Berlin guide, itinerary to visit the city in 4 days

Currency: Euro (eur) - €
Language: Deutsch
Climate: 10/24 ºc (april-october) 6 / -4 ºc (november-march)

Accommodation in Berlin

Since the city is well-connected, we will have no problem getting enough sleep both in the center and on the outskirts, which is an advantage when choosing according to our budget.

One famous area for living in the capital is Berlin-Mitte, the city center. At the same time, it is one of the most expensive. In the surrounding areas (Charlottenburg, Schöneberg, or Friedrichshain), prices are lower.

Transportation in Berlin

Commuting in Berlin is not the cheapest compared with other countries in the Euro zone, but it is very convenient and well-connected, so we will have no problem getting to different parts of the city. Three zones determine the ticket price (AB zones, BC zones, and three ABC zones), they are valid for all kind of transportation (metro, bus, commuter, and tram). Travel cards for 24 hours cost around 10 euro, while weekly passes range from 30 to 50 euro depending on the region. Don't forget to validate your tickets at the yellow ticket machines at the stations before boarding.

What to eat in Berlin?

German food is savoury, sausages are the most popular dish (with about 1500 varieties across the country). 

Among the most typical dishes that we can taste in the capital, we have currywurst (curry sausages), eisbein (a famous knuckle dish), boulette (fried meatballs with onions), Berliner Pfannkuchen (jam-filled buns), and Apfelkuchen (apple cake).

Beer in Germany is a serious matter, and in the capital, you can taste it of any color and taste. The most typical types are Berliner Pilsner and Weisse, Weihenstephaner, and Schneider Weisse. On the other hand, we will also find the famous Munich Paulaner and many others.

- ITINERARY DAY 1 - 

Kaiser-wilhelm (Church of Remembrance)

The kaiser-wilhelm-gedächtniskirche (kaiser wilhelm i memorial church or church of remembrance), built between 1891 and 1895, has preserved its ruins as a sad memory of World War II. Artillery and bomb strikes on its surface are excellently evaluated. Today the church is declared a protected monument.

Free admission
Address: Kurfürstendamm 237.
Metro station: U Kurfürstendamm (S46, S5, S7, S75)

Tiergarten park

Tiergarten means "animal garden" and is the main park of the capital Berlin. It was originally used as a hunting ground for the high nobility, but today it is a public green space that is a delight to all berliners.

Reichstag

The Reichstag is an important place to visit in Berlin. It is the building that houses the German parliament (Bundestag), located right on the line where the old Berlin Wall ran. In 1933, it was the victim of a mysterious fire whose authorship has not yet been determined, but it undoubtedly contributed to the rise of the Nazi party to power.

The building is featured in one of the most famous photographs of World War II, in which a Russian soldier climbs onto the roof with a Soviet flag moments after the city was taken by the Allies, indicating the end of the war. During its restoration, a huge glass dome was erected on the roof, which has become a symbol of Berlin.

Free admission by reservation.

Opening hours: Daily from 8 am to midnight.
Metro station: Line U55 - Bundestag station.

Brandenburg Gate

This is the main symbol of the German capital, a historical gate that has held many meanings due to countless conquests, but now symbolizes the reunification of Germany. At the top, there is a chariot that represents the goddess Victoria riding in a chariot drawn by four horses. The chariot was stolen by Napoleon as spoils of war, but it was returned years later. During World War II, the gate was seriously damaged, which is why it had to be almost completely rebuilt in 1957.

Metro station: Lines S1, S2 - Unter den linden station.

Holocaust Memorial

The original name of this monument is the 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe'. It consists of 2,711 concrete blocks, or 'stelae', of varying heights, arranged in a grid pattern 

that creates a large urban maze. It is important to note that this is a memorial and a place for reflection on the dark past of Europe and the suffering experienced by millions of people during the war.

Admission is free.
Opening hours: Every day 24 hours a day.
Metro station: Line U2 - Potsdamer Platz or Mohrenstrasse station.

- ITINERARY DAY 2 - 

MUSEUM ISLAND

Situated on the River Spree, Museum Island is known for being home to five major world-famous museums, namely the Pergamon Museum, Altes Museum, Neues Museum Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin, and Bode Museum. It has also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, in 1999. The island is also home to the famous Berlin Cathedral, with its distinctive green dome.

Metro station: Line U6 - Friedrichstraße station.

Gendarmenmarkt

Gendarmes square (Gendarmenmarkt) is considered the most beautiful square in the capital. It consists of two identical churches on each side and is in the center of the Berlin Konzerthaus, home to the Berlin symphony orchestra.

Metro station: Line U2 - station Hausvogteiplatz or Line U6, station Französische straße.

Checkpoint Charlie

This is the most famous border crossing used in Berlin during the Cold War. Its name comes simply from the third letter of the NATO phonetic alphabet (C for Charlie).

At this checkpoint, spectacular escapes were staged by people who wanted to flee from East Berlin. Some managed to achieve their goal, but many others were discovered and mercilessly killed. The most tragic event was the ill-fated escape attempt of Peter Fechter, a citizen who was shot and bled to death in no man's land while both sides looked on, with absolutely nothing done out of mutual fear.

Address: Friedrichstraße 43.
Metro station: Line U6 - Kochstraße station.

Topography of terror

The former headquarters of the formidable gestapo is today a historical documentation center that offers a permanent display of texts and photographs detailing the horrific acts committed by Hitler's security forces (ss, gestapo, etc.) Between 1933 and 1945.

Address: Niederkirchnerstrasse 8.
Admission is free.
Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 20:00.
Metro station: Line U6, station Kochstraße.

Postdamer platz, Sony Center

This is the most modern area of Berlin, the inner dome of the Sony Center impresses with changing colors, a place where both berliners and tourists enjoy terraces and restaurants. There are many shops, a hotel, an imax cinema and a legoland discovery center. Postdamer platz is where the famous berlinale (Berlin film festival) is held.

Address: Potsdamer Platz.
Metro station: Line U2 - Potsdamer Platz station.

- ITINERARY DAY 3 - 

New Synagogue

Built between 1859 and 1866, this was the headquarters of the Berlin Jewish community and the largest synagogue in Germany. It is a building of impressive Islamic architecture with a capacity of over 3,000 people.

In 1938, the synagogue was attacked and burned by Nazi supporters during the so-called “Night of Broken Glass”. During World War II, it suffered several bombings, leaving only the original facade standing. The entire interior had to be demolished and rebuilt.

Address: Oranienburger straße 28-30.
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 10:00 to 18:00, Friday from 10:00 to 15:00.

Otto Weidt museum

Otto Weidt was one of those ordinary heroes who, with very little, did great things and showed up just at the right time. In 1940, he became the owner of a brush, broom, and basket shop that employed the blind and deaf. During the Holocaust, Otto falsified documents to save his Jewish employees and also hid them in his workshop. After the war, he opened an orphanage for children who had survived concentration camps, as well as a nursing home for elderly survivors. In the end, he was recognized as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, a title bestowed upon those who, without being of Jewish faith or ancestry, provided altruistic and unique assistance to the victims of the Holocaust.

In the museum, visitors can see the rooms that served as shelters, as well as the original tools and products that were made there.

Free admission.
Address: Rosenthaler straße 39.
Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 20:00.
Metro line: Line 8 - Weinmeisterstraße station.

Alexanderplatz TV Tower 360º

The Old Ochsenmarkt, also known as the "bull market," used to be considered the center of Berlin and is today known as Alexanderplatz. In 1989, more than half a million people gathered on this square to protest against the communist government, and five days later, free movement was achieved between divided Berlin, leading to the destruction of the wall.

Alexanderplatz is also home to the Fernsehturm, the highest TV tower in the European Union, which offers a panoramic view of the city.

Address: Alexanderplatz. Underground station: Lines U2, U5 and U8 - Alexanderplatz station.

East side gallery

At 1.3 km long, it is the best-preserved section of the Berlin Wall and also the largest open-air art gallery in the world.

There are hundreds of graffiti artworks on the Wall, created by artists from all over the world. Among the most striking images is a depiction of a kiss between Russian leader Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker, the former leader of the German Democratic Republic, as well as a picture of a Trabant, a car commonly used in East Germany, driving across the wall.

Admission is free.

Address: Mühlenstraße. Underground station: line u1 - station Warschauer Strasse.

- ITINERARY DAY 4 -

Sachsenhausen

Sachsenhausen was called "a model concentration camp" by the Nazis. It was built in 1936 to imprison political prisoners, Jewish people, Gypsies, homosexuals, communists, and those who opposed Nazi ideology. Over 30,000 people were executed on the grounds, and many more were subjected to cruel medical experiments.

Similar to the Auschwitz camp, the entrance gate to Sachsenhausen bears the same inscription "Arbeit macht frei" (Work will set you free), one of the many lies the Nazis told prisoners to keep them under control.

Address: Straße der Nationen 22, Oranienburg.
Admission is free, audio guides are available.

Opening hours: March-October from 8:30 to 18:00, November-February from 8:30 to 16:00.

From Hauptbahnhof station, take Line 5 (R5) towards Oranienburg to the final stop Oranienburg (25 minutes), then take bus 804 towards Malz to the station Gedenkstätte (10 minutes).

Tips

- The Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Old Air Ministry) is one of the few remaining Nazi buildings. The building remains untouched while everything around it was reduced to ashes.

- The photo of Michael Jackson holding a baby from the balcony was taken at Hotel Adlon diagonally across from the Brandenburg Gate.

- Berlin has more kebab shops than Istanbul.

- During the blockade of the so-called Cold War, the Allies deployed a group of airmen (candy bombers or raisin bombers) who dropped candy on children in the western part of the city.

- The bunker where Hitler spent his last days during the war is now just a parking lot in an urban area.

Recommendations

- Do not miss the "free tour", it is available in Spanish, English, and other languages, as they are necessary to understand the history of the city and the events that took place during the war. There are several options to choose from, but we recommend the Berlin tour, the Third Reich tour, the Museum tour, and the Urban Artist tour, all of which usually start at the Brandenburg Gate.