Of course, sightseeing is simply part of Berlin. This applies to tourists and old Berlin hands alike. Even after years, you can enjoy the city’s hotspots again and get to know them from a fresh perspective!
The most important sightseeing spots in Berlin
Sightseeing bus: Line 100
There are many companies that offer sightseeing tours in Berlin, but we have an exclusive tip for you! With a standard ticket, you can travel once through the city on bus line 100 of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) and visit most of the important sights. The buses used are mainly double-deckers, so if you’re lucky, you can experience the city from a comfortable height. The tour starts at Alexanderplatz and ends at Zoo station, so you can add the Memorial Church and the Zoological Garden to your sightseeing tour.
The Berlin TV Tower
A visit to the TV Tower is an essential part of any exploration tour of Berlin, even if it is considered one of the less popular attractions, mainly due to long waiting times due to high demand. Nevertheless, the wait is worth it, as the viewing platform offers an impressive view over the entire city (and beyond). The restaurant in the rotating dome is also recommended. If you want to shorten the waiting time and secure a window seat, you might be able to take advantage of an interesting offer.tip for those on a tight budget: If you shy away from the entrance fee, you can enjoy free panoramic views from lofty heights at other locations. The two former flak towers in Humboldthain and Volkspark Friedrichshain are particularly suitable for this. On the former in particular, you can enjoy an excellent view over the city.
The Berlin Cathedral
One of the most impressive buildings in the city is also located in Mitte – the Berlin Cathedral. For an entrance fee, you can enter this epic church and explore its interior. You also have the opportunity to climb the dome of the cathedral, from where you can enjoy a magnificent view over Berlin.
The Brandenburg Gate
Berlin’s probably most famous landmark should not be missed on a sightseeing trip. Fortunately, you can reach the gate on foot as well as by rickshaw or subway! Incidentally, the best photos are taken here either in the morning or in the late afternoon due to the incidence of light.
The Holocaust memorial
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is located right next to the Brandenburg Gate. It was opened in 2005 to commemorate the Jewish victims of the Nazi regime. A museum in the center of the concrete blocks is also dedicated to this important topic. The site is steeped in history, as the so-called death strip ran along here during the Berlin Wall – a border zone with the former GDR. During the Nazi era, part of the Joseph Goebbels villa was also located on the site.
A little memorial etiquette aside: photos are of course allowed, but posing in front of and on the blocks is rather distasteful.
The Reichstag building and the Bundestag
The seat of the German Bundestag is also a popular destination in the capital. Particularly interesting are the guided tours through the halls, some of which include a visit to the plenary chamber, the heart of the Bundestag. There is also access to the dome of the Reichstag, from where you can enjoy a wonderful view of Berlin. There is also an offer for a guided tour of the entire government district with a final visit to the dome.
The Victory Column
The impressive column in the traffic circle on Straße des 17. Juni is also considered one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks and is also a tip for beautiful views. Many people don’t know that you can climb the column for a small fee and enjoy a wonderful view of the surrounding city from the viewing platform on the Goldelse (the Berlin term for the golden statue of the Roman goddess of victory, Victoria). Even if it doesn’t look like it from below, the Victory Column is actually quite high!
The Berlin Wall
If you want to find out more about the Berlin Wall or see the remains of the Wall, there are various places in Berlin where you can do so. The Berlin Wall Memorial is a kind of outdoor exhibition that shows the course of the Berlin Wall. There you can visit old remains of the Wall and an observation tower. There is also a museum on Bernauer Strasse that provides additional information.
The East Side Gallery on the banks of the Spree offers a different perspective of the Berlin Wall. Here are preserved sections of the Wall on which artists from all over the world have immortalized themselves.
Berlin’s mystical places
In addition to the typical sightseeing spots, Berlin also has plenty of places to offer that are characterized by their mystical charm. For example, the Grey Monastery in Mitte, which is said to be haunted by the ghost of a monk. Or the actually picturesque Peacock Island, where an alchemist is said to have practiced black magic and still wanders around today as a nebulous figure. Do you want to track down the ghost?