From beer gardens to history museums, Berlin offers terrific experiences that should be on every traveler’s list. Here are Fodor’s top picks for a memorable trip.
Spree River
The Spree is one of the city’s finest natural features. Clubs and cafés line its banks, and you can relax in a beach chair by the water in the summer months.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
Street Art
Berlin is famous for edgy street art, with thousands of pieces in areas including Mitte, Friedrichshain, and Prenzlauer Berg. The East Side Gallery has some great examples.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
Berlin Wall
The Wall fell in 1989 but is still an essential part of the city. The museum at Checkpoint Charlie has incredible stories about those who escaped through, under, and over it.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
The Reichstag
Take a tour of the seat of Germany’s Parliament to see where twentieth-century world history was shaped and, especially, to check out the striking Norman Foster–designed glass cupola. The views of Berlin from here are spectacular.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
Beer Gardens
Many beer gardens are open all day when the weather’s fine. In Germany, a weisswurst, a pretzel, and a wheat beer are considered an excellent breakfast.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
Holocaust Memorial
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is made up of 2,711 concrete slabs of different heights. Some visitors point out the memorial’s resemblance to a cemetery.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
Museumsinsel
Five state museums on “Museum Island” showcase architectural monuments and art treasures. The Pergamonmuseum, with its artifacts from the ancient world, is a standout.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
Curry 36
Sausage with curried ketchup is a Berlin street-food must. Stands around the city, like the renowned Curry 36, entice customers from morning until well past midnight.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
DDR Museum
Experience a taste of life in Soviet East Germany at this interactive museum. Exhibits include a Trabi car you can “drive” and an apartment with a wiretapped phone.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide
Brandenburg Gate
Restored to Prussian glory after being partially destroyed, the Brandenburg Gate is one of Berlin’s major landmarks. You can’t miss it at the head of Unter den Linden.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Berlin Travel Guide