How much can you squeeze into a 3-day Berlin stay – and what to visit if you want to cover as many historic places, attractions, and other famous things & sites as possible in the fascinating German city?

Below is a 3-day itinerary including all the best of Berlin. Day 1 will take you to some of the most iconic places in Berlin and includes some of the absolute top museums in the city! Day 2 will take you to several famous sights in the city centre (Berlin Mitte), and Day 3 will show you some of the significant outdoor attractions in the German capital.

Day 1: Attractions & Things to Do in Berlin City – What to Visit

Your first day in Berlin is an itinerary that covers both iconic places and a selection of some of the great Berlin museums. See Berlin Day 1 Itinerary

You will begin your day at Alexanderplatz in central Berlin, the perfect spot for people-watching. Afterwards, you will enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the Television Tower, also a famous landmark in Berlin.

Well down, at ground level again, it is time for a museum experience. You can, for instance, pick the Pergamon Museum for ancient art, the Bode Museum for sculptures and artefacts that combine Italian, medieval and Renaissance art, or the Altes Museum for Greek, Roman and Etruscan art.

In the afternoon, you may visit and marvel at the neo-Renaissance Cathedral, bombed during World War II. Later, find your way to Mauerpark and spend the evening in the traditional and popular Prater Biergarten – perhaps having Bratwurst or Pretzels.

For a more detailed description of the Day 1 itinerary, see our 1 Day in Berlin Travel Guide.

Day 2

Today is the day you will visit all the traditional visitor spots, attractions & ‘must do’ things in Berlin city – so what to see? Most attractions are within a short distance from each other in central Berlin.

Brandenburg Gate | Photo: Rolf Dobberstein / Pixabay

The neoclassical structure Brandenburg Gate, or Brandenburger Tor, is today one of the most significant landmarks and attractions in Berlin city. Since Berlin’s division into East and West and the reunification, it has become a symbol of the reunified Germany.

The Brandenburg Gate was the first Greek revival building in Berlin, constructed between 1788 and 1791. It was designed by the architect Carl Gotthard Langhans with inspiration from the architecture of the Greek Acropolis, resulting in elements like the six Doric columns.

Brandenburg Gate | Photo: Achim Scholty / Pixabay

In 1793, the gate was topped with the Quadriga statue, designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow. As an interesting detail, the French Emperor Napoleon had the statue transported to Paris in 1806 as a symbol of his victory. In 1814, it was returned to Berlin, where it again found its place on the Brandenburg Gate.

When the Wall fell, a hundred thousand people gathered here in front of the Brandenburg Gate, which had by then for many years been in the Soviet sector of the city. People now celebrated the reunification of the two sides, and the Brandenburg Gate became the symbol of it.

Reichstag | Photo: Richard Ley / Pixabay

Next, you will visit another important site in Berlin city, the Reichstag building, which is the seat of the German National Parliament.

The impressive Reichstag construction was erected in 1894 to house the Parliament, known as the Imperial Diet in the German Empire. For unknown reasons, the building was set on fire in 1933. During the Second World War, it was severely damaged. Therefore, it was not suitable for use in the following years. However, decades later, after the German reunification, the building was restored, and it now became the seat of the new German Parliament.

Reichstag, Berlin City | Photo: Cocoparisienne / Pixabay

A British architect, Norman Foster, made an innovative and inspiring design of the new dome, elegantly connecting the old part of the building with the new glass structure. Today, the construction has become one of the top attractions in Berlin.

If you want to see the Reichstag from inside, you will need to make a reservation for a tour in advance. You will also need to register here if you would like to visit the roof terrace and the dome of the Reichstag Building.

Holocaust Memorial | Photo: Larahcv / Pixabay

Continue the short distance to the Holocaust Memorial, also situated in Berlin Mitte. That is the memorial for the Jews in Europe who lost their lives as victims of the Holocaust.

The memorial was designed by the architect Peter Eisenman and the engineer Buro Happold. Ingeniously designed on the sloping ground, it consists of 2,711 concrete slabs in an intricate grid pattern.

Moreover, you will find the names of approximately 3 million Jewish Holocaust victims, received from the Israeli museum Yad Vashem.

Gendarmenmarkt | Photo: Ralf Genge / Pixabay

You may include the Gendarmenmarkt in your stroll through Berlin city. One of the things the square is known for today is its famous Christmas market.

Friedrich Schiller is immortalised as a statue in the centre of the square Gendarmenmarkt. Flanked by Berlin Concert Hall, as well as the French and German churches, the vibrant square is worthy of a small detour. It was designed by Johann Arnold Nering at the end of the 17th century and remodelled by Georg Christian Unger in 1773. Originally, it was a marketplace, named after the Gens d’Armes, who had established stables here.

Established as a Schauspielhaus in 1821, Berlin Concert Hall (Konzerthaus) is the most recent building on the Gendarmenmarkt, erected on the site of the former National Theatre. Also, this building was damaged during the War – and reconstructed as late as 1984, transforming it into the Konzerthaus Berlin.

Potsdamer Platz | Photo: Beate Bachmann / Pixabay

Another famous square and intersection in Berlin is Potsdamer Platz, known for its city architecture and named after the small city of Potsdam southwest of Berlin. Potsdam Gate was where the old road passed through the Berlin city walls.

Potsdamer Platz began as a trading post where several country roads converged outside Berlin’s old customs wall. The history of Potsdamer Platz can probably be traced back to 29 October 1685, when the Tolerance Edict of Potsdam was signed. Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg-Prussia from 1640 to 1688, allowed large numbers of religious refugees, including Jews from Austria and Huguenots expelled from France, to settle on his territory.

For example, Sony erected their new European headquarters on the triangular site adjacent to the Daimler-Benz complex.

Go to see the intriguing architecture and skyline for yourself! If you love electronics, don’t miss the opportunity to enter the Berlin Sony Centre!

Potsdamer Platz | Photo: Frank Schwertfechter / Pixabay

Now, you can visit another phenomenal museum in Berlin, documenting crucial history. You may want to choose between this museum, the Topography of Terror, and the Jewish Museum, as you will probably not have time for both today. They show two different sides of the cruel and heartless history.

Topography of Terror, or Topographie des Terrors, is both an outdoor and indoor historical museum, located precisely where the headquarters of the Nazi Sicherheitspolizei, SD, Einsatzgruppen and Gestapo used to be in Berlin.

Since 1987, it has been a memorial and exhibition area where the dreadful history is displayed. Moreover, the torture cell and the execution site have been excavated, culminating with a joint East German and West German exhibition in 1989.

In 1992, the first steps were taken to establish a permanent museum, but several decades passed before the museum saw the light of day.

Designed by the architect Ursula Wilms and landscape architect Heinz W. Hallmann, the new structure stood ready for visitors in 2010.

The Jewish Museum | Photo: Levi 7 / Pixabay

Instead of visiting the Topography of Terror, you may want to see the Jewish Museum or Jüdisches Museum, from 2001. If you have a fourth day in Berlin, you may also keep it for later.

It is the largest Jewish museum in Europe and documents the Jewish history in Germany. Moreover, it is one of the most visited museums in Europe.

Besides giving insight into Jewish history, the museum also features magnificent pieces of Jewish art to make Jewish history come alive here.

There are two buildings, the former Berlin Museum, the baroque Kollegienhaus, and Libeskind’s modern building, connected to the other building via an underground passage.

The permanent exhibition “Two Millennia of German Jewish History” introduces Germany’s history from a Jewish angle.

If you are curious about Jewish history, this is a must-see museum.

Checkpoint Charlie street art | Photo: Anil Ozturk / Pixabay

No Berlin visit without Checkpoint Charlie. That was how the famous crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin was nicknamed by the Allies.

Its history goes back to 1961, when the East German leader, Walter Ulbricht, obtained the Soviet Union’s permission to initiate the construction of a wall separating East Berlin and West Berlin. The objective was to prevent the crowds from fleeing from the East to the West.

Checkpoint Charlie became one of the links between the two sectors – and became a symbol of the Cold War. Here, America and the Soviet Union could potentially confront each other, which happened on an occasion in 1961.

Checkpoint Charlie | Photo: Erge / Pixabay

There were two other border crossings between East Berlin and West Bering: Checkpoint Alpha and Checkpoint Bravo. What characterised Checkpoint Charlie was that only foreigners could pass there. It was the gateway where the Allied diplomats and foreign visitors could pass into the Soviet sector in Berlin.

The former East German watchtower has been torn down. Although the guard house in the street today is not the original construction but just a copy, Checkpoint Charlie is still one of the main tourist attractions in Berlin and probably a must-see during your visit! For some years, ‘fake guards’ in uniforms would stand here for pictures, but this approach to tourism has been abandoned.

Instead, you can visit the nearby Mauer Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie for more info and pictures.

The Berlin Wall | Photo: Ira Gorelick / Pixabay

Another open-air Wall experience is the East Side Gallery. You can access it in Mühlenstraße in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.

On a 1,316 m (4,318 ft) long section of the former Berlin Wall, a series of colourful murals adorn the brick surfaces. Painting the Berlin Wall was a project undertaken in 1990 on the east side of the Wall as a monument to the fall of the Wall.

In 2018, the State of Berlin transferred the East Side Gallery to the Stiftung Berliner Mauer, which took over the responsibility for the preservation of the murals. Several restoration works have been carried out to maintain the bright paintings.

The East Side Gallery has today become an iconic and popular landmark in Berlin with over three million visitors per year – definitely one of the top attractions to visit!

Kreuzberg | Photo: Boris Mayer / Pixabay

At the end of the day, you will end up in Kreuzberg, where you will easily find a restaurant among the numerous ethnic eatery options.

Kreuzberg is a trendy, multicultural neighbourhood you cannot miss. Street food, antiques, art galleries, parks, cool bars and clubs – these are some things you can experience here in the streets, intersected by the picturesque Landwehrkanal. A visit here is one of the hip things to do in Berlin, and you will probably love to explore the vibrant area and chill lifestyle in Kreuzberg.

You may well opt for one of the genuine Turkish restaurant experiences here. If you like ethnic food, this is an excellent neighbourhood of Berlin to spend your evening in.

Day 3

Day 3 is not as ‘museum-heavy’ as the two previous days. Today, treat yourself to some shopping in Berlin and enjoy a few great outdoor attractions in the city.

Kaufhaus des Westens | Photo: Pixikus / Pixabay

You will start with a fascinating shopping experience in KaDeWe – Kaufhaus des Westens, the renowned department store at Tauentzienstraße, which used to be exclusively for West Berliners.

You just have to cross through the captivating food section with the most enticing delicacies and luxury food. Grab a quick bite here before exploring the rest of the eight floors!

After a few hours in KaDeWe, you are ready to continue sightseeing in the city.

Gedächtniskirche | Photo: Gerd Altmann / Pixabay

On your way to Berlin Zoo, you will pass the Gedächtniskirche at the 3.5-kilometre long Kurfürstendamm, one of the most famous shopping boulevards in Berlin. It was named after the prince-electors, or Kurfürsten, who took this way to go hunting in Grunewald.

Wilhelm II stood behind a magnificent neo-romantic church with all five spires, built by Franz Schwechten from 1891 to 1895. Moreover, the church bells were impressive and were some of the largest in German churches.

Instead, a new church was projected, and the architect Egon Eiermann planned to integrate the ruin into the new church structure. In 1961, a new church with an octagonal shape was inaugurated, and the old spire was included as a memorial against war and destruction.

Do include the rare church structure in your itinerary today – it is incredibly original! Afterwards, it is time to enter the Berlin Zoo, just opposite.

Visit Berlin Zoo – one of the city’s top attractions | Photo: Hans Benn / Pixabay

In the afternoon, you will visit another of the famous attractions in the city of Berlin, Berlin Zoo, situated near the vast Tiergarten park – and designed in the 1830s for hunting purposes.

Enter the Zoo through the famous Elephant Gate, or Elefantentor, from 1899, presenting two sculptured sandstone elephants carrying sophisticated columns topped with an oriental golden upper gate.

You will find no less than 20,000 animals in the Zoo, and, in particular, you should not miss the Cat House or the Hippopotamus House. There is also a nocturnal animal house and a whole World of Birds.

Chill out for a few hours here and consider having lunch in one of the restaurants or at one of the food stalls inside the Zoo.

Don’t confound the Berlin Zoo with the Tierpark. The Tierpark was Berlin’s zoo in East Germany (GDR), opened in 1955. It is located around 10 km from central Berlin city and covers an area, which is four times as large as Berlin Zoo.

Tiergarten, Berlin | Photo: Caro Sodar / Pixabay

If you, despite the two previous days of historical and cultural experiences, still prefer to squeeze in a last museum visit (which is definitely not tedious!), you may opt for the intriguing DDR Museum to learn more about life in the former East Germany. Otherwise, if you prefer (or have a fourth day in Berlin for this), you can also skip this and instead move on to explore another iconic shopping opportunity in Berlin, the Hackesche Höfe.

You may feel tempted to enter the DDR Museum to gain insight into the everyday life in the former GDR, or East Germany.

No doubt it is an unconventional museum since you can touch, interact, and even try a simulated drive in a Trabant car, explore an ordinary East Berlin tower block apartment and more to get a personal experience with the former GDR. You have to come to see (and feel) it for yourself!

The DDR Museum opened in 2006 and has over the last few years become a very popular museum among tourists and has achieved nominations for the ‘European Museum of the Year’ award. Visiting is one of the most fun historical things you can do in Berlin!

Hackesche Höfe | Photo: TGH / Pixabay

In the 1700s, the Hackescher Markt was designed by the commandant Hans Christoph Graf von Hacke. It soon became a Jewish neighbourhood, and a synagogue was planned and erected at Oranienburger Straße in 1866.

The construction was damaged during the Second World War, which happened to many buildings in Berlin. Nevertheless, in 1993, a comprehensive restoration began, and this was the ‘new’ beginning of a popular and flourishing site in Berlin.

Today, it is one of the hip places to go for shopping, eating and nightlife! There is a wealth of bars, restaurants, clubs and other attractions, and this may be the perfect place to spend your last evening in Berlin!

Charlottenburg Palace | Photo: Udo Röbenack / Pixabay

What things to do and what to see if you have more than 3 days in Berlin? You may then additionally consider including the following attractions in your Berlin visit:

Charlottenburg: Enjoy the beauty of Berlin’s largest Palace, built by Elector Friederich III in 1699. It was named after the first Queen consort in Prussia, Sophie Charlotte, and used to be a royal summer residence. A baroque-style garden surrounds the Charlottenburg Palace.

Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum: Explore the Botanical Garden consisting of cool botanical pavilions such as the Cactus Pavilion, the Pavilion Victoria (containing orchids, giant water lilies, and an amazing collection of carnivorous plants) and the Great Pavilion (containing tropical plants).

Tempelhofer Feld: Visit an abandoned airport and parade ground, closed down in 2008. It has been converted into a lovely recreational area where you can picnic, sunbathe, jog or perform other outdoor activities.

Sanssouci: Make a day tour to the Sanssouci Palace, built by Friedrich the Great in 1747 as a convenient summer residence among vineyard terraces outside Berlin. The Palace features the spectacular Neues Palais (New Palace), Neue Kammern (New Chambers), Chinese House and Orangery, as well as the Charlottenhof Palace.

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