Berlin Germany - Places To Visit

WillhiteWeb.com: Europe Travel

Arriving in Berlin, we walked from the train station to a hotel that was in the Frommers book. First we had some chores as we left the hotel room to the streets with laundry bags asking in German where we can do our laundry. The rest of the evening was emailing. In the morning we saw Berlin by taking the S-Bahn to see all the sites. Went to Charlottenburg Palace and the Egyptian Museum across the street. We saw really important Egyptian pieces including the bust of Nefertiti. I touched an important stone I was not supposed to. Went back to E. Berlin tried to see the Pergamon Museum but all museums in that entire area are still being renovated. Walked Main Street in East Berlin. Saw Check Point Charlie. Saw a big chunk of the old wall section. Got tickets for an air balloon. 45 minute wait. Went to see to see Brandenburg Gate and Berlin's Parliament Building while we waited. Very disappointed by construction. Back to balloon. Started to rain, got our money back. Ended up spending it at the Kadewe at a big buffet lunch, paying way too much. In the evening, we saw colorful wall and nightlife and we went to the top of the Parliament building. The following morning we left Berlin as early as possible after eating another typical German breakfast. Jumped on a really nice 1st class train and since it was Sunday we were the only ones on the car. We sprawled out and slept the entire 6-hour train ride. A brief stop in Dusseldorf where we saw a few things, then in Koln for a few more sights before the train took us all the way to Koblenz, the start of the Rhine.

River Spree and Television Tower

These Berlin Bears were everywhere around town

Berlin Parliament Building at night

Berlin Parliament Building (with a huge line, so we came back at night)

Brandenburg Gate (under construction, it's just a cover)

King Wilhelm's Church

Charlottenburg Palace

The Reichstag building opened in 1894 to house the Reichstag parliament. Visitors can go for free up into the Reichstag dome, a large glass dome at the very top of the building with a 360-degree view of Berlin.

The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and the only remaining gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered. Built as a sign of peace from 1788 to 1791, it was considerably damaged during WWII but has been fully restored.

Parts of the wall are still there. The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed in 1961 that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin.

The German Cathedral was built in 1708. In 1785 it was modified with the domed tower. The German cathedral was completely destroyed during World War II. After the German reunification the cathedral was rebuilt and re-opened in 1996 as a museum of German history.

Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.

The Egyptian Museum of Berlin is home to one of the world's most important collections of Ancient Egyptian artifacts. The collection is currently part of the Neues Museum.

Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Berlin and the only royal residency in the city dating back to the time of the Hohenzollern family. The palace was built at the end of the 17th century. A large formal garden surrounded by woodland was constructed behind the palace.

The Victory Column is a monument to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War and others. You can go up to the top at a viewing platform next to the Statue of Victoria.

Damaged from the bombing of Berlin, the spire of this old church has been retained and its ground floor has been made into a memorial hall. It makes quite the impression among the newer buildings of Berlin.