Berlin landmarks and tourist attractions: One day tour

Being one of Europe’s popular cities and tourist destinations, Berlin’s rich historical significance is recognized as well. As the capital of Germany and the largest of its cities, it ranks with other European destinations such as Paris, Athens, Rome, Barcelona and other famous vacation spots.

Tourists with limited time in Berlin can still enjoy their stay and visit most of its well-known landmarks even in just a day as most of the city’s attractions are located in the Berlin-Mitte district.

Here’s a recap of our Berlin day tour, most of the major points of interests listed below are in the Berlin-Mitte district (click on the photos to read more):

Alexanderplatz – Berlin’s famous square, where you can see important landmarks such as the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) and Weltzeituhr (World Time Clock). It is also the city’s main transport center.

Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall) – You can’t miss this red brick government building with its renaissance style and symmetrical design.

Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church) – This church is one of the oldest in Berlin.

Neptunbrunnen (Neptune Fountain) – This landmark depicts Roman mythology character Neptune at the center as the god of the sea, surrounded by four women symbolizing the four major rivers in Germany.

Museumsinsel (Museum Island) – A cluster of Berlin’s important museums are found in this area – Altes Museum (Old Museum), Neues Museum (New Museum), Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), Pergamon Museum and the Bode Museum (formerly identified as the Kaiser Friedrich Museum).

If you love learning about the history and culture of Berlin, a day at Museumsinsel won’t be enough to appreciate what it has to offer. Personally, I could spend hours at museums. I just wished we stayed more than a day in Berlin and availed of an all inclusive holiday deals to make the most of our trip instead of being rushed to go back to Prague.

Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) – This huge cathedral is one of Berlin’s impressive buildings in the Berlin-Mitte district.

Lustgarten (Pleasure Garden) – Berlin’s notable public park nearby Berliner Dom and Museumsinsel.

Zeughaus (Old Arsenal) – where the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) is housed.

Neue Wache (New Guard House) – This building is a memorial to commemorate the victims of tyranny and war. Inside is a sculpture, a reproduction of Käthe Kollwitz’s “Mother with her Dead Son”.

Staatsoper (Berlin Opera House) – another famous building in Berlin.

Bebelplatz – One of Berlin’s notable public squares, where the infamous book burning rites by the Nazis in 1933 was held.

Sankt-Hedwigs-Kathedrale (St. Hedwig’s Cathedral) – This beautiful cathedral with a large dome is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Berlin.

Humboldt University – This is the oldest university in Berlin where Albert Einstein, the Grimm brothers and other notable German alumni studied or taught.

Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) – This is a massive passageway that concludes the Unter den Linden Avenue, and is considered as Berlin’s historical and symbolic monument.

Reichstag building – This is another imposing landmark in Berlin.

Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Palace) – The largest palace in Berlin, built in the 17th century, is located in the Charlottenburg district.

Checkpoint Charlie (via subway) – Located in the Friedrichstadt suburb, this is one of Berlin’s historical attractions – a crossing point in the Berlin Wall which separated East Germany and West Germany at the time of the Cold War.

Note that both the Charlottenburg Palace and Checkpoint Charlie are outside the Berlin-Mitte district already.

So, that’s about it folks. We visited most of the city’s notable tourist attractions within the day. If you’re planning to visit Berlin, it’s best to stay at least three days to explore more of its districts.