Four Days in Berlin
Brandenburg Gate July 2022
Introduction
I've always wanted to visit Germany's capital, ever since, as a child, I saw the wall come down on the news. The city wears its history visibly. The Wall, the war, division and reunification - all aspects that make it a fascinating place to visit.
This was our second attempt to visit Berlin. Earlier in the year, we all came down with COVID (its was 2022!), so couldn't travel. We eventually got there in the July.
Essential Sights to check-off on your visit
1. The Brandenburg Gate
2. Großer Tiergarten
3. The Holocaust Memorial
4. Reichstag Parliament Building
5. Alexanderplatz and the Berlin TV Tower
6. East Side Gallery
7. Checkpoint Charlie
Day 1
After arriving in Berlin late morning and managing to drop our bags off at the hotel pre-check-in, we set off to explore. We made our way to Gendarmenmarkt, which is a beautiful square lined on three sides with two cathedrals - the French Cathedral (Französischer Dom), and the German Cathedral (Deutscher Dom), and also by the Concert Hall Berlin (Konzerthaus). The square was undergoing some renovation work when we were there, but nevertheless, it was still stunning. It was incredibly warm and we were looking for our first stein of beer! We grabbed a table at a beer garden beside the Französischer Dom , drank beer, cooled down, and watched Berliners go about their business in the heat.
The German Cathedral (Deutscher Dom)
Concert Hall (Konzerthaus)
Our accommodation for the trip was the NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie, and we booked a treat of a dinner at Lutter & Wegner round the corner from the hotel.
Day 2
We had planned to take a walk over to the Brandenburg Gate first thing in the morning, but looking out of our hotel window in the morning, we could see that the road had been closed for an event. A quick Google, told us that we had booked a hotel on the route of Berlin Pride without realising, and it was about to get underway. We decided to stay put on our balcony and watch. I've been to Pride events before, and they are usually family friendly. In the main it was, but sprinkled with a few completely naked men, and there were a lot more leather focussed sections, if you know what I mean!
Once the parade started to thin out a bit we followed on behind, in the direction of Großer Tiergarten. We broke up the 20 minute walk with a stop for a beer in the blazing late morning heat in a shady beer garden.
When we got to Großer Tiergarten, which is Berlin's largest park, the carnival was in full swing. We had planned to have a walk around the park anyway, but it was a bit busier than normal!
Berlin's Victory Column
The east side of the park starts at Brandenberg Gate and the park itself is just under a square mile in area. We couldn't see Brandenburg gate as there were big screens and a stage in front of it. We'll come back another day for that. The parade aside, there are plenty of things to see in the park, For me, the most interesting were the Soviet War Memorial, and the Victory Column. There are lots other statutes and sculptures dotted about though, so Großer Tiregarden makes for a really pleasant stroll in good weather.
The Victory Column was built in 1873 to commemorate the Prussian victory over Denmark in 1864, and was moved to its current location in 1939, remarkably surviving World War II with very little damage. Today it stands on a large roundabout in the Park.
This was as far into the park as we planned to go. Beyond here, continuing west, you can visit the Berlin Zoo or Aquarium Berlin, if those things take your fancy.
We decided to walk back towards Brandenburg Gate, but avoiding some of the carnival by taking less direct paths away from the main road through the park.
Our next sights on the list for the day were the Reichstag Parliament building, and the Holocaust Memorial, followed by dining and browsing at Potsdamer Plaz.
The Reichstag Parliament Buildlng is just north of the Brandenberg Gate, or to the right if you are looking through the gate into Großer Tiergarten.
The Reichstag is a Neo-Renaissance style building with a glass dome on top offering 360-degree views of the city. You can buy tours of the building including the dome for around £30 per person. We chose not to take a tour on this occasion as it was now getting late in the day and we still wanted to go to the Holocaust Memorial and Potsdamer Plaz. Instead, we took in the now cooler, afternoon atmosphere in the Platz der Republik park opposite the Reichstag.
The Reichstag Parliament Building
Later in the afternoon, we made our way back towards the Brandenberg Gate, and beyond it, continuing south to the Holocaust Memorial.
The Holocaust Memorial, also called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is just south of Brandenburg Gate, or if you are looking at the Brandenburg Gate into Großer Tiergarten, then its not far to you left. The memorial is a sobering piece of architecture which you are free to walk around in a respectful way. The memorial is laid out in a grid, with the height of the blocks ranging from 8 inches to 15 feet. The design is supposed to reflect a feeling of unease and confusion. We spent a little time here walking the undulating corridors and appreciating the architecture.
For the evening, we continued south for around half a mile, keeping Großer Tiergarten on our right until we got to Potsdamer Plaz, which is a shopping and dining destination, and crucially for us, not far from our hotel. We dined at the cheaper end of the scale this evening under the canopy at Potsdamer Plaz, and walked back to our hotel in the evening sunshine.
The Canopy at Potsdamer Plaz
Day 3
This morning was spent at Alexanderplaz, which is Germany's largest square with shops and restaurants. Its also home to the Weltzeituhr world time clock. Installed in 1969, it gives the square an East German vibe. We decided to try out the U-Bhan (Berlin's underground system) to get there, and it was surprisingly easy, and very clean.
Alexanderplatz and the Welzeituhr world clock
View to Großer Tiergarten from the Berlin TV Tower
The Neigh Kid Horse
We had tickets to the Berlin TV Tower. The weather was good, and we got there early to avoid the crowds. The views were spectacular. None of the photos I took did it justice.
In the afternoon we took a bus to Mühlenstraße, where the East Side Gallery begins. This was the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most.
If you aren't familiar, the East Side Gallery is approximately 0.8 miles of original Berlin Wall that is now the world's longest open air art gallery. By far the most famous paintings are the Fraternal Kiss, and the Trabant (Test the Rest), but there is lots to look at, not least a naked busker with a horse's head - "The Neigh Kid Horse", who even has a listing on Tripadvisor.
Below is a slide show of some of the murals I took pictures of along with their titles.
After some lunch, the final stop of the day was Checkpoint Charlie - the most famous crossing between East and West Germany during the Cold War. It wasn't quite what I expected. The checkpoint is now in the middle of a busy shopping street, sandwiched between a KFC on one side, and McDonalds on the other. All that remains is the hut, and signage. Along the road a little is the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, and we decided to give that a go. It doesn't pull any punches in displaying Germany's history. I enjoyed it, but I don't think it's for everyone.
In the evening we went to a bier hall for some food and a few steins, before heading back to our hotel for our final night.
Day 4
Our flight was in the afternoon, so we had just enough time to walk back over to the Brandenburg Gate early in the morning, after a lovely breakfast at Kaffeehaus Dallmyr, where the waiting staff were in such a good mood that they sang to us when they brought out our food. The cafe was in the Museum for Communication building across the road from our hotel . While writing this, I Googled them, and am sorry to see that they have now permanently closed.
With the sun still low in the sky, we walked to the Brandenburg Gate. Where there had been crowds two days before, it was now very quiet.
During the Cold War, the Brandenburg Gate was obstructed by the Berlin Wall, standing on the east side, but inaccessible from either side, basically in no-man's-land. The Gate was re-opened after re-unification in 1989, and renovated between 2000-2002.
That was the final sight that we wanted to see in Berlin, and now it was checked-off. The weather had been amazing, if a little too warm at times, the culture was fantastic, and as usual, the company was awesome!
