Visiting Berlin

I wouldn't tell you what to see and miss because that's all a matter of personal preference. (Do you like history, art, pretty buildings, etc.?) I do want to say that we saw a small theater production on the eastern side. My German isn't good enough to understand theater productions, but....it was opening night; everybody was wearing black, and we got to be a part of the reception. I've never felt so immersed in the "world of cool" before.

One museum I liked that is not listed in Rick's guidebook, is the former Stasi Headquarters museum.
The Stasi is the name of the former East German secret police, and was infamous for its total repression of the citizenry during the cold war. I highly recommend that you rent the Academy Award winning film "Lives of Others"(just released on DVD) for background on the history. Many scenes from the film were actually filmed in and outside the building. www.stasimuseum.de/en/enindex.htm

I highly recommend the walking guide "Berlin Made Easy." There are some great walks through interesting Berlin neighborhoods (and a really good Berlin Wall Walk).

For a big thrill that's absolutely free, walk through the Brandenberger Tor. That whole area (where the Wall used to be) is constantly changing and is fascinating to walk around in. Berlin is a combination of old and brand-new that has its own restless, incomparable energy. This probably sounds too New Age for words, besides being inadequte; if anyone out there can put Berlin's unique atmosphere into words, I'll read them very gladly!

Walk along the Unter den Linden, a long avenue in what was once East Berlin, just inside the Brandenburg Gate.
There are terrific places all along it, especially (some distance inside) the Pergammon Museum and the Berlin Cathedral, as well as the "East German" TV tower. If you like zoos, Berlin has a nice one, conveniently located at the Zoo s-bahn stop.Get a map of Berlin with the attractions shown thereon and take s-bahns and metro to them. We enjoyed a visit to a botanical garden in the west end of Berlin

We absolutely loved our week in Berlin! Checkpoint Charlie was the hit in our group 8-71. There were 6 of us so moving about was a challenge and we separated a couple of times. The other half went to the Egyptian museum which they said was very small Egypt and lots of other stuff while we went to History museum. I wish I'd skipped the early years (1000 BC) and just looked at the 19 & 20th Centuries. We liked the DDR museum with kids, and I wouldn't miss the Reichstag; we did it at night and it was amazing! Also enjoyed our neighborhood; we stayed in Savygnyplatz (sp?) and it was easy to come home and relax in the evenings.

Berlin has so much to do! If you like history, the Reichstag, Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, and Topography of Terror are all interesting and not far from each other. The Martin-Gropius-Bau is also nearby and they have good art exhibits. And the Brandenburg Gate, of course.

The Jewish Museum and Holocaust Memorial are also worthwhile. The Bauhaus Archive is nice if you like design and architecture. I also recommend the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedaechtniskirche. Karl-Marx-Allee is worth walking along to look at socialist-era architecture.

On my last trip I bought a day pass for public transportation and hopped on and off buses in different neighborhoods to explore on foot. There's a company called Original Berlin Walks that does walking tours. A friend recreated the Jewish walking tour for me so I didn't go with the group, but the content was the same and I found it quite interesting.

For shopping, KaDeWe is an experience. Try the open-air mkts, too. Enjoy!