A Weekend in BERLIN
Me and the kids all love history and Berlin has some world-famous monuments, so this was going to be a weekend of museums, parks, iconic sites, pop culture, along with the obligatory bratwurst, sauerkraut and beer. Prost!
WORD WAR II
Day one was going to be all about World War II. I’d found a guided tour of the air raid shelters built into the subway system. A quick metro ride North of the city, Berliner Unterwelten was our first stop. 90 minutes sounds like a long time, but the kids absolutely loved our guided tour. Entering via a secret door in a metro station, it was fascinating insight into the minds of the Nazi elite and brought home the terrible suffering of Berliners during the last few months of the war – not something you often think about. Tickets can only be purchased from the onsite ticket office – €12 each.
The Holocaust memorial is an open area of massive concrete blocks arranged standing in rigid formation – you’re encouraged to walk through them on the way to the small underground museum. Clearly very sombre, the museum’s most interesting exhibit documents the history and fates of several Jewish families rounded up from all over Europe – France, Poland, The Netherlands and as far away as Greece! Free entry.
Not too far away is Hitler’s infamous war bunker. The Russians completely destroyed it during the weeks following the war, so it’s now an unassuming carpark to a little apartment building - we had to go and see the spot anyway! There were Nazi bunkers all over Berlin, most were destroyed, but there is still one intact, currently buried near the Brandenburg Gate. Hopefully, when the Germany and Berlin are ready, it might well be restored and opened to the public. This is free.
Our final stop was the ”Topography of Terror” museum – on the site of the SS and Gestapo headquarters, it documents the control, terror and propaganda in Berlin and wider Germany from 1933 to 1945. There’s free entry.
Evening was a lovely dinner in a traditional rotisserie restaurant followed by a go up the Communist era Space Needle for a fantastic night-time view over the city. It’s €10/15 each and you can buy fast track tickets ahead of time online.
BERLIN CULTURE
You can book a slot to visit the Reichstag and Norman Foster’s fantastic glass dome extension (built after the reunification). The site of the German government, it’s a beautiful building and offers up fab views of the city. We followed this with a lovely breakfast on the banks of the Spree river. Time slots can be booked online ahead of time. Free of charge.
I’d read that Berlin was home to Nefertiti's Bust. It’s housed in the Nues Museum - part of complex of 7 world-class museums on an island in the middle of the Spree river. The whole site is UNESCO listed. The museums also host the Ishtar Gate, which is a collection of azure blue tiles that used to form the façade on one of ancient Babylon’s city gates. The reconstruction is 3 storeys high, housed is a huge hall - it’s scale, grandeur and shock of colour are absolutely astounding! You can book entry ticket to Museum island very easily online – €12 for 1 museum, €18 for all 7 museums and free for under 18s.
Of course, no trip to Berlin would be complete without a trip to the Brandenburg gate – built in the 18th century as a gate into the Prussian capital – selfie time! This is free.
Final stop of the day was Berlin Zoo - as the most visited zoo in the world, it offers the most comprehensive collection of species of any other zoo. The highlights were the polar bears, the condors and 2 giant pandas that have come from the Chengdu Panda Base in China. €41 for a family ticket online or at the ticket office.
Evening entertainment was dinner in a traditional German restaurant followed by a 3D IMAX film (Infinity War – amazing!) in the iconic Sony centre. We booked online, and it was €16 each.
THE COLD WAR
Our final day before heading back to the airport was focused on The Cold War. First stop was the Wall Memorial. There’s a little museum onsite and then an outdoor exhibition with preserved parts of the wall running for one kilometre with signposts explaining the history, why the wall was built and the impact it had on Berliners and the world. This is free.
We then found the East Side Gallery – another preserved section of the wall that has been turned into a modern art gallery. This is free.
We finished with a trip to Checkpoint Charlie – infamous crossing point for foreigners and diplomats. There’s also a museum onsite which very thoroughly tells some sad family stories and the lengths that people went to escape East Berlin to the West – think hiding in suitcases and car engines! It’s €10/15 each and you can buy fast track tickets ahead of time online.
Berlin is a fascinating city to visit, with the benefit that many attractions are free of charge. It’s easy to get around as the metro system is extremely comprehensive and has bilingual ticket machines. There’s no language barrier and the restaurant and bar scene are fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed it as a family, but this trip would suit couples and groups as well.