We were rather astounded when we visited Berlin; steeped in dynamic culture, architecture and politics from centuries old history to the more recent Second World War and the Cold War. Berlin is a fascinating city with plenty of things to see and do, and very generously, either for free or very good value.
Below is our list of top list of free and cheap things to see and do Berlin.
You can pay around €19 for a 1 day ticket on the Berlin city-sightseeing Hop on Hop off bus, which takes you around the top attractions in convenient and economical fashion. Or take the free option of walking tours (donations appreciated) or just walk around yourself, stopping where you like and for however long. We use map.me a free app for your phone with live maps. A day ticket on train/ tram is €7. You purchase tickets at the train station and punch them in a machine before getting on, trams you purchase tickets and punch them onboard. (€2.30 for a single ticket).
Museum Island | Museumsinsel
5 museums located together on an island, while you’ll need to pay entry to peruse artefacts within, strolling the island to take in the magnificent architecture costs you nothing.
Opening times:
All museums on Museumsinsel are open Tuesday- Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, closing at 8 pm on Thursday. The Pergamonmuseum and Neues Museum are also open on Monday from 10 am to 6 pm
Price:
Entry €18 for all 5 museums
Location:
Museumsinsel
Am Lustgarten
10117
Take a leisurely walk from Museum Island down Unter den Linden, named after its Linden trees which line the boulevard, and keep your eyes up to the sky and marvel at the centuries old architecture.
Checkpoint Charlie | Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
A further 20 minute walk and you will arrive at Checkpoint Charlie. 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 (1947–1991). There are multiple information boards around the area which you can spend time reading all about the history, there is also Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
Opening times:
Monday- Sunday 9 am to 10 pm
Price:
Checkpoint Charlie- FREE
Haus am Checkpoint Charlie museum- €14.50
Location:
Friedrichstr. 43
zum Stadtplan
10969
Jewish Museum | Jüdisches Museum Berlin
A further 20 minute walk and you will reach the Jewish Museum. The museum is crammed full of Jewish history dating back thousands of years right up to the Second World War. It is very interesting and set in such a huge building, you couldn't possibly see it all in one visit.
Opening times:
Mondays 10 am to 10 pm Tuesdays–Sundays 10 am to 8 pm
Price:
€8
Location:
Jewish Museum Berlin Lindenstraße 9-14 D-10969
Brandenburg Gate | Brandenburger Tor
An 18th-century neoclassical monument, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II, it is one of the best known landmarks in Germany. Night time is possibly the best time to visit as it is not only quieter but the lighting is very effective.
Opening times:
Open 24 hours
Price:
FREE
Location:
Pariser Platz,
10117
Hitler's Bunker | Führerbunker
Near by, close to Potsdamer Platz, what was once the Führerbunker , an air raid shelter, which was part of a subterranean bunker complex. It was the last of the Führer Headquarters used by Adolf Hitler during World War II. Hitler took up residence in the Führerbunker on 16 January 1945 and it became the centre of the Nazi regime until the last week of World War II in Europe. Hitler married Eva Braun here during the last week of April 1945, shortly before they committed suicide. Now it is a car park, with only a small information sign stating what once laid on this site.
Opening times:
Open 24 hours
Price:
FREE
Location:
In den Ministergärten,
10117
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Also known as the Holocaust Memorial, is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. The museum is set underground and on street level there is an art instalment of 2,711 large concrete grey slabs. Very moving.
Opening times:
Tuesday- Sunday 10 am -8 pm
Price:
FREE
Location:
Cora-Berliner-Straße 1,
10117
East Side Gallery
Take the train to Ostbahnhof (East Train Station) to visit a large section of over 1km of the Berlin Wall which consists of over 100 paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side of the Berlin Wall. The paintings at the East Side Gallery document a time of change and express the euphoria and great hopes for a better, more free future for all people of the world.
Opening times:
Open 24 hours
Price:
FREE
Location:
Mühlenstraße,
10243
Topographie des Terrors |Topography of Terror
If you can only visit one museum in Berlin make it the Topography of Terror, a history museum, built on the former site of the headquarters for the SS and Gestapo during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 which were largely destroyed by Allied bombings during early 1945.
Opening times:
Monday- Sunday 10 am - 8 pm
Price:
FREE with donation being encouraged
Location:
Niederkirchnerstraße 8,
10963
Berlin Wall at Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse
The boundary between the American and Soviet zones of occupation in Berlin ran along the Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, so the street soon became a fortified boundary, and the Berlin Wall ran along the south side of the street, renamed Niederkirchnerstrasse, from 1961 to 1989. The wall here was never demolished. Indeed, the section adjacent to the Topography of Terror site is the longest extant segment of the outer wall.
Opening times:
Open 24 hours
Price:
FREE
Location:
Niederkirchnerstraße 8,
10963
Bundestag | German Parliament The Bundestag or Reichstag building as its known is a constitutional and legislative body at the federal level in Germany. Book at least one week in advance for your free tour or you can turn up at the information centre next to the Bundestag and find spare slots on each day, be warned number are limited this way and there may be no availability for that day. You need to take ID with you when booking (in actual fact, Germany as a country requires everyone to carry ID on them at all times) . Once past security you will be escorted in a lift to the glass domed roof where you pick up a headset and follow the 2km path spiralling up the dome, once outside if it is a nice day you will get great views over the city.
Opening times:
Daily 8 am- midnight, last admission 10pm
Price:
FREE. Advance registration required
Location:
Platz der Republik 1,
11011
Panoramic City Views Whilst most tourists will flock to the television tower (Berliner Fernsehturm) for panoramic views of the city, at a price of €13, you can go to the top of the Park Inn Hotel (Alexanderplatz) for €4 to see views of the city(check for opening times, as they vary each season) or visit Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) located in Museum Island, a beautiful building which you can admire for free from outside or pay €7 to climb up the dome and marvel at spectacular views across the city. near Alexanderplatz
Opening times:
Television tower: March to October Daily 9 am- midnight. November to February Daily from 10 am- midnight
Park Inn Hotel: Summertime:12 pm– 10 pm, Wintertime: 12 pm– 6 pm
Berlin Cathedral: Monday- Saturday 09 am - 8.00 pm. Sundays and Holidays 12 pm – 8 pm
Price:
Television tower €13
Park Inn Hotel €4
Berlin Cathedral €7
Location:
Television tower TV Turm
Alexanderplatz
1AD-10178
Park Inn Hotel
Alexanderpl. 7,
10178
Berlin Cathedral
Am Lustgarten,
10178
Have you been to Berlin and seen all the sights? Topography of Terror was our favourite... what was yours?
Comments