MINESSAA: Berlin Highlights

I believe Berlin is the only European city that I have been three times and I would be happy to go even more. I simply love it! In this post I would like to collect these highlights - let me know if I convinced you like Berlin too :)

Read more: Future List for Berlin

1. The Ruins of the Berlin Wall. I strongly believe what makes Berlin "Berlin" is its history during the cold war and the memory of Berlin wall. I'm sure you heard about the "east" and "west" part of Berlin even if you are not interested with history. The east Berlin was under the control of the Soviet Russia, while the west Berlin was divided by French, British and American sectors. Considering that Berlin city itself was within East Germany, the French, British and American sectors have been surrounded by Berlin wall to legalize the border and control the entrance.

Most of the Berlin wall has been destroyed, but still some parts are turned into art pieces or museum exhibitions. Nevertheless, the former path of the wall can be observed on the ground.

2. Charlie Checkpoint. As I said before, Berlin wall has been built to define the borders of the east and west sectors, and only people with specific purpose have been given permission to cross the border. Along the wall, there were different checkpoints where people used to control these documents and permissions and allow people to cross over the other side.

Checkpoint Charlie has been stated between the American and Russian sectors. It is the only one that has been kept original for touristic reasons today and you can see the soldiers with American flags guarding the gate. They are happy to pose for the cameras as long as you tip them for the photos. I might suggest you to go there in the evening, the soldiers go home and the whole gate is left to you to make photos!

Near Charlie Checkpoint, you can also find the museum of Charlie Checkpoint (Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie). The entrance fee is about 12€ without the Auidoguide (+ 5€) where you can find historical items and stories about the wall and the cold war. With the Audioguide, it might take you 1-2 hours to visit the museum. Yet, if you have a short budget or time limit, you can skip it. My personal impression was that it was overrated and was weaker than other history museums in the city.

In the corner of Charlie Checkpoint, there is the BlackBox Kalter Krieg, another history museum. The ruins of the Berlin Wall are used to present the posters to explain the history of the wall and to give some stories about the citizens of Berlin during the cold war. You can visit the outdoor museum for less than 1 hour for free, while the video show in the BlackBox requires an entrance fee (5€).

3. Topography of Terror. I have read many "To-See" lists about Berlin and most of them do not cover the Topography of Terror museum. However, this is the most effective and strongest museums about the 2nd world war and the post-war Germany that you can find in Berlin.

The museum is stated on the former Gestapo headquarters of the city, using the ruins of the Berlin wall to illustrate some of the posters and documents the horrors of Nazism. The museum has outdoor and indoor sections while the entrance for both of them are for free.

Topography of terror is big and intense and it is completely normal that it gets under your skin. If so, remind yourself that it's normal and you are not the only one. So, try to put enough coffee breaks between the attractions and give yourself a break. Berlin is not just a sad city, but a dynamic city as well. Find your own balance.

4. Jewish Monument. The content of the WW2 in the museums of Berlin is not limited to the history of Nazism. The Jewish Monument, or Holocaust Memorial is dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. They are organized as 54 x 87 concrete slabs at right angle.

Underground, there is a "center of information" where the names of approximately 3 millions Jewish victims as much as the memories of the survivors from the concentration camps are presented. Despite of such a sad motivation, the memorial became one of the most famous tourist attraction of Berlin.

5. East Side Gallery. I will repeat my previous sentence: Berlin Wall is what makes Berlin "Berlin". But to be more specific, it is how they treat the Berlin Wall in the East Side Gallery!

This is an outdoor exhibition, where artists all around the world are invited to print on the Berlin Wall blocks. Most of the famous drawings that have been associated with the city exist here. Taking a walk here for about an hour is definitely a must for Berlin. Also feel free to leave your own sign on them.

6. Brandenburger Gate. Brandenburger Gate is one of the most famous lands in Berlin, and even in the whole Germany. It as been built as a sign of peace at the end of 18th century. Then, it has been significantly damaged during the WW2, and successively reconstructed right after the cold war. During the day, you can find lots of touristic tours to attend. There are many coffee shops to take a break right before having a shopping tour in Unter den Linden. Even if you see the gate during the day, don't forget to pass through it during the night as well, just to make some photos!

8. Kreuzberg. Let's face it, Berlin was probably a hipster city even before the existence of the hipster term. Kreuzberg is the heart of the hipster Berlin and is the right place to get a coffee, a dinner or a couple of beers.

9. Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirche. It is an original protestant church built in the late 19th century. During the WW2, it has been significantly damaged, and a memorial church has been realized next to the original one using the remaining glasses.

10. Naturkundemuseum. It is a must see for dinosaur lovers. The main hall has one of the most symbolic skeletons in the paleontological exhibitions: the magnificent Brachiosaurus. The most interesting and rare part of this skeleton is that it preserved the skull. Mostly, earthquakes and environmental changes tend to separate the head from the body of buried animals.
Beside this, the rest of the museum is not as awesome as the main hall. There are others in Europe that are much better (like the one in Vienna), but still it contains a lot of interesting things to see (and a lot of dead birds... gross!).

11. Hurray the Subway. I would not say that Berlin has the best subway in the world, or even in Europe, because I'm not an expert (well, yet!) but I can say that using the subway here is amazing! It is cheap especially if you buy the daily pass, and all the lines are amazingly well connected. It works until late during weekdays and all night during the weekends.

You can buy the daily pass from any tourist information point in the city, at the airport, or at the train stations. We bought ours at the airport as soon as we landed to be able to use the subway and reach the city.

12. Christmas. Berlin is in the north of Germany, which means cold, really cold during the winter. And even during fall or spring it doesn't really get warm. But still, I visited Berlin in spring, winter and fall and it was amazing in all of them. Some cities have a top season to visit while for Berlin it doesn't exist. In fact, I would like to remind you that the Christmas market in Berlin is amazing with all the lights, awesome food, and super warm mulled wine!

13. Charlottenburg Palace. OK, this might be a bit different than the rest of my suggestions but hear me out: SKIP THIS PALACE! We have been there once because a friend (let's call him an old friend at this point) dragged us there. The outer architecture is nice but that's it. It is hard to reach by subway and it is so simple and so common that it is simply not worth it.