Sights in Berlin & other relaxed Berlin hotspots
Every time after a foray through Berlin I plan to write a recommendation report about experiences in the capital… and then every time I postpone it again.
But now it should really be! The Berlin tips are just burning under the nails and want to be put on paper – er to blog – brought.
Visiting the capital: Berlin sights you should not miss!
Berlin is simply unique. A multi-cultural city, around every corner there is another sight, interesting people or simply a new point of view.
There is not only one Kiez, but numerous ones. Who is in the city on the way can convince themselves again and again of it, how changeable Berlin is – surely incomparably with another city in Germany.
So the question is, where to start with a sightseeing tour and where to stop. What interests me, what fascinates me?
A small part of my collected Berlin experiences and discoveries from the last years, I have (tried to) summarize here once.
Berlin sights x 5 on a walk around the Brandenburg Tour
Berlin has a few sights that you should definitely take a look at when visiting the city.
Excellent for this is a walk around the Brandenburg Gate Berlin. Starting point for this can be very well the main station. Because then the way leads not only past the Brandenburg Gate, but also at the famous Adlon Hotel, Reichstag building with Bundestag, through the Tiergarten, Checkpoint Charlie, the former wall strip, along the Spree, Unter den Linden, through the Lustgarten and past the Berlin Victory Column..
…and so completely besides also at small sweet Cafe’s with delicacies, a traffic light man store (there one must simply times purely, if one is in Berlin) or also past the tear palace or also the citizen of Berlin cathedral.
After such an extensive Berlin walk you have already seen a few important things in and of the city.
A boat trip through Berlin is fun!
If you don’t feel like exploring the city on foot, you can of course take the “hop on, hop off” double-decker bus or a boat tour.
This is what I did on one of my last visits to Berlin. There are different variants – from the one-hour tour to the multi-hour trip.
A landing stage (of the shipping company Riedel for example) is located behind the main station at the river Spree. => A city tour (one hour) e.g. with the shipping company Riedel (departure at the Spreeufer at the main station) costs around 15 Euro.
Also from the water you get to see a lot left and right on the shore and of course also from the city-knowledgeable ship guides one or the other Berlin sights more closely presented and explained.
You can enjoy a coffee or tea, or even a glass of wine, quite comfortably during your trip. Also this has something.
Sights in Berlin: theater, theater – the curtain rises..
Berlin is a city full of history and also full of culture. There are numerous speaking stages, opera houses, musical theaters or even the Friedrichstadt Palace.
All worth seeing… without question, but if you want to spontaneously choose a stage that somehow stands for Berlin, the Friedrichstadt-Palast definitely falls into this shortlist.
Today’s Friedrichstadt-Palast was built in 1984 as a revue theater, even then with a spectacular and modern stage technology. Whether trapeze or water pool, with showgirls, artists and acrobats.
Everything is represented in one show in Friedrichstadt-Palast. The stage of the theater is considered the largest in the world. My last show I saw there was “The Wyld – Not of this world”. A very intermittent show, very colorful, fun music, insane stage design and great effects, dance interludes and breathtaking acrobatic interludes.
As an old theater fan (who knows me longer, I worked for a few theaters and stages in Germany for a long time) I liked the show and really enjoyed it.
Attractions Berlin: Top 10 Must See in Berlin
By the way, the New York Times also says that shows at the Friedrichstadt-Palast are among the “Top 10 Must See in Berlin”. There I am with my opinion probably absolutely in good company..
Additional knowledge: In GDR times, elaborate television shows were also created in the Friedrichstadt-Palast. => Tickets are available from just under 20 euros
The Friedrichstadt-Palast is only a few steps away from the train station Friedrichstrabe. The building also houses the Quatsch Comedy Club.
Extra tip: Before the performance – for the break – pre-order a drink, then everything is already ready for the break enjoyment including seat reservation, of course.
Wellness Berlin: Stadtbad Neukolln – antique wellness ambience
Really something special for wellness fans is the Stadtbad Neukolln. It was opened already in 1914. The model for the bath was an antique thermae.
The bath still resembles the original, despite small renovations and modernizations. For me, the Stadtbad in Neukolln is definitely one of the most beautiful swimming pools in Germany.
A great sauna area awaits guests under the roof. Really a real eye-catcher. No modern wellness temple, but rather a bath, which reminds of the great baths and thermal baths in Budapest. I am still very enthusiastic.
Shopping Berlin: Hackescher Markt or Department Store of the West?
Oh actually no matter… both great and worth seeing… At Hackescher Markt it is just totally cozy by the small pubs, the KaDeWe impresses with luxury..
…and while we are at it, there are of course still a few worth seeing places more. How about e.g. with a stroll along the Kurfurstendamm, the Friedrichstrabe or the Alexanderplatz? Or how about a walk around Potsdamer Platz??
Berlin at night looks completely different
On my last visits to the capital, I actually visited many of these places at night… not for shopping, but just for a walk at night. By the way, this is a completely different experience. But in any case it also has its charm. Many places radiate a very special atmosphere in the darkness.
Berlin Tips: Berliners spontaneously asked
If you ask real Berliners for their tips, by the way, you will get quite different answers without further ado.
Jenny spontaneously recommends eating a waffle with hottie raspberries at “Buy yourself happy”. Buy yourself happy Cafe& more, Oderberger Strabe 44, 10435 Berlin – Mo.-So. 12 o’clock to 19 o’clock.
Synke on the way advises to take a walk along the Rummelsburg Bay. Great views along the Spree river. There is also a former prison, which has been converted into apartments.
Susanne travels from place to place, but her center of life is Berlin. So she knows… Berlin is a green city. Countless parks, green spaces and forests are located directly in the city. So it’s no wonder that you can also go hiking in Berlin. So if you want to escape the big city a bit and like to hike, you should walk the Havelhohenweg, which is about 10 kilometers long, from Strandbad Wannsee to Stobenseebrucke on Heerstrasse. But attention! By Berlin standards it is mountainous here! But you will be rewarded with a fantastic view over the Havel.
Petra has lived in Berlin for some years. Her favorite places in Berlin are Grunewaldsee and Krumme Lanke (by the way, also a lake) in Steglitz-Zehlendorf. Long walks are simply wonderful, she enthuses, and in the summer a few swimming spots invite you to cool off.
Sandra writes about running, slow travel and slow living on Tracks and the City – and is constantly on the lookout for the best cinnamon bun. One of her favorite places in Berlin is the peninsula Alt-Stralau. It is located in the (south) east of Berlin and the approximately three kilometer long lakeside path is one of the most beautiful walks in Berlin. You can see ducks, swans, sailing ships and self-made houseboats and if you are lucky, grey herons or even beavers. And also more and more high-priced condominiums, because over the years, of course, others have also noticed how idyllic it is here. Nevertheless, here, between Treptower Park and Rummelsburg Bay, you can still take a deep breath and learn interesting facts about the peninsula from the many information boards – for example, that Karl Marx loved to spend his summer holidays here.
Even more Berlin tips and Berlin attractions?
Berlin is truly always worth a trip and not only because it is our German capital. Berlin has so much to offer and there are still so many places to discover.