While my trip to Berlin in January 2020 was focused on visiting the Zoo to see the pandas, I had a second day to see everything else – this was my third time in Berlin, although the first not for work, so I’ve seen some parts of the city before. But it’s a big place, and there are still some more on my ‘to see’ list!
1 Day Itinerary
This time I brought my mum with me – she’s travelled in Germany before but it was her first time to Berlin. Our hotel was close to Zoo Berlin on the Kurfürstenstraße, which isn’t completely central, but was easy to get to and from Tegel Airport and the Zoo which was the main purpose of my trip. The Tiergarten was less than a 10 minute walk from the hotel, and in the warmer weather I’m sure this is a popular place for people to visit – it was a little cold in the winter, however it was still a nice walk leading to the Victory Column. This is the first time I’ve been up close, it was pretty impressive! The Column can be accessed by underpasses from outside of the roundabout, and then you can pay €3 to get inside. There is an exhibition on the history of the Column (there were only some English translations, but enough to understand the main history), and then a few rooms with a range of exhibits on different monuments around the world.
There are two different levels – the first is surrounded by stone columns and has a very detailed mosaic around the centre. This has a wide platform to walk on and isn’t too high up. It’s followed by a few hundred more stairs inside the main narrow column – very conveniently there were a few larger platforms every so often with a little seat if you need a break! I liked this touch, but it is likely more used as a ‘passing point’ as there is only one staircase for going up and down. There is a steel mesh around the outside of the top viewing platform. It’s quite narrow, but there was probably space to pass by someone. On the day I was there is was pretty windy, it’s completely open to the elements, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it if you don’t like heights. But you do get some really great views across the whole of Berlin, it was really something, and definitely worth the small cost to climb up.
From the Victory Column, it’s a straight walk towards the Brandenburg Gate which has always been surrounded by tourists when I’ve been. As I’ve been before we just had a quick look and then headed off to see the nearby Reichstag Building – which holds the parliament – and despite it being so close, this was the first time I visited. I would love to go inside especially to see inside the glass dome, but only having a day to explore didn’t give much time for going inside anywhere. This is on my list for next time!
The Reichstag Building is right on the river Spree which runs through the middle of Berlin. So we walked from the Reichstag along the Spree into central Berlin – it was a pretty nice walk and didn’t take too long, it helped that it was sunny weather and there weren’t too many other people out. This walk took us to the Museum Island area. In this area the buildings are really something, there have been a lot of refurbishments made recently and some work is still ongoing.
The Museum Island has 5 museums, I haven’t visited any because of time, but the ‘Old National Gallery’ sounds like where I will put on my list for next time, but they really have something for everyone if museums are your thing. The Berlin Cathedral is also here, it’s a stunning building. It’s a short walk from here to many of the other central sites to see. We walked to the Alexanderplatz to have a rest-stop in a cafe (plenty of choice, even on a Sunday).
I find Berlin such an easy city to stroll through – we took the scenic route to Checkpoint Charlie rather than taking the U-Bahn and passed by many beautiful cathedrals and buildings. I’d say Checkpoint Charlie was the most popular site we saw, there were so many people in just one street. It’s one of the most informative free ‘sites’. Around the Checkpoint Charlie Black Box are boards with an extensive history of Berlin, I found this very interesting and it was worth stopping by for a half hour. There are also a few sections of the Berlin Wall here, but the East Side Gallery is the place to go if you want to see larger sections. From here it’s a short walk to the Topography of Terrors – it’s far from a typical tourist site and is certainly not light. It is free to go into and really is filled with an incredible part of history.
What Else To See In Berlin
The Holocaust Memorial To The Murdered Jews Of Europe – I’ve heard this is an amazing place to visit. I’d really like to set aside some time to visit and reflect here.
Charlottenburg Palace and Gardens – I really like visiting palaces, so this is something that is well suited for me. It looks like it would be great to visit in the summer, especially if you want to spend time in the gardens. It’s a little outside the central area, so might need a little extra time.
Tierpark Berlin – this is the sister zoo of Zoo Berlin and is another great place to visit, whilst they don’t have giant pandas, they have plenty more animals to see. It’s a little outside the centre and so is based in some very beautiful grounds. I visited in September 2019 and seeing the young polar bear cub was a highlight!