Weekend Berlin: Great destinations for an ideal short holiday

Berlin's Historic Architecture

First, visitors should check out some of Berlin's historical architecture. The Brandenburg Gate, a Neoclassical structure with six columns topped with a four-horse chariot, is perhaps the city's most famous monument.
The Berlin Cathedral showcases New Baroque architecture and has a 75-meter high dome that provides superb views. The interior includes the Imperial Staircase, decorated with paintings.
The Victory Column, a monument set in the middle of a roundabout, is a 70-meter high structure topped with a gold Victoria statue. Visitors can climb to the top of the monument for some great views over the Tiergarten.

Museums and Galleries in Berlin

Museum Island includes some of the city's most notable museums. The Bodes Museum displays Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance art. Its standard admission fee is 10 euros, and with temporary exhibitions included 12 euros.
The Altes Museum houses the antiquities collection and showcases a vast collection of decorative arts. The museum's standard tickets are also 10 euros.
The Pergamon also exhibits antiquities, and is most notable for housing original, reconstructed monuments, including the Pergamon Altar and the Market Gate of Miletus. The entry fee for the Pergamon is 12 euros. If you plan to visit more than one of the Museum Island's institutions, bear in mind that a single ticket can be bought to access all of them for one day.
The Currywurst Museum is, of course, devoted to Germany's signature currywurst (sausage with a curry-ketchup sauce). The museum covers the history of fast food, the currywurst war, and Germany's sausage industry. The entrance fee is 11 euros, but concessions start at 8.5 euros.
The German Museum of Technology exhibits a technical artifact collection. It showcases trains and aircraft, such as the Junker Ju 52 and the Messerschmitt Bf 110. The museum's admission fee is eight euros with a four euros concession.

Berlin's Theatre and Opera Venues

Perhaps the most notable of Berlin's many theatre and opera venues is the Konzerthaus concert hall. The concert hall includes shows from the Konzerthausorchester Berlin symphony orchestra.
The Komische Oper Berlin is a great opera and ballet venue, which includes modern musical theatre productions on its programme.
Note that most of Berlin's theatrical productions are in German with English subtitles. However, one notable exception is the Berlin English Theatre, the city's one English theatre with German subtitles. The theatre includes international guest productions along with the company's own shows.

Berlin Forests, Parks, and Gardens

There are expansive gardens and forests in and around Berlin, like the 32-square-kilometre Grunewald, to the city's west. The forest has an abundance of wildlife and three lakes that are great for water sports.
The Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden is a 104-acre botanical garden. The gardens include thousands of plant species and an arboretum with further trees and shrubs. Visitors can also check out the Botanical Museum, which houses more than two million plants.
A visit to Tempelhofer Feld is also a great idea -- the site of the former airport is now a giant, expansive flat park where visitors can stroll right down the runway.

Alternative Berlin

Besides its historical sites and high culture venues, Berlin is known for its counter-culture. Take a walk around emerging neighborhoods in the Kreuzberg and Neukölln districts and explore a variety of cafes, tiny boutiques, small parks, and pleasant bars.
Those who visit Berlin can arrive at either Tegel International Airport or Schönefeld. Europe Shuttle provides airport transfers to various destinations. From the airports visitors can take the S-Bahn train, though regional trains may be a quicker alternative. Note that the Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof are the primary rail stations in Berlin.
Easily reached and with plenty of cultural and historical alternatives to see, these are just a few of the locations recommended for a weekend in Berlin.

Planning your trip to Berlin? Check out our favorite downtown hotels in Berlin.

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.