© Pierre Adenis
Extraordinary Sights
Weltzeituhr
The Weltzeituhr (World Time Clock) is a ten-metre high clock on Alexanderplatz in Berlin-Mitte that shows the time in 148 countries. It is a popular rendezvous spot for locals and tourists alike.
Rotes Rathaus
The name "red city hall" is a playful reference to the building material of the red bricks. It is the seat of the mayor and includes several rooms well worth visiting like the Hall of Arms or the nine-meter-high Pillar Hall.
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Nikolaiviertel
The Nikolai quarter, known to Berliners as the Nikolaiviertel, is the oldest residential area of Berlin. With its mediaeval lanes and numerous restaurants and bars, it is one of the favourite destinations for visitors to Berlin.
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Hackesche Höfe
The Hackesche Höfe represent the largest, enclosed courtyard area of Germany. All around the eight courtyards are located numerous bars, restaurants and clubs and thus the area has become one of the coolest places to go when it comes to nightlife.
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Unter den Linden
Berlin’s elegant boulevard is found in the old heart of Berlin, going all the way from the Brandenburg Gate to the Schlossbrücke bridge. On the boulevard, there are many important institutions such as the Humboldt University and the State Opera.
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Gendarmenmarkt
The Gendarmenmarkt is a beautiful example of an architectural ensemble full of harmony and it includes both the French and the German cathedral as well as the Concert House.
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Chocolatier Fassbender & Rausch
And here, in this great house of chocolates, everything can be had that a sweet tooth could possibly imagine - including the longest truffels and praline counter to choose from in all of Europe!
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Brandenburger Tor
While the only remaining city gate of Berlin formerly used to represent the separation of the city between East and West Berlin, since the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 the Brandenburg Gate has now come to symbolise German unity.
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Reichstag
The Reichstag is the seat of the German Parliament. The accessible glass dome has become one of the landmarks of Berlin, since the rebuilding in 1999.
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Bundeskanzleramt
The spectacular architectural ensemble of the new German Chancellery impresses with its twelve metre soft stelas, which give structure to the glass facades. From here you will have a wonderful view over the Spree.
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Potsdamer Platz
The Potsdamer Platz is the old heart of Berlin serving as a junction between the old city centre in East Berlin and what was formerly the new West Berlin. After the war it spent more than 40 years in a state of slumber as the city’s wasteland. But during the 90’s a new urban centre arose from scratch in a period of just five years.
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Spandauer Altstadt
Despite all the new buildings, the long history of Spandau can still really be felt in the historic centre. It’s well worth a visit to discover the architecture while strolling through the city. One of the most important Renaissance strongholds in Europe is the Spandau Citadel.
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Kirche St. Nikolai
The Church of St. Nicholas was built in the 14th century and is one of the few remaining Medieval buildings in Berlin. The church is an important symbol of Protestant Reformation in Berlin and Brandenburg because Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg
received Communion under both kinds in 1539.
Bonbonmacherei
Over 30 varieties of delicious bonbons are on offer here, and the nostalgic little shop at the Heckmannhöfe location allows visitors to watch how the sweets are made on certain days of the week.
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Schiffsanleger (Moltkebrücke/Hauptbahnhof)
The Moltkebrücke pier is located across from the Hauptbahnhof (Main Rail Station). This is the starting point for numerous wonderful boat tours along the Spree that are a great way to discover Berlin from the water.
Busfahrt (Linie 218 ab U Theodor-Heuss-Platz)
Bus Line 218 is probably one of the most beautiful bus routes in Berlin. It travels along the Havel River, through the Grunewald, then along the Wannsee to idyllic Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island) at the city's western edge. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes and offers beautiful views of the green countryside.
Pfaueninsel
The island on the southwestern edge of the city makes children's dreams come true. The white castle is located in a wonderful park, which is only accessible by a ferry. Together with other palaces in Potsdam and Berlin the island and the palace are part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
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Grunewaldturm
The Grunewald Tower on the River Havel offers a spectacular view of the idylllic Havel landscape. A total of 204 steps lead to the observation platform of this red-brick building which was erected in 1897.
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Schlachtensee
The lake Schlachtensee is one of Berlin’s most popular swimming lakes. A boardwalk around the lake invites for strolling or jogging, a green recreation park for sunbathing.
Stasi Museum (Forschungs-und Gedenkstätte Normannenstrasse)
The museum is located in the former in the offices of the former Ministry for State Security (the so-called Stasi). Photos, documents and equipment used in the surveillance of GDR citizens can be inspected.
It's one of the oldest streets in Berlin and is the old highway to Frankfurt an der Oder, starting at the end of Karl-Marx-Allee. As you come into the city centre from the east, you get an an impressive view of the TV Tower from Frankfurter Tor.
Karl-Marx-Allee
Karl-Marx-Allee is one of the most impressing examples of architecture in the GDR. Numerous imposing residential blocks from the 1950’s designed in the classical Socialist style, also referred to as " wedding-cake style", can be found here.
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Nordbahnhof
The former Stettin Station is located near Invalidenstraße in the north of Berlin-Mitte. It was one of the three major terminal stations in the city before the war. Today, a remnant of the suburban train station remains standing, while the S-Bahn trains now travel underground under the former path of the Berlin Wall.
Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer
Located directly at the former border strip the Berlin Wall Memorial is a reminder for the division of Berlin. A piece of the Berlin Wall with border strip and watchtower and an open-air exhibition give an impression of the time when Berlin was diveded.
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Checkpoint Charlie
The Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous border crossing between West and East Berlin. It was a transition point only for the members of the Allied forces. Today "Berlin Wall Museum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie," is located nearby.
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Pariser Platz
The famous Unter den Linden boulevard runs to Pariser Platz on the eastern side of the Brandenburg Gate. Until 1989, this square was a part of no-man's land between the two sides of the Berlin Wall; it has become a popular destination for tourists since the reunification of Germany.
Wilhelmstraße
Wilhelmstraße was home to important government institutions in pre-war Germany. Today, nineteen buildings along this street in Berlin-Mitte have been listed. Displays along the street remind passers-by of the fateful history of the street during the National Socialist period.
Topographie des Terrors
The exhibition “Topography of Terror“ is located on the site where the centres of national-socialist terror, namely the Gestapo with its own prison had their headquarters. Another permanent exhibition deals with the role of Berlin as capital of the "Third Reich". One original remainder of the Berlin Wall is also part of the site.
Bebelplatz
The square Bebelplatz is is located on the famous boulevard Unter den Linden. The opera house Staatsoper, the St. Hedwig's Cathedral and the library of the Humboldt University surround the Bebelplatz. The subterranean monument by Micha Ullmann commemorates the "book burning" organised by the Nazis, that took place there.
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Denkmal zur Erinnerung an die Bücherverbrennung
The subterranean monument by Israeli artist Micha Ullmann remembers the "book burning" organised by the Nazis that place at the Bebelplatz. Under a sunken glass plate you can see the “Library”, a room full of empty bookshelves remembering the burnt books and the emptiness they left.
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Neue Wache
The Neue Wache memorial has been the main memorial site for the victims of war and tyranny since the Reunification. The historic building houses the the large sculpture "Mother with her Dead Son" by Käthe Kollwitz.
KurfürstendammThe Kurfürstendamm (also called Kudamm) is Berlin’s most popular shopping area. Many department stores, shores and exclusive boutiques of famous fashion designer are located on the boulevard, that goes all the way from Breitscheidplatz to the Grunewald.
Tauentzienstraße
The Tauentzienstraße leads to Kurfürstendamm. The famous mall Kaufhaus des Westens (also known as KaDeWe) is situated at Wittenbergplatz. The Breitscheidplatz with the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Memorial church) marks the end of the Tauentzienstraße.
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Kaufhaus des Westens
KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens – the ‘Department Store of the West’) is the best-known department store in Germany. It offers an attractive mixture of upmarket and luxury goods and an almost legendary delicatessen department in the sixth floor.
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Breitscheidplatz
Breitscheidplatz in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf at the beginning of the famous Kurfürstendamm has gained worldwide fame due to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The church is a landmark of West Berlin and was left in ruins as a war memorial.
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche
The protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is a memorial to peace and reconciliation. The church not only consists of the ruins of the church which was destroyed during World War II but it also includes contemporary church architecture. It is thus a living contrast between modernism and history.
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Europa Center
It is the classic one among the shopping centres of the City West. Diagonally across from the Gedächtniskirche, around 70 stores and numerous restaurants and the famous Berliner Cabaret “The Porcupines” invite for shopping and strolling and Entertainment.
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Fasanenstraße
This side street off Kurfürstendamm is one of the most elegant streets in Berlin is full of chic boutiques, tasteful shops and galleries. Fasanenstraße is also home to the Käthe-Kollwitz-Museum and the Literaturhaus.
Bleibtreustraße
Bleibtreustraße is a side street off Kurfürstendamm that leads to Savignyplatz. This cosy street is home to many upper-class houses from the turn of the last century with imposing entrances. Small boutiques, original shops, good restaurants and a popular cinema add to the street's charm.