35 best things to do in Berlin

Aside from being the capital of Germany, Berlin is also one of the sixteen known states of Germany. There is a lot of Things to do in Berlin such as sightseeing, resting in the gardens and parks, and there are lots of other attractions as well. Here is the list of Top places you must see and visit in Berlin.

Things to do in Berlin – Sights

1. Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is not only the most famous monument in Berlin, but it is also its symbol. Originally served as a city gate, where the toll was charged. It was completed at the end of 18th century.

Brandenburg Gate, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Thomas Wolf

2. Reichstag

Reichstag is a historic landmark and at the same time serves as the seat of a part of German Parliament, known as Bundestag. The building was built at the end of 19th century. It features wide grassy land where people can sit or even lie down and rest for a while.

Reichstag, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Matthew Field

3. Holocaust Memorial

Holocaust Memorial is another historic place in Berlin. This serves as a tribute for the Jewish people that were killed during the extermination plan of Hitler.

Memorial consists of 2,711 gray concrete blocks of various dimensions which should evoke the impression of waves from above.

Holocaust Memorial, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Mark Fosh

4. East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery is known to be the longest Berlin Wall in existence. It has paintings of different artists from different parts of the world which suggest the message of freedom.

This is a simple place in Berlin which has earned a reputation as one of the few places in the world where the message of freedom is conveyed.

East Side Gallery in Berlin, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Paul VanDerWerf

5. Museum Island / Museuminsel

Museum Island is composed of five museums that are located between Spree River and Kupfergraben canal. These museums show a lot of art work from different eras of artists. Since 1999 the museums are a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Museum Island, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Thomas Wolf

6. Nikolaiviertel

Nikolaiviertel is one of the most famous neighborhoods of Berlin, which is close to the Museum Island. This part of Berlin is lined with cafes, traditional German pubs, and souvenir shops. It is named after St. Nicholas church which is the oldest church in the city. But there are lots of other important buildings in this district.

Nikolaiviertel district, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Oh-Berlin.com

7. Berliner Dom

Berliner Dom is the largest church in the city. It was built in the 18th century by Prussia’s king Frederick the Great on the site of the palace. Berliner Dom was almost completely destroyed during the World War II and it took several decades to renovate it.

Berliner Dom, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Matthias Trautsch

8. Lustgarten

Lustgarten is a great garden around Berliner Dom and Old Gallery, which is part of the Museum Island. The park served to various purposes in the past. In the 16th century, the ruling dynasty of Hohenzollern used it as a place for growing exotic plants and a century later it became a walking garden.

Lustgarten as seen from Berliner Dom, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Tim Gage

9. Memorial Church

In Berlin, there are lots of churches and the Memorial Church is one of the most famous churches at all. Well, it is only a tower that still stands there as a result of bombing during World War II.

The rest has unfortunately been completely damaged. This church has not been renovated to remind the war and its horrible consequences.

Memorial Church, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by GerardM

10. Unter den Linden

Unter den Linden is one of the most famous and oldest streets in Berlin. At the end of the 16th century, it served as a connection road between the municipal palace (Berliner Stadtschloss) and the Tiergarten park.

About fifty years later the Prussian King Frederick William I, planted about 1,000 lindens and 1,000 walnut trees here. Although a large part of them already died, lindens grow further and gave the street its name.

Unter den Linden, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Jukka

11. Potsdamer Platz

This is the famous square in Berlin where one can shop, roam around, eat and seek entertainment. There are lots of things that can be done on the square. Potsdamer Platz is one of the squares, which combines older architecture with a modern urban architecture.

Potsdamer Platz, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Andreas Tille

12. Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie was a popular crossing point in the Berlin Wall and has become quite popular among tourists today. On one side there were tanks of Soviet Union on the other tanks of US Army. Because of its history and the way it gained its name, it slowly became famous and popular.

Checkpoint Charlie, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Adrian Purser

13. Hackesche Höfe

Hackesche Höfe is a complex of 8 courtyards covering an area of 10,000 square meters. Therefore it is one of the biggest entertainment spaces of its kind in Europe.

Its construction began in 1906, and this is why the most of the complex buildings have been built in the style of historicism and art nouveau.

Hackesche Höfe, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Wolfgang Staudt

14. Gendarmenmarkt

Gendarmenmarkt is now one of the most beautiful squares in Berlin. Its history dates back to the 17th century and now is famous mainly for the two baroque cathedrals that stand here – Deutscher Dom and Francösischer Dom and a statue of the poet Friedrich Schiller in the middle.

Gendarmenmarkt square, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Robert Young

15. Oberbaum Bridge

Oberbaum Bridge is a bridge over the river Spree that connects the Berlin districts of Friedrichshain (East Berlin) and Kreuzberg (West Berlin).

The bridge is now together with the Brandenburg Gate a symbol of unity of the city. It is the longest and the most beautiful bridge in Berlin.

Oberbaum Bridge, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Sarah Jane

16. Charlottenburg Palace

Charlottenburg Palace was built at the request of the Prussian King Frederick I in 1699 as a summer palace for his wife Sophia Charlotte. And it is her who is this palace named after.

It is the largest palace in Berlin and houses a collection of French paintings from the 18th century and collections of Chinese and Japanese porcelain, among others.

Charlottenburg Palace, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by hslo

17. Olympiastadion

Olympiastadion is the largest sports stadium in Germany. On its place, however, stood another stadium called the German stadium (Deutsches Stadion), which was built on the occasion of the Summer Olympics of 1916, although the games were not held due to the World War I.

At this time it was the world’s largest sports stadium with up to 40,000 spectators.

Olympiastadion, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Miguel Silva Barral

18. Berlin Television Tower / Fernsehturm

Berlin Television Tower is undoubtedly one of the biggest landmarks of Berlin. With its height of 368 meters, it is the highest observation point in Berlin.

With about 1 million visitors per year, the tower is one of the most visited attractions in the city. It is also the 4th tallest structure in Europe – after television towers in Moscow, Kiev, and Riga.

Berlin Television Tower, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Arild Vågen

19. Victory Column / Siegessäule

Victory Column was built in 1864 at the request of the former Prussian Emperor Wilhelm I of Prussia and commemorates victory in the Danish-Prussian War in 1864.

Now it can be found on Großer Stern square since it was moved from its original site Königsplatz (Platz der Republik).

Victory Column, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by John Menard

20. Alexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz, which Berliners sometimes call simply Alex, is one of the most famous squares in Berlin. It was named after the Russian Tsar Alexander I and served as a cattle market and later as a space for exhibitions or shows.

Now it is an important transport hub and houses numerous important buildings and sights including famous World clock.

World Clock, Alexanderplatz, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Christian Wolf

Things to do in Berlin – Parks

21. Tiergarten

Tiergarten is now an urban park where people can freely walk and roam around and eventually rest. It features a wide woody part which is perfect for playing games.

The thick cover of the leaves of the trees protects people inside of it from sunlight and thus becomes a perfect place to conduct family picnics and friendly getaways.

Tiergarten, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Edwin Lee

22. Viktoriapark

Viktoriapark is a park with a beautiful waterfall that flows down from the top of the Kreuzberg hill, which is the highest point in Berlin. Although it is only 66 meters high.

Waterfall in Viktoriapark, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Graccem

23. Volkspark Friedrichshain

Volkspark Friedrichshain is Berlin’s oldest park, named after Berlin’s district Friedrichshain. It was built in the 19th century as a holiday place east of the city. During World War II the park was completely destroyed but was later renovated.

Volkspark Friedrichshain, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Manfred Brückels

24. Treptower Park

Treptower Park is another large park in the southeastern part of the city (Treptow-Koepenick district) along the banks of the River Spree. Perhaps the best-known place of the park is a monument to Soviet soldiers who died in the Battle of Berlin in the year of 1945.

Soviet War Memorial, Treptower Park, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Matt Biddulph

Things to do in Berlin – Lakes

Nature lovers will certainly welcome the fact that Berlin is a very green city. In addition to many parks, Berlin offers several lakes, where you can do water sports or simply relax and admire their beauty.

25. Wannsee

Wannsee is probably the most popular place for recreation and water sports in Berlin with a 1.3-kilometer long sandy beach. It is the largest lakeside holiday resort in Europe with more than 1,800 deck chairs.

Wannsee, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by t-stern

26. Müggelsee

Müggelsee is one of the largest lakes in the city located in its southeastern part Treptow-Koepenick. The lake offers swimming or boating activities and you can stay in numerous hotels all around the lake.

Müggelsee, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Andrew Dolman

27. Tegeler See

Tegeler See is one of the most beautiful lakes in Berlin, near the international airport Tegel. Near the lake, you can visit the castle and park Freizeitpark Tegel, from where you can go on the boat tour around the lake.

Tegeler See, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Lienhard Schulz

Things to do in Berlin – Attractions

28. AquaDom & Sea Life

Do you love marine life? Then you must visit the giant aquarium AquaDom & Sea Life with rare species of fish and corals. Located in the Hotel Radisson near Alexanderplatz, AquaDom is the largest aquarium of its kind in the world and is filled with up to 1,000 liters of water.

AquaDom, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Vxla

29. Film Museum

Film Museum can be found on Potsdamer Platz in the Sony Center and focuses primarily on German cinema since its birth, over a period of silent cinema to the present day.

Part of the museum is a permanent exhibition of Marlene Dietrich that showcases her lifelong career and exhibited some of her personal items such as original costumes from her movies and private photos and videos.

Film Museum, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Schlaier

30. Zoo Berlin

Legendary Zoo Berlin is the oldest zoo in Germany (it was opened already in 1844), boasting the highest number of species in the world.

Do not forget to visit the zoo mascot – a polar bear Knut, or aquarium with the largest biodiversity of marine life in Europe.

Knut in Zoo Berlin, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Marmontel

31. German Museum of Technology

German Museum of Technology in Berlin is the largest museum of technology in the world with an area of 50,000 square meters.

It is divided into 17 sectors in which you can see an exhibition of locomotives, aircraft or ships, or learn how to make a variety of jewelry and paper.

German Museum of Technology, Things to do in Berlin by Patrick Metzdorf

32. Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

Madame Tussaud has finally opened its own museum in Berlin back in 2008. Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum is a home to the leaders of German political, sporting, scientific and cultural scene.

Here you will have a chance to see and talk to actress Marlene Dietrich, scientist Albert Einstein, Chancellor Angela Merkel, tennis player Boris Becker or playwright Berthold Brecht and much​ more.

Sissi in Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by pixabay / Public license

33. The Story of Berlin

The Story of Berlin is interesting museum established with the ​aim to map the history of the city of Berlin since its inception up to the present day.

Its interactive exhibition of modern history is very interesting. The exhibition is divided into 23 thematic rooms that will guide you through the rich 800-year history.

The Story of Berlin, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by story-of-berlin.de

34. Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden is one of the largest botanical gardens in Europe, being a home to 18,000 species of flora. It is situated in a green district of Dahlem.

Cactus Pavilion, Botanical Garden, Things to do in Berlin, Germany by Flo

35. Tropical Islands

Tropical Islands is a huge aquapark located about 70 kilometers of the Berlin’s city center and since its opening, it has become one of the best aquaparks in Europe at all.

It is a huge Tropical world which you simply have to visit while spending some time in or around Berlin!

Tropical Islands, Things to do in Berlin by Technouwe

How to get to Berlin ?

To get to Berlin, you can search on our partner’s website Skyscanner.

Where to stay in Berlin?

The German capital is full of youth hostels and that’s a big advantage. You can stay there for very cheap. Don’t hesitate to read our article to find out the best place to stay in Berlin. You can also use this hotel aggregator to find a hotel in Berlin.

These were the most popular places to see in Berlin. Is there anything still missing on the list? Please let me know below in the comments so that I can enhance this list even more. 🙂