Berlin attractions

The alternative Friedrichshain district, formerly located in East Berlin, was one of the most damaged areas of the city during World War II. It is connected to the trendy Kreuzberg district by the castle-like Oberbaum Bridge (Oberbaumbrücke) and is now home to some of the city’s best clubs and bars, including the notorious Berghain.

The last standing example of the BT-6 watch towers that stood guard over the Berlin Wall, the GDR Watch Tower was built in 1966 and used to survey the border between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. Hidden away on a side street, close to the bustle of Potsdamer Platz, the tower is a somber reminder of Berlin’s recent history.

Glienicke Bridge is better known by its Cold War-era monikers, “the Bridge of Spies” or “the Bridge of Unity.” Dating back to the 17th century, the bridge became notorious during the Cold War, when it served as the official border between East and West Berlin. Today, it’s an important historic landmark, marking the boundary of the Brandenburg and Berlin regions.

The Otto Weidt Museum (Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt) tells the story of an everyday hero of World War II: Otto Weidt. This visually impaired broom and brush factory owner employed blind and deaf members of the Jewish community and helped save them from persecution during the Holocaust by falsifying documents and providing safe places to hide.

Learn about 800 years of Berlin history through 11 interactive shows at the Berlin Dungeon. A cast of theatrical actors lead a journey through the city’s history from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Expect humor and a bit of terror, plus two underground rides and memorable special effects during a visit to the Berlin Dungeon.

Inaugurated in the year 1230, St. Nicholas Church (Nikolaikirche) is the oldest building in Berlin. It played a huge role during the Reformation as the site of the first Protestant public worship service, following Martin Luther’s religious reforms. The former church now houses a museum dedicated to the German capital’s 800-year history.

A pulsating hub for the city’s art scene, pretty Prenzlauer Berg is a neighborhood in central Berlin just west of Mitte. Compared with other areas of the city, this former East Berlin district was relatively spared during the World War II bombings, and as a result, over 300 buildings have been preserved and protected as historic monuments.

This Museum serves as a moving tribute to one of the everyday heroes of World War II. Otto Weidt was a visually impaired man who owned and ran a factory that produced brooms and brushes. Weidt employed many blind and deaf Jewish workers, and during the war he went to great lengths to protect them from persecution and deportation.

Built to host the 1936 Olympic Games, Berlin’s Olympic Stadium (Olympiastadion Berlin) has since become one of the city’s main arenas for significant sporting events. Over the years, it has staged everything from World Cup finals to international athletics and concerts by world-renowned artists, and it is now home to the Hertha BSC football (soccer) club. Visit to tour the grounds, learn about its history, or attend matches, concerts, or events.

If you’ve ever wanted to see the Beatles, Angela Merkel, or Spiderman up close, here’s your chance—sort of. At Madame Tussauds Berlin, marvel at dozens of lifelike wax replicas of Hollywood celebrities, sports heroes, and more. Suitable for visitors of all ages, the museum makes an entertaining rainy-day destination.

See a miniature version of Berlin made from LEGO pieces at the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre. Join an interactive experience where you can make your own LEGO pieces at the factory, race LEGO cars, and check out a medieval dragon castle made entirely of LEGO. Kids will find many opportunities to get creative and play with over five million LEGO bricks.

With its lively promenade and sandy beaches, Warnemünde is one of Germany’s most popular seaside resorts. But for cruise visitors the northern port town is best known for its proximity to Berlin, just two hours away, and other nearby attractions.

The Bode is one of the five museums on Berlin’s UNESCO World Heritage–listed Museum Island. It is now home to the Sculpture Collection, with works from the early Middle Ages to the 18th century; the Museum of Byzantine Art, with pieces from the 3rd to the 15th century, and the Numismatic Collection, one of the world’s largest coin cabinets.

One of two cathedrals framing Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt square, the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) is known for its 18th-century Baroque-style architecture. Originally known as the Neue Kirche (New Church), the cathedral was severely damaged in World War II and restored in the 1980s. Today, it’s a memorable historic landmark and museum, notable for its striking colonnaded frontage and domed bell tower.

Berlin’s DDR Museum features interactive exhibits highlighting what life was like during communist rule under the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik or DDR), the governing power in Germany during the Cold War. More than 200,000 artifacts on display give visitors a realistic view of this era.

Please note: SEA LIFE® Berlin is temporarily closed SEA LIFE® Berlin is an interactive aquarium with more than 5,000 underwater creatures and 37 freshwater and saltwater displays. Its most popular areas include the tropical coral reef, touchpool, and sting bay which showcases different stingray species.

Nestled along the River Spree, Treptower Park is a popular 208-acre (84-hectare) green space in the urban jungle of Berlin, beloved for its vast lawns and river access. Locals flock here during summer for a respite from big-city life, but most travelers know the park as the site of the large Soviet War Memorial.

The Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie) is the third-oldest museum on Berlin’s UNESCO World Heritage–listed Museum Island (Museumsinsel). Its collection showcases 19th-century artists such as Monet, Renoir, and Rodin. The interior of the neoclassicist building are influenced by Prussian classicism thanks to King Frederick William IV.

Hidden beneath street level in Berlin is a network of darkened shelters, tunnels, abandoned underground stations, and bunkers. The Berlin Underground Museum (Berliner Unterwelten) offers tours of these secret subterranean spaces, some of which were used as air-raid shelters during World War II and as escape tunnels during the Cold War.

Berlin’s extensive Jewish Museum (Jüdisches Museum) explores the history of Jewish people in Germany. By telling stories through personal objects, the museum closely examines the events of the past, including the persecution of Jews throughout Europe and the Holocaust.

A playground for vintage vehicle enthusiasts, Classic Remise Berlin is a classic car center housed in an atmospheric shell—a renovated tram depot initially constructed in 1899. Visitors come here for all their classic car needs, from visiting dealer showrooms and garages to shopping for spare parts, clothing, and accessories.

The Kulturforum in Berlin’s Tiergarten district is home to some of Berlin’s top cultural institutions—including museums, libraries, concert halls, and a church. Music enthusiasts flock here to visit the world-renowned Philharmonie concert hall, while the Picture Gallery (Gemaldegalerie) boasts medieval European art masterpieces and the New National Gallery (Neue Nationalgalerie) showcases modern European art.

The Old Jewish Cemetery (Alter Jüdischer Friedhof) was built in 1672. As many as 12,000 Jewish people were buried here, including Moses Mendelssohn, a philosopher and forefather of the Jewish Enlightenment. The cemetery was destroyed during World War II but has been restored with plaques honouring those who were buried here.

Berlin is full of reminders of the horrors of World War II. One of the more subtle memorials was inaugurated in 1998 at Platform 17 (Gleis 17) in Berlin’s Grunewald S-Bahn station. During World War II, Grunewald station was a major site for the deportation of Jews, mostly to ghettos and concentration camps, by the Deutsche Reichsbahn.

Tempelhof Airport, a remnant of the World War II and Cold War eras, was once used to transport Nazi forces and bring in much-needed supplies to residents in West Berlin. Now the massive airport has been repurposed into a public park where visitors spend time jogging, cycling, skating, picnicking, flying kites, and barbecuing.

Located in the heart of Berlin’s theater district, the magnificent Friedrichstadt-Palast is Europe’s largest revue theater. With one hundred years of putting on big show entertainment, it’s a must-visit for glitzy Vegas-style shows with high-kicking showgirls, death-defying acrobats, a 60-person ballet troupe, and high-tech special effects.

The only surviving early neo-classic Prussian palace, Potsdam’s Marble Palace was commissioned by King Frederick William II in the late 1700s and remained a royal residence until the early 20th century. Now, it’s a museum with beautifully preserved interiors. Highlights include marble fireplaces from Italy, Wedgwood vases, and grandfather clocks from Parisian trendsetter Madame de Pompadour.

Potsdam’s stunning gardens, and the historic buildings within them, comprise part of the largest UNESCO World Heritage Site in Germany. Built during the reign of Frederick the Great of Prussia, in the middle of the 18th century, these gardens originally surrounded the palaces and buildings that made up the royal family’s summer residence.

A large grassy square in front of the Reichstag building, the Platz der Republik is a popular gathering spot for locals, particularly during the picnic-friendly summer months. It’s also a great place to snap photos of the Reichstag building without the crowds that gather closer by.

A poignant tribute to all that was lost during World War II, the Missing House is a space between buildings where a house was destroyed by a bomb in February of 1945. The memorial, which includes metal plaques recalling the names of those who died here, pushes visitors to consider the needless devastation of war.