin. It is a unique attraction for the whole family, in which visitors can immerse themselves in an interactive LEGO world.
Address: Potsdamer Straße 4, Tiergarten, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 301 04 00
Opening hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last entry at 5 p.m.).
Website: http://www.legolanddiscoverycentre.com
Entrance Fee: Yes.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Potsdamer Platz and the new center
After the Potsdamer Platz was idle for decades – apart from the platform that allowed western citizens to take a look over the wall into the east of the city – it is now part of the thriving center of Berlin again. Already in the 1930s it was the liveliest square in Europe, today it is a new district full of shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.
The best way to see the whole area is from the Panorama Point on the top floor of the Kollhof building, from where you also get a fantastic view of the rest of Berlin. The viewpoint can be reached Tue-Sun from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for a fee with the supposedly fastest elevator in Europe. The Potsdamer Platz Arkaden invite you to go shopping.
One of the most interesting buildings on site is the Sony Center, whose inner courtyard is covered with a futuristic, sail-like roof. The Filmmuseum Berlin is located on the ground floor and commemorates some of the most important achievements of the early days of cinema. A lot of space was dedicated to Marlene Dietrich, who would have celebrated her 110th birthday on December 27, 2011.
Address: Potsdamer Straße 2, Tiergarten (Filmmuseum Berlin), Berlin
Telephone: (030) 300 90 30
Opening times:
Deutsche Kinemathek: Tues-Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Thu to 8 p.m.).
Potsdamer Platz Arkaden: Mon-Sat 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Open Sundays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.deutsche-kinemathek.de
Entrance fee: Deutsche Kinemathek: Yes.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Parliament
The Reichstag built at the end of the 19th century was redesigned by the British architect Lord Foster and has long been considered a symbol of the German state.
In 1933, the year Hitler’s seizure of power, the Reichstag was damaged by fire, but was restored again for the reunification of the Bundestag of reunified Germany. One would like to symbolize the transparency of the democratic government with the glass dome. The walk through the different levels of the dome is fascinating and offers a breathtaking view of the city and the plenary hall. With a visit to the roof garden restaurant, you can sneak past the queues (Tel: (030) 22 62 99 33).
Arrival: S-Bahn station Unter den Linden; Bus lines 100 and M 41.
Address: Platz der Republik, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 22 73 21 52, 22 72 21 52.
Opening hours:
Open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight (last entry at 10 p.m.). The plenary hall can be visited free of charge on an hourly tour if there are no meetings (Mon-Fri 9 am-4pm, weekends 10 am-4pm; the restaurant is open until midnight).
Website: http://www.bundestag.de
Entry fee: Free entry.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Charlottenburg Palace and museums
Charlottenburg was built as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, the wife of King Friedrich I, from 1695-1699.
Visits to the Old Castle are only possible with a guide; the admission prices and tour times are different for the new wing, the orangery, the mausoleum and other parts of the castle complex.
The museums and galleries in and around the castle include the Egyptian Museum and the Berggruen Museum, which includes 64 Picasso works of art and a representative collection of works by his contemporaries.
Museum Berggruen
Westlicher Stülerbau, Schlossstrasse 1 (opposite the castle) Tel: (030) 34 35 73 15.
Address: Charlottenburg Palace, Luisenplatz, Berlin
Telephone: (03 31) 969 42 02 (Prussian Palaces Foundation). (030) 34 35 73 15 (Berggruen Museum).
Opening hours:
Schloss Charlottenburg
April to October: Tue – Sun from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
November to March: Tue – Sun from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Berggruen Museum: Tue – Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.spsg.de
Entry fee: With entrance fee: old castle, new wing and other sights (combined tickets are also available). Free entry: castle garden.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Citadel of Spandau
The 16th century Spandau Citadel is the oldest non-religious building in the city. Its picturesque location on the Havel with a view of the pretty old town of Spandau make a visit to the citadel a great excursion within the city. Guided tours of the citadel must be booked in advance.
Address: Am Juliusturm 64, Spandau, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 354 94 40
Opening hours: Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Website: http://www.zitadelle-spandau.net
Entry fee: Yes.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Tiergarten
There are only a few cities in the world where you can sunbathe naked at noon without being arrested – Berlin is one of them! In addition to pretty paths, canals and flower gardens, in which numerous trees provide shade, the zoo also offers some free meadows on both sides of Hofjägerallee, where the Berliners bask in the sun.
You cannot see these sun worshipers from the Victory Column in the center of the park, but you do have a good view of Berlin’s most important attractions. The angel at the top of the 69 m high column was the meeting point for the angels in Wim Wenders film “The sky over Berlin”.
Address: Victory Column, Großer Stern / Straße des 17. Juni, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 391 29 61
Opening times:
Mon-Fri 9.30am-6.30pm, Sa-Sun 9.30am-7pm (April-October); Mon-Fri 10 am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10 am-5.30pm (Nov.-March).
Entry fee: Yes.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Unter den Linden and Museum Island
One of the most easily recognizable landmarks in Berlin is the Brandenburg Gate on the western edge of Pariser Platz. To the east of Pariser Platz is the boulevard Unter den Linden, which is lined with some of the city’s most important cultural treasures. These include the German State Opera, the Neue Wache – today a memorial to the victims of fascism and tyranny – and the arsenal, which houses the German Historical Museum (Internet: www.dhm.de).
The Museum Island, at the eastern end of Unter den Linden, is home to the Pergamon Museum. It shows a variety of antiquities, including the gigantic Pergamon Altar. Parts of the museum will be closed until 2023 due to renovation work. Also on the Museum Island are the Bodemuseum, the New Museum, which after 60 years as a war ruin now houses art treasures such as the Nefertiti, Schliemann’s Troy treasures, the Neanderthal skull, Roman and Greek statues and Egyptian mummies, as well as the huge, neo-baroque Berliner Cathedral built from 1893-1905.
In the Alte Nationalgalerie is the “Galerie der Romantik” with a large collection of German and Austrian paintings from the first half of the 19th century, including 24 pictures by Caspar David Friedrich. The Old Museum, opened in 1830, is a neoclassical building designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Antique collections are housed on the ground floor of the museum, the upper galleries are reserved for changing exhibitions.
Altes Museum
Am Lustgarten
New Museum
Bodestrasse 1-3.
Address: Am Lustgarten, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 20 90 55 66, 20 90 55 55 (announcement) (Altes Museum). (030) 266 42 42 42 (New Museum).
Opening hours:
Altes Museum: Tue – Sun from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thu to 8 p.m.
New Museum: Mon – Sun from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thu to 8 p.m.
Website: http://www.neues-museum.de
Entry fee:
Altes Museum: With admission fee. Discounts are available.
New museum: with admission fee. Discounts are available.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Tourist offices
Visit Berlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH)
Central station
opening times: Daily 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Brandenburg Gate (south wing), Pariser Platz
Opening times: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (later closing times from April to October).
Further information is available on the city of Berlin’s website (Internet: www.berlin.de).
Address: Am Karlsbad 11, Berlin
Telephone: (030) 25 00 23 33 (service hotline)
Website: http://www.visitBerlin.de
Visitor passes
With the Berlin WelcomeCard all inclusive from Visit Berlin and Turbopass you get free entry or discounts on tourist highlights, e.g. museums, sights, guided tours, boat trips, e-bike tours, theater performances and discotheques in Berlin and Potsdam. With each ticket, an adult and up to three children up to the age of 14 can travel free of charge on public transport in Berlin and Potsdam (tariff zone Berlin: AB, Berlin and Potsdam: ABC; except for excursion and special lines).
In addition to the normal discounts, the Berlin Welcome Card Museum Island grants free admission to all open houses on Museum Island once a day on three consecutive opening days.
The Welcome Card is available for a period of validity of 48 hours, 72 hours or five days in the BTM online shop , at the points of sale of S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, BVG, DB Regio AG, ViP and HVG, Tourist Info Centers of Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH and in many Berlin hotels.
The card can also be bought at the S-Bahn and BVG machines.
The Berlin CityTourCard (Internet: www.citytourcard.com) is a ticket with a validity of two, three or five days for all public transport in Berlin, Potsdam and the surrounding area and also offers price reductions of up to 50% for around 180 tourist attractions such as museums, theaters and city tours. It is available at the ticket machines of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe BVG, at the S-Bahn Berlin, the Tourist Service Points, at the airport, in hotels and online.
