City Travel: This is Berlin
Updated: Aug. 06, 2019
Got 48 hours in the German capital? Here’s your sightseeing itinerary.
A Passageway to History: Brandenburg Gate
Walk through Berlin’s only remaining city portal. For almost thirty years this was impossible. Before Germany’s reunification, the monument stood in the inaccessible border area of East and West Berlin. The gate is only a stone’s throw away from the Reichstag building and the Pariser Platz with the Academy of Arts.
Colourful Art: Eastside Gallery
The probably largest open-air gallery in the world is 1.3 kilometres long and part of the former Berlin Wall. After its fall, artists from all over the globe rushed to the city and left over one hundred mural paintings – a visual testimony of joy and the spirit of liberation.
Best Views: Cruise on the Spree River
You’re tired already? So take a leisurely cruise on the Spree River. It is the perfect introduction to Berlin’s famous sights and varied architecture. The cruise takes you right through the city, passing the iconic Berlin Cathedral, completed in 1905 under the last German Emperor Wilhelm II, the Museum Island and the government quarter. You will also go past the Nikolai quarter, the oldest part of the town.
Taste Berlin: Currywurst
It’s sliced, topped with a spicy curry tomato sauce and served in a paper bowl: the currywurst. The much loved pork sausage is said to have been invented in postwar Berlin when cunning Herta Heuwer was looking for a way to spice up her cooking. In the German capital alone some 70 million sausages are eaten each year. There is even a museum dedicated to the currywurst. So do try one!
Insider Tip: Reichstag Building
“Don’t miss the dome of the Reichstag building. The gleaming metal and glass structure with a ramp that spirals up to a roof terrace allows a splendid 360-degree view over the city. If you book a table in the rooftop restaurant you avoid the queues and the lift will take you to the top swiftly.” Michael Kallinger, Editor-in-Chief, Reader’s Digest Germany.
