What else to see in a Berlin?

Berlin has a wealth of historic sights, many of them related to key 20th century events. There's a lot of useful information right on this website, starting with Rick's list of highlights and his 2014 TV show on Berlin, viewable here.

There are magnificent museums, too. You might take a look at the Pergamon's website, just to be sure it holds no interest for you.

From the tour itinerary:

Day 12: Berlin's Historic Heart
We'll begin our day with a fascinating walking tour through the historic heart of Berlin, including Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, and memorials to the earth-shaking events and sacrifices of the past century. This evening we'll have our last dinner together, sharing travel memories and toasting new friends.

Looks like it will be centered in the Mitte (city center). Great museums on the Museum Insel. The Pergamon is the most distinctive with its large collection of Middle Eastern artifacts. The Wall Museum is by the old Nordbahnhof reachable on the S-bahn. Take a walk up along Bernauer Strasse to see a section of the wall, and a park with interpretive displays. Ends at the Bernauer Str U-Bahn station, where you can get a train to Alexanderplatz, showcase of the old East Berlin. Take the U-2 to Zoologischer Garten station to the Kaiser wilhelm Memorial Church. Nice zoo as well. Victory Column in the Tiergarten.

Just a couple of a thousand things.

I'd go on a good themed tour with Insider Tours - 3rd Reich, Cold War, Jewish Berlin, etc.
http://www.insidertour.com/

Perhaps plan a visit to Sachsenhausen KZ. Track 17 is very moving as are the exhibits at the Olympic Stadium.

You'll love Potsdam with its park (easily reached with the S-Bahn) and Charlottenburg (with an U-Bahn stop).
Another special sight is Treptower Park with its Soviet war memorial (also on the S-Bahn network).

The DDR Museum

Check to see if there are behind the scenes tours for the Bundestag (Reichstag building) while you're there. You have to reserve ahead and bring your passport to go through security. A very interesting tour of the inside of the building (including preserved Russian graffiti on the walls). The tour ends at the dome for fantastic views. http://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/tours

I also second the Insider Tours, a good value. I enjoyed all of the wall oriented museums (there are many), especially the main exhibit (http://www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de/en/) and the Palace of Tears (https://www.visitberlin.de/en/tranenpalast-0)

The rebuilt Reichstag is fascinating, and the view from the glass dome is hard to match. However, the full tour depends on applying well ahead of time for security reasons. If your guided tour does not cover the whole building, I would definitely consider returning on your own -- with your security check complete, of course. It can be done on-line.

Thanks for the ideas. The Insider tours sound like something we’d enjoy, but which one? Does anyone know if Ricks tour just gives an overview of Ww2 and the Cold War, or does it do a good job of covering both time periods? I realize you can’t cover it all in a day but If it is just an overview then I feel comfortable choosing any of the Insider tours, I just don’t want the same information/sites twice.
We are also going to spend a day in Potsdam as well to see yet another side of the area.

I recommend booking time to go up in the dome of the Reichstag (your tour itinerary doesn't mention if you do that or if you just see the building from the outside). The dome is amazing for many reasons -- the views of the city, the history of the building, the architectural planning and foresight that went into it, and the philosophical aspects (making government visible to the citizenry). It was a highlight of our Berlin visit.

Kathi:

I was in Berlin for a week+ this past October. This is what I would recommend:

Buy a copy of the Rick Steve's guidebook to Berlin; the very first edition was published this past September. This book, like all of the RS books, contains a two page listing of the most popular sites in the city ranked by popularity. Compare this list with the day by day itinerary published with the tour description on this web site and cross out anything already scheduled on the RS tour. Review what is left over and decide how to plan your time. If you have only a few days on your own you will probably spend all that time in the Mitte district of the city. What I found enjoyable was a 1-1/2 hour tour on a Segway. You cover a lot more ground than if you were on a walking tour and you expend much less energy than if you were taking a bicycle tour. Some places will rent out a Segway by the hour without a guide which might be a good option if you know where you are going.

Have a good trip.