Berlin Travel Guide: 10 Unmissable Things to See and Do

Berlin isn’t pretty in the postcard sense, and that’s exactly why it hooks you: it’s a city to be understood, with the weight of history on every corner and a cultural energy few capitals can afford. My advice before you go: don’t try to see it all in three days —you can’t and you shouldn’t—, take in the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag dome and the East Side Gallery, and leave yourself a moment to get lost in a neighbourhood. Here is my Berlin travel guide with the essentials, point by point.

1. Money: the euro, your card and German generosity

Berlin uses the euro and nearly everything is card-friendly, with one caveat: not every small spot accepts card without a fuss, so carry a bit of cash. A coffee, a currywurst, a metro ticket: with €50-60 in your wallet you’ve got the city in your pocket for the first day, because prices are among the most reasonable of Europe’s big capitals.

And the local custom: the tip. They don’t expect a fixed percentage, but rounding up the bill (or leaving 10% if the service was good) is appreciated and done in almost any restaurant. That said, paying by card is no problem; the cash is saved for street stalls and a few old bars in the east.

• Contactless card for everyday and a bit of cash for the market and the small bars.
• Tip: round up or leave 10% if the service was good; in a bar, you leave something when you pay.
• Water is not served for free in restaurants: order it bottled or sparkling (very typical).

2. Language: German here and there, with English in between

In the centre and the tourist spots English is spoken without a problem, and the museums and the transport apps are in English. Still, a couple of German words go down really well in the markets and the neighbourhood bars: „Danke schön“ (many thanks), „bitte“ (please / you’re welcome) and „hallo“ (hello).

You’ll also come across two words inseparable from the Berlin experience: „Gemütlichkeit“, that feeling of being at ease in a warm place, and the ever-present „Kaffee und Kuchen“ (coffee and cake), one of the city’s favourite plans at tea time.

3. From the airport to the centre: in 30 minutes and without surprises

Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) is to the southeast of the city, and the connection to the centre is easy and fast: the regional train (FEX, RE or RB) leaves every few minutes for Central Station (Hauptbahnhof, Hbf) in about 25-35 minutes. The ticket costs around €4.40 (ABC zone) and is bought at the machines in the terminal or with a contactless card.

An alternative when travelling with luggage or as a group: the taxi or Uber, around €40-60 depending on traffic. If your hotel is in the eastern part (Friedrichshain, Alexanderplatz), the FEX drops you exactly where you want to be in under half an hour. And one tip: buy your multi-day transport pass right away, because the airport ticket runs on the same system you’ll use for the whole visit.

4. Getting around: U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and a good walk

Berlin’s public transport network is among the best in Europe: underground (U-Bahn), urban rail (S-Bahn), trams and buses covering the whole city. The zone system is simple —the AB zone covers the centre and almost everything touristy— and a single ticket costs about €3.40; a 24-hour pass about €9, and it’s good for the whole day.

Berlin is also very walkable: the Unter den Linden axis, the Tiergarten and the Mitte district are best done on foot. The tram rules the eastern part (where there used to be no metro) and its most famous lines, 100 and 300, pass by one monument after another and make for a sightseeing tour on a normal ticket: the locals’ trick.

• The AB zone serves you for almost everything; ABC only for the airport and Potsdam (separate ticket).
• Validate your ticket at the yellow machines in the stations: inspections come as a surprise, and the fine is €60.
• Line U2 links Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate: perfect for the first day.

5. The Brandenburg Gate and Pariser Platz

The Brandenburg Gate is the absolute symbol of Berlin: the city’s old ceremonial gate that became a stage for history —from Napoleon’s marches to the fall of the Wall—. It sits on the quiet Pariser Platz and it’s best visited early or at dusk, when the golden lighting makes it shine over the Unter den Linden boulevard.

From the gate, a five-minute walk takes you to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (the Mahnmal), that sea of grey stelae you walk through in silence, and the other way to the Reichstag. It’s the area with the most history per square metre in the city, and you can do it all on foot.

6. The Reichstag and its dome: free, but with a booking

The Reichstag, the German parliament, offers one of the best free plans in Berlin: climbing up into Norman Foster’s glass dome, with its famous mirror spiral and 360° views over the whole centre. Entry is free, but you have to book online in advance on the Bundestag website; at the door without a booking, almost always, you won’t get in.

The building also tells the last chapter of German history: rebuilt after the war, it was the stage of reunification. The tour with the (free) audio guide explains both the architecture and what you see from above: the gate, the Tiergarten and the buildings of the government district.

7. The Wall, the East Side Gallery and memory on every corner

The Berlin Wall divided the city for 28 years and today you remember it in many places: the most photographed stretch is the East Side Gallery, a kilometre and a half of Wall along the River Spree covered in graffiti, including the famous „fraternal kiss“ between Brézhnev and Honecker. It’s one of the essential visits and you do it on foot in a short while.

If you want to go one step beyond the photo, the Checkpoint Charlie (the former border crossing, today a small street-level museum) and the Topography of Terror (next to an original stretch of Wall, free) tell the story with rigour and without sensationalism. And a detail you’ll appreciate: all over Berlin there’s a line of bricks on the ground marking where the Wall stood, so you can wander along it without even noticing.

8. Museum Island and Berlin Cathedral

The Museum Island, in the heart of the Spree, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most important concentrations of art in the world: the Pergamon —with the monumental Ishtar Gate and the Market Gate of Miletus—, the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Bode and the Neues Museum. If ancient history is your thing, the Pergamon is worth it by far.

On the same axis is Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom), an imposing dome you can climb up spiral stairs to the drum terrace, with the best views over the centre and the river. Remember that many museums on the island require a time-slot booking in high season, and that the combined ticket pays off if you visit more than one.

9. Alexanderplatz and the Fernsehturm: the landmarks

The best-known square of East Berlin is Alexanderplatz: the Television Tower (Fernsehturm), 368 metres tall and Germany’s tallest building, presides over the square and its observation deck with a revolving sphere offers the most famous views of the city. With the tower ticket (around €15) you can go up and, if you like, dine in the revolving restaurant of the sphere: very pricey for the food, but the view is priceless.

A couple of steps away is the Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus) and the rebuilt corner of the Nikolaiviertel, the ideal stop for a coffee when the afternoon wears on. For the skyline, get there early or go at sunset: in the mid-afternoon the queues wind around and the view loses part of its magic.

10. The Tiergarten and neighbourhood plans: currywurst, döner and markets

The Tiergarten is the great green lung of the centre: a huge expanse with the Victory Column (Siegessäule) at its heart and huge lakes, gardens and paths. By bike or on foot, crossing it from end to end (30 minutes at a good pace) is the best way to breathe between so many museums.

And for food, don’t leave without the classics: currywurst (the sausage with curry ketchup sauce that’s almost a religion here), the döner —Berlin brought it to Europe— and the world’s street food at the Markthalle Neun, in Kreuzberg, with its famous Saturday market. If you prefer the local plan, an afternoon coffee with cake in the east (Friedrichshain) or a stroll through the flea markets is a safe bet: there’s plenty of city to go round, you just have to pick the corner that calls to you.

That’s my Berlin travel guide for now. With the Reichstag dome booked, a walk along the East Side Gallery, the Fernsehturm and an hour in a neighbourhood, you take the real city home, not just the postcards. Berlin is better understood with your legs than with a map: walking, you feel where the Wall stood, how history tussles with the present and why people find it so hard to leave. Have a great trip!