Three Perfect Days in Berlin

Berlin is a huge city with no exact 'centre' as a result of its history. Three days in Berlin is plenty to see and do most, if not all, of the city. Berlin is thriving in history, modern attractions and strong food and drinks. If you're considering going to Berlin - do it, and follow this guide to have the best trip.

Important information: Berlin, along with the rest of Germany, literally shuts down on a Sunday. You won't find an open supermarket.

Language: German

Population: 3.65 million

Currency: Euro €

Average price of a coffee: €3,50

CHECKPOINT CHARLIE, BERLIN

HOW TO USE THE MAP

Tap the icons on the map to learn more about each point of interest. To save this map for later, click the star next to its title to add it to your Google account. Then, open the Google Maps app, go to ‘Saved’, and select ‘Maps’. You’ll now see this map listed under its title.

Day 1 - World War 2 and MJ.

Start your day off by heading to the Führerbunker, the place where Adolf Hitler camped out during the war. The bunker is not so obvious to find so use the Google Maps above to help you pinpoint the location. The bunker has a big plaque in front of it with information about how Adolf Hitler used the bunker as an air raid shelter and as the Führer headquarters during the second world war. You will not find any pictures of Hitler or large writing with his name as the Germans today continue to be ashamed of their past and do not want to in any way accidentally glorify Hitler's actions. So don't go to Berlin expecting to see a museum of him or anything! Really, he is nowhere to be seen.

Next, walk across the road to the Memorial of Murdered Jews. It is a large area filled with various shapes and sizes of concrete blocks. This is the Holocaust Memorial. The memorial uses the strong language in order to fully take accountability of the Nazi execution of the 6 million Jewish people in Europe. It is a wonder as to why the blocks are all different shapes and sizes. Some people consider it symbolism of tomb stones or that their size difference represents the different ages of people. Others consider the dullness of the grey and height of the blocks simply a way to make you feel lost and confused as you walk around.

Walk through the memorial and submerse yourself in how it makes you feel. Let yourself really feel it.

After you've found your way out of the memorial, head over to the underground exhibition. In here you will find displays of the persecution and extermination of the Jews of Europe and various documentations of remembrance such as surviving family stories. In here, there is documentation of 6 million names of murdered Jews and if you were to read out each name in a normal speed would take 6 years, 7 months and 27 days.

MURDERED JEWS MEMORIAL, BERLIN

Take the 8 minute walk over to Brandenburg Gate and if you can, follow the remains of the Berlin wall. Near one of the pedestrian crossings, sorry I just cannot find the location on the map, there is a memorial of some of the people who were killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall.

Arrive at the Brandenburg Gate and take in Berlin's only surviving historical gate symbolising Berlin's Cold War in the 1960's. The gate began to symbolise the division of the East and the West when the Gate was in the Soviet sector of Berlin post WWII. When the Berlin Wall fell, thousands of people gathered here for the reopening of the gate which now symbolises a reunited Berlin.

BRANDENBURG GATE, BERLIN

Walk through the gate to find Hotel Adlon and look up at one of the top windows to the left. Trigger any memories? Yep, that was where Michael Jackson held his baby out of the window to show the world.

For dinner recommendations, see our Best Food and Drink Experiences in Berlin for restaurant and bar recommendations.

Day 2 - More WWII and Museum Island

Today you're starting the day just past Hotel Adlon at the Equestrian Statue of Frederick the Great, a statue from the Prussia era, marking the transition from neoclassicism to realism. Take in the view of Unter den Linden, like West is below.

UNTER DEN LINDEN, BERLIN

Further on you have the Neue Wache building where the Mutter mit Totem Sohn sculpture sits inside a vast space with a hole in the roof. Mutter mit Totem Sohn, in English, Mother with Dead Son, serves as a poignant symbol of mourning and suffering caused by war and violence, created by Kollwitz. The sculpture features a grieving mother cradling the body of her dead son, representing loss, grief, and sacrifice. The work reflects Kollwitz's personal experience of loss during World War I, when her own son was killed in combat, as well as her broader anti-war sentiments. It is in an open top building so when it rains, it rains on the mother.

MUTTER MIT TOTEM SOHN, BERLIN

Further along Unter den Linden, there is Museum Island which hosts the Berlin Cathedral and Altes Museum, the national gallery. Take your time strolling around here and enter the gallery if art is your thing. Over the road there is a glass window in the floor and beneath it is an empty library, symbolising the Nazi book burnings that took place in 1933.

MUSEUM ISLAND, BERLIN

Now you are going to head to Marschall Bridge where you can get a great picture of the river Spree with the Reichstag building. After, go straight to the Reichstag building, the German Parliament. The Reichstag Building is an extremely symbolic building in marking the end of WWII. When the Soviets, Americans, French and British soldiers were causing the Nazi's to retreat, the Soviets famously captured the Reichstag building in late April 1945, flying their flag, marking the symbolic fall of Nazi Germany to end WWII.

Now, the Reichstag Building is multi-functional space, catering for the German Parliament but also a significant art displays, a restaurant and the cryillic graffiti left by Soviet soldiers after their capture. The graffiti has been preserved and you can go inside to view it. It is also possible to go inside the glass dome at the top of the building but it seems that bookings are necessary.

When we visited, the building was under construction so we didn't get to go inside. Please go and let us know what it is like!

MARSCHALL BUILDING, BERLIN

Your last stop of the day is Checkpoint Charlie. It is a 20 minute walk from the Reichstag building.

Checkpoint Charlie was a key border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War, used by diplomats, military personnel, and foreign visitors. It became a symbol of Cold War tensions, especially during incidents like the 1961 tank standoff, and now stands as a historical site after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Regular people could not cross the Berlin Wall and so if they attempted to do so, they would be shot dead by the thousands of military personnel guarding the walls. Checkpoint Charlie was the only way through.

You can stand in the queue to snap a picture of you at the checkpoint - just ignore the modern day fast food chain restaurants behind you - and see the checkpoint from both sides.

CHECKPOINT CHARLIE, BERLIN

Day 3 - Berlin Wall, East-Side Gallery & Modern Berlin

Start by heading to the Berlin Wall memorial. This is a really informative memorial where you can learn about the Berlin Cold War and how hard it was to cross the Berlin Wall before it fell. It's nice to go early to avoid the tourists.

Next go to the Berlin Television Tower where if you would like to go to the top and see panoramic views of the city, you can. We didn't like the prices and so headed inside the Park Inn by Raddison Blu hotel and purchased a cheaper ticket to go up to the top viewing floor of the hotel. That way the Television Tower is IN your photos.

You will be right near to Alexanderplatz, a very popular and busy modern section of Berlin which represents what Germany now has to offer. Here you can wander around, get lost in the streets and have some lunch. We did the very typical German thing of grabbing some chips for lunch!

Next up, head to East-Side Park for a large stretch of the Berlin wall that has been individually graffitied by up and coming artists. Some of the work is awesome!