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Berlin

The Wall, the Brandenburg Gate and a Capital That Reinvented Itself

Plan this trip
4 daysIdeal stay₹9,050From / night₹2,980Food / day₹2,560Entry

Germany's capital and its biggest city: the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, whose glass dome is free to climb with an online booking, the Holocaust Memorial, what is left of the Wall at Bernauer Strasse and the East Side Gallery, Checkpoint Charlie, and the museums of Museum Island (the Pergamon Museum's main building is closed for renovation until at least 2027). Charlottenburg Palace and Potsdam's palaces are a short ride out. Berlin is one of Europe's easiest cities for vegetarians and vegans, with Indian restaurants in most districts. No flight from India lands here non-stop: one stop through Frankfurt, Munich, the Gulf or Istanbul, or a 4-hour ICE from Frankfurt or Munich.

Highlights

  • Brandenburg Gate at night
  • Reichstag glass dome (free, book online)
  • Berlin Wall Memorial and the East Side Gallery
  • Museum Island
  • Holocaust Memorial
  • Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror
  • Charlottenburg Palace
  • Street food and Kreuzberg evenings

Things to do

  • Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag dome and the Holocaust MemorialMorning · 3h 30m
  • Berlin Wall Memorial and the East Side GalleryAfternoon · 3h 30m
  • Museum Island: Neues Museum (Nefertiti) and the Old National GalleryMorning · 4h
  • Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of TerrorAfternoon · 2h 30m
  • Bike tour of the Wall trail and TiergartenMorning · 4h
  • Kreuzberg and Neukölln evening: street food and canal walkEvening · 3h
  • Berlin Cathedral and its dome walk, then the GendarmenmarktMorning · 2h
  • Charlottenburg Palace and its gardensMorning · 2h 30m
  • Jewish Museum Berlin (closed Mondays)Afternoon · 2h 30m
  • DDR Museum and the Hackesche Höfe courtyardsAfternoon · 2h
  • Tempelhofer Feld, the old airport turned parkAfternoon · 2h
  • TV Tower at Alexanderplatz at duskEvening · 1h 30m
  • Sachsenhausen Memorial, Oranienburg (half a day by S-Bahn)Morning · 5h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Berlinvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Berlinvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: May – September, December (Christmas markets)

Heads up

Christmas: Shops and Sights Close 24-26 December

Christmas Eve afternoon, Christmas Day and 26 December are Germany's quietest days: shops, most museums and many restaurants close, the Christmas markets end on or before the 24th, and trains run a holiday timetable. Plan arrivals and sightseeing around them. Shops are closed every Sunday too.

Heads up

Summer Heat and Few Air Conditioners

Heatwaves of 30-35°C come most summers, and many German hotels, flats and older trains and trams have no air conditioning. If you sleep badly in the heat, filter for air-conditioned rooms when booking for July and August.

  • Christmas markets across Germany — From late November to about 23 December almost every town holds a Christmas market: Rothenburg's Reiterlesmarkt in its medieval square, Berlin's many markets (Gendarmenmarkt, Charlottenburg Palace), Lübeck's and Hamburg's by their town halls, Stuttgart's large market by the old castle. Opening days vary by town and most close on or before Christmas Eve: check before you plan a December trip around one.
  • Festival of Lights — For about ten days in autumn, Berlin's landmarks (the Brandenburg Gate, the TV Tower, Berlin Cathedral) are lit with projections every evening. Free; crowds at the Brandenburg Gate after dark.