Berlin's Top Sights

When the wall divided Berlin, the Wannse and the Havel  were one of the few opportunities for the West Berliners to relax within their home town. 26 years after the reunification, this stretch of water is still the ideal place to unwind after a hectic time. Here you will find an idyllic landscape and a lot to explore. Berliners love to discover  the area by boat. Various   cruises    start from Wannsee.  In the second half of the 19th century, the banker Wilhelm ^ Conrad decided to establish a colony at Wannsee. He called it Alsen, after a Danish island -which played an important role in the war between Denmark and Germany (1864). This settlement was later incorporated into Zehlendorf. landing stage at Wannsee The Lido at Wannsee and Heckeshorn You do not necessarily have to visit the seaside when you long for sand, water and a beach chair.  Strandbad  Wannsee  is one of the largest outdoor pools which is on an Euro...

It can be quite hot during the summer in Berlin. To cool down, I recommend you to bathe in a lake. Berlin has many of them and usually you have to pay nothing.     Lakes and rivers   My favorite is the Schlachtensee situated in the south of Berlin in Zehlendorf. After you have refreshed yourself; you can row on the Schlachtensee and have a drink and something to eat in the traditional Fischerhütte. Nearby is another famous lake, the Krumme Lanke , it is smaller and a favourite by nudists. bathing in Schlachtensee Other popular lakes, where you can bath for free, are:   Flughafensee in Tegel Teufelssee in Grunewald is very popular by nudists Tegeler See in Reinickendorf Groß-Glienicker See in Spandau Dämeritzsee in Köpenick Große Krampe in Köpenick Seddinsee in Köpenick Krossinsee in Köpenick  Lidos Sometimes you have to pay to enjoy the full quality of Berlin's lakes. Berlins favorite lido is the Strandbad Wannsee , there yo...

A ride on the Tram 68 is very special. The most beautiful tram ride in Berlin takes you from S-Bahn station Köpenick to Schmöckwitz. During this trip, you quickly forget the frantic city life. The town hall , the castle and the castle garden The ride on the tram 68 begins at Köpenick S-Bahn station. The first attraction is the town hall, dating back to 1904. In front is a statue of the Captain of Köpenick. Almost Berliner knows the story of the cobbler Wilhelm Voigt. statue of the captain of Köpenick in front of the town hall The next interesting stop is the island with its baroque castle. The island is connected by a bridge over the moat to the mainland. Köpenick is much older than Berlin. Already in the early Middle Ages settled on the island Slavic tribes.The legendary Prince Jaxo of Köepenick lived around 1157 in a simple building here. Today's three-storey baroque castle was built from 1677. Inside is a museum of  decorative arts. The chapel (1685) is th...

Berlin is a very green city - actually Berlin is the greenest city in Europe! No wonder there are so many parks and gardens that allure Berliners and non-Berliners during the whole year.The majority of the parks and gardens are free, but some demand an entrance fee. Botanical Gardens Plants from all over the world and gigantic glasshouses, where you can walk for hours, invite you in Steglitz. S-Bahn: S1 (Botanischer Garten ) Bus: X 83, 101 (Königin-Luise-Platz/Botanischer Garten) Website Britzer Garten When you are walking through this garden, you won’t realise that you are in Berlin. In the suburb of Britz lies this oasis. Lakes, lawns and of course plants await you. Concerts and other events like the flower shows tulipan and dahlienfeuer take place throughout the year. entrance fee  U6 (Alt-Mariendorf) then take the bus 181 and descend "Rotkopfweg" Gärten der Welt (Gardens of the World) The Gardens of the World include several interna...

Berlin has more bridges than Venice! From large bridges where the traffic never stops to small footbridges. By the way a bridge is a Brücke in German. Admiralbrücke   All kinds of people meet on this charming bridge in Kreuzberg during warm evenings.They relax, eat, drink and have fun.  U-Bahn: U1 (Kottbusser Tor) Admiralbridge in winter Glienicker Brücke This bridge connects Berlin to Potsdam. The present bridge was erected 1907, but several bridges have existed before. During the cold war the bridge was the scene of three exchanges of agents between East and West. Just like in a James Bond movie! In 2015 a real movie “The Bridge of Spies” was shot there. Bus 316 Glinicker Bridge                                             ...

Berlin is not only the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, but also the capital of world records. In Berlin you will find the tallest building in Germany, the fastest elevator in Europe and  other superlatives . The East Side Gallery and the KaDeWe The longest surviving piece of the Berlin Wall , and at the same time the longest open air gallery in the world   is the East Side Gallery. It is 1.5 km long and lies between Ostbahnhof and Warschauer Straße. S5, S7, S75 (Ostbahnhof) U1(Warschauer Straße)                          The East Side Gallery at the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall  The KaDeWe (short for KaDeWe) is the largest department store in Europe. It was opened in 1907. U1, U2, U3 (Wittenbergplatz) Fernsehturm und Kollhoff Tower   The tallest building in Germany is the  Fer...

Forget your history books! If you want to learn about Germany's history I recommend you to visit the Deutsches Historisches Museum. A walk through this museum is a walk through German history from early Germanic tribes on to present times. It is also a walk through European history. Important European events are shown here too. Of course, there is a large section dealing with the two World Wars. You can also learn about the German language.The Deutsches Historisches Museum has thousands of artefacts, including pictures, portraits, documents, certificates and unusual things. My favorite is the baby bottle from 1830 ! In addition to the permanent exhibitions are also special exhibitions to different themes. The impressive building itself is worth to study in detail. It is the oldest building on Unter den Linden. Build from 1695 onwards it served as an armoury for a long time. Don't miss to look at the sculptures "The dying warriors " at the fr...