De Tower Berlin

Field guide · Berlin

Berlin is a city that never stops rebuilding.

The easiest way to read Berlin is like a transit map — a handful of essential stops, six districts that carry the evenings, and a few small rules that keep the whole trip on schedule. This guide lays the city out the same way.

Start with the nine stops Or pick a district first

The nine stops

01
  1. 01

    Brandenburg Gate

    the neoclassical icon at Pariser Platz

    Mittefree
  2. 02

    Reichstag Dome

    glass dome over parliament; register online first

    Mittefree
  3. 03

    Memorial to the Murdered Jews

    2,711 concrete stelae you walk through

    Mittefree
  4. 04

    Museum Island

    five museums on one UNESCO island

    Mitteticket
  5. 05

    East Side Gallery

    1.3 km of the painted Wall

    Friedrichshainfree
  6. 06

    Checkpoint Charlie

    the Cold War's most famous crossing

    Mittefree
  7. 07

    TV Tower · Fernsehturm

    368 m; the city's exclamation mark

    Alexanderplatzticket
  8. 08

    Tempelhofer Feld

    a whole airport turned into a public park

    Tempelhoffree
  9. 09

    Charlottenburg Palace

    baroque palace and gardens

    Charlottenburgticket

Opening hours and dome tickets change — check official sources before you go.

Public announcement

“Berlin isn't a city. It's a work in progress.”

— every Berliner, at some point

Where the city actually lives

02

Kreuzberg

U1 U8

Street art on every second wall, slow walks along the Landwehr Canal, and Turkish bakeries and döner institutions up and down Oranienstraße. The graffiti is scenery here, not vandalism.

best for eating & wandering

Neukölln

U7 U8

The Weserstraße bar mile pulls the crowds after dark; by day it is one of the most mixed corners of the city. Tempelhofer Feld starts where the streets stop.

best for the evening

Prenzlauer Berg

U2

Pre-war facades restored to a shine, prams and coffee cups around Kollwitzplatz, and a Saturday market that half the district plans its weekend around.

best for slow mornings

Friedrichshain

U1 U3 U5

The East Side Gallery along the river on one side, the RAW-Gelände's clubs and flea markets on the other. Sleep is optional infrastructure.

best for nightlife

Mitte

U6 U8

Auguststraße galleries, the courtyards of the Scheunenviertel, and most of the postcard architecture. Touristy, yes — but the side streets still reward a detour.

best for art & history

Wedding

U6 U9

Berlin before the renovation budget arrived: cheap studios, kebab counters, and the Plötzensee lake for summer swims. Nobody performs for visitors here.

best for the un-touristed

Plan a day

03

Classic first day

  1. Brandenburg Gate & Pariser Platz
  2. Reichstag dome — booked ahead
  3. Museum Island
  4. Unter den Linden to Gendarmenmarkt
  5. Dinner around Hackescher Markt

A Berlin night

  1. Sunset at Tempelhofer Feld
  2. Dinner on Oranienstraße
  3. Bars on Weserstraße
  4. Club doors
  5. Night bus or U-Bahn home

Good to know

04
01

Zones A, B and C

AB covers the centre. You need an ABC ticket for BER airport and for Potsdam — sort it before you ride out.

02

Stamp it

Always stamp your ticket in the small yellow or red box before boarding. An unstamped ticket counts as no ticket.

03

Sundays

Shops close on Sundays. Museums and sights stay open — plan shopping for Saturday, sightseeing for Sunday.

04

Cash

Cash is still king in bars, spätis and many restaurants. Keep notes and coins handy even in the centre.

05

The dome

The Reichstag dome is free but requires online registration — book a slot before you turn up.

06

After midnight

Trains run all night on Fridays and Saturdays; night buses cover the gaps the rest of the week.