Berlin and its sights attract over 11,000,000 tourists to the German capital every year, making it one of the top 10 travel destinations in Europe. Berlin’s sights are in third place after London and Paris and are welcoming a steadily growing number of visitors from all over the world.

Berlin has become a regular travel destination for me and to make it easier for you to visit, I would like to introduce you to my top 10 Berlin sights. I would have loved to create a top 25 list for Berlin again, but I would like to present you the first visit on a long weekend in Berlin or before Christmas only a few program points that you simply must have seen in Berlin.

Berlin – info, facts, motto

Berlin is beautiful, Berlin is special and Berlin has to be experienced – but Berlin is also different and I have to adjust a little every time I come to Berlin. Berlin is direct and tells you straight away whether you like it or not. That’s probably the best way to describe Berlin and yet it never ceases to fascinate me.

I used to go to Berlin every two to three years, but now it’s every six to eight weeks and I look forward to rediscovering Berlin, seeing a bit more of the city, discovering new sights or revisiting old ones.

Berlin has long since cast a spell over me, here you can be human, no one asks whether your outfit is suitable for the event or a little too crazy. Berlin accepts its visitors and residents as they are, with all their facets, which makes it increasingly popular.

Berlin is a construction site, there is always a road closure, a change or a new building that wasn’t there a few weeks ago. The city is alive – the city is changing. Klaus Wowereit once said “poor but sexy” about the city’s finances, and that’s really how you can still describe Berlin today.

BER airport has been delayed in opening for years and yet tourists still come regularly via Tegel and Schönefeld. It often loosens up the conversation with the other person, you immediately get into a relaxed mood and it is fascinating how casually the topic is dealt with.

Hardly any other city in Europe has such an influx of guests from all over the world, and there is hardly any other city where international celebrities are out and about so often and enjoy being able to spend the evening “unrecognized”.

You can, as they say in Berlin, party every night, be at an event every night, but you can also just say “not tonight” and nobody will take it personally, which is why I always enjoy it.

The sights can of course be visited during the day, but some of them also provide a great photo backdrop in the evening. If you have a hotel near Berlin-Mitte, the evening is a great time for a walk to the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag or Potsdamer Platz.

Berlin top 10 sights

Here are some suggestions of the top 10 Berlin sights you should visit on your first visit to the German capital:

Brandenburg Gate – Top tip

Hardly any other landmark is as famous around the world as the Brandenburg Gate and is of course number 1 in my top 10 Berlin sights. The Brandenburg Gate was initially the symbol for the separation of West Berlin and East Berlin, as well as the symbol for reunification and the end of the Cold War.

The Brandenburg Gate became the worldwide symbol for a “united” Germany and a “united” Europe. For me, the place still has an attraction every time I visit Berlin, whether during the day or at night. I can hardly imagine a stay in Berlin without the Brandenburg Gate.

The Brandenburg Gate, with the Pariser Platz in front of it, connects the street “Unter den Linden” with the “Straße des 17. The square in front of the gate, as well as behind the gate, is repeatedly used for various events and leads to closures and limited photo opportunities (such as recently during the World Cup in Brazil in the summer of 2014 for public viewing events).

The same was the case during the last visit of US President Barack Obama, who gave a speech in front of the gate (with a view of the Hotel Adlon), which again led to large closures around the gate. Regardless of whether it is freely accessible or restricted for events, hardly any other place in Berlin attracts so many tourists (and locals) every day and is photographed as often as the Brandenburg Gate – the Berlin landmark and symbol of peace and reunification.

The original Brandenburg Gate was built in 1788-1791 and replaced the customs gate built in 1731 with the new structure, which is still visible today, with a height of 26 meters, a width of 65.50 meters and a depth of 11 meters. The height of the individual columns is 15 meters, with a diameter of 1.75 meters. The landmark “Brandenburg Gate” was modeled after a design of the Parthenon Temple facing the Acropolis and describes the five passages through the gate.

The central passageway is slightly wider in these temples and is reserved for members of the royal family only. The side passages are intended for the rest of the population. From a critical point of view, the Brandenburg Gate does not meet the requirements for a Greek temple and is more like a Roman city gate, but the attraction of the building is of course unaffected by this.

For me, the Brandenburg Gate is absolutely one of the top 10 sights in the world and one of the first things you should visit when touring Berlin. A very clear ranking on my Berlin sightseeing top 10 list. Tip: In the winter months, the Berlin Light Weeks take place regularly and let the Brandenburg Gate shine in different colors. Definitely take a look!

Alex TV Tower at Alexanderplatz

The tallest building in Germany with a height of 368 meters is of course also an absolute Berlin landmark and can be seen from afar. The former second tallest television tower in the world, which was opened in 1969, is still the fourth tallest free-standing building in Europe today.

The Berlin television tower on Alexanderplatz (Alex) is located in the East Berlin district of “Mitte” and clearly towers above the television tower in West Berlin. Originally planned for the outskirts of Berlin, the tower attracts over 1,000,000 tourists from all over the world to the viewing platform every year and offers a perfect view over Berlin and the surrounding area when the weather is good and the sky is clear.

The television tower was planned as a symbol of the power of the GDR and was primarily intended to symbolize the economic strength of the “German Democratic Republic” to the West. The sphere, which can be seen from afar, has a diameter of 32 meters and is approximately 210 meters high. The reflective outer surface of the sphere, which was disguised as a football for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, consists of 1000 small triangles that reflect daylight.

The “ALEX”, as the TV tower is colloquially known in Berlin, also offers visitors a restaurant or an event location at a height of 210 meters. If you are looking for a special view of the TV tower at Alexanderplatz, I can recommend the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel, which has a large terrace on the 37th floor (entrance fee) that offers a perfect view over Berlin and the TV tower. A drink up there with a view of the TV tower also provides the opportunity for a special souvenir photo.

If you want to visit the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz, you can reach the tower by bus, S-Bahn and U-Bahn, the stop is called “Alexanderplatz”. The fee for the viewing platform is currently around EUR 13 per person and tickets can be reserved online. For me, the “Alex” is always a sign of “having arrived in Berlin” and is therefore naturally also on my list of Berlin sights and one of my top 10 travel tips for Berlin.

Reichstag and Reichstag dome

The plenary area “Reichstag Building”, as the Berlin Reichstag is actually called, is my third Berlin attraction and has also been the seat of the German Bundestag since 1999; the Federal President has been elected here since 1994. Of course, it is possible to visit the Reichstag and the dome, and tickets are available free of charge.

You can apply for accreditation to visit the dome in advance on the Reichstag website or at the Reichstag. I can only strongly recommend that you do this a few days in advance from home to ensure that you get a seat and to avoid unnecessary waiting times (sometimes up to 60 minutes).

The Reichstag was designed by Paul Wallot between 1884 and 1894 and was the seat of both the “German Empire” and the “Reichstag of the Weimar Republic”. After the fire of 1933 and the Second World War, the Reichstag was badly damaged and only modernized and restored in 1960, before being rebuilt from 1991 to 1999 in its present form, with the widely recognizable dome.

The assumption that many visitors still clearly believe that it was a clear decision to move the Bundestag from Bonn to Berlin is wrong. It was a very narrow majority of just 18 votes that decided to hold future plenary sessions in the Reichstag building in Berlin and to modernize the existing building. The competition to “redesign the Reichstag” was eventually won by Sir Norman Foster, but his original design had to be corrected several times, partly in order to reduce the costs from DM 1.3 billion to DM 0.6 billion.

What is particularly interesting about the dome in its current form is that Sir Norman Foster was initially not at all enthusiastic about a sphere or dome on the roof and was more in favor of a flat design. The sphere in its current form was already included in a similar design by Santiago Calatrava in the first draft, but was rejected for various reasons. After the Federal Government’s Council of Elders awarded the contract to Sir Norman Foster, he was once again granted a slightly higher budget if he integrated the now familiar Reichstag dome into his design.

The accusation by the architect Santiago Clatrava that Sir Norman Foster had copied from him was rejected and Sir Norman Foster realized – under his own protest – the implementation with the glass dome, which has become the symbol of Berlin.

No other Berlin sight has such an attraction for tourists from all over the world. Every year, over 2,000,000 visitors visit the dome of the Reichstag (admission free – registration required) and so, of course, the Berlin Reichstag with the Reichstag Dome is one of my personal “Berlin Sightseeing Top 10”.

Berlin Museum Island

Berlin’s Museum Island, which since its redesign by Giorgio Grassi in 1993 has brought together five different museums, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 and is one of the absolute attractions for tourists from all over the world and is therefore also on my top 10 sights list for Berlin.

The Museum Island is located in the River Spree and is not accessible to public transport. You can enter the museums via two bridges and immediately discover the breathtaking buildings and great photo backdrop. The entrance fee for the Museum Island and the various museums is between 9 and 11 EUR per museum or 18 EUR for a section ticket for the five museums on the island. (The price is reduced by EUR 1 if you buy online via the Museum Island website).

The entire Museum Island attracted around 2,800,000 visitors in 2013, with half of these visitors coming to the Pergamon Museum alone. If you only have time to visit one museum, you can choose from the following museums:

Pergamon Museum

(1,400,000 visitors in 2013) – with the famous 35-meter-wide Pergamon Altar from the 2nd century BC from the Asian city of Pergamon. It contains mainly Greek and Roman sculptures and 6000 years of history from the region. In future, monuments from the Egyptian Museum will be on display in the extension. There will be restrictions in the Pergamon Museum and at the Pergamon Altar from September 2014, so you should take this into account when you visit. The museum has received high international recognition, particularly for the excellent reconstructions of the

• Pergamon Altar
• Market Gate of Miletus
• Ishat Gate with processional way from Babylon

New Museum

(approx. 700,000 visitors in 2013) – contains mainly excerpts from the Egyptian Museum and the bust of Queen Nefertiti, as well as other works of art from Akhenaten. Also many exhibitions from the Stone Age and Bronze Age.

Old National Gallery

(approx. 300,000 visitors in 2013) – shows sculptures from the 19th century by Caspar David Friedrich and other artists

Bode Museum

(approx. 150,000 visitors in 2013) displays Byzantine art from the 3rd to the 15th century, as well as coins from historical years and sculptures from the 18th and 19th centuries

The Old Museum

(approx. 150,000 visitors in 2013) displays Greek history and sculptures, from weapons to jewelry and works of art, with Roman art on the upper floors

Whichever museum in Berlin you choose or whether you buy access to all the museums on Museum Island, Berlin offers a great look for a few special days with antiquity and a good alternative if the weather in the German capital doesn’t cooperate. A visit to Museum Island is – actually – a must in Berlin and therefore also on my list of Berlin sights and top 10 travel tips for Berlin.

East Side Gallery – Berlin Wall

The East Side Gallery in Berlin Friedrichshain is the largest and, above all, most famous open-air gallery for art and also symbolizes German history from division to reunification.

The longest section of the Berlin Wall is 1300 meters long and has been painted by artists from many different countries. The East Side Gallery is still one of the most photographed pieces of Berlin history and is naturally one of the top 10 sights in Berlin.

The Mauerpark separated the former districts of Prenzlauer Berg and Wedding and is now a recreational area with a large park as well as other parts of the Berlin Wall and is used by many residents for relaxation as well as artists for the creation of new graffiti. If you are looking for a good alternative for relaxation and the opportunity to meet Berliners, Mauerpark in Berlin is the place to be at the weekend.

Both Mauerpark and the East Side Gallery are impressive pieces of Berlin history and an absolute Berlin attraction and of course an item on my “Berlin sightseeing top 10 list”

Potsdamer Platz

Today, Potsdamer Platz is a symbol of the “new Berlin” – a Berlin after reunification. Where the world’s biggest rock concert took place in 1990 in “no man’s land”, a modern city has emerged today.

Roger Waters performed “The Wall” in front of 300,000 spectators between Potsdamer Platz and Pariser Platz, and a few years later, tourists have the choice between countless restaurants, large hotel chains (such as Hyatt, Ritz Carlton) and countless theaters and cinemas.

In recent years, Potsdamer Platz and the “SONY CENTER” have been used more and more frequently for cinema premieres, making it a meeting place for many celebrities from all over the world.

Pieces of the original Berlin Wall and the former dividing line between East and West Berlin are particularly visible in the open spaces around Potsdamer Platz. Potsdamer Platz is easily accessible for visitors via the large “Potsdamer Platz” station, where various S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines meet.

Afterwards, I can recommend continuing your visit to the Brandenburg Gate or taking a walk through the adjacent zoo. It is impossible to imagine today’s Berlin without the large skyscrapers on Potsdamer Platz, which is why it is on my personal top 10 list of Berlin sights.

Alexanderplatz

The only remaining square from the old days of Berlin’s history and named after the Russian Tsar Alexander I, Alexanderplatz is today known above all as a hub for local and long-distance public transport, as well as for countless stores and department stores of all well-known brands.

The large open space offers a good cross-section of Berlin life and a wide variety of restaurants from all over the world. Anyone looking for a good view over Alexanderplatz should keep an eye out in the surrounding department stores. There are some special opportunities. Another great photo opportunity is, as mentioned above, the terrace of the Park Inn by Radisson, which is also located directly on Alexanderplatz.

The originally planned demolition of the Park Inn building is currently a thing of the past, as the hotel is very well utilized and a lot of money has been invested in the new exterior façade. Another high-rise building based on a design by Frank Gehry is to be built from 2015 and will tower 25 meters above the Park Inn. Completion is planned for 2017 and it is expected to be the most expensive apartments in Berlin.

KaDeWe – Department Store of the West

Berlin sights and a top 10 list without the KaDeWe – the Kaufhaus des Westens cannot exist and especially for me, who personally also likes to go “shopping”, the KaDeWe cannot be missing.

The department store was originally opened in 1907 on Wittenbergplatz in Berlin and is one of the most famous department stores in the world, along with Harrods in London and LaFayette in Paris. The department store is also the second largest department store in Europe in terms of retail space – after Harrods in London – and offers a selection of clothing and food on seven floors.

The food floor on the seventh floor of the store is the second largest food floor in the world and not only offers a good cross-section of food from all over the world, but also the opportunity to eat well and at fair prices.

The “winter garden” set up for this purpose on the top floor allows visitors to watch the food being prepared. A great and transparent service, plus a large selection of clothing and accessories and a special selection of beautiful shoes (I’ll have to take another look… 🙂 )

Whether it’s a great selection of shoes or great handbags, a special perfumery or a good food department, KaDeWe is part of Berlin’s history and a clear place on my top 10 Berlin sights list…

Kurfürstendamm Berlin – KuDamm

What the street “Unter den Linden” or “Friedrichstraße” is for Berliners in the east, the “Ku’damm” is in the west of Berlin – a large shopping street in the western part of the formerly divided city and the original connection from the Berlin City Palace to the hunting lodge in Grunewald.

The Kurfürstendamm in Berlin is also an important place to go after the Wall came down on November 9, 1989, when countless citizens of the East flocked directly to the Kurfürstendamm to enjoy their new freedom. The former street for Berlin cinemas, theaters and performances is now increasingly turning into high-end boutiques and well-known fashion chains.

Other sights on Kurfürstendamm include the world-famous Cafe Kranzler and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

Hackeschen Höfe

Berlin is generally known for its special courtyards and rear buildings. On a walk through Kreuzberg, you can see many impressive parts of the buildings and discover them piece by piece.

The special courtyards can be found in Berlin’s Mitte district – not far from the Scheunenviertel – with the Hackesche Höfe, which have been lovingly designed and decorated and can also be visited by tourists during the day. Various concepts are implemented in the eight courtyards and, in addition to many restaurants, many PR companies, designers and other creative professions have settled here. The Hackesche Höfe are of course one of my Berlin sights and my top 10 from Berlin.

Victory Column “Goldelse” Siegessäule

The Victory Column in Berlin – also known colloquially as the “Goldelse” – was built in 1873 as a national monument to the victory in the German-Danish War of 1864 and moved from its original location on Königsplatz to its current site (at the large star). From the small upper platform, the Victory Column offers a great view over Berlin, from Potsdamer Platz to the Brandenburg Gate, from the ICC to Teufelsberg.

For a small entrance fee, you can climb the 285 steps (compared to Cologne Cathedral’s 533 steps) and reach the narrow viewing platform at a height of 50 meters. With the gold-coated statue above, the total height is 67 meters.

The Victory Column has become famous above all for the various events held between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column, such as the speech given by the current US President Barack Obama in 2008 before his election. As speeches in front of the Brandenburg Gate were only permitted from politicians in office, Barack Obama had to switch to the large star with the Victory Column and was received by 200,000 people.

For me, the Victory Column is a piece of Berlin history. When traveling by car, you almost inevitably drive around the Victory Column on the way to the Brandenburg Gate, making it one of the “must-see” Berlin sights and a clear nomination for my top 10 travel tips in Berlin.

Berlin Cathedral – Berliner Dom

Berlin Cathedral, or the Domkirche zu Berlin, is an imposing church in the Mitte district, not far from the television tower at Alexanderplatz and the Pergamon Museum and located directly on the River Spree. The cathedral was first built in 1894 and completed in 1905 and was intended to be reminiscent of the Italian High Renaissance and Baroque styles. I would also have guessed that the Berlin Cathedral is much older. The church can accommodate 1600 visitors and is one of the largest churches in Germany, measuring 73 x 93 meters.

What is interesting for tourists is the opportunity to climb the church and the dome and get a great view over Berlin. The dome is almost 75 meters high and has a diameter of around 33 meters. The church can still be used for weddings today and has become increasingly popular again in recent years.

If you would like to wake up with a view of the cathedral, you should spend a night in the Hotel Radisson Blu Berlin, which is located next to the Berlin Cathedral. The view of the Berlin Cathedral from the hotel rooms is simply breathtaking. The Berlin Cathedral is absolutely worth seeing from the inside as well as from the facade and is a clear tip for your tour of Berlin sights.

Grandhotel Adlon – Pariser Platz

A hotel with a great history, the first grand hotel of the new kind in Germany and a unique location. Wake up with a view of the Brandenburg Gate (my top sight in Berlin). The moment – unique, even if you think you know it – if you have rented a room at the Hotel Adlon, you keep looking out of the window at the Brandenburg Gate, whether at breakfast or in the dark.

The Grandhotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin was not only portrayed in a TV series of the same name, but has also been regularly used by many celebrities in Berlin for many years due to its special charm and the special atmosphere in the lobby.

If you don’t want to stay at the Adlon directly, I can only recommend having a cup of tea or coffee on the hotel terrace with a view of the Brandenburg Gate in the afternoon – or alternatively – a typical “Berliner Currywurst” in the Hotel Adlon with a view of the Brandenburg Gate. Two absolutely typical things for Berlin, at one of the special Berlin sights.

Conclusion – Berlin top 10 sights

Even though I went a little beyond the top 10 tips in my compilation of personal tips for Berlin, I could have presented you with another 10 places that you should definitely experience in Berlin and see on your first visit.

Berlin with its Berlin sights is an open city with an incredible history, great buildings and yet the opportunity to visit many sights within walking distance. Lately, when I’m in Berlin, I often use the Deutsche Bahn ICE train to get there and from there either a hotel directly at the station or in Mitte.

Tickets for public transportation in Berlin are a bit cheaper compared to other cities, a day ticket costs about 6 EUR, a 3-day ticket about 15 EUR and a weekly ticket (Umweltkarte Berlin) about 28 EUR and entitles you to use public transportation even outside the ring around Berlin.

Compared to Munich, Frankfurt or Hamburg, the German capital is much cheaper and you will find many good restaurants at great prices in the districts around Mitte. If you have time and want to discover Berlin, take a look at Kreuzberg or Prenzlauer Berg for half a day, sit down in a street café away from the tourist areas and enjoy life.

Berlin is different – and that’s what makes it so interesting. On the one hand, the top 10 sights of Berlin that you want to see again and again and that exert a special fascination, on the other hand, the special places that want to be discovered. Small stores in the alleyways, special spots in the backyard. Berlin and, above all, the people of Berlin are different – but “beautifully different”

I hope that my suggestions for a longer weekend or a week in Berlin have given you some ideas and suggestions on Berlin sights, how you can make good use of your time and still experience a lot of the city. Of course, I look forward to your suggestions and feedback and wish visitors lots of fun in Berlin…