Before the reunification of Germany, Mitte was a district of East Berlin and the place where the Berlin Wall was most prominent, running right through the historic fabric of the city. Following reunification, the old administrative division was kept for a decade, and the Mitte's borders were unchanged, but it merged with neighbouring districts of former West Berlin, Tiergarten and Wedding.

In 2001, Mitte, Tiergarten and Wedding were merged into a new district, called Bezirk Mitte. The former districts became localities (Ortsteile) of the Bezirk Mitte. This may lead to confusion, as both the Ortsteil and Bezirk are referred to as "Mitte" in the common parlance. Most Berliners would refer to "Mitte" as the Ortsteil and former district, which is smaller and more cohesive. Location touting hotels and restaurants may however advertise their location within "Berlin-Mitte" instead of the Ortsteil.

This guide oversteps the boundaries of the Ortsteil Mitte and includes Ortsteil Tiergarten as well.

The old district Mitte as covered in this guide can be divided into several neighborhoods:

• Unter den Linden — the main boulevard, from Museum Island to Brandenburg Gate, crossing the main shopping street, Friedrichstraße, half-way along.
• Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and Lustgarten (the square in front of the Altes Museum and adjacent to the Berlin Cathedral).
• Nikolaiviertel — a quarter near Alexanderplatz which comes close to old town style, but built by the East German government.
• Spandauer Vorstadt with Scheunenviertel — The Spandauer Vorstadt is located north of the River Spree and the Hackescher Markt. It is bordered on the north by the east-west course of the Torstraße, on the east by Karl-Liebknecht-Straße and by the northern part of Friedrichstraße to the west. The eastern part of the area takes its name Scheunenviertel (the "Barn Quarter") from the move in 1672 by the Great Elector of all the hay barns out of the fire-prone city centre. In the late 19th century, the area became a refuge for Jews fleeing persecution and pogroms in Russia and Poland. By then it was the centre of Jewish life in Berlin.
• Potsdamer Platz — the area around the completely razed Potsdamer Platz became no man's land between East and West Berlin and remained an empty strip of land until the 1990s, when it was rebuilt as a large project including striking highrises of concrete and steel, mixing offices and commercial space.
• Spreebogen/Regierungsviertel — "Spreebogen" means "the bow of the river Spree" and in Berlin generally refers to a particular one, where the Spree meets the Berlin-Spandau Canal. The area around it houses the German federal government's institutions on the south (or left) bank, called Regierungsviertel ("government district"), while directly opposite it you will find Berlin's all-new central train station Hauptbahnhof.

Mitte is served by many S- and U-Bahn lines. The  S1 ,  S2 ,  S25  and  S26  go from north (Oranienburg and Gesundbrunnen) to south (Potsdamer Platz and Schöneberg), the Stadtbahn (city S-Bahn, lines S3, S5, S7, S75 and S9) goes from west (Charlottenburg) to east (Friedrichshain). They cross at Friedrichstraße. U-Bahn line  U2  connects Mitte with Charlottenburg (west) and Prenzlauer Berg (northeast), the U-Bahn lines  U6  and  U8  go north to Wedding and south to Kreuzberg and Neukölln.  U5  connects Hauptbahnhof to Friedrichshain in the east, and stops at several points of interest between Hauptbahnhof and Alexanderplatz.

The most important stations are:

• 52.521413.41192 S+U Alexanderplatz. The main connecting station; old centre of East Berlin, now about to experience a major revival.  
• 52.52027813.3869443 S+U Friedrichstraße. For Friedrichstraße, Unter den Linden and as a connecting station.  
• 52.51638913.3808334 S+U Brandenburger Tor  U5 . For Unter den Linden, Brandenburger Tor and Reichstag.  
• 52.522613.40225 S Hackescher Markt. For the lively area at the end of Oranienburgerstraße. Do not miss the Hackesche Höfe which is about 20 connected backyards  
• 52.52967213.4013846 U Rosenthaler Platz. This station is a main gateway for accessing the northern Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg districts.  
• 52.512213.38947 Stadtmitte  U2  For Gendarmenmarkt and Friedrichstraße.  
• 52.51611113.4122228 Klosterstraße. Served by  U2  For Nikolaiviertel and Klosterviertel.  
• 52.509413.37589 S+U Potsdamer Platz. For Potsdamer Platz and Kulturforum (the philharmonic, some museums).  
• 52.514413.336510 S Tiergarten. For the Tiergarten park, the flea market on the Straße des 17th Juni and the Siegessäule (Victory column).  
• 52.54861113.38944411 S+U Gesundbrunnen. The main station of Wedding, one of several long distance stations in Berlin and the missing "Nordkreuz" in the Ostkreuz, Westkreuz, Südkreuz naming scheme.  

The Berlin Tram used to be limited to East Berlin from the 1960s until shortly after reunification, but these days a "Tram Reconquista" is slowly but surely connecting parts of the old west to the network. Hauptbahnhof is now served by several tram lines and the red-red-green (leftist/centre-left) coalition in power as of 2021 has made a public commitment to more tram construction in West Berlin.

One of the best, and most cost-effective, ways of exploring Berlin is riding one of Berlin's over 400 double-decker buses. You can enjoy great views, especially if you get to sit in the front, at just the cost of a bus ticket. There are two lines especially developed with tourists in mind - the 100 and 200 - as well as some MetroBus lines (replacing the tram system dismantled in West Berlin), both of which are generally operated using double-decker buses.

• line 100 (see route map) goes from Alexanderplatz through Unter den Linden, through the Regierungsviertel and then further through the Tiergartenpark to the Zoologischer Garten train station in the former West Berlin
• line 200 (see route map) starts in Prenzlauer Berg in East Berlin, then goes via Alexanderplatz and Unter den Linden following line 100, but then turns south and drives through Leipziger Platz, Potsdamer Platz and the Kulturforum ultimately taking you to Zoologischer Garten train station over a slightly different route
• line M48 also starts at Alexanderplatz, but goes along Leipziger Straße (convenient for Checkpoint Charlie), Potsdamer Platz, Kulturforum and then into Schöneberg in West Berlin
• line M85 takes you from the Hauptbahnhof through the Regierungsviertel, along the Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial into Potsdamer Platz, Kulturforum and ends up in Schöneberg as well.

The buses generally operate every 10 minutes and you may rely on their punctuality except for extreme rush hours, but there are diversions due to the frequent construction works in Berlin. Check the current Fahrplan at bvg.de, the bus stops and on the bus. There is a good chance all important notices will be posted in English just as well. These buses do not operate in the night (a separate, different night buses network does) and that there is no guarantee, just a very high chance, that you will get to ride a double-decker bus.

The cost of a day pass on all forms of Berlin transit within zones A and B (including the Tegel airport) is €7 (full tariff as of October 2019), which is less than most "hop-on" bus tours on offer and gives you much more flexibility and better access due to the multitude of lines and stops. The downside is that some lines get pretty crowded in rush hours, and no buses are open-top.

• 52.51627213.3777221 Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor), Pariser Platz. 24/7. The only surviving Berlin city gate and a potent symbol of the city. This is the point where Straße des 17. Juni becomes Unter den Linden. The gate was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1791 and was intended to resemble the Acropolis in Athens. The Brandenburg Gate now symbolizes reunification, after dividing East and West Berlin for decades. This is the site of Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev open this gate, Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall" speech. Free. (updated Aug 2018)
• 52.51638913.3788892 Pariser Platz. 24/7. The large square in front of the Brandenburg Gate contains the French and American embassies, the rebuilt Hotel Adlon, and the new building of the Academy of Arts. Free. (updated Aug 2018)
• 52.516213.38353 Russische Botschaft (Russian Embassy), Unter den Linden 55-65. A vast wedding cake of a building, built between 1949-1951 in the best Stalinist style and meant to symbolize the dominance of the Soviet Union in East German affairs before 1989.  
• 52.5167913.390984 KunstHalle (Former Deutsche Guggenheim), Unter den Linden 13-15 (U-Bahn: U6 to Französische Straße), ☏ +49 30 20 20 930, fax: +49 30 20 20 9320, [email protected]. 10:00–20:00. This former German Guggenheim branch is run entirely by Deutsche Bank since 2013. Compared to the Guggenheims in New York, Bilbao and Venice, it is a relatively small exhibition place. It usually hosts a temporary exhibition and is free on Monday, with a free guided tour starting at 16:00. Since the place is small and the name "Guggenheim" a very famous one, the place is often very crowded. €4, free on Mondays. 
• 52.517513.3955565 Neue Wache (New Guardhouse), Unter den Linden 4. Erected in 1818 to a classically-inspired design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel as a guardhouse for the imperial palace, since 1993 this compact building has housed a small, but extremely powerful war cenotaph, the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany, continuing its use under East German rule as the primary "Memorial to the Victims of Fascism and Militarism". The interior of the Doric column-fronted building is intentionally empty, but for a small but moving sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz depicting a mother cradling a dead child. The statue is positioned beneath a round hole in the ceiling, exposing the figures to the rain and snow.  
• 52.516413.39396 The Bebelplatz (formerly Opernplatz). Nazi Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels made Bebelplatz (then called Opernplatz) infamous on 10 May 1933, when he used the square across from Humboldt University to burn 20,000 books by "immoral" authors of whom the Nazis did not approve. Their list included Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Arnold Zweig, Kurt Tucholsky and Sigmund Freud. Today a monument is the reminder, though it blames Nazi students for the episode. When entering the square it's easy to miss the monument. Look dead centre: the monument is underground. A piece of plexiglass allows the viewer to look underground into a large, white room, filled with entirely empty, blank white bookcases. The room is large enough to hold the 20,000 books that were burnt. The absence of books reminds the viewer just what was lost here: ideas. But the event did reveal things to come, as ethnically Jewish author and philosopher Heinrich Heine, whose books were burned, let one of his characters say in an 1821 play: "This was only the foreplay. Where they burn books, they will also burn people." He was correct.  
• 52.517713.397077 Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum), Unter den Linden 2 (U-Bahn: Französische Straße, Hausvogteiplatz or Friedrichstraße. Bus: 100, 200 und TXL (Staatsoper stop)), ☏ +49 30 203040, fax: +49 30 20304-543. 10:00–18:00. German historical museum covering everything from pre-history up to the present day. One can spend many, many hours here! The building from 1695/1730 was the Zeughaus (Arsenal) until 1876. €8, concession €4, under-18s free.  
• 52.51583313.3972228 Friedrichswerdersche Kirche (Friedrichswerder Church), Werderscher Markt 1. Nice church near Unter den Linden/Museum Island, finished in 1830 by Schinkel in English Neogothic style. Nice exhibition inside (neoclassical statues and an exhibition about Schinkel's life and work upstairs). Free. (updated Oct 2020)
• 52.51583313.3947229 St.-Hedwigs-Kathedrale (St. Hedwig's Cathedral). A domed church at Bebelplatz/Unter den Linden, the oldest (mid-18th century) and one of the biggest Catholic churches in Berlin. Interior was redesigned in a modern style in the 1950s, but there are still many treasure chambers in the basement. (updated Oct 2020)
• 52.520813.386910 Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears), Reichstagsufer 17 (just north of Friedrichstraße station) (S Friedrichstraße, U6 Friedrichstraße, U2 Stadtmitte), ☏ +49 30 4677 779 11. Tu–F 09:00–19:00, Sa Su 10:00–18:00. Millions of visitors leaving East Berlin by train said tearful goodbyes to their friends and relatives from the East at this former border checkpoint. Hardly a year after the wall came down, the building was turned into a nightclub until it was forced to close in 2006. It re-opened as a museum in September 2011 and now houses a permanent exhibition that brings the absurd normality of everyday life in the divided city back to life. Free.  

• Gendarmenmarkt (U6 Französische Str., U2+U6 Stadtmitte, U2 Hausvogteiplatz). The Gendarmenmarkt is a square in the Friedrichstadt with the Konzerthaus (concert hall) and in front of the statue of Germany's poet Friedrich Schiller, the Neue Kirche (New church) and the Französischer Dom (French cathedrals). 
  • 52.51275613.39250611 Neue Kirche (Deutscher Dom), ☏ +49 30 229 1760. Tu–Su 10:00–18:00. Berlin’s Deutscher Dom on the magnificent Gendarmenmarkt square is not to be confused with the Berliner Dom. It was built in 1708. Since 1992 a German Parliament exhibition can be seen here entitled “Paths, Loosing Track and Detours” or the development of parliamentary democracy in Germany – ways and roundabouts. No religious services are held here. Free.  
  • 52.51444413.39222212 Französischer Dom (French Cathedral), Gendarmenmarkt 5. Tu–Su 12:00–17:00. The French cathedral houses the Hugenottenmuseum. It represents the ongoing influence on Berlin by the Huguenots who emigrated from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Crown Prince Friedrich William encouraged them to settle here because most of them were skilled workers or otherwise useful to the kingdom. One memorable artwork, in room nine of the museum, pictures Crown Princess Dorothea exclaiming "But he's a refugee!" upon being presented a very valuable set of jewels by Pierre Fromery. The generally agreed-upon view of refugees as poor, without resources let alone diamonds, was blown apart by the talented French Protestants forced to leave their country due to religion. One of the most notable effects of having such a large French population was their influence on the infamous Berlin dialect. Berlinerisch words such as Kinkerlitzchen (from French "quincaillerie" - kitchen equipment) and Muckefuck (from French "mocca faux" - artificial coffee, though that etymology is not universally accepted) are unique to the area. The Französischen Dom (cathedral) itself was built to resemble the main church of the Huguenots in Charenton, France, destroyed in 1688. It has housed the museum since 1929. Closed till 2019 €2. (updated Aug 2018)
• 52.51388913.37888913 Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas), Ebertstraße 20, ☏ +49 20 26 39 43 36, fax: +49 20 26 39 43 21, [email protected]. Memorial open 24 hours, information centre Tu–Su 10:00–19:00. A vast Holocaust memorial designed by the American architect Peter Eisenman. Opened in the spring of 2005, this gigantic abstract artwork covering an entire block near the Brandenburg Gate, including an underground information centre with extensive details on the Holocaust and the people who died during it. The blocks start out at ground level on the outer edges of the memorial, and then grow taller towards the middle, where the ground also slopes downwards. Entry to the information centre is free although priority is given to prebooked groups so there may be a short queue. Free. (updated May 2017)
• 52.5100113.3872614 Museum für Kommunikation (Museum for Communication), Leipziger Straße 16, corner of Mauerstraße, ☏ +49 30 202 94 0, fax: +49 30 202 94 111, [email protected]. Tu 09:00–20:00, W–F 09:00–17:00, Sa Su 10:00–18:00. The former Imperial General Post Office, now Museum for telecommunication and post with many interesting historical objects. €4, concession €2, under-18s free.  
• 52.51305613.37631715 Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism (Denkmal für verfolgte Homosexuelle), Off Ebertstraße in the Tiergarten, across from the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe. A cuboid made of concrete. On the front side of the cuboid is a window, through which visitors can see a short film of two kissing men. The video will be changed every two years and will also show kissing lesbians. (updated Jul 2017)

• 52.5209513.3965316 Pergamon Museum (Museumsinsel, new visitor entrance: Bodestraße 1-3. Das Panorama is in another building at Am Kupfergraben across the river.). F–W 10:00–18:00, Th 10:00–20:00. There are three huge collections housed within this grand building: the Collection of Classical Antiquities, the Museum of Near Eastern Antiquities and the Museum of Islamic Art. The Pergamon Museum was the last museum built on Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and was intended to house the great acquisitions brought to Germany by archaeologists of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The museum's best-known attraction is the Pergamonsaal. The Pergamon Altar (165 BC), from the eponymous Asia Minor city-state, is three stories high and served as the entrance gate to an entire complex. It is astounding both because of its size and extremely precise detail, especially in a frieze which shows the gods battling giants. The entire room is the same colour as the building's stone, making the details on the frieze section stand out even more. Facing the stairs, on the left hand side of the room there is a small-scale model of the altar which allows the viewer to see where the frieze segments would have been mounted. A 1:300 scale model of Pergamon city is on the right side of the room. The monumental market door of Milet has just been restored.
  Every first Sunday of the month, many museums in Berlin are free of charge. Sometimes a reservation is necessary in advance. For more information, see Museums Sonntag Booking.
  Since 2018 there is also a huge 360° panorama of Pergamon in another museum building, which is included in the Pergamon-only ticket. Admission: €19, discounted: €9.50, children under age of 18 free. (updated Jan 2020)
  • Part of the Antikensammlung (Collection of Classical Antiquities) — The most spectacular part of which is the reconstructed façade of the great altar of Pergamon. There is also the perhaps even greater Ish-Tar gate of Babylon, from centuries BC, which is reconstructed together with a stretch of the procession way.
  • Vorderasiatisches Museum (Museum of the Ancient Near East)
  • Museum für Islamische Kunst (Museum of Islamic Art) with the façade from Mshatta and the Aleppo Room.
• 52.5202613.3979817 Neues Museum, Museumsinsel. F–W 10:00–18:00, Th 10:00–20:00. Admission: €12, discounted: €6, children under age of 18 free.  
  • 52.52023913.39774218 Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection (Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung). Exhibits include the Egyptian and Prehistory and Early History collections. It houses the famous bust of Nefertiti (the legality of its acquisition is still contested by the Egyptian state which is trying to get it back, so you might want to hurry to see it there).  
  • 52.520613.397819 Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte (Museum of Pre- and Early History). Museum for Pre- And Early History with objects from the Collection of Classical Antiquities in the Neues Museum.  

• 52.5192513.3990120 Altes Museum, Museumsinsel, Am Lustgarten. The main floor houses the antiquities collection in an ongoing exhibit called "Neue Antike im Alten Museum" (New Antiquities in the Old Museum). Directly through the front door, entering from the Lustgarten (Pleasure Garden, now under reconstruction), there is a domed rotunda with red and white cameos, Greek-style, with statues of the gods. To reach the Hildesheim silver collection, go to the back of the rotunda, turn left, walk through the long gallery and turn left into a small room at the end. Admission: €10, discounted: €5, children under age of 18 free.  
• 52.5206713.3985121 Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery), Museumsinsel, Bodestraße 1-3, ☏ +49 30 2090 5801, fax: +49 30 2090 5802, [email protected]. Specializes in 19th-century painting and sculpture; Monet, Manet, Cézanne, C. David Friedrich and other important 18th- and 19th-century artists are well-represented. Admission: €10, discounted: €5, children under age of 18 free.  

• 52.5218713.3943122NOT EXISTING LISTING IMAGE Bode-Museum, Museumsinsel, Monbijoustr. 3 (S-Bahn: Oranienburger Str.: S1, S2, S25 or Hackescher Markt S5, S7, S75). F–W 10:00–18:00, Th 10:00–20:00. The museum’s treasures include the sculpture collection with works of art from the middle ages to the 18th century. The Bode museum is best known for its Byzantine art collection and the coin cabinet. Admission: €10, discounted: €5, children under age of 18 free.  

• 52.51916713.40111123 Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), Am Lustgarten (Bus: 100, 200, U-Bahn: U2, U5, or U8 to Alexanderplatz. S-Bahn: S5, S7, or S75 to Hackescher Markt), ☏ +49 20 2026-9136, [email protected]. M-Sa 09:00–20:00, Su and holidays 12:00–20:00. The city's Protestant cathedral and the burial place of the Prussian kings. You can climb to the top and get a view of the city. €7, concessions €5.  

• 52.517513.40277824 Stadtschloss – Humboldt Forum (Berlin City Palace). Started in the 15th century and finished in the mid-18th century, the baroque palace was the residence of electors, kings and emperors until 1918, when it became a museum. The palace was badly damaged during World War II and later razed in 1950, replaced by the GDR with a modernist Palast der Republik. The Palast was in turn gradually dismantled at the turn of the century, as it was discovered to contain asbestos and its former function of housing the GDR parliament became obsolete. Berlin has started in June 2013 construction on a new version of its historic Stadtschloss. The Schlüterhof, an inner courtyard, was also rebuilt. The building opened with a delay in 2021 with museums inside and a roof terrace with a good view. Among the Berlin museums this is perhaps the most controversial due to reconstruction of a monarchist palace being seen as a questionable political statement and due to the fact that many of the exhibits were sourced from German colonies under ethically questionable circumstances leading to demands to return some or all of them to their places of origin.  

The square used to host a cattle market (Ochsenplatz). It was named after the Russian Tsar Alexander I when he visited in 1805. It rose to prominence in the 19th century following the construction of a railway and gradually became the eastern focal point of Berlin. The bustling area around the square was immortalized by Alfred Döblin in a monumental novel Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929). The novel has been adapted into film twice, with the newer adaptation the 1980 Rainer Werner Fassbinder 14-hour behemoth being the better known by far.

The Alexanderplatz area was largely destroyed during the Second World War and redeveloped by socialist city planners as the new centre of East Berlin. The vast expanses of open spaces and large, imposing examples of modern architecture provide for a very different feel than the part of Mitte located across the Spree. Incidentally, the areas directly southwest of modern-day Alexanderplatz were the places where the city of Berlin originates from (Alt-Berlin), and many remains of that can be found interspersed between the modern architecture of the quarter.

Two of the highest buildings in Berlin, the Fernsehturm and the Park Inn hotel, dominate today's Alexanderplatz, while historic buildings such as the Rotes Rathaus, Marienkirche and the Nikolaiviertel flank its sides.

• 52.52083313.40944425 Fernsehturm (Television tower), Panoramastraße 1A (S-Bahn and U-Bahn Alexanderplatz), ☏ +49 30 24 75 75 37. Mar–Oct 09:00–00:00, Nov–Feb 10:00–00:00. At 368 metres, the Fernsehturm is Berlin's tallest and indeed EU's second-tallest building, complected between 1965 and 1969. The main function of the building is television broadcasting, but the shiny sphere atop the tower houses a viewing platform, a restaurant and a Berlin Tourist Information point. The viewing platform sits 203 metres above ground, affording views of as much as 42 km away and featuring a bar. Given how flat Berlin is, it's not a very interesting view however and the state of the glass means that you can't get good photos either. The Sphere restaurant at 207 metres rotates at a speed of one full spin per 30 minutes. There are two lifts from the base to the platform and cafe, taking 40 seconds to reach the top, as well as a 986-step staircase. The Fernsehturm is not accessible to wheelchair users.
  Not all of the Berliners liked the tower and the overall composition of the Alexanderplatz afforded by the socialist city planners. East German T.V. tried to establish the nickname "Telespargel" ("television asparagus") which however doesn't seem to have caught on. During certain times of day, sunlight reflecting from the top caused a large cross-shaped light to shine down on the city. Called the Rache des Papstes (Pope's revenge) by nominally atheist East Berliners, the light-cross was an ironic result of socialist architecture. Rumour has it the architect was deprived of more than his next commission after that fiasco. At night, the Fernsehturm sometimes appears to be shooting light beams from the tower section, giving the impression it's a Death Star à la Star Wars. €13, children €8.50 (if prebooked, slightly more walk up). Discount with voucher from other attractions. (updated Aug 2020)
• 52.5211613.4133126 Weltzeituhr (Urania World Clock), Alexanderplatz (U-Bahn & S-Bahn: Alexanderplatz). Built in 1969, this 16-ton, communist-era clock is one of Berlin's main meeting points. Each of its 24 sides corresponds to one of Earth's 24 time zones and it has the names of some of the world's most important cities written on it.  
• 52.51972213.40666727 Neptunbrunnen. A bronze fountain by Reinhold Begas. It was erected in 1891 as a present from the city of Berlin to the Kaiser. Neptune, trident in hand, presides over the square supported by sea-nymphs with webbed feet carrying him on a seashell. Denizens of the deep (a seal, an alligator, snakes and turtles, among others) spray water at him in homage while languishing mermaids pour water into the fountain, clutching sea-nets overflowing with marine bounty.  

• 

  52.51861113.40833328 Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall). The town hall of Berlin is known as such because it is made of red brick, not due to its former political persuasion. There are nice Prussian rooms inside, which are worth a look.  
• 52.52055613.40666729 Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church), Karl-Liebknecht-Straße (next to the Fernsehturm). Gothic church, the second oldest (built in late 13th century) of the historical centre of Berlin. It's the highest church tower of Berlin (about 90 m), but seems rather small beneath the gigantic TV tower. The church tower was built in the late 18th century by Carl Gotthard Langhans, the architect of the Brandenburg Gate.  
• 52.51972213.40277830 DomAquarée, Karl-Liebknecht Straße (In the Radisson BLU hotel). The twin buildings of the complex house the Radisson Hotel and the Sea Life Centre. In the Radisson lobby you can have a quick glance at the famous Aquadom, the world's biggest cylindrical aquarium with a built-in elevator. There is no entrance fee for watching, but for taking a trip with the elevator you have to pay the entrance fee for the whole Sea Life Centre. The cylindrical aquarium exploded in December 2022, and the Sea Life Centre is temporarily closed.  

• 52.5167813.4069831 Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church), Nikolaikirchplatz, ☏ +49 30 24 002-162. daily 10:00–18:00. Berlin's oldest church (1230) is a 3-nave hall church. It is in the centre of an area destroyed by bombs in the war which was then turned into a faux "old town" by the East German authorities called Nikolaiviertel. The area is more a hodge-podge of relocated buildings than an authentic reproduction, and the newly-built 1988 apartments that attempt to "harmonize" with the older buildings are embarrassing. The church is one of the only structures that was renovated rather than rebuilt. It is best known for a sandstone sculpture called the Spandauer Madonna (1290), but there are other interesting pieces here. When the church was destroyed in 1938 and rebuilt in the 1970s, the communist officials intended to use it as a museum, which did not open until 1987. The museum includes sacred textiles and religious sculpture from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. The Nikolaikirche is the showplace of the Nikolaiviertel, which isn't saying much. €5.  

• 52.51666713.40722232 Nikolaiviertel.  
• 52.5164313.4061333 Zille Museum, Propststraße 11, ☏ +49 30 246 32 502. A museum in Nikolaiviertel dedicated to the Berliner artist Heinrich Zille. 
• 52.51637913.40800734 Hanfmuseum (Hemp Museum), Mühlendamm 5 (Bus M48, Station 'Nikolaiviertel', everything else near Alexanderplatz), ☏ +49 30 242 48 27, [email protected]. Tu–F 10:00–20:00, Sa Su 12:00–20:00, M closed. It is the only hemp museum in Germany; you can see the history of hemp, the culture and use of it. You can see hemp grow. There is a cafe downstairs, with an open WiFi access. Everything going on here is legal - including the hemp growing under artificial light (a low THC strain grown with a special permit) - but they do not refrain from political commentary on the legal situation of cannabis in their exhibits. €4.50, concession €3.  
• 52.5194413.4022235 DDR Museum, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 1 (across from Berliner Dom on the banks of River Spree), ☏ +49 30 847 123 73-1, +49 30 847 123 73-0, fax: +49 30 847 123 73-9, [email protected]. Su–F 10:00–20:00, Sa 10:00–22:00. A museum dedicated to everyday life in communist East Germany. The museum has very relaxed rules and you are allowed to touch and examine almost every object, which adds greatly to the experience. €7, concession €4.  
• 52.53212513.40091436 Volkspark am Weinberg (Weinbergspark) (U-Bahn: U-Bahn: U8 Rosenthaler Platz, Tram: 12,M8 Brunnenstr./Invalidenstr., M1 Rosenthaler Platz). This sloping public park is very popular among locals for sunbathing, relaxing, having a picnic or playing the guitar.  
• 52.52277813.41277837 Park Inn (Panorama Terasse). 10:00–18:00. Small terrace on the top of the Park Inn, publicly accessible. Take the elevator to the 40th floor, and follow the signs up the stairs. Pay the attendant who also serves beer and coffee. Great views of the Fernsehturm. In the summer, consider base jumping off the roof with Jochen Schweizer. It is often closed in bad/windy weather, so look for a notice posted near the elevator that the terrace is closed. €4.  

• 52.5197113.3717838 Regierungsviertel/Spreebogen. The area to the north of Tiergarten, along the bow of the river Spree (Spreebogen), is home to the German federal institutions such as the parliament (Bundestag, in the historic Reichstag building) and the federal government, as well as the new central train station (Hauptbahnhof) across the river.  
• 52.518613.375439 Reichstagsgebäude (Reichstag building), Platz der Republik 1 (Bundestag), ☏ +49 30 227 0. 8:00-24:00. This imposing building houses the Federal German Parliament or "Bundestag" and was completed in 1894 to meet the need of the newly-unified German Empire of the Kaisers for a larger parliamentary building. The Reichstag was intended to resemble a Renaissance palace, and its architect, Paul Wallot, dedicated the building to the German people. The massive inscription in front still reads: "Dem Deutschen Volke" - 'For the German people'. The Nazi leader Adolf Hitler exploited the fire which gutted the Reichstag building in 1933 by blaming the Communists for the arson and for attempted revolution. There is good evidence to suggest, however, that his followers were actually responsible and that this was a manufactured crisis. The iconic photo symbolizing the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany shows a Soviet soldier planting the Soviet flag on top of the building and there are to this day graffiti left by Soviet soldiers on some walls of the Reichstag which were deliberately preserved by the new Germany as a memento of the war. It's perhaps the only national parliament to have traces left by a foreign army deliberately preserved. When German reunification became a reality, the new republic was proclaimed here at midnight on 2 October 1990. The Reichstag has undergone considerable restoration and alteration, including the addition of a spectacular glass dome designed by the British architect Norman Foster. The Reichstag building is well-known in the art world thanks to Paris-based Bulgarian artist Christo's mammoth 'Wrapped Reichstag' project in 1995. The entire building was swathed in silver cloth for two weeks that summer. You can visit the glass dome or a parliamentary debate on your own or follow along on a guided tour through the building. Free, but pre-booking via their website (phone registration is not possible) is required, sometimes weeks in advance. It's also possible to reserve a remaining spot in a small building across Scheidemannstraße. Bring valid ID. (updated May 2017)
• 52.520213.369240 Bundeskanzleramt (Federal Chancellery), Willy-Brandt-Straße 1, ☏ +49 30 182722720. The building houses the personal offices of the Chancellor and the Chancellery staff. The Berlin Chancellery is one of the largest government headquarters buildings in the world. By comparison, the new Chancellery building is ten times the size of the White House. A semi official Chancellor's apartment is on the top floor of the building. The 200-m², two-room flat has thus far only been occupied by Gerhard Schröder; current Chancellor Angela Merkel prefers to live in her private apartment in Berlin. It is usually not possible to visit the building, but on occasion there are tours, usually around August. The building was deliberately designed in a way to symbolize the German constitutional system - it's in the line of sight of the Bundestag and lower in height, symbolizing the role of parliament in controlling government and "the people's house" being the higher power in the relationship between the two. Or at least that's the idea. (updated May 2017)
• 52.5188513.3648941 Kongresshalle – Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of the Cultures of the World), John-Foster-Dulles-Allee. W–M 11:00–19:00. Germany's national centre for contemporary non-European art. The house is a leading centre for the contemporary arts and a venue for projects breaking through artistic boundaries. This architectural landmark was an American contribution to the international building exhibition INTERBAU 1957 as an embodiment of the free exchange of ideas. Colloquially called Schwangere Auster (Pregnant Oyster). Around €8 depending on exhibit.  
• 52.526113.374542 (BMM), Charitéplatz 1, ☏ +49 30 450536156, [email protected]. Tu Th F Su 10:00-17:00; W Sa 10:00-19:00 (closed probably until October 2021). Interesting exhibition charting the development of European hospitals from the 14th century to the present day. €9, concession €4. (updated Nov 2019)

• 52.50583313.34055643 Aquarium, Budapester Straße 32, ☏ +49 30 254010. 09:00-18:00. The largest aquarium in Germany with over 9000 animals that are presented on three storeys in a historic building. Aquarium Berlin is found on the premises of the Zoo, but can also be visited separately. One of the best places on a rainy day with children. Adult €15.50, student €10.50, family ticket €41. (updated Aug 2018)
• 52.50634513.35391244 Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung, Klingelhöferstraße 14, ☏ +49 30 2540020. W-M 10:00-17:00. Closed for renovations; the temporary Bauhaus-Archiv is at Knesebeckstraße 1-2 in Charlottenburg. Building designed by Walter Gropius. Inside a museum, library, cafe and shop. Sa-M €7/€4; W-F €6/€3. (updated Oct 2019)
• 52.506913.361445 Bendlerblock, Stauffenbergstraße 13 - 14 (Entrance is through the commemorative courtyard), ☏ +49 30 26 99 50 00. M-W F O9:00-18:00, Th 09:00-20:00, Sa Su and holidays 10:00-18:00. The Bendlerblock building complex has long held ties to the German military, first serving as the offices of the Imperial German Navy and today housing the Berlin offices of the Ministry of Defense. It was here where, on 20 July 1944, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and other officers led a coup that sought to remove Hitler and the Nazis from power. They failed and were summarily executed in the courtyard, where a memorial stands for these men who are considered German heroes by many. Inside the building you'll find the German Resistance Memorial Center, a permanent exhibit dedicated to the July 20 plot and other individuals in the German resistance. Admission and guided tours are free of charge. (updated Jan 2016)
• 52.510313.370946 Berlin Musical Instrument Museum, Tiergartenstraße 1. Museum established in 1888, with a collection of 3,500 instruments. (updated Aug 2020)
• 52.5145613.3500447 Siegessäule (Victory Column), Großer Stern 1 / Straße des 17. Juni. Apr-Oct: M-F 09:30-18:30; Nov-Mar: 10:00–17:00. 30 minutes longer on weekends. Closed on December 24. Want to feel like one of the angels in Wim Wenders' classic film Der Himmel über Berlin (a.k.a. Wings of Desire)? Climb to the top of Gold-Else, as the statue of Victory on the top of the Victory Column is known. Just don't jump off if you're not actually an angel. Unfortunately there is no elevator, so be prepared for 285 steps to the platform at 50.7 m.
  
  Else was built to commemorate Prussian military prowess in the wars against Denmark (1864), Austria (1866) and France (1870-71), and moved to her present location by the Nazis. Five roads run into a traffic circle called Grosser Stern, in the centre of which is the Siegessäule. Else is visible from much of the city district known as Tiergarten. At the base of the statue are reliefs of war scenes representing the conflicts which this monument memorializes. The Allies forced Germany to take those panels down in 1945, but they were remounted in 1984 and 1987. It also served as a backdrop for a speech by then senator Obama in 2008, after his request to speak in front of Brandenburger Tor caused a political debate in Germany. €3, reduced €2.50 (only cash). (updated Jan 2020)
• 52.517513.35333348 Schloss Bellevue (Bellevue Palace), Spreeweg 1, [email protected] (to ask for a tour). Official residence of the (largely ceremonial) President of Germany since 1994. Only Roman Herzog (president 1994-1999) actually lived here, his successors have preferred a quiet apartment on the outskirts of Berlin, but this is where the president will usually host guests and do public events. Guided tours are possible, but plan to book up to nine months ahead and be prepared for having to reschedule if the president decides to hold an event on short notice which preempts tours. Free.  
• 52.516713.372249 Soviet War Memorial (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal), Straße des 17. Juni 4. 24/7. One of three war memorials in Berlin erected by the Soviet Union to commemorate its war dead, particularly the 80,000 soldiers of the Soviet Armed Forces who died during the Battle of Berlin in April and May 1945. Contrary to popular belief, it has not been granted extraterritoriality even though it was guarded by Soviet troops throughout Berlin partition despite being in the British, not the Soviet, sector. It is however subject to a bilateral treaty between Germany and Russia that mandates Germany take care of the monument and keep it in a good state of repair. Free. (updated May 2017)
• 52.5056313.3397350 Zoological Garden (Zoologischer Garten), Hardenbergplatz 8 or Budapester Str., ☏ +49 30 25401 0, [email protected]. 09:00-18:30. The largest zoo in the world, both in terms of number of species (1500) and animal population (14,000). It is especially famous for its pandas. The Elephant Gate (Budapester Straße), one of the two entrances and next to the Aquarium, is a traditional photo stop for most visitors because of the architecture. €13, Zoo & Aquarium €20, students €10/€15, children 5-15 years €6.50/€10, family ticket: €35/€50, annual tickets available. (updated Mar 2018)

• 52.52416713.40222251 Hackesche Höfe, Rosenthaler Straße 40. 09:00-20:00 (closed at night). The complex consists of eight interconnected courtyards. Plenty of designer boutiques can be found here. (updated Jun 2018)
• 52.52472213.39444452 Neue Synagoge (New Synagogue), Oranienburger Straße 28/30, ☏ +49 30 8802-8300, fax: +49 30 8802-8483. Built 1859-1866 this is one of the most architecturally stunning synagogues in Germany to survive both the Nazi era and the war. Museum: €3.50, Dome: €2.  
• 52.524413.4002653 Old Jewish Cemetery (Alter Jüdischer Friedhof), Große Hamburger Straße. Considered the oldest Jewish cemetery in Berlin €9-12 for tours.