Some friends from the US mentioned they were planning a trip to Berlin, and asked if I had any recommendations for things to see & do there. So I dug up some old pictures from when I was last there (January 2017), and decided to post them here as a small but hopefully useful guide.
The main reason for my visit to Berlin for a few days was a scientific workshop at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. As part of that workshop we were treated to a backstage tour of the city’s natural history museum, which was very interesting and educational indeed!
After the workshop I took an extra day to do a long walk through the city and visit some of its main sights. Starting at Checkpoint Charlie, I followed part of the Berliner Mauerweg (Berlin Wall Trail) to the East Side Gallery, the longest still remaining section of the wall. Then with the S-bahn (local train) to the Brandenburger Tor, followed by a walk through the Tiergarten park to the Siegessäule (victory column).
Starting out at Checkpoint Charlie.
Then along the Berliner Mauerweg, a route along where the wall once stood. In some of the streets a cobblestone line indicates its former location.
Ending up at the East Side Gallery, at 1.3km in length the longest section of the wall that is still standing.
My favorite part of the East Side Gallery. A real shame that “The Wall” on the wall is so badly vandalized. And I’m not even sure if it’s still there at all these days…
These Trabants parked along the wall are for rent!
Then with the S-bahn to the Brandenburger Tor, an obvious destination.
And right next to it the Reichstag, seat of the German parliament.
Then a pleasant walk through the forested Tiergarten park.
Ending up at the Siegessäule.
Climbing up the narrow spiral staircase on the inside results in a nice view over the city of Berlin as a reward.
Then I walked back through the Tiergarten park and into the city center again, along a few smaller sights on the way back to the hotel. It was a cold and windy winter day, but the upside was that there were not that many other tourists around. Altogether a worthwhile visit.