Don’t forget
EHIC/GHIC – make sure you get one for free, never pay a scammer
Travel Insurance – you’ll thank me one day
Roaming Bundles – get the cheapest data bundle from your provider
Importing – into Germany you can’t take meat, milk or products containing these
Airport to City
Turn left out of Terminal 1 arrivals, following signs to Terminal 2. At the large Burger King, the tourist information centre is on the right. Here you can buy full-access Welcome Cards (with free museum entry).
If you just need the travel Welcome Card (with museum discounts) you can buy that from ticket machines inside the arrivals baggage hall, or at the station below
Head back to the big escalators down to Level U2
Don’t catch the first train that seems to be going in your direction, it may be a slow S-Bahn
Use the BER App downloadable from the website above, and it will choose a connection for you
Don’t forget to validate your ticket on the platform before getting on the train – you’ll need to wander along a bit to find a stamping machine
Train options:
a) FEX Airport Express to Ostkreuz, Gesundbrunnen, HBF (2 an hour)
b) RB to Ostkreuz, Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstrasse, HBF, Zoo (2 an hour)
c) S9 to Spandau via Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstrasse, HBF, Zoo (3 an hour)
BVG WelcomeCard 72h: €41 including Potsdam and BER Airport
(€125 for all-inclusive with free travel and below all free, plus €54 for Museum Island)
• 20% off Sanssouci + 9 other Potsdam palaces
• 25% off boat trips from Cityschiffsfahrten, Reederei Bruno Winkler, SolarWaterWorld, Stern und Kreisschiffahrt
• 25% off Fernsehturm, Berliner Dom, DDR Museum, Französischer Dom, Nikolaikirche Stadt Museum, Humboldt Forum, Historisches Museum, Jewish Museum, Mauermuseum Checkpoint Charlie, 1968 Museum, Tempelhof Tour, Olympic Stadium, Spandau Zitadelle, Charlottenburg, Stasi Museum, Mauermuseum East Side Gallery, Potsdam Museum
• 33%+ off Panorame Punkt, Museum Barberini, Berlinische Gallerie, Deutsche Kinemathek, Trabi Museum, Botanic Gardens
• free gift at Kathe Wohlfahrt, half price Rausch chocolate bar
Before you finish reading this section, two more top tips:
BER Runway
When you fly out of Berlin, to avoid queueing at Security, you can book a slot a week in advance and just breeze through Checkpoint 4. You need to estimate when you are checking in and how long that might take, but you have a 15 minute window. Queues at BER aren’t normally that bad, but it’s worth giving this a go.
And finally, here are all the Berlin Apps we recommend you add to your phone:
• BER Airport
• BVG Fahrinfo
• BVG Tickets
• S Bahn Berlin
• Going Local Berlin
Hotels we recommend
Crowne Plaza Ku'damm, Nürnberger Strasse 65
close to Zoo Station on a quiet side street
Circus Hotel and Apartments, Choriner Strasse 84
spacious one-bed apartments much larger than a hotel room for the same price
modern, safe, really convenient for local shops, U8 subway and trams
Crowne Plaza Postdamer Platz
very close to Anhalter Bahnhof S Bahn
10 minutes from Potsdamer Platz itself (catch bus M41)
Holiday Inn Express City Centre
very close to Anhalter Bahnhof S Bahn
10 minutes from Potsdamer Platz itself (catch bus M41)
includes free breakfast
Holiday Inn Express Alexanderplatz
10 minutes from Alexanderplatz and from the Berlin Dom
closest to Rotes Rathaus station
includes free breakfast
Shopping
In the West:
KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westerns), Tauentzienstraße 21-24, near Zoo Station – large expensive department store, to explore those luxury brands
Tchibo Prozente, Kantstraße 14 – coffee shop that sells homewares and fashion as well, this is their discount outlet
Manufactum hardware store, Haus Hardenberg, Hardenbergstrasse 4-5 – hardware store in a refurbished midcentury building
Midtown:
Galeries Lafayette, Friedrichstrasse – large department store, impressive central atrium
Werkhaus, 123 Friedrichstrasse (north of river) – desk accessories and furniture made of plywood
Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus, Friedrichstraße 90 – enormous bookstore
Ritter Sport, Franzosischestrasse 24 – pick up 5kg bags of tasty chocolate at a bargain price
Gudrun Sjoden, Markgrafenstraße 32 – Sarah’s favourite Swedish designer
Ampelmann, Markgrafenstrasse 37 – dedicated to the East Berlin road crossing man, fun and ideal for gifts
East:
Galeria (Kaufhof), Alexanderplatz – large department store
Tchibo, Alexanderplatz – coffee shop by the World Clock
RSVP stationery shop, Mulackstrasse 26
Humana at Frankfurter Tor – the largest vintage store in Germany, over 4 floors
West of Potsdamer Platz:
Dussmann der MuseumsShop, Potsdamer Straße 2 – film bookshop in the Kinemathek
Eating Out
Nordsee, Spandauerstrasse 4
A chain fish restaurant, which delivers fast but restaurant-quality food: fish fillets, salad and takeaway boxes of deep-fried prawns (garnelen). An easy lunch for all the family.
Reichstag Restaurant, Platz der Republik
With tours of the Reichstag hard to come by, getting a reservation at Feinkost is an easy (but expensive) win. Fixed price lunch and dinner, you need to provide your passport details 48 hours in advance when booking, to get past Federal security
Amazing views, amazing food
Big Dog Berlin, in the Marriott Hotel at Potsdamer Platz
hot dogs and currywurst
Neni, Bikini Berlin, Budapester Strasse 40
Israeli restaurant on rooftop of a great hotel, with mezze and entrées
Little Green Rabbit, various locations
A great selection of salads, flammkuchen, soup and baked potatoes, with locations in both East and West
Han West, Home of Dumplings
Burgsdorfstrasse 7, near S&U Wedding
Selchowerstrasse 20, east of Tempelhofer Field
Gorlitzerstrasse 69, east of Kreuzberg
tasty Japanese dumplings and baos, with many vegan and vegetarian options
Freischwimmer, Vor dem Schlesischen Tor 2, Kreuzberg
a fish restaurant on the bank of a branch of the Spree. Take the U-bahn to Schlesisches Tor, and then walk parallel to the river over two bridges, and you'll see it signposted down a track to the left.
Frittenwerk, 6 locations
German poutine, ie topped fries, with lots of different flavours
Asteria Greek Restaurant, Schonhauser Allee 143, U2 to Eberswalder Strasse (S exit)
Kos House Greek Restaurant, Karl Marx Allee 129, Frankfurter Tor
Sightseeing – The Serious Stuff
NAZIS
Topography of Terror, Niederkirchnerstraße 8, near Anhalter Bahnhof
Every day 1000-2000, free
An exhaustive (and exhausting) exhibition about the Nazi era and the persecutions of different groups in Europe. The security services were based in nearby buildings, some still standing. A long section of the Berlin Wall is in position outside.
German Resistance Memorial Center, Stauffenbergstrasse 13
Bus 200 to Tiergartenstrasse or walk from Kultutforum
Mon-Wed & Fri 0900-1800, Thu 0900-2000, Sat-Sun 1000-1800
A comprehensive exhibition of those who resisted the Nazis, with special emphasis on those who hid Jews, or tried to assassinate Hitler
Jewish Museum, Lindenstrasse 9-14, near Hallesches Tor (take bus 248 from Alexanderplatz)
Every day 1000-1900
Designed by Daniel Liebeskind, this moving museum presents the history of Jews in Germany
Shop [currently closed], café and garden
Jewish Memorial, Cora-Berliner-Straße 1
Free tickets, 1000-1700, available a week in advance
Also memorials to:
Sinti & Roma: Simsonweg, in Tiergarten
Euthanasia: Tiergartenstraße 4
Homosexuals: Ebertstraße, in Tiergarten
German Resistance Memorial Center, Stauffenbergstrasse 13, Potsdamer Platz
Mo-Fr 9-6 Sa Su 10-6
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
1 hour regional train to Oranienburg, then RB12 or bus to Sachsenhausen
8.30-5 daily
Berlin Story Bunker, Schoneberger Strasse 23, near Anhalter
10-7 daily
Museum Berlin Karlshorst, Zwieseler Straße 4, get S3 to Karlshorst then bus 296
Place of German surrender to the Soviets 1945, a long way out of town
Tu-Su 10-6
Nazi Forced Labour Documentation Centre
Memorial to the Former Forced Labour Camp in Schöneweide
Tu-Su 10-6
Allied Museum, Clayallee 135, U3 to Oskar-Helene-Heim
Tu-Su 10-6
Sowjetisches Ehrenmal, Strasse des 17. Juni (on U5)
Sowjetisches Ehrenmal, Treptower Park, Puschkinallee (on S8, S9, S41, S42, S85)
Sowjetisches Ehrenmal, Germanenstraße, Schoenholzer Heide (on S1 and S25)
War memorials for over 300,000 Soviets who died in the Battle of Berlin in 1945.
DIVIDED BERLIN
Tranenpalast, Friedrichstrasse U+S Station, Reichstagufer 17
Tu-Fr 9-7 Sa Su 10-6
During the GDR era, this was the only station where West Germans could visit the East, and East Germans could only hope of being allowed to leave. A moving exhibition with stories, artefacts and the original transit corridors
Mauer Museum, Haus Am Checkpoint Charlie, Friedrichstrasse 43-45
Every day 0900-2200, €14.50
An expanded version of the museum showing the history of the Berlin Wall, the many escapes over and under it, and artefacts from that period of Germany’s history
Everyday Life in the DDR
Museum in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstraße 97, near Mauerpark
Free admission, no need to book
Tue-Fri 0900-1800, Sat-Sun 1000-1800, Monday closed
This is a much better exhibition than the DDR Museum, showing more of what life was like in the 1960s-80s East Germany
DDR Museum Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 1, next to Berlin Dom
Day tickets available in advance, €9.80
Narrowly avoiding a kitschy presentation of plastic kitchenware, this museum treads on the right side of remembering the privations and persecution in the GDR, with shop and café
Stasi Museum, Ruschestrasse 103, between S+U Frankfurter Allee and U Magdalenstrasse
Every day 1000-1800, weekend 1100-1800, €8
Tours in English Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday 1500, €4
Or take a self-guided tour of Stasi Headquarters, including Mielke’s office, lots of displays, and East German spy equipment (including a camera in a whiteboard pen!)
Berlin Hohenschönhausen Memorial (Stasi prison), Genslerstraße 66, trams M5/6 from Alexanderplatz
Open 9-6, English tours 10.40, 12.40, 2.40 which must be booked in advance
A prison for those detained by the Stasi, now a memorial to those who died, tours led by former inmates
Marienfelde Refugee Center, Marienfelder Allee 66, S2 to Marienfelde
Mo-Fr 9-5, Sa Su 10.30-5
POST-WAR RECONSTRUCTION
Karl Marx Allee, from Alexanderplatz to Frankfurter Tor
Display boards on both sides of the road with the history of the rebuilding of the area in the 1950s. Look out for highlights Cafe Moskau and Kino International.
Sightseeing – The Fun Stuff
The 100 and 200 buses run from Zoo station to Alexanderplatz and beyond, round either side of the Tiergarten. Get an early bus or fight past the queues of French schoolchildren. It’s an excellent way to get an overview of the city.
Fernsehturm, Panoramastrasse, near Alexanderplatz
Summer 0900-2300, Winter 1000-2200
great for breakfast or dinner, and views in the revolving restaurant
Olympic Stadium
Every day 1000-1600 [not when Hertha are playing]
€8, timeslot booking required
Built for the 1936 Olympic Games, now the home of Hertha BSC, as well as the venue for the 2006 World Cup Final. It has fantastic architecture and well worth a visit. Nearest station is on line U2
Boat Trip: Stern Und Kreis
A 1 hour trip starting opposite the Humboldt Forum, just a stone’s throw from the Dom
€20 including an audio headset, and there’s a small bar onboard but not always food
Many other boat companies exist and you can have longer tours for more money
Berliner Dom, near Alexanderplatz
Mon-Fri 1000-1700, Sat 1000-1600, Sun 1200-1600
booking online advised, €9
visit includes a climb to the top of the dome for excellent views
German Dom and French Dom, both in the Gendarmenmarkt
The German Dom has an exhibition about the German political system
The French Dom has a viewing platform 254 steps up
Kaiser Wilhelm Church, near Zoo station
a bombed church with a modern addition
Every day church 1000-1800, war memorial 1200-1730, and 6 tours a day Mon-Sat
Siegessaule, Grosser Stern 1
Summer Mon-Fri 0930-1830, Sat-Sun 0930-1900
Winter Mon-Sun 0930-1730
Historical Victory Column, with stairs to the top and views of the Tiergarten, on the 100 bus route
Tempelhof, Platz der Luftbrucke 5, Bus: 248 and M43, U-Bahn: U6
We-Mo 10-5
Now decommissioned as an airport, and opening as a public park, it is well worth going on a tour of the architecture of the buildings
Bibliothek (The Empty Library), Bebelplatz outside the Opera, Unter den Linden
Micha Ullman 1995, commemorating the Bebelplatz book burnings in 1933
Neue Wache sculpture (Memorial to victims of war and tyranny), Unter den Linden
building 1816, original sculpture Kathe Kollwitz 1937, enlarged and positioned 1993
Nikolaiviertel
reconstructed medieval town, originally destroyed in WW2
10-6 daily
Spandau Zitadelle, on the U Bahn line west of Zoo
Fr-We 10-5, Th 1-8
Ancient castle, plus ZAK center for Modern Art, and Bastion Kronprinz archives exhibition
Staatsbibliothek, Potsdamer Strasse 33
National library, film location from Wings of Desire, with temporary exhibitions too
Museums and Art Galleries
Stabi Kulturwerk, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 8
Tu-Su 10-6 Th 10-8
antique books and other treasures, tracing the history of the library and of Germany
the venue has lockers, a stationery vending maching, free toilets, and a shop
Alte Nationalgalerie, Museum Island
Every day 1000-1800, closed Monday
€10, timeslot booking required
café and shop
Neue Nationalgalerie, 50 Potsdamerstrasse (west of Potsdamer Platz)
Every day 1000-1800, Thursday 1000-2000, closed Monday
€12, timeslot booking required
Designed by Mies van der Rohe and renovated this decade, café and shop
Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstrasse 50-51, near Hauptbahnhof
Every day 1000-1800, Thursday 1000-2000, closed Monday
€10, timeslot booking required
A train station converted into a gallery of very modern art, shop and kiosk café
Deutsches Historiches Museum, Unter den Linden 2
Every day 1000-1800, Thursday 1000-2000, closed Tuesday [Pei Building only]
€8, timeslot booking required
A gigantic museum with a wide variety of exhibits covering all aspects of German and European history, plus special exhibitions
Humboldt Forum, Schlossplatz, near the Dom
Free exhibitions, archaeolgocal sites, roof terrace, cafes, shop
We-Mo 10:30-6:30
Palace Populaire
Modern art, shop and café
We-Mo 11-6 Thu 11-9
James-Simon-Galerie, Bodestrasse, Museum Island behind Altes Museum
Welcome Centre for Museum Island, with shop and café
Tu-Su 10-6 Th 10-8
Haus de Kultutren de Welt
Daily, except Tue, 12 noon–8 pm, €7, free on Mondays
Art and culture exhibitions in a modernist hyperboloid
Martin-Gropius-Bau, Niederkirchnerstrasse 7, near Anhalter Bahnhof
Every day 1000-1900, Thursday 1000-2100, closed Tuesday
€15, timeslot booking required
Contemporary art and photography, with some big-ticket names, shop and restaurant
Berlinische Galerie of Modern Art, Alte Jakobstrasse 124 (take bus 248 from Alexanderplatz)
€10, Wed-Mon 1000-1800, closed on Tuesdays
Very close to the Jewish Museum, it has a permanent exhibition of 20th century art to rival the Neue Nationalgalerie, and a large temporary exhibition downstairs, also a good café and shop
Museum for Photography, Jebensstraße 2, near Zoo
Every day 1100-1800, Thursday 1100-2000, closed Monday
€10, timeslot booking required
the temporary bauhaus-archiv, Knesebeckstraße 1-2
the bauhaus view, Klingelhöferstraße 14, Lützowplatz
Mo-Sa 10-6
Find out more about Germany's design movement of the 20s and 30s, in a Gropius-designed building ... when it reopens
Tempelhof Museum, Alt-Mariendorf 43
Tuesday to Sunday 1300-1800, Thursday from 1000 (check times when there)
Free admission
Fotografiska, Oranienburger Str. 54
Monday - Sunday 10:00–23:00
A new offshoot of an international photography gallery chain
Deutsche Kinemathek, Potsdamer Strasse 2
Exhibitions We-Su 10-6 €9
Shop 10-8
Ki-Nova Restaurant Mo-Fr 12-10
Wannsee and Potsdam
To the southwest of Berlin, these two towns show a different side of Berlin, and have their own historical resonances. The quickest way to get there is on regional trains from any of the big city stations, but the S-Bahn lines 1 and 7 stop off at other picturesque places along the way.
Wannsee station is in Zone B so on the main travel pass, but Potsdam is in Zone C, so you need a pass that includes this, or an extension ticket.
Liebermann Villa, Colomierstrasse 3, Wannsee
Wed-Mon 1100-1700, closed Tuesdays, €6
Bus 114 from Wannsee station, get return bus from the stop opposite the villa
A beautiful villa on the banks of the Wannsee, belonging to the painter Liebermann
Haus Der Wannsee Konferenz, Am Grossen Wannsee 56-58, Wannsee
Every day 1000-1800, free
Bus 114 from Wannsee station, get return bus from the stop on the far side of the crossroads
This is the villa where the Nazis planned the practical arrangements for the Final Solution, and we would recommend the Kenneth Branagh film “Conspiracy” as a dramatisation of those events
Restaurant Seehaase, Am Grosser Wannsee 58-60, Wannsee
close to both of these, the restaurant has a kiosk by the lake selling excellent currywurst and drinks. Stop by and enjoy the view, and the statue of the Flensburg Lion!
Instead of taking the train to Potsdam, bus 316 runs from Wannsee to Potsdam and over the Glienicker Bridge, an old crossing point between West Berlin and East Germany. You can then change onto the 93 tram into Potsdam.
Museum Barberini, Humboldtstrasse 5, Alter Markt, Potsdam
Every day 1000-1900, closed Tuesdays
€16 (€18 at the weekend) – or a discounted ticket with Sanssouci and Cecilienhof
A new art museum, open on Mondays, which is unusual for Berlin
Palaces and Gardens, Potsdam
Ticket Shop: https://tickets.spsg.de/
Schloss Sanssouci, the palace and gardens of Frederick The Great, only a short walk from town
Schloss Cecilienhof, where the Postdam Conference took place in 1945, which is much further away at the other end of the park
€19 for a combined ticket
Russian Houses, Potsdam
Catch buses 92 or 96 to Puschkinallee, and follow the signs to Alexandrowka.
These were built in the 19th Century for the Tzar. One is a cafe, another a museum.
Dutch Quarter, Potsdam
Walk back into town, and on the left turn down Mittelstrasse. All of this street have Dutch-style gables, and you can visit a museum at Jan Bouman Haus at number 8, which has kept its interiors (open Monday to Friday 1300-1800, weekends 1100-1800, €3).
At the crossroads are little shops and cafes.
Day Trips
day trip to Brandenburg an der Havel: St Peter & Paul Cathedral, Old Town Hall, City Wall, 58 bridges
60 minutes from Berlin
day trip to Wittenberg: Castle Church, Cranach houses, Workers Housing, Panorama, Luther memorials
40 minutes (90 minutes on regional train) from Berlin
day trip to Cottbus: Sorbian people, viewing tower, pharmacy museum, airfield, prison, city museum, modern art, Branitz Castle
90 minutes from Berlin
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