View of central Berlin with the River Spree, St Nicholas' Church and the TV Tower
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Berlin in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 8.7 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days is the ideal pace for Berlin: all three routes, the major memorials and time for the former West. Each day has a theme and an area, with local food in between. It suits anyone who wants to understand the city without rushing and without stopping at the obvious.

Day 1The essentials and the trace of the Wall

Open with the Best of Berlin route: from the Brandenburg Gate to Alexanderplatz, via Bebelplatz and Museum Island. Eat a currywurst at Konnopke's in Prenzlauer Berg. Right there, Bernauer Straße preserves a piece of the border strip, and the Mauerpark offers a green breather. Head back easy: tomorrow is heavy on memory, and it helps to arrive rested.

  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

    Berlin Wall Memorial

    The Bernauer Straße memorial keeps a real stretch of the border strip, with a viewing tower and a documentation centre. It is the best place to grasp what the Wall was actually like. The Mauerpark is a ten-minute walk away, so the two pair up easily.

    Directions

    Mauerpark

    A park laid out on the former death strip, now full of lawns, street musicians and, on Sundays, a flea market and open-air karaoke. It is a pleasant place to slow down after the memorial, and Konnopke's is just around the corner.

    Directions

Day 2History and Kreuzberg

In the morning, From the Reichstag to the Wall: from the Reichstag to Gendarmenmarkt, with the Holocaust Memorial and the Topography of Terror along the way. It is a route that asks for pauses. Have an Eisbein at Max und Moritz in Kreuzberg, then spend the afternoon on two contrasting visits: Libeskind's zigzag museum and the murals of the East Side Gallery, linked by a single metro line.

  1. Morning

    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

  2. Lunch

    Try Eisbein at Zur letzten Instanz. Waisenstraße 14–16

  3. Afternoon

    Jewish Museum Berlin

    Daniel Libeskind's zigzag building is an experience in itself: sloping floors, voids and a route through two thousand years of Jewish history in Germany. Allow plenty of time and check the opening hours. It sits right on the edge of Kreuzberg.

    Directions

    East Side Gallery

    More than a kilometre of the Wall still standing beside the Spree, turned into an open-air gallery with murals painted in 1990. Walk it slowly, ideally in the early afternoon before it fills up. The Oberbaum Bridge is a few minutes away.

    Directions

Day 3West, park and mystery

Start in the former West: climb the Siegessäule and cross the Tiergarten to the Memorial Church. Have Königsberger Klopse at Diener Tattersall, near Savignyplatz. As evening falls, return to Mitte for Hidden Berlin: the Humboldt Forum, the Nikolaiviertel, the mummies of the Parochialkirche and the TV Tower in the background. Finish with a Bulette and a beer at Diener Tattersall.

  1. Morning

    Victory Column

    The Siegessäule rises in the middle of the Tiergarten, crowned by a golden Victoria. If you can face the stairs, the view over the park and the Brandenburg Gate is worth it. It makes a pleasant walk through the Tiergarten from the Reichstag.

    Directions

    Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

    The ruined tower, damaged in the bombing and kept as a war reminder, stands beside a modern church of blue glass. It is the symbol of West Berlin and marks the start of the Kurfürstendamm, a good street for strolling and eating.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Königsberger Klopse at Max und Moritz. Oranienstraße 162

  3. 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

  4. Dinner

    Try Bulette at Diener Tattersall. Grolmanstraße 47

The map

Berlin in 3 days, on the map

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

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Berlin in 3 days

  • Mind the distances: between Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg and Charlottenburg, take the U-Bahn or S-Bahn.
  • Museums usually close one day a week, often Monday; check the opening times before planning the afternoon.
  • May, June and September tend to be the nicest months: long days without extreme heat or cold.

Questions

Berlin in 3 days: your questions

Are three days enough in Berlin?

They are ideal for a first visit: all three routes, the main memorials and the west of the city. It will not stretch to Potsdam or every museum, but it is enough to understand Berlin.

How far do you walk over three days?

The routes add up to about 8.7 kilometres; with the extras, the walks between sights and meals, much more, but spread over three days the pace stays relaxed.

Is a museum pass worth it?

If you plan to visit several museums on the Island and elsewhere, it usually pays off; if you only want one or two, buy single tickets. Compare the options before you travel.

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