Berlin attractions

Museum Berlin-Karlshorst opened in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the German surrender in World War II. The museum sits on the exact location where the German Army gave its unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945. It serves as a memorial to the war between German and Russian forces and also documents pre-war history plus the Cold War.

Dating to 1887, Wintergarten Varieté is one of Berlin’s most legendary entertainment venues, hosting some of Europe’s best variety shows. Come to see an ever-changing lineup, often a combination of live music and dance, acrobats and circus acts, magicians, and comedy sketches.

On the banks of the River Spree, the Märkisches Museum is the flagship site of Stadtmuseum Berlin (Berlin City Museum complex. Here you’ll find a wide range of artifacts and displays examining life in Berlin from as far back as the Ice Age to the present day, all displayed in a purpose-built, light-filled space.

The New National Gallery is a modern art mecca that exhibits the work of innovative visionaries of the early 20th century—we’re talking Dali, Picasso, and Kandinsky. It's also a hot spot for architecture fans, as it was the last project Ludwig Mies van der Rohe worked on before he passed away.

Berlin’s Philharmonic Hall (Berliner Philharmonie) is the bright yellow, tent-shaped building in the center of the city. It is famous for its modernist design, world-renowned acoustics, and accomplished orchestra—one of the best in the world. The main concert hall seats 2,440 people for orchestra shows; the chamber music hall seats 1,180.

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.

The Gemälde Gallery, also known as the Picture Gallery, is home to one of the most significant collections of European paintings from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The Berlin museum, which opened in 1998, houses more than 1,000 paintings and boasts numerous works by important artists including Raphael, Caravaggio, Rubens, and Rembrandt.

The Natural History Museum (Museum für Naturkunde), one of Berlin’s oldest museums, is home to more than 30 million specimens that show the evolution of life on planet Earth. Here you will find an array of exhibitions about natural history—including mounted dinosaur skeletons, minerals, birds, and native animals—and the solar system.

The Altes Museum, or Old Museum, is the oldest structure on Berlin’s UNESCO World Heritage–listed Museum Island. The neoclassical building was built in 1830 to resemble the Pantheon in Rome, and today its 18 Ionic columns welcome visitors to experience its collection, featuring artifacts from the ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan eras.

Home to Berlin’s Museum for Contemporary Art, the Hamburger Bahnhof is a top destination to see art created from the 1950s to the present day. The museum is part of Berlin’s Nationalgalerie and it displays work by innovative artists including Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, and Keith Haring. The museum gets its name from its former use as a train station.

Zoom to the top of Berlin’s Kollhoff Tower in Europe’s fastest elevator to reach the Panoramapunkt observation deck. At 328 feet (100 meters), Panorama Point offers some of the best views of the city and its landmarks. The 24th floor features an open-air exhibition with pictures and audio presenting the history of the famous Potsdamer Platz.

The German Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum) showcases the history of science and technology in the country through varied historical artifacts. The vast space is home to hands-on exhibits featuring locomotives, aircraft, computers, and more, which allow guests to discover how technology has evolved through the centuries.

The Anne Frank Centre (Anne Frank Zentrum) is dedicated to the life of Anne Frank—a Jewish girl who fled Nazi-occupied Frankfurt in World War II and then documented it in her world-famous diary. Exhibits tell the story of Anne’s life through photographs, films, objects, and computer workstations.

Journey through Berlin’s LGBTQ history at the Schwules Museum (Gay Museum). The Tiergarten district museum exhibits gay culture both within and outside of Germany through events, talks, and exhibitions. The Schwules is also one of the world’s largest institutions for research and communicating the history and culture of the gay community.

Towering 1,207 feet (368 meters) over the Alexanderplatz public square, the Berlin TV Tower is the city’s tallest building and one of its top landmarks. The views over Berlin are unforgettable, but for many visitors the tower’s main highlight is the revolving restaurant at the top. Dubbed The Sphere, here guests can dine on gourmet cuisine and sip Champagne while gazing out over the city skyline.

See airplanes, helicopters, and air defense systems in this open-air museum in Dresden. Learn about the history of aerial warfare, with a focus on the Cold War years, and hear stories about important figures from pilots to military leaders. Explore exhibits that delve into the impact of the military on German culture.

Berlin’s Photography Museum (Museum für Fotografie) has attracted photography enthusiasts from around the world since 2004. The museum’s two main exhibits are “Helmut Newton’s Private Property” and the Kunstbibliothek’s Collection of Photography, which features German and international photographers including Annie Leibovitz and Peter Lindbergh.

If you’ve ever fancied peeking into gruesome specimen jars, pondering over peculiar X-rays, or seeing what a brain tumor looks like, head on over to the Berlin Museum of Medical History (Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum). Part of the Charité, one of the largest university hospitals in Europe, the museum’s quirky exhibitions take a deep dive into the history of Western medicine, featuring a huge collection of anatomical specimens and medical curiosities.

Berghain, a techno music mecca in Berlin’s Friedrichshain, is revered as one of the world’s most challenging nightclubs to enter. Housed in a former power plant, the club makes the most of its industrial steel and concrete architecture, which sets the stage for an unparalleled experience. As its infamous door policy attests, securing entry is tricky, but world-class techno awaits.

Situated in the city once dubbed the worldwide capital of spies, the German Spy Museum Berlin explores the history of espionage. From Julius Caesar's ancient codes to today’s digital surveillance, interactive exhibits include the Enigma machine and laser mazes. Showcasing more than 1,000 artifacts, the museum provides an intriguing overview of espionage's evolution through time.

Sony Center, situated in Berlin's bustling Potsdamer Platz, is an architectural landmark and cultural hot spot. Its distinctive glass and steel roof creates a stunning ambiance for dining, shopping, and entertainment, plus offers a great photo opportunity for architecture fans. From restaurants to hotel rooms, a LEGOLAND® Discovery Center, a cinema, and concert venues—it’s the ultimate one-stop shop for entertainment.

A haunting reminder of the Cold War era, the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, formerly a Stasi prison, stands as a testament to the political persecution endured by thousands in the former East Germany. Once the main remand prison for those under investigation, it's now a museum that was founded by former inmates to give visitors insights into the tough realities of life under the Stasi.

One of the best places to see art in Berlin isn’t quite a museum or gallery at all, but rather an unpretentious public space called Haus Schwarzenberg. Visit this artistic enclave to check out courtyard sculptures, art studios and galleries, an art-house cinema, and an underground amusement park, among other outlandish creations. If you dream of Berlin’s edgy art spaces, this is what you’re looking for.

Knoblauchhaus Museum is a museum in Berlin’s Nikolaiviertel district dedicated to the unique architecture, culture, and social life of the progressive Biedermeier era. Built in 1760, the 3-story baroque townhouse was home to the prominent Knoblauch family, and today its living quarters are true to the original house.

Covering over 125 acres in the southwestern part of the city, the Berlin Botanical Garden (Botanischer Garten Berlin) is the second largest in the world, with more than 22,000 species of plants including carnivorous plants, cacti, and orchids. The grounds also house greenhouses and the Berlin Botanical Museum (Botanisches Museum Berlin).

After the death of famous German sculptor Georg Kolbe, his home and studio in West Berlin were converted into a museum in 1950. Discover over 200 of the artist’s statues at the museum, plus a few crafted by Kolbe’s contemporaries. See beautiful examples of architectural modernism in the museum’s two buildings connected by a large garden with tall trees.

The Allied Museum (AlliiertenMuseum) covers the history of the American, British, and French forces who occupied West Berlin and West Germany during the Cold War, between 1945 and 1990, and beyond. Learn about the 50-year political history of the Western Allies and their presence in Germany.

The Brucke Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of art by the Die Brucke group. Founded in Dresden by four university art students, the early 20th-century group is famous for kicking off the German expressionist movement. The museum features over 400 works by the founders and other artists who were close to the group.

Ernst Friedrich started the Anti-War Museum (Anti-Kriegs-Museum) during the 1920s as a response to the horrific events of World War I. On display today are photos, documents, postcards, medals, soldiers’ letters, and diaries from both World Wars, including a fully-stocked air-raid shelter from the Second World War.

A rococo palace turned art and culture museum, Ephraim-Palais is as much an attraction for its striking building as for its exhibitions. Learn about the history of the palace, built in 1762 by Veitel Heine Ephraim, King Friedrich II’s court jeweler, and see one of the palace’s most striking features by climbing its grand spiral staircase.