Berlin Travel Guide

The tale of Two Cities

Talk about a city of contrasts! One minute you are following the path where the Berlin Wall stood, reading the graffiti on some of the sections that still stand or feeling the choking emotion that comes over you when you are dwarfed by the plain grey columns that have been erected as a Holocaust memorial. The next you are wandering the oh so peaceful and tranquil paths that wind through the Tiergarten.

At Potsdamer Platz, where after reunification, an architectural competition was held and international architects vied for the right to rebuild a complete city district in the heart of the city – talk about modern!

One of the most fascinating areas of modern day Berlin is the pre-war Jewish Quarter that has been taken over by contemporary art galleries to create ‘gallery mile’ where artists and art lovers congregate.

You can’t go to Berlin without visiting the Kurfurstendamm (Ku’damm to the locals). This is Berlin’s Champs Elysee and there is fabulous shopping to be had here!

Like we said, a city of contrasts, and that just covers three of the boroughs that make up Berlin, there’s another 9 to explore so what are you waiting for?

Berlin Highlights
Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) - Located on Pariser
Platz it’s the last remaining gate from medieval times in the city.
Today it is one of Berlin’s most important landmarks and a
symbol of the city.

Reichstag - It’s the seat of the German government, housed the first German Parliament and remained in use until 1933. It was here in 1918 that the German Republic was announced and since then it has been host to many key political historical events. It pays to get there early or the queue can be quite long, but entry is free and it’s worth a wait.

Tiergarten Park - The world’s largest inner-city park. It stretches from Brandenburg Gate in the east to Zoo Station in the west. You’ll definitely want to search out Germany’s oldest zoo, The Zoologischer Garten. With 19,000 species, the zoo houses the most diverse variety of animals in the world.

Berlin Wall - Not much is left of the Wall at its original site as it was destroyed almost everywhere. You can find a 80-metre piece of the wall at the Topography of Terror, site of the former Gestapo headquarters, half way between Checkpoint Charlie and Potsdamer Platz. A longer section of the wall can be found along the Spree River near the Oberbaumbrücke, nicknamed East Side Gallery. This stretch of the wall, with 106 graffiti paintings by artists from all over the world, is a memorial for freedom, making it the largest open air gallery in the world.

Potsdamer Platz - The central hub of Berlin. Here you’ll find a plethora of shops, cinemas and restaurants; it’s definitely one of the liveliest squares in the country. guided walking tours – You learn so much more about the city and it’s history – some spots you would walk straight past and have no idea how significant they were otherwise.