|

10 Historical German Landmarks: What to See in Berlin in One Day

 
Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

This post contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you book or purchase through these links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Only having one day in any location is hard because you want to see it all. You want to miss absolutely nothing. When I was on my Baltic Sea cruise with Princess, the cool part is that we got to visit 7 countries. The downside is that we only got one day in most of those countries. Berlin, Germany was one of our stops and I was very excited to get to visit a city with such an important world history. So, I’m sharing what to see in one day in Berlin!

Berlin Resources & Recommendations

If you have more time check out this two-day Berlin itinerary with valuable tips!

Berlin Cathedral

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

Completed in 1905, the Berlin Cathedral is the easy way to pronounce this beautiful building. Its full name is the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church.

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

Domes in Europe are quite fascinating to me and this beautiful, green dome with a gold cross on top was no exception. An interesting fact is that it is not an actual cathedral as it isn’t and never has been the seat of a bishop.

Location: Am Lustgarten 10178 Berlin, Germany

Carillon in Berlin-Tiergarten

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

The Carillon in Berlin-Tiergarten is 137 feet (42 meters) tall and is located in the northeastern part of Tiergarten Park in Berlin.

A carillon-what IS a carillon anyway?

A carillon is a musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cup-shaped bells and is usually located in the bell tower of a church or government type building. Berlin-Tiergarten’s carillon consists of 68 bells weighing around 106,000 pounds! The largest bell weighs 7.8 tons or 17,200 pounds. The person playing the carillon is called a carillonneur and he or she plays the instrument from a room in the middle of the bells.

Location: John-Foster-Dulles-Allee, 10557 Berlin, Germany

Berlin Victory Column

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

Designed by Heinrich Strack in 1864, the Berlin Victory Column commemorates the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War. The addition of the gold sculpture of Victoria was not in the original plans and was added at a later date after Prussia went on to defeat Austria and France in each of their respective wars.

In ancient Roman religion, Victoria is the goddess of victory. The sculpture was designed by Friedrich Drake, is 27 feet (8.3 meters) tall and weighs a whopping 35 tons! Although I did not, you can go to the top of the monument but it does require a ticket.

Location: Grober Stern, 10557 Berlin, Germany

Charlottenburg Town Hall

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

Be sure to see the clock tower of the Charlottenburg Town Hall. Built between 1899 and 1905, today it is an administrative building that is home to parts of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf borough administration. It even has a community library!

Location: Otto-Suhr-Allee 100, 10585 Berlin, Germany

You might also like: 36 HOURS IN AMSTERDAM: WHERE TO STAY, WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT TO SEE

Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

Checkpoint Charlie was one of the landmarks I was most excited about seeing. It was the most well-known border between what was East and West Germany during the Cold War.

I remember when the wall came down on November 9, 1989. I don’t remember where I was like I do with some other historical events, but I remember watching it on the news and watching all the cheering and excitement.

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

Today, cobblestones mark the exact spot of the former border crossing, although the original sign is housed in the museum, Haus am Checkpoint Charlie.

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

TIP: You can take photos of Checkpoint Charlie for free; however, you must pay to have your photo taken with the guards. Also, get your passport stamped with Checkpoint Charlie souvenir stamps. They have six different ones representing the four zones of Berlin during the time of its division (United States, French, British and Soviet Union) as well as two general stamps.

Location: Friedrichstrabe 43-45, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Berlin Wall

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

The Berlin Wall. Arguably the city’s most famous landmark, this is what I came to Berlin to see. Now obviously, the wall came down in 1989, but there are several places to see remnants such as Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, various cobblestones marking the border here and there around the city and this section adjacent to the Topography of Terror.

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

The Topography of Terror is a history museum located on the site where the SS Reich Main Security Office was from 1933-1945. Here you can see the longest surviving segment of the outer wall. To say it was emotional to finally see this piece of history is an understatement.

Location: Niederkirchnerstrabe 8, 10963 Berlin, Germany

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

Also known as the Holocaust Memorial, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe consists of 4.7 acres of 2,711 concrete slabs set up in a grid pattern.

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

There are 54 rows that run north-south and 87 rows that run east-west. The rows form right angles that are just slightly offset. The memorial took 2.5 years to build and was inaugurated on May 10, 2005, which is 60 years after World War II ended.

This memorial should never have had to exist. It brought tears to my eyes and was a very somber moment as reflected by how quiet all the visitors were.

Location: Cora-Berliner-Strabe 1, 10963 Berlin, Germany

Brandenburg Gate

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

Built in the 1730s on orders from Prussian King Frederick William II, the Brandenburg Gate is a historical site where many historical events took place and symbolizes not only the dark times of Germany and Europe but also the unity that now exists within Germany itself as well as Germany and Europe.

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

The neoclassical architecture of the gate is absolutely gorgeous and its design is based on the Propylaea which is the gateway to the Acropolis in Greece.

Location: Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Reichstag

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

The Reichstag, meaning “parliament” in English, opened in 1894 and housed the German parliament (called the Imperial Diet of the German Empire) until it was set on fire in 1933. After WWII it was vacant and the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany met in separate locations. Only after the German reunification in October 1990 did it undergo a restoration. This restoration was completed in 1999 and the Reichstag once again housed the German parliament.

TIP: You can go to the top and look out from the beautiful dome!

Location: Platz der Republik 1, 11011 Berlin, Germany

Fernsehturm

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

The Fernsehturm (meaning “television tower” in English), took 4 years to build and was completed in 1969. A symbol of Berlin, the tower stands 1,207 feet (368 meters) tall, is the tallest structure in Germany and one of the tallest in Europe.

The tower houses several radio and television stations, an observation viewing deck and a rotating restaurant. You can even book events here!

Location: Panoramastrabe 1A, 10178 Berlin, Germany

PIN IT!

Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel
Berlin, Germany is full of history. The city's unity is still a somewhat recent historical event. I had been wanting to visit Berlin for some time and finally got a chance on a Baltic Sea cruise. Because I only had a little time, I had to maximize my visit. These landmarks are what to see in Berlin in one day! #berlin #germany #europe #itinerary #attractions #whattosee #destinations #travel

One day is hard when visiting any city, but it can be done. Hopefully, these highlights help if you don’t have long in Berlin. Also, sometimes when you don’t have long in a city you might overlook important information such as things Berlin tourists should avoid. Please don’t be that person in Berlin! 😉

Have you been to Berlin? If so, what is your favorite historical landmark there?

‘Til next time…

Trimm Travels,

Heather

Similar Posts

14 Comments

  1. Oh my these are truly great historical places to visit in Berlin. I agree this Holocaust Memorial is the best. I am glad the Wall is now protected for posterity.

    1. Some great places! The Checkpoint Charlie looks interesting. Are they required to stand extremely still like the English guards??

      1. Hi Kristina-Not like the English ones I don’t think. They were pretty relaxed and you can even have photos taken with them. Thanks for reading! 🙂

  2. Thank you for this wonderful article! I have long been planning a trip to Berlin. This city fascinates me with its history and the spirit of freedom. I’ve heard many amazing stories from my friends who have been here and this fall I plan to finally visit this city. I hope all be fine!

    1. Hi Kurt-I’m glad you enjoyed my post and I hope you get to go to Berlin this fall. It is an amazing city full of rich, rich history. It is quite fascinating! Hope you enjoy your trip and I would love to hear what your favorite thing is when you get back! Thanks for reading! 🙂

  3. It’s true, Cruises are great for seeing so much in one trip, but you really only get to scrape the surface of what each place has to offer. Berlin would such an emotional city to visit, but it would be great to see the wall and the memorial to really recognise the dark history so that we never let that happen again. I love the Cathedral, what a gorgeous building!

    1. Hi Emma-Yep, you’re right…you get to see a lot of places on a cruise, just not a lot in each place. Both appeal to me for different reasons and different times. Berlin is definitely an emotional city. I would like to go back to explore more of it. Thanks for reading! 🙂

  4. I visited Berlin back in 1993, just a couple of years after the fall of the wall. Many of the buildings were in bad shape, especially in what used to be East Berlin. The Reichtag was of course as impressive, such an emblematic monument. But Check Point Charlie was the most memorable as the demarcation zone was still very much present, part of the wall still strong and dividing. Going back a few years later, it was mindblowing to see how much the city had changed already, and I can see from your post how much it changed still, all while keeping its very unique Berlin feel!

    1. Hi Patricia-You should revisit Berlin. It would be amazing to have both perspectives of then and now. Thanks for reading! 🙂

  5. This post brought back memories. I visited Berlin in 1979. I went through Checkpoint Charlie when it was still functioning and the guards stood ready with machine guns. The wall was very much in evidence. Changed days! I must return.

    1. Hi Jane-Yes, you definitely should revisit. So much has changed including Checkpoint Charlie! Thanks for reading! 🙂

  6. I’ve never heard of a carillon, but it sounds amazing. I can’t imagine being in the middle of all the bells to play it! I’m also super interested in Checkpoint Charlie – I love that they give you passport stamps! I’ve never heard of a landmark doing that, but it is a very unique landmark.

    1. Hi Dani-There are actually several landmarks that will stamp your passport. Another one that comes to mind is Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain in Peru. In Liechtenstein (since we came in from Switzerland for the day and so no passport stamping) they do souvenir stamps at the visitor center. Just a heads up for when you are traveling. Thanks for reading! 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.