Berlin in 1 Day: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit
How to organize a day in the German capital - is it mission impossible or achievable?
Berlin, Germany | ©Ingo Joseph
Of course you can! With a little organization you can see the essentials. 24 hours in Berlin is a good snack. If you don't have more time, I'm sure you'll be encouraged to come back, because there is so much to see and do in the German capital.
The history and skyline of the city have been scarred by the wounds of World War II and the Cold War. However, Berlin has never given up and today is famous for its atmosphere of freedom. Our tour starts in Mitte, the most central district of the city.
Stroll at the foot of the Brandenburg Gate
An icon of the cold war. Its silhouette could be seen from the nearby wall and citizens could not see it up close. When the wall was built, the Brandenburg Gate stood in the "no man's land" between east and west. Its construction dates back to the 18th century and is inspired by the Acropolis in Athens. At its peak, the four-horse chariot led by the winged goddess of Victory stands out.
To get there from the Cathedral, you must cross the river over the Schlossbrücke bridge. Once on the other bank, follow the boulevard Unter den Linden and you will find the monument in front of you. All in all, the walk takes about twenty minutes. It will fly by because this is the main avenue of the city.
Discover the Führerbunker and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
From the Brandenburg Gate, take Wilhelmstrasse and continue to the intersection of Franz. Straße and Hannah-Arendt-Straße. Enter the latter street and a few meters further you will see a small parking lot surrounded by concrete buildings from the 1980s. If it weren't for an explanatory sign and the frequent presence of tourists, you would probably drive past it without noticing anything. However, the parking lot hides one of Berlin's darkest places.
The ruins of the Führerbunker, Hitler's last hiding place, are hidden underground. It was the center of the Nazi government in 1945 and can not be visited, its secrets have been buried forever. If you feel like visiting other bunkers in the capital you can rely on the guided tours of Berliner Unterwelten that will take you into the guts of the German capital.
What you can visit and touch by hand is the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe that lies a few meters away. It is a large area occupied by 2711 concrete stelae that form a real labyrinth.
You can enter from any side and once inside, you will experience a sense of disorientation. The memorial was inaugurated in 2005 and bears the signature of Peter Eisenman.
Learn about the history of Checkpoint Charlie
When the Cold War divided Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie was the "hottest" border crossing. In addition to being a transit point between west and east, it was a place of spies and fugitives whose stories have been told in dozens of books and films. It is located at Friedrichstraße 43/45 and you can reach it by taking Wilhelmstraße, a short stretch of Leipziger Straße and Mauerstraße.
At the end of the street you will see a large sign with the face of a soldier and a stand with sandbags. As you approach you will also see the famous "You are living the american sector" written on it.
If you are interested in the stories linked to the wall and the most bizarre escape attempts, I recommend a visit to the Mauer Museum.
A good option for your day trip to Berlin is to tour part of the city in one of the tour buses. All of them take you to see the main monuments with the advantage of being able to get off and on at the stops that most interest you to take the time you consider.
Visit the Jewish Museum
Who said that contemporary architecture is not able to move? The Jewish Museum is housed in a zigzagging building designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. From the outside it resembles a cut-out Star of David and its angles and geometries give it a peculiar appearance.
Inside it houses a permanent exhibition that tells the story of the Jewish people from the Middle Ages to the present day. The cultural institution is open every day of the week from 10:00 to 19:00. To reach it from Checkpoint Charlie, just walk south for a few minutes.
Don't miss Kreuzberg, the Turkish Quarter
The next stage of our route is a little further on. To reach it you can take a walk of about fifteen minutes. Kreuzberg is the hipster neighborhood par excellence. It is characterized by street art and the cosmopolitan atmosphere that permeates its streets.
If you get the itch, you can take the opportunity to try the restaurants in the area. Being the Turkish quarter, why not try an authentic kebab? In this case, the place of reference is Imren, a Berlin institution. If you feel like tasting Turkish food, I recommend the lamb chops at Adana Grillhaus. For more info, I recommend you to read the post dedicated to Kreuzberg.
Take a close look at the murals of the East Side Gallery
The longest piece of the wall still standing is on the other bank of the Spree. Cross the river to reach the largest open-air gallery in the world. East Side Gallery was born as a response to the newly won freedom.
After the fall of the wall, hundreds of artists from all over the world came to Berlin to paint on what was left of it. The result is a large collection of graffiti that remind us of the era of division. You can appreciate this area by taking one of the Belin bike tours.
One of the most famous murals is the kiss between Brezhnev and Honecker, the feuding leaders of the time. Another depicts a Trabant - the symbolic car of East Germany - crossing the famous barrier. It was a model of modest performance and with a very simple mechanics that has remained as a symbol of an era.
If you are interested in the history of this model and want to see one up close, I recommend you to visit the Trabi Museum (Zimmerstraße 14/15).
Admire the Berlin Cathedral
Ride back towards the center along the banks of the river Spree. On the Museum Island itself is the largest place of worship in the city: the Berlin Cathedral.
The temple was built in the 15th century and has undergone several changes over the years. Its present appearance is due to Emperor Wilhelm II who entrusted the work to Julius Carl Raschdorff. The Kaiser gave the architect a clear instruction: the new church was to rival St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
On the outside, the Berlin Cathedral stands out for its style that blends Italian Renaissance and Baroque art. Inside, the main attraction is the crypt of the Hohenzollerns, the most important dynastic mausoleum in Germany. Fortunately, the royal tombs (and the cathedral itself) survived the bombings of World War II. During the conflict, the church suffered the collapse of the dome and a major fire.
Walk to Alexanderplatz
From the Berlin Cathedral you only have to cross the Mitte to reach the old heart of East Berlin in a few minutes. It is the most famous square of the city and its icon is the World Clock (Die Weltzeituhr) that watches over the area since 1969. It was designed to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the German Democratic Republic and shows us the exact time in every corner of the planet.
A few meters away, the TV Tower dominates the square. It is another must-see attraction and it is worth going all the way to the top to enjoy the view. Note that if you have the Berlin Pass you can save when you go up.
Look for street art in the most unexpected places
In Berlin, art is everywhere, even on the peaceful Dietrich-Bonhoeffer Straße. From Alexanderplatz, take Otto-Braun Straße and walk for about 10/15 minutes; shortly you will arrive at Greifswalder Straße 1.
Stop for a second and look into the garden of the building, you will see the art installation "Die Rücken der Kuhn" (the return of the cows). Giant cows "graze" on the vertical wall of the building. The artwork is signed by local artist Sergej Dott.
End the day in an original restaurant
The last stop on our tour is Volkspark Friedrichshain, Berlin's oldest public park. Schoenbrunn, a restaurant and biergarten with Austrian-Mediterranean fusion cuisine, is located inside the park and just a short walk from the park's pond.
The restaurant uses local ingredients and is known for its unusual recipes. Take the opportunity to try the Styrian chicken with potato and radish salad, the South Tyrolean spinach dumplings or the fillet of char in Riesling sauce.
If you aretraveling with children, Volkspark Friedrichshain is a recommended option. It has a playground, courts for playing soccer, basketball or beach volleyball, a climbing wall and a half-pipe for skateboarders and skateboarders.
In the warmer months it also hosts an outdoor cinema with about 300 seats. In this case I recommend going in the evening rather than late in the day.
Is it worth visiting Berlin in one day?
Berlin is not classically beautiful. It has fewer monuments and classical buildings compared to other European capitals, but no one can deny that it has something special. The freedom that permeates its streets and the omnipresent urban art give it a unique character.
One day is the minimum to enjoy its charms but my advice is to book the German capital for at least three days. Especially if you want to sample Berlin's famed nightlife.
If you don't have more time, another good option is a sightseeing bus. With a hop-on/hop-off ticket you are free to hop on and off wherever you want. You can comfortably sit and admire the view from the top floor. Sometimes these tickets include a cruise on the Spree River.