My husband and son are traveling this May and will spend four days in Berlin. They have already signed up for a day with a guide who comes highly recommended by members of this Forum. For the remaining three days: what are the must see museums/sights?
Is it necessary to book admissions to those sites in advance? They are interested both in history and art museums as well as music, parks, etc.
Thank you!
I did not find that you need to book anything advance in Berlin. You should have the husband and son Google "historical sites, museums, concerts, parks in Berlin" and have them read to see what they find is a must see.
Book the Reichstag dome in advance. I'm not aware of anything else that would require an advance booking.
https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/registration-245686
"Must-do" sights depend on their interests. I'd tell them to ask their guide for suggestions of things they're interested in that were not covered on their tour.
When in May?
May is a busy month in Berlin. e. g. for Cup Final match, larger conferences and other events.
For the large relevant museums of Museum Island I recommend to pre-book a time slot.
Must-sees are top 10 and likely Tech Museum for the gents.
If you specify which history era or which kind of art more recommendations are possible.
Berlin History app is recommended.
Food tip in May is Wiener Schnitzel with white asparagus (e. g. from Beelitz) with a Sauce Hollandaise.
Food tip in May is Wiener Schnitzel with white asparagus (e. g. from Beelitz) with a Sauce Hollandaise
That's really interesting. And it also shows that while there is typical German food - white asparagus with hollandaise sauce - it's eaten differently in different regions.
So yes, Wiener Schnitzel, an immigrant from Austria, has spread throughout Germany, but I've never eaten it with white asparagus. It might happen here as well, but it's considered a sin in my region to eat a deliciously golden brown Wiener Schnitzel with any type of sauce.
But anyway, I find Beelitz not only famous for asparagus, but also very nice in other ways - even outside of the Beelitz-Heilstätten.
We found the Spionage Museum (Spy Museum) to be maybe the most fun museum we've ever visited. We were a little reluctant to go, since it has a very slick and commercial appearance. But once inside we found the exhibits to be very well researched and at a much higher level than we anticipated. Big thumbs up from us.
The art and German history museums were ... okay. The East Germany museum was fun and fascinating but absolutely packed. Many of the most interesting exhibits were jammed with people trying to see them, which lessened my enjoyment considerably. But we visited in August; perhaps in May you'll find fewer crowds. Enjoy your trip!
Book the Reichstag dome in advance.
I always recommend the behind the scenes tour of the Budestag with a visit to the dome after, but it looks like there are very few dates available in May so that may be off the table. There are more times available for just a dome visit, so if they want to do that, definitely make a reservation asap.
For anything they decide is a "must see" I'd book tickets ahead, but I don't like to be disappointed. I personally liked the various wall museums, especially the small Tranenplast museum https://www.visitberlin.de/en/tranenpalast
The only thing we booked in advance was the Reichtag (we took the official tour which ended with a visit to the dome). It was a bit of a process to book the tour and I believe they do sell out. This was last summer, 2024.
While the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) is being renovated, they have a fantastic temporary exhibition called Roads Not Taken which looks at various historical turning points in German history (which in several cases means "world" history) since the mid-1800s. I'd hugely recommend it if that sounds up your street.
For Nazi history I would recommend the Topography of Terror permanent exhibition, which is one of the best-put-together and most thorough museums on that subject I've encountered anywhere. However, it is very sombre and heavy (unsurprising given the subject matter), in case that's not your thing.
The Topography of Terror is free and open long hours, but you'll need to pay (not a lot) to get into the German Historical Museum.
Thanks to all for their recommendations.
