Top things to do in Berlin

It’s a city that can turn a crumbling building occupied by squatters, the underground railway (U-Bahn), or a cold promenade such as Alexander Platz into fascinating icons. The fall of the Berlin wall gave rise to the cosmopolitan city par excellence. Traces of old-world Europe harmoniously coexist with the latest trends. The blend of restaurants, street markets, bars and clubs in this part of Germany’s largest city means that whether you’re looking for historical sightseeing and shopping through the day or top-notch wining, dining and dancing at night, you won’t have to step far from our doors. You’ll even find small theaters and concert halls nearby for a cultured take on the nation's reunified capital. There are always new answers to the question of what to do in Berlin.

1. Berlin Wall and its history

During the cold war the Berlin Wall was constructed and divided the city until 1989 when the wall fell, paving the way for reunification. Little remains of the original wall as most of it was torn down, however there are 3 stretches of wall that still stand: One at the Topography of Terror open air museum, another nicknamed East Side Gallery along the river Spree, and the third partly reconstructed at Bernauer Strasse which was turned into a memorial in 1999. Other parts of the wall such as watchtowers still exist throughout the city.

Another thing to do in Berlin is visiting the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining part of the wall and the largest open-air gallery in the world. More insights are unearthed within The Wall Museum, which includes stories, videos, and preserved artifacts from the structure itself to give you a sense of how things used to be.

2. Explore the Brandenburg Gate and the Kreuzberg neighborhood

One of Europe’s most famous landmarks, this is a former city gate that through which was once one of the only ways to enter the city of Berlin. During the war the gate suffered substantial damage and was closed for passage for almost 30 years during the cold war. After the wall fell the gate was reopened.

Brandenburg Gate, a unique place for going on a bike ride or having a beer in one of Berlin’s typical beer gardens, and the Unter den Linden, an elegant boulevard that will take you to Museum Island, a visit to which is one of the most famous attractions in Berlin.

On one side of Brandenburg Gate, you can find the Holocaust Memorial, which was built in 2005, an unending esplanade filled with concrete stelae that remind us of the extermination of the Jews in Europe. It was designed by architect Peter Eisenman. The tracks left by the war and Nazism can also be followed at the Topography of Terror Documentation Center, on the sites which were once the Gestapo and SS headquarters, in the Kreuzberg borough.

Kreuzberg is a neighborhood that is well known for more than just this impressive museum and features on any list of things to do in Berlin. It is the most fashionable neighborhood in the city. It can be likened to Notting Hill in London with its jam-packed, multicultural streets representing a colorful spectacle. You can find everything from exotic, alternative shops that have the next big thing, such as Core Tex Records on Oranienstrasse, to mosques, Turkish restaurants or museums such as the Jewish Museum.

3. Something to eat or drink when exploring the city

If there is one thing that causes a stir among food-lovers passing through the German capital city, it’s the large number of street food options with typical eats such as the world famous currywurst dogs with sauerkraut made from pickled cabbage, the schnitzel filets or the pretzels – the best snack for combating hunger. Cheap options are aplenty throughout the city.

• "Currywurst" is a German fast food. It’s a grilled pork sausage cut into strips, covered with ketchup and curry sauce. It’s usually accompanied by chips or a bread roll, and you can find it at any fast-food stall throughout the city.
• "Eisbein mit Sauerkraut" is a heavily marbled meat covered in a thick layer of crispy fat. The meat is tender inside but needs to be braised or cooked for a long time, and is often accompanied by "Berliner Weisse", a light, fruity beer.
• The "Berliner" is a doughnut made from sweet dough fried in fat or oil, filled with jam or marmalade and covered in icing sugar, sugar or icing. It’s a popular snack in the afternoon and is sold in most bakeries and is also a must-eat on New Year’s Eve and at Carnival time. Without a doubt, among the things to do in Berlin, you have to try this doughnut.
• "Berliner Potato Soup" is a smooth creamy soup made from potatoes, carrots and herbs. Various chunks of meat are also added to the soup, and it’s topped with pieces of roast onion and served with rye bread.
• "Boulette" – not too dissimilar to a burger, this is a traditional Berliner fried meatball made with ground beef meat, and usually served in a bread roll (hence the burger similarity). Traditionally it comes with mustard, pickled eggs and gherkins, is very filling and is considered by the locals as a great snack to accompany a large beer!

Depending on the time you have available during your stay, there are a few hidden gems for you to try out, starting with the street market at Mauerpark. It’s only open on Sundays but well worth a poke around the stalls, as is Maybachufer, an intriguing Turkish market open on Tuesdays and Fridays. Making Thursdays special is the Street food festival at Markthalle 9, where we recommended to go with a bit of an appetite to take full advantage of their wares.

If you travel in December, another thing to do in Berlin is going to the Berlin Christmas market. A magical picture perfect to enjoy with family or as a couple.

The most fabulous cocktails are made for you at Monkey Bar with the added attraction of amazing city views while you sip. And somewhere with no view, but plenty to see, is the underground tour, Berliner Unterwelten, a subterranean adventure through air-raid shelters and secret tunnels.

Explore the Boxhagener Platz, a square full of bars and restaurants with a wonderful flea market during the weekend. Another couple of great places to stop for refreshment or refueling are the multi-cultural area of Kreuzberg and the very urban Oranienstrasse.

Other places of interest include the Reinstoff, Chef Daniel Achillas' sanctuary that boasts two Michelin stars and is housed in an historic Edison light-bulb factory in the Mitte neighborhood.

A Berlin classic is the headquarters of the original chain of Einstein cafes. Cafe Einstein on the shopping street, Kufürstendamm, offers typical dishes and a Berlin inter-war period ambience. Its pleasant outdoor terrace, its silver serving carts, and waiters dressed in formal attire, takes the diner back to the Europe of Stefan Zweig, for quite a reasonable price.

After recharging your batteries with a coffee, there is nothing better than taking a bike ride and experiencing the local way of life. A large part of the population gets around by bicycle, so there are many companies offering bike rental services throughout the city.

4. Green spaces and family fun in Berlin

Within a bustling major European capital like Berlin, there needs to be space to escape the urban pace and Treptower Park is ideal. Go running, rent a boat, or enjoy a meal while breathing in the fresh air and gazing at the leafy surroundings from one of its restaurants. Aside from that, the city has myriad activities to entertain all members of the visiting family.

Interact with some of the 16,000 animals – including some of the fiercest predators - at Berlin’s Zoo (Zoologischer Garten) or submerge yourself in the world’s largest freestanding aquarium to admire thousands of aquatic creatures at AquaDom & Sea Life. Legoland never disappoints (is one of the best things to do in Berlin with children) and includes fun videos and rides as well as the chance to build something of your own, while the Naturkundemuseum, the city’s natural science museum, is home to the world’s tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton and other marvels of our planet and beyond.

5. Getting around Berlin is easy

Walking between the main sights is fun but for those that are further apart Berlin’s public transport is cheap and easy. 

If you plan to travel to this European city, discover in this other article the connections of the Berlin airports.

6. Parks and palaces: Potsdam for a day

If you have time for a trip away from Berlin then we’d definitely recommend the scenic city of Potsdam, which sits on the southwest border. Known for its stunning parks and palaces, the historical center gives you the background story to the nation’s former royal capital while the House of Brandenburg-Prussian History exhibition is just one of the many museums worth visiting and it’s just a 30-minute journey on public transport.

7. Berlin's museums

This is an area where many of Berlin’s museums are located. Added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1990, 5 internationally renowned museums belong to the Museuminsel: Pergamon museum – contains reconstructed historically significant buildings, for example the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. The Old Museum (Altes Museum) – holds the antique collection from the Berlin State Museums. Egyptian Museum of Berlin – home to one of the worlds most important collections of Egyptian artefacts. The Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgallerie) – displays a collection of 19th century art. The Bode Museum – displays late antique and Byzantine art, as well as various sculpture collections.

8. More things to do in Berlin

• Reichstag is a building that is home to the German parliament. It was previously used for this purpose from its construction in 1894 until in 1933 a fire severely damaged the building. It wasn’t used during the Nazi era, and then after the Second World War it fell into disuse as there was no united parliament. It underwent major reconstruction in 1990 led by British architect Norman Foster, and since 1999 has been used again as the meeting place of the German parliament.
• Potsdamer Platz is a square that is named after the city that lies 25km south of Berlin. It was once one of the busiest squares in Europe with many roads and train lines intersecting there, but was heavily damaged during World War Two and became part of the border between East and West Berlin. After the fall of the Berlin Wall the space became usable again and attracted many investors. Nowadays it is once again on of the central hubs of Berlin with a wide variety of shops, cinemas and restaurants as well as an underground station built in the 1990's.
• Checkpoint Charlie, this is the nickname given to the best-known border crossing point between East and West Berlin during the cold war. It became a symbol of the cold war, as well as a gateway to freedom for some East Germans. After the reunification, the building at the crossing became a tourist attraction, and is now located in the Allied Museum.

Now that you know all the things to do in Berlin, check out our best city center hotels in Berlin.

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Author: David Rickerson-Seidel

Guest Relations Manager at NH Collection Berlin Mitte Friedrichstrasse

My name is David Rickerson-Seidel and I have been part of the NH Hotel Group since September 2015 when the first NH Collection Hotel opened in Germany. After 16 years of hotel experience, I was offered a great chance to meet people from all over the world and each time I was able to learn from them – this is one of the reason why I love my position as a Guest Relation Manager. My daily task is to fulfil our guest’s needs before they actually asking for it. With my passion for my job it is always a great pleasure to see our guests happy and smiling before they leave the hotel and I know that we have done the job right. I always say that the only thing that a guest can’t buy and book in advance is our smiling receptionist with a warm welcoming, the friendly breakfast host who would like to know if you slept well, and our elusive room maid, who is preparing the room so that it feels like home – our employees make the difference – this is why you are not checking into your room at a terminal. Whatever you need – we are always there for you.