3 days in Berlin

Are you planning your first short holiday in Berlin and don't want to miss any of the highlights of this exciting city? Our 72-hour tour takes you to Berlin's most famous landmarks and most beautiful places. Let us take you sightseeing through Mitte, stroll shopping along Kurfürstendamm and through City West and experience Berlin's neighbourhoods in Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Our 72-hour programme guarantees you an unforgettable short break in Berlin. Don't miss any of the top sights!

Day 1 in Mitte: From Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate

In the morning: Alexanderplatz & Nikolaiviertel

Start your first day in Berlin at the World Time Clock at Alexanderplatz. Let the buildings around you take you back to the 1970s of the GDR, watch the hustle and bustle of the people and look over the S-Bahn tracks to the Television Tower, the first highlight of the tour. From the top, you have a phenomenal panoramic view of the city - with the Berlin Welcome Card by the way, at a reduced price. Enjoy the view over breakfast or brunch in the Sphere restaurant, which rotates on its own axis at a height of more than 200 metres.

Tv Tower tickets

The route continues westwards, past the Rotes Rathaus, the seat of the Governing Mayor. Berlin's oldest neighbourhood awaits you on the banks of the Spree, the Nikolaiviertel. You can stroll through this picturesque neighbourhood around the church of the same name. A little further downstream, you will find the Berlin Cathedral with its gigantic dome - one of Berlin's landmarks that you should not miss.

Not just for art lovers:Inside, the Museumsinsel is one of Berlin's top attractions. Five museums can be found in the ensemble, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Altes Museum, the Neue Museum, the Pergamonmuseum, the Bode-Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie together form one of the most important museum complexes in the world, which you can access with the Berlin Welcome Card Museumsinsel gives you free admission. Unfortunately, the Pergamon Museum is closed due to extensive renovation work.

Berlin Welcome Card Museum Island

In the afternoon: Humboldt Forum, Gendarmenmarkt & Brandenburger Tor

Back on the magnificent boulevard Unter den Linden, you should visit Berlin's Forum for Culture, Art and Science right opposite the Museum Island: The Humboldt Forum. About the Bebelplatz and the somewhat hidden behind the Staatsoper Unter den Linden lie St. Hedwig's Cathedral take a short detour to Gendarmenmarkt, probably the most beautiful square in Berlin. Enjoy the harmonious ensemble of the concert hall in the centre, flanked by the German and French cathedrals, in one of the many restaurants and cafés on the square.

Charlottenstraße at the western end of the square and Behrenstraße to the west will now take you past the Komische Oper past the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial. Walk through the memorial with its 2,711 concrete steles and let the place take effect on you.

From here, it's just a few metres along Ebertstraße and you'll find yourself in front of Berlin's most famous landmark, the Brandenburg Gate. Few buildings are as closely associated with Berlin's history as the former city gate. After the fall of the Wall, it  became a symbol of German unity. After a short tour of Pariser Platz, we head back through the gate to Platz des 18. März. You can now see the Victory Column in the distance, in the middle of the large Tiergarten. 

The next highlight of our tour is also a truly historic place. The Reichstag, the seat of the German Bundestag, has had an eventful history, and not just since the Reichstag fire in 1933.

In the evening: Going out at Hackescher Markt

At the end of the first day of your short holiday in Berlin, we recommend either a drink at Capital Beach, directly on the banks of the Spreebogenpark with a view of the Spreebogenpark.entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="1578fa9b-ac21-45f1-94e6-00c1362ea096" data-entity-substitution="canonical">Main Station - or a beer at the Zollpackhof on the other side of the Spree. From there, you can also easily and comfortably get to Hackescher Markt, where you can spend the evening in the numerous restaurants, cafés and bars.

Day 2 in the City West: Between Charlottenburg Palace and Gedächtniskirche

In the morning: Charlottenburg Palace

Start the second day of your short break in royal style with a tour of Charlottenburg Palace. Once built as a summer palace, it is now the most magnificent palace in Berlin with its sprawling gardens. Located directly on the River Spree, a stroll through the park will take you back to the Prussian rococo kingdom.

Use our Charlottenburg+ day ticket for Charlottenburg Palace and all the facilities in Charlottenburg Palace Gardens:

Kombi-Ticket Charlottenburg+

You can also visit the Käthe Kollwitz Museum in the theatre building of the palace complex.

Nachmittags: Ku'damm & Zoo

A short trip from there on the U7 will take you directly to Adenauerplatz, in the centre of the legendary Kurfürstendamm - Berlin's famous shopping mile. Here you can browse the latest designer fashion or simply admire the imposing building facades as you stroll along the boulevard. At the end of the Ku'damm, the next highlight awaits you: the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche on Breitscheidplatz. The ensemble consists of the ruins of the church destroyed in the war and a new building standing next to it. As a memorial to peace and reconciliation, it stands for the Berliners' will to rebuild in the post-war period.

Today, the church is surrounded by several high-rise buildings such as the Upper West, the Zoofenster and the Europa-Center, Berlin's oldest shopping centre. The neighbouring Tauentzienstraße you can reach the Kaufhaus des Westens on Wittenbergplatz. KaDeWe is the most famous department stores' in Germany. Ansbacher Straße and Kurfürstenstraße take you to Olof-Palme-Platz. Two more highlights await you here at the end of the tour: The Zoological Garden with the Aquarium Berlin, which you can access with the Berlin Welcome Card at a reduced price.

Tickets for Zoo & Aquarium Berlin

Abends: Going out in City West

You can end the day right next door, at the Monkey Bar at the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin. The cocktail bar with its panoramic windows offers a breathtaking view over the Tiergarten and City West. On warm summer evenings, you can also visit the Schleusenkrug , a cosy beer garden directly on the Landwehr Canal in Tiergarten.

Day 3 in Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain: Wall & neighbourhoods in Berlin

Along the Spree to the East Side Gallery

Take it easy on the third day of your short break in Berlin, with a late brunch like Berliners love. It tastes particularly good when the view is right. So head to one of the many cafés along the Landwehrkanal. You can then walk along the canal to the Spree. A unique gem of restaurants, bars and clubs awaits you here. The Freischwimmer, the club of visionaries, the Badeschiff and the IPSE are just four of the locations, which together form a summery bar biotope to the left and right of the Flutgraben form. In warm temperatures, stop off at the bathing ship. Enjoy the spectacular view over the Spree from the separate swimming pool and savour a refreshment at the beach bar.

Follow Schlesische Straße and Falckensteinstraße to Oberbaumbrücke. From here you have one of the most beautiful views in Berlin, both towards Alexanderplatz with the TV tower and out of the city with the Molecule Men in the Spree.

Turning the corner from the Oberbaumbrücke bridge, the East Side Gallery stretches out before you. The longest continuous stretch of the former Berlin Wall will amaze you with its many different works of art. The most famous painting is probably the brotherly kiss between Honecker and Brezhnev. But the 1.3-kilometre-long open-air gallery also covers many other historical events.

At the end, it's worth making a detour to the Holzmarkt. Round off the day in the Spreelunke beer garden or visit the Holzmarktperle café. 

More neighbourhood tips for Berlin

Detailed information on the districts, all neighbourhoods and other insider tips can be found in our Going Local App, which you can download for free from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Would you like to stay a few days longer in Berlin or do you have less time?

Then take a look at our suggestions for 24 hours in Berlin, for 48 hours or for five days stay inspire!

Our tip for you: Discover Berlin in comfort with the Berlin Welcome Card. Ideal for your short holiday in Berlin!

We recommend the Berlin Welcome Card - Berlin's official tourist ticket. Over 200 sights and attractions are discount partners of the Berlin Welcome Card. The Berlin Welcome Card is also your ticket for all public transport within Berlin and, if you wish, also outside the city area including Potsdam.

Berlin Welcome Card

Our service for your trip to Berlin:

• Book a hotel
• Travel deals: Hotel deals & and travel offers incl. Hotel & train deals
• Buy tickets for sights, attractions & Events
• Tips for Restaurants for groups or with Berlin cuisine

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