Berlin: must do's

Some possibly less obvious sights & sites:
East Berlin is often forgotten. If you can find the time, have a look at the Karl-Marx-Allee, especially the part around the Frankfurter Tor. This was a prestige project of the then young German Democratic Republic. Another reminder of this period is the grandiose Soviet War Memorial (»Sowjetisches Ehrenmal«) in the Treptower Park.
When the weather is fine, have a look at the former Tempelhof Airport. Famous for the Airlift of the late 1940s, after its closure some years ago it has started a new life as a huge urban green space.

Hi,

I agree totally on going to eastern Berlin, spend most of your time there...Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstrasse, (numerous interesting shops, esp on music, books, etc) Prenzlauer Berg, Mitte. even the neighborhood at S-Bahn station Jannowitzbrücke. I like Karlshorst and Köpenick, both historically interesting eastern districts.

My favourite site in Berlin is the Reichstag. The guided tour is excellent - and free! Norman Foster restored the building with the guiding them of "living history" and that's exactly what it now represents.

You do need to make reservations ahead of time:
http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/visits/besgrupp/fuehr

The English speaking Reichstag tour is offered only once a week (Tuesdays?). You find a language category box on the reservation site. If you don't have a reservation, you can line up at a booth for same day tickets - but the line-up can be long and no guarantee.

For a cheap overview tour of Berlin sites - take the bus #100. Starts at Zoo, through embassy row, past Congress Hall, Victory column, seat of president (Bellevue castle), Potsdamer Platz, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Museums Island, Tv tower and ends up at Alexander Platz. It's a regular double decker city bus - you get to meet locals and lots of other tourists and the cost is about Euro 2.50.
Here's a website for Bus 100: http://www.berlin.de/en/tourism/photos-and-pictures/1776609-2964806.gallery.en.html?page=1

I would go on one of the many themed walking tours on offer in Berlin: Cold War, 3rd Reich, Jewish Berlin, Berlin Underground. Most of them only cost 14 € for a 4 hour tour. Led by passionate, professional guides, you will come away from Berlin with a deeper understanding about the city and its' history. Personal recommendations is Insider Tours. http://www.insidertour.com/

You could also visit Track 17, the Olympic Stadium, Wannsee Villa, or perhaps Ravensbruck or Sachsenhausen Concentration Camps.

We found the time spent waiting on Bus #100 a total waste. Unless you get the front seats, you have a rather boring ride looking out side windows, plus you spend a lot of time sitting at traffic lights and in traffic. The buses were so full, we had to wait around for the next one. Afterwards we were annoyed that we had wasted so much time on this.

We absolutely loved the Fat Tire bike tour - it was a great intro to Berlin and you can keep the bike for the rest of the day after your tour. Berlin is easy peasy biking.

The Holocaust Memorial is a must see. There is also the east Side Gallery and I second Prenzlauer Berg.

I second the Fat Tire Bike Tour. Ended up having the best lasagne EVER during the ride when we stopped at the park for lunch.

Hi,

True about the eastern side being forgotten, once you go beyond Mitte. I won't comment on tours in Berlin given your time availability. The Rough Guide Berlin is very recommendable, aside from getting a history book on the city. Since you staying in Brandenburg Gate area, how much time do you want to devote to walking, (Berlin is also a walking town), say from the Brandenburg Gate to Alexanderplatz...a pretty long stretch but in going that direction, you see close up Pariser Platz, Unter den Linden, all the historical buildings connected with Berlin history such as the Russian Embassy, Humboldt Uni, Reiterdenkmal (Frederick the Great). Neue Wache, Berliner Dom, Französischer Dom, Bebelsplatz, Landwehr Brücke, If it's specific historical sites you're after, I would suggest also the Invalidenfriedhof, ca 30 mins from Berlin Hbf.

I would suggest checking out the Tourist Office at Pariser Platz, just on eastern side of the Brandenburg Gate. The western side has a sign with "Vormärz" on it, referring to March 1848.

Berlin has many days of top tier sights, so you must be brutally selective. Do look at various lists of options and see what interests you. I do agree with Ms. Jo's recommendation of a walking tour - it's a great way to get a handle on the city's history, and the overlapping of history in a small space.

When I went with my mother in 2012, I only went to the aquarium to please her, but we both ended up loving it. I had been to the zoo previously, but I loved the aquarium far more. Similarly, she only went to the remaining section of the Berlin Wall near the Nordbahnhof station to please me, but we both loved it. There is an exhibit in the station itself about the "ghost stations" and escape attempts through them, then you see several videos about the wall (free) and see the wall itself (it's the only remaining section with the full double wall construction intact).

The botanic gardens, which we were both looking forward to, were just OK. But if you are even the slightest bit interested in history, the German History Museum is a must, and allow as much time as you can (I could easily have spent a full day there). The DDR Museum was another thing we both enjoyed a lot.

The most interesting museum I visited in Berlin was the small DDR museum. It includes the stuff you would expect, like exhibits on Stasi-repression and economic stagnation, but also a lot of regular everyday social history. I love the TV news clips, like one in particular in which an elderly couple beam with (likely forced) gratitude for the souless and decrepit little apartment provided to them by the state. And you can also experience a simulated drive of a Trabi!

I know most people don't travel to Europe to visit zoos, but I think Berlin has the second best in the country (top honors go to Leipzig, though). There's simply a huge variety of particularly charismatic animals to see here.

My wife and I were in Belin for several days a couple of years back. We had planned a city walking tour for an early Sunday afternoon, but awoke to torrential (okay, moderately heavy) rain. After a very late breakfast at our hotel (near the Hauptbahnhof) we opted to devote an hour or so to the German Film Museum (https://www.deutsche-kinemathek.de/en) at Potsdamer Strasse 2. Because my wife taught film and video we felt this would be an interesting, if short, diversion. We were there for about three and a half hours - we almost missed meeting up with our friends for an early dinner. This is a great museum, even if you are not chased indoors by the rain!

On our first trip, we took a walking tour of the city with Original Berlin Walks and it was excellent! Highly recommend if you want to see all the major sights with a fun, knowledgeable guide.

My recommendations are a bit lower key, if not lower brow. (Aside from previous mentions)

I found the German History museum to be excellent, seeing that for most of us Germany means WW 1, WW2, and the Cold War, overlooking the fractured and convoluted history prior to that

For food, you probably are plenty familiar with german food, but I did enjoy the Sunday buffet at Hofbrauhaus, a wide selection of bavarian favorites at a reasonable price.

I was in Berlin in June 2015 and loved it. Our hotel was in East Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood. We walked a lot and went to a lot of restaurants that were Thai, Indonesian or some combo of different cuisines from Asia. Great food. Someone mentioned the German History Museum which is fascinating, we could have spent a day there. Also, we loved the Pergamon Museum full of antiquities of Greek, Roman and Islamic origin on Museum Island. And, the Gemaldegalerie, a wonderful art museum with 2 Vermeers, I seem to recall there were 2. Also, we went to the Jewish Museum, very striking and moving. The Monument to the Murdered Jews is also very moving. Overall, Berlin is full of things to do depending on your interests. You will love it!
Judy B

I second the behind the scenes tour of the Reichtstag mentioned above - reservations a must, plus plan a little extra time for passing through security. You can only do this when Parliament is not in session, so hopefully they're on hiatus. The tour ends at the dome for a self-guided visit. I did a 7 p.m. evening tour - was fun to see the sun set over the city. Even if there aren't behind the scenes tours, a visit to the dome is well worth it alone.

I also agree with visiting the various Berlin Wall memorials - they're all free. The extensive exhibits at the Nordbahnhof are very interesting (website here) - start at the visitor center and watch the video before you head out to walk the outdoor exhibits. There is also a wonderful small exhibit at the Friedrichstrasse station (see here) that shows the border crossing between east and west.

The 3-day museum pass is worth it if you get in line early (15-30 minutes before opening) for the Pergamon. The bust of Nefertiti at he Neues museum is worth the price of admission alone, just stunning.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Off to Frankfurt tomorrow night, and Berlin for the long weekend. Looking forward to following up on the many suggestions.
As an aside, my husband will join me for a week on this trip. Lufthansa had a one day sale last month: round trip, direct flights from Boston->Frankfurt was $679. Upgrade to Premium Economy for the Eastbound leg was a couple hundred bucks, so great deals can be found! Thanks again. Kate

This is what is happening this week in Frankfurt, etc. since you are arriving tomorrow.

• 31 Aug.-9 Sept. Rhinegauer Wine Fest, Frankfurt Fressgasse
• 1-4 Sept. Wine Festival, Darmstadt, Sunday Shopping
• 1-4 Sept. Wine Fest, Mainz Stadtpark

For something different, Schwerbelastungskörper.