View of central Berlin with the River Spree, St Nicholas' Church and the TV Tower
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Berlin in 1 day

  • 1 day
  • 8.7 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

One day in Berlin goes further than you would expect if you plan it well. This itinerary strings together the three Free Tours Free routes and still leaves room for a currywurst at lunchtime and a tavern dinner. It is intense, around 9 kilometres on foot, and suits anyone who arrives short on time and wants the essentials.

One day in BerlinEmpires, walls and ghosts in one day

Start early at the Brandenburg Gate with the Best of Berlin route, which takes in Bebelplatz, Museum Island and the Cathedral on its way to Alexanderplatz. Grab a currywurst without lingering too long. In the afternoon, hop on the S-Bahn to the Reichstag and follow From the Reichstag to the Wall, past the Holocaust Memorial and Checkpoint Charlie. At dusk the mood shifts with Hidden Berlin, from the Humboldt Forum through the Nikolaiviertel to the TV Tower. Finish with an Eisbein in a proper tavern and rest your feet.

  1. Morning

    The best of Berlin: from Brandenburg Gate to Alexanderplatz

    Mixed · 3.6 km · 2 h 15 min

    1. Brandenburg GateBerlin's great symbol and the perfect starting point: this is where Unter den Linden begins.
    2. BebelplatzAn elegant square with a window in the ground revealing empty bookshelves.
    3. Lustgarten and Museum IslandAn entire island devoted to art, presided over by Prussia's first public museum and a giant granite bowl.
    4. Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)The Hohenzollerns' grand imperial church, with a crypt where nearly a hundred members of the dynasty rest.
    5. Hackesche HöfeEight linked courtyards, Art Nouveau tiles and, next door, a story of courage.
    6. AlexanderplatzThe square named after a tsar, which inspired a novel and saw East Germany's biggest demonstration.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Currywurst at Konnopke's Imbiß. Schönhauser Allee 44B

  3. Afternoon

    From the Reichstag to the Wall: the century that split Berlin

    History · 3.1 km · 2 h

    1. ReichstagThe building that saw a republic born, a democracy burn and another rise again under a glass dome.
    2. Brandenburg GateA gate of peace that ended up imprisoned by the most closely guarded border in the world.
    3. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of EuropeA field of 2,711 concrete blocks that explains nothing… until you walk into it.
    4. Topography of TerrorWhere the Gestapo and SS had their headquarters, there's now a museum and an original stretch of the Wall.
    5. Checkpoint CharlieThe border crossing where Soviet and American tanks stared each other down in 1961.
    6. GendarmenmarktThe square that Huguenot refugees, a philosopher king and Schinkel turned into Berlin's most beautiful.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Early evening

    Hidden Berlin: mummies, ghosts and the Pope's revenge

    Mysteries & legends · 2 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Berlin Palace (Humboldt Forum)The Hohenzollern palace was blown up, replaced and rebuilt; its ghost, so tradition says, never left.
    2. St. Nicholas' Church and the NikolaiviertelThe oldest church in old Berlin guards the city's great riddle: nobody knows when it was born or what its name means.
    3. Parochial Church (Parochialkirche)Beneath this baroque church lie dozens of Berliners who were mummified by accident.
    4. Zur letzten Instanz and the medieval wallOne of Berlin's oldest taverns leans on the last remains of its city wall… and on a couple of legends.
    5. St. Mary's Church (Marienkirche)A Dance of Death painted after the plague, and a stone cross recalling a murder.
    6. TV Tower (Fernsehturm)The great symbol of atheist East Germany reflects a cross in the sunlight that Berliners dubbed “the Pope's revenge”.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Eisbein at Zur letzten Instanz. Waisenstraße 14–16

The map

Berlin in 1 day, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Berlin in 1 day

  • Wear comfortable shoes: Berlin is flat, but you will cover around 9 kilometres, much of it on cobbles.
  • Use the S-Bahn or a bus to jump between routes; the centre is well connected and it saves you over half an hour of walking.
  • Many sights, museums in particular, close on Mondays. Book ahead if you want to go up into the Reichstag dome.

Questions

Berlin in 1 day: your questions

Can you see Berlin in one day?

The essentials, yes: Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, the Wall, Museum Island and Alexanderplatz. Districts such as Kreuzberg or Charlottenburg and the big museum interiors will have to wait, but it is a solid first taste of the city.

How far do you walk on this itinerary?

The three routes add up to about 8.7 kilometres, plus the walks to lunch and dinner. With stops it is a long day of roughly ten hours, so start early.

Is the one-day plan free?

The routes, map and audio guide are free. You only pay for food and drink, plus tickets if you decide to go inside museums or up the TV Tower, none of which is required to follow the plan.

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