You have landed on the final installment of our three-part travel series that offers a long weekend of walking tour itineraries through Berlin. Welcome (or welcome back if you’ve read the first and/or second blog)!
In blog 1 and 2, we explored Berlin’s rich history and how moments from its past have influenced its culture today. In this last blog, we’ll focus on an area of town where art and architecture are on full display. Go grab your sneakers.
Walking Tour Itinerary - For The Art & Architecture Aficionado
We start today’s walking tour at the tallest structure in Germany - The Berliner Fernsehturm. The Berlin TV Tower, as it’s also known, is 368 meters tall and can be seen from most neighborhoods in Berlin. It is the tallest building in Europe that’s open to the public. When you emerge from the Alexanderplatz Bahnhof train station to start today’s tour, you’ll see it rising high above you and the Berlin skyscape.
The Berlin TV Tower was built in the mid 1960s to serve as a broadcast tower. Today, the antenna broadcasts more than 60 programs from stations like VOX, QVC, Disney Channel Germany, and Eurosport.
Around the base of the tower, you’ll find specialty shops, boutique hotels, cafes and restaurants, but if you’re an early riser, book a breakfast reservation at Sphere, the tower’s rotating restaurant. Breakfast is served Monday through Friday as early as 9:00 AM. After a 40 second elevator ride to the top, you’ll choose your meal from a menu that includes regional, vegan, and kid-friendly fare plus coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
If you’re starting this itinerary in the afternoon or with a full belly, start your tour at the observation deck where you’ll get a magnificent 360-degree panoramic view of Berlin. You can cap the experience with a beer and boulette at Bar 203 also on the observation deck. You can grab tickets at https://tv-turm.de/en/.
The next stop on this tour is just an 11 minute walk down Karl-Liebknecht-Straße.
The Berlin Cathedral is the second stop in this itinerary. The cathedral is a monumental and richly decorated church and crypt for the kings, princes, emperors, and other important individuals who ruled the German Empire for over 500 years.
The Berlin Cathedral has four towers and an iconic, almost 100-meter-high dome topped with a golden cross.
Take time to explore the outside. You’ll find arches, carvings and columns, sculptures and brightly painted scenes.
The inside is stunning. When you step inside, you’ll see marble and gold, massive paintings, and a 118-year-old organ over 7000 pipes. If you plan your visit to arrive before noon, you can listen to the organ play and participate in the midday service.
If you’ve worn good shoes and are up for a hike, a 270-step staircase will get you to the top of the Cathedral Dome for an awesome view of Berlin. It’s worth the trek.
Cathedral tickets are less than 10 Euros and you can buy them when you get there.
You’ll want to spend the remainder of your day at the final stop on this itinerary. There are five world-famous museums to check out at Museum Island and it’s a six minute walk from the Berlin Cathedral.
The art and artifacts on display on Museum Island span from the Ancient Egyptians to the 19th century. Here’s what you can see at each:
The Altes Museum: classical greek and roman sculpture
The Neues Museum: Queen Nefertiti bust, pre-and early history collections
The Alte Nationalgalerie: Expressionist, Romantic, and Impressionist art
The Bode Museum: Medieval and Renaissance art, sculpture, coins and medals
The Pergamon: reconstructions of ancient, excavated buildings and monuments
A ticket is required for each museum. You could easily spend two hours at each museum if you tried to visit all five.
Between museums, take time to enjoy the island itself. There are wide paths and lots of grass, trees, gardens, and the Spree river. Mixed in between, you’ll find grand archways, entrances, statues, bridges, and boats. The island is also a popular place for wedding photos, so you’re likely to run into a bride or two during your visit.
You’ll do a lot of walking following this itinerary so wear comfortable shoes.
Well, that’s all folks. Thanks for following along with this series. If you’ve read the first, the second, and this blog, let us know what you think in a comment below.
Reach out if you need help planning your trip to Germany.