Weekend in Berlin: Our Itinerary for 3 Days in Berlin

Your Accommodation for a Weekend in Berlin

If you’re only staying in Berlin for a weekend, it’s really important that your hotel is centrally located. Berlin is enormous — you could easily waste valuable time hauling yourself across the city instead of actually exploring it.

So try to stay as close to a subway or S-Bahn station as possible. For a weekend in Berlin, we recommend the Mitte district.

Here are our 3 hotel picks for a Berlin weekend:

Adina Apartment Checkpoint Charlie: Stylish aparthotel with studios, apartments, and a pool
Hotel Zoe by Amano: Design boutique hotel with a great rooftop terrace and views of the TV Tower

Monbijou Hotel: Boutique hotel with its own restaurant, just 400 meters from Museum Island

Want to find out more about the best places to stay in Berlin? No problem:

3 Days in Berlin Itinerary on a Map

For a quick overview, you’ll find all the activities for your Berlin weekend mapped out by day on a single map.

Day 1: Arrival in Berlin

A city trip is typically planned over a long weekend from Friday to Sunday. That’s why we’ve put together our itinerary accordingly.

Ideally, you’ll arrive in Berlin on Friday morning. Check in advance whether you can store your luggage at the hotel so you don’t have to drag your suitcase around until check-in time.

All activities for the first day:

• Hackesche Höfe
• Monbijou Park
• Museum Island
• Alexanderplatz & TV Tower

If you’re staying in Berlin Mitte, you can hit all of these highlights on foot.

Hackesche Höfe

You’ll kick off your first sightseeing day at the Hackesche Höfe. Centrally located, they form a labyrinth of colorfully tiled courtyards — technically the largest enclosed courtyard complex in Germany.

Today the Hackesche Höfe are home to design boutiques, cultural venues, and art studios. You can wander from one courtyard to the next and discover the little hidden shops along the way.

Right nearby is Hackescher Markt, with plenty of great bistros and cafés for a quick bite. We’d especially recommend the famous Curry 61 on Oranienburger Straße or Revolver Burger on Rosenthaler Straße.

Our tip: Don’t miss Dead Chicken Alley. It’s another courtyard near the Hackesche Höfe, but with a much more alternative vibe — decorated with beautiful street art and colorful lights. Perfect for photos!

Monbijou Park

From Hackescher Markt, it’s just under a ten-minute walk to Monbijou Square, where Monbijou Park is located. It’s one of the most beautiful parks in Berlin — not particularly large, but it offers a fantastic view of Museum Island and especially the Bode Museum.

From the park, you’ll stroll along the Berlin riverside promenade heading south, with great views of many Berlin landmarks along the way.

Our tip: In summer, this spot is especially lovely — open-air events by the river, deck chairs out for soaking up the sun. On a nice day, it’s the perfect way to wrap up the afternoon!

Museum Island

The monumental Friedrichsbrücke bridge at the end of the promenade takes you onto Museum Island. Here you’ll find five of the city’s most significant museums:

• Pergamon Museum
• Bode Museum
• Altes Museum
• Neues Museum
• Alte Nationalgalerie

On this first day, skip the museums — that would simply take up too much time. Instead, take a leisurely stroll across the island.

From Friedrichsbrücke, walk to the Lustgarten. From here you get a breathtaking view of Berlin Cathedral, the Altes Museum, and the newly built Berlin Palace.

Alexanderplatz & TV Tower

After snapping some photos at the Lustgarten, walk to Berlin Cathedral and leave the island from there. Your next stops are the Neptune Fountain and St. Mary’s Church — both worth a look, but you won’t spend long at either.

Because right behind St. Mary’s Church, the next big highlight is waiting: the Berlin TV Tower. At nearly 370 meters tall, it’s the highest structure in Germany. The elevator whisks you up to the observation deck in 40 seconds, where you’ll have a 360-degree view over all of Berlin.

Book your TV Tower ticket in advance — otherwise you’ll be waiting in line for quite a while. Our article on the Berlin TV Tower covers all the ticket options in detail:

If you don’t have time to read through it, our recommendation is the skip-the-line ticket:
Get the skip-the-line ticket for the Berlin TV Tower

If you’re still feeling energetic, walk back to Hackescher Markt — it’s only ten minutes, and along Rosenthaler Straße there are plenty of bars where you can round off your first day with a drink.

Day 2: The Highlights of Berlin

Day two is all about Berlin’s most famous landmarks. This is a packed day — wear comfortable shoes!

All activities for the second day at a glance:

• Reichstag Dome or boat tour on the Spree
• Brandenburg Gate
• Holocaust Memorial
• Unter den Linden
• Gendarmenmarkt
• Checkpoint Charlie
• Potsdamer Platz

Our tip: If you want to give your feet a break on day two, consider as an alternative a 24-hour hop-on/hop-off bus ticket in Berlin. Every attraction on our second-day itinerary is served by the hop-on/hop-off bus.

Reichstag Dome

Your second day starts with a visit to the Reichstag Dome. You can get there easily by S-Bahn, getting off at Hauptbahnhof.

The Reichstag building is well worth seeing from the outside too, even if you’ve probably spotted it on TV countless times.

To the right of the building is the entrance to the dome. Admission is free, but you need to register in advance on the German Bundestag website.

We’ve written up the whole process in a separate article:

Our tip: The dome gets busy fast, so sign up as early as possible.

From the top, you can look down into the parliament chamber and enjoy a great panoramic view of Berlin. There’s also an exhibition inside tracing the history from the Reichstag to the Bundestag, plus a free audio guide available on the roof terrace.

Plan on spending at least one to one and a half hours at the Reichstag Dome.

Alternative: Sightseeing Boat Tour on the Spree

If the Reichstag Dome doesn’t appeal to you, skip it and do a sightseeing boat tour on the Spree instead.

You’ll board near Museum Island and, within an hour, take in the Reichstag, Berlin Cathedral, and Schloss Bellevue from the water. A really lovely way to see the city.

Book the 1-hour boat tour through Berlin

Brandenburg Gate

From Friedrichstraße or the Reichstag, you can walk to the Brandenburg Gate.

For most first-time visitors, the Brandenburg Gate is much smaller than expected. Even so, it’s an absolute non-negotiable on any Berlin visit. The square in front is called Pariser Platz — home to the famous Hotel Adlon, among other things.

From Pariser Platz, the grand boulevard Unter den Linden stretches away, lined with upscale shops and magnificent buildings.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Before you head down Unter den Linden, make a short detour to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, located almost directly next to the Brandenburg Gate.

The Holocaust Memorial is a vast, freely accessible site you’ve almost certainly seen on TV or online. It consists of an open, undulating field of more than 2,700 stelae that you can walk through.

Beneath the memorial is the Place of Information, a freely accessible exhibition documenting the persecution and murder of Jews.

Unter den Linden and Bebelplatz

From the memorial, walk back to Unter den Linden. A stroll along this grand boulevard is a must — it’s steeped in history and lined with magnificent buildings, upscale shops, and the State Opera.

Unter den Linden is a great place for lunch. The restaurants lean touristy, but they’re still good. At Nante-Eck, roughly halfway between the Brandenburg Gate and Bebelplatz, you’ll find delicious traditional Berlin home cooking.

After about a 15-minute walk, you’ll reach Bebelplatz. The square is absolutely worth a visit — the surrounding buildings are stunning: the law faculty of Humboldt University, St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, and the State Opera.

In the middle of the square, look for the memorial to the Nazi book burning that took place here in 1933.

Gendarmenmarkt

From Bebelplatz, it’s just a few minutes on foot to one of Berlin’s most beautiful squares: the Gendarmenmarkt. At one end stands the German Cathedral, at the other the French Cathedral, with the Konzerthaus Berlin concert hall in between.

In winter, one of Berlin’s most beloved Christmas markets takes place here, and every summer it hosts the Classic Open Air festival.

Since you’ve done quite a bit of walking by this point, take the subway from Französische Straße station two stops to Checkpoint Charlie.

Checkpoint Charlie

Honestly, there isn’t all that much to see at Checkpoint Charlie — the Wall is long gone and the whole area is incredibly touristy. Even so, this former border crossing is one of Berlin’s iconic points of interest and worth a quick stop.

Where the border post once stood, there’s now a reconstructed checkpoint booth complete with sandbags and actors dressed as American soldiers posing for photos.

Around the corner you’ll find souvenir shops, fast food restaurants, and mobile currywurst stands. As we said — very touristy!

Potsdamer Platz and Kollhoff Tower

From Checkpoint Charlie, it’s a relaxed one-kilometer walk to Potsdamer Platz, known for its skyscrapers and stylish architecture.

Make sure to swing by the oval forum of the Sony Center, whose futuristic roof structure is meant to symbolize Japan’s Mount Fuji.

In the Kollhoff Tower, also at Potsdamer Platz, you can ride Europe’s fastest elevator up to the 24th and 25th floors, where a panorama café and observation deck await. It’s the perfect spot to wind down your action-packed day with coffee and cake.

Book your ticket in advance — the line for the elevator can get very long.

Buy tickets online for the Kollhoff Tower

For more great vantage points, check out our article on viewpoints in Berlin:

Day 3: East Berlin

Your last day takes place in the eastern part of the city. We’re assuming you’ll be heading home no earlier than late afternoon, so the itinerary is a little shorter today.

All activities for the third day at a glance:

• East Side Gallery
• Boxhagener Kiez

Check out of your hotel in the morning, leave your luggage there, and pick it up in the afternoon.

East Side Gallery

The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall. It’s located in the Friedrichshain neighborhood and runs along the Spree River between Ostbahnhof and Oberbaumbrücke.

The best approach: get off at Ostbahnhof and walk along the gallery from there.

A total of 118 street art artists from 21 countries have left their artwork on the wall, each piece addressing the fall of the Wall and the political changes of 1989/1990.

On one side you can admire the artworks, while on the other you can stroll along the banks of the Spree — with a great view of the Oberbaumbrücke, arguably Berlin’s most beautiful bridge.

Walk through the Boxhagener Kiez

After your walk along the East Side Gallery, it’s really worth making a detour to Boxhagener Platz in Friedrichshain — one of Berlin’s most popular neighborhoods. It’s also home to the very famous flea market of the same name, which takes place every Sunday.

Beyond secondhand furniture, vinyl records, and clothing, you’ll find amazing food trucks and stalls from artists selling self-designed jewelry and accessories. It’s one of the best flea markets in Berlin.

The whole neighborhood is simply lovely — tree-lined streets, pre-war apartment buildings, independent designer boutiques, and tons of cafés and restaurants. Also check out our insider tips for Friedrichshain:

Helpful Tips for Your Weekend in Berlin

Before you head off on your Berlin weekend, here are three more pointers that will come in very handy when sightseeing.

1. The Berlin Museum Pass

Our 3-day itinerary doesn’t include it, but if visiting Berlin’s museums is your main goal, the Berlin Museum Pass is worth it. It costs around 32 euros and gives you free admission to over 30 museums for three days.

The pass pays off if you plan to visit at least four of the included museums, since most Berlin museums charge between 8 and 12 euros for a single ticket.

Get the Berlin Museum Pass

2. Public Transportation in Berlin

Even with a centrally located hotel, you’ll eventually need to take the subway or S-Bahn. It’s worth familiarizing yourself with Berlin’s transit tickets beforehand.

A single ride in zone AB costs 3.20 euros. If you’re riding frequently, other tickets quickly become worthwhile — for example, the 24-hour AB pass costs 11.40 euros and is valid for 24 hours from the moment it’s validated.

Note: Zone AB covers the entire Berlin city area. Zone ABC also exists — you’ll only need that if you’re traveling further out or heading to BER airport.

If you’re staying longer, the Berlin Welcome Card with a public transit pass for zone ABC is also worth considering. It covers the entire city, Potsdam, and the airports.

With it, you ride all public transportation for free and get between 25 and 50% off admission at many Berlin attractions and most museums. Note: The Welcome Card’s 25% discount does not apply to online tickets like the one for the TV Tower.

All the details on the Berlin Welcome Card

3. Give Yourself More Time in Berlin

Easier said than done, of course — but if you have a little extra time, definitely stay in Berlin longer! There’s simply so much more to do and see when it comes to things to do in Berlin in 3 days and beyond.

We especially recommend visiting a museum or catching a show at the Friedrichstadt-Palast. We’ve written dedicated articles on both:

We share even more great activities in our articles with insider tips and things to do in Berlin. And in our Berlin tours article, we highlight some really cool guided city tours.