Berlin | 3 days itinerary
Berlin is a big city, and covering everything that you should see needs some planning. In the guide below, I'll try to club the places that are close to each other, so that it becomes easier for you to enjoy the city to the fullest and spend less time hopping from public transport to public transport.
Day 1 - The Iconic kiss
East side gallery is an open air gallery, which is created on the largest part of the remains of the Berlin Wall. While you will enjoy the painting and art on the wall, you will also be reminded of the pain that people had to go through in the city of Berlin.
Here you will find the iconic kiss and also a line to take photo with it. Take time out to grab some nice pictures with the wall, some of the art work is gorgeous.
The East side gallery ends at the beautiful Oberbaum Brucke (Bridge).
Once you're done with the gallery, you'd grab something to eat or drink, and just sit near the Spree river soaking in the views of this beautiful bridge.
The bridge looks specially beautiful during evenings and when yellow coloured U1/U3 passes through it. This is one of our favourite places in Berlin, and we have spent countless evenings sitting there and enjoying the view.
After enjoying the view, you can take S bahn (Metro), to reach our next destination.
Alexandreplatz is most probably the most touristy part of Berlin. As it's in the city centre, and has some of the iconic places, a lot of people spend most of their time here.
Start exploring the area with the wonderful World clock. The clock shows time of all the countries in the world at the same time!!
On weekends, you might find someone playing music near the world clock, and enjoy the street performances for free.
Near the world clock are a lot of Shopping centres, and if you want to buy something, this might be the place.
Walking distance from the World Clock is the Iconic TV tower. You can grab a coffee at the nearest coffee shop, or gelato if you like that, and take in the views as the tower rises to the sky.
You can also visit the tower top, for a fees. And get panoramic views of the city.
A bit ahead of the TV tower is the Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall). It's another historic building in Berlin (Berlin of full of these buildings. And I don't say that to undermine it's important, but just as a general note).
Finally we will end our tour of Alexandreplatz by visiting the Neptune fountain. The fountain has multiple Gods and Goddesses statues, and it a good sight.
From the Neptune fountain, you will also get a good view of the TV tower, Marienkirche and Rotest Rathaus.
After covering Alexandreplatz, we will head to the most beautiful part of the city, the Museum Island. The Museum island is home to 5 museums, and even if you don't plan to visit one or two of them, you should visit museum island to soak in the beautiful architecture.
If you are coming in summer, this place also makes for a wonderful place to end your day while viewing the sunset.
You an also book a boat tour on the spree, and soak in the beautiful views the city has to offer, while enjoying a boat ride.
Day II - Historical sites
We will start second day with visiting the famous Brandenburg Tor. This historic gate was built in the 18th century, and is of great significance.
Throughout the year, a lot of cultural events (and protests) happen at the Tor. It's considered to by symbol of Unity across Germany and Europe.
The memorial to the murdered jews is right next to Brandenburg Tor. It was constructed in memory of the murdered jews. The area here was part of the death strip between the Berlin Wall.
From the Tor, we will walk toward the Reichstag Building, or the Parliament.
This building is gorgeous from the outside, as well as inside.
From the outside, you can soak in the views by sitting in the amazing garden. During summers, you will find many people sunbathing in the garden. In winters, it will mostly be empty.
If you plan in advance, you can also book a free tour of the Reichstag building and visit its dome structure on top. This building is also of great significance, and also provides amazing views of the city.
Parallel to the garden in front of the Reichstag building, is the Tiergarten. Tiergarten is enormous is size and also is absolutely beautiful. If you have time, and don't mind walking, we highly recommend walking through the gorgeous garden.
Optional: Depending on the time availability, and how tired you are, you can decide to visit the Victory column.
After covering the above places, we will come back to Brandenburg Gate, and walk towards the Potsdamer Platz. At the Platz, you will find more remains of the wall, and also the history of the wall.
Potsdamer platz feels a very different area compared to the rest of Berlin. While in Berlin you will fine most of the buildings as less than 7 storeys tall, and mots of them will also feel old and historic, Potsdamer Platz gives a very modern vibe.
From Potsdamer platz, we will head to the famous Checkpoint Charlie.
Even though it's a simple point to see, it holds great significance in the History and Berlin and World War. Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War, as named by the Western Allies.
Near the Checkpoint, you will see history of how the war unfolded, and how Berlin was divided into sectors.
While you are here, you should also get a photo at the actual checkpoint where checking used to happen while crossing the border.
Optional: If you have some time and want to explore more about the history of the Checkpoint Charlie and the Wall, then check out this museum.
Day III
We will start the third day by visiting the Berlin Wall memorial, where remains of the wall are still present and history of wall can be found and understood.
After the wall memorial, we will explore Charlottenburg palace. This palace is very big and also gorgeous. Exploring the palace will take approx 3-5 hrs. So slow down and enjoy the day.
After exploring the palace, head out the to templehof Feld. This is where the old airport of Berlin was. You can also book a guided tour of the old airport building here, and go through the history of famous Airlift.
The Feld is still an open area, and throughout the year you will see people using this area for recreational activities and many event also takes place here. The place is specially full during summer evenings, when many people visit here for cycling and skating.
A place where terror is tangible, a place of remembrance and a warning from history, the “Topography of Terror” exhibition is located on the site where between 1933 and 1945 the principal instruments of Nazi persecution and terror were located.
Jewish museum has a lot of History about the holocaust, and how things happened. I do recommend visiting here, however, that being said, this place can get depressing. So be mindful of that. After finishing the visit, we felt very sad and depressed.
Other than the places that are mentioned above, Berlin has much more to offer, in Terms of Museums, street art, and different areas. Each district in Berlin, has a history of its own, and is very different for the other one. If you have more time, below are some more suggestions of places you must visit.
Museums
Berlin has a lot of Museums, and a few of them are truly remarkable. When you visit Berlin, we recommend checking a few of them out.
Bode museum is a beautiful museum with a lot of details on the Renaissance era and art.
The museum feels small from outside, but don't be fooled by that. It will easily take you 3/4 hrs to explore this museum to the full. This is one of our favourite museums in Berlin, and we highly recommend it.
Most probably the most famous Museum of Berlin. With some incredible details and artwork inside, it's truly a wonderful place to visit. However, the museum is right now closed due to renovations. And will remain closed for next 3/4 years.
Have more time in Berlin?
If you have more time in Berlin, you can checkout the following parks:
Where to stay in Berlin?
The ideal place to stay in Berlin will be near the centre. That will make it easy for you to travel to various places quickly and easily and you can spend more time exploring the city rather than on public transport.
Below are our recommended hotels for Berlin.
Located 5 mins by bus to Alexandreplatz, this hotel is perfect for staying in Berlin.
Park inn is another great hotel to stay in. The hotel is right at Alex, and you could have a great view of the Museum island and TV tower (Will depend on which side your room is).
Hotel Adlon is pretty famous and is exactly at Brandenburger Tor. Imagine waking up to the gorgeous gate, being walking distance away from one of the Biggest garden in middle of the city. This is great choice.
If you are looking for hotel apartments, then Adina is a great choice. And they have hotels at multiple places:
Where to eat in Berlin?
Checkout my other free guide here:
Summary:
We hope you will have a wonderful stay in Berlin and the guide will help you in covering the most important attractions in Berlin.
We wish you a great experience and happy traveling!!
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