Berlin 7-day itinerary

Start at the Brandenburg Gate, then walk to the Reichstag for the free glass dome visit (pre-book at bundestag.de). The audio guide explains German parliamentary democracy while you spiral up with panoramic views. Walk south to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe — the underground information centre documents individual stories. Free and essential.

Topography of Terror (free) at the former Gestapo HQ documents Nazi persecution with unflinching detail. A section of the Berlin Wall is preserved outside. Walk to the Jewish Museum Berlin (€8) — Daniel Libeskind's zinc-clad building is powerful architecture. The empty Memory Void room and the Garden of Exile are visceral experiences. Lunch at Curry 36 (€3.50 currywurst).

Dinner at Markthalle Neun (Street Food Thursday 5–10pm) or Hasir on Adalbertstraße for the original Berlin döner. Walk the Landwehr Canal at sunset. Then the Kneipe bars on Oranienstraße — Luzia, Roses, Südblock, and the bars along Kottbusser Tor. Berlin beer is cheap (€3–4 for a half litre) and the conversation is free.

Museum Island (UNESCO) on the Spree. The Neues Museum (€14) has Nefertiti's bust and extraordinary Egyptian and prehistoric collections. The Alte Nationalgalerie (€14) has Romantic and Impressionist paintings including Caspar David Friedrich. Day pass (€22) covers all five museums. The Berliner Dom cathedral (€9) next door has a dome with city views.

The East Side Gallery — 1.3km of murals on the Berlin Wall. Walk the full length from Ostbahnhof. The Fraternal Kiss, the Trabant, and the Test the Best murals are the most iconic. Cross the Oberbaumbrücke (Berlin's most beautiful bridge) into Friedrichshain. Lunch at Burgermeister (gourmet burgers in a former public toilet, €7–10) under the U-Bahn at Schlesisches Tor.

Simon-Dach-Straße is Friedrichshain's bar strip — beers from €3, pizza from €6, and a young international crowd. RAW Gelände compound has Cassiopeia beer garden, Urban Spree gallery, and club nights. For more alternative vibes, Boxhagener Platz area has quieter bars. Weekend clubs — About Blank, ://about blank, or Berghain (if you dare) — open after midnight.

Neukölln is where Berlin's creative energy lives. Breakfast at Two and Two (Australian cafe, brunch €8–12) or Five Elephant (specialty coffee and cheesecake). Walk Weserstraße for vintage shops, record stores, and galleries. The Neukölln Arcaden mall contrasts with the Turkish markets on Karl-Marx-Straße — the neighbourhood's dual identity is fascinating.

Tempelhofer Feld is surreal — a massive former airport (closed 2008) with runways now used for cycling, skating, urban gardening, and kitesurfing. The terminal building itself is a Nazi-era structure. You can cycle the 6km perimeter runway loop. Bring a picnic and join the locals — this is Berlin's most beloved public space. Free, open sunrise to sunset.

Neukölln bars are cheap and unpretentious. Weserstraße is the main strip — Tier, Ä, and Laidak are local favourites. The Klunkerkranich rooftop bar on a Neukölln parking garage has sunset views, DJs, and a garden (€3–5 entry on weekends). Dinner at Lavanderia Vecchia (Italian, €20 set menu with wine — book ahead) or Sonnenallee for Middle Eastern food.

S-Bahn S7 from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Potsdam (40 min, covered by Berlin ABC ticket). Sanssouci Palace (€14) was Frederick the Great's summer retreat — the Rococo interiors, the vineyard terraces, and the 300-hectare park are magnificent. Book a timed entry slot. The palace is sometimes called the German Versailles but has a more intimate, personal scale.

Walk through Sanssouci Park — 300 hectares of gardens, fountains, follies, and hidden palaces. The New Palace at the far end is enormous and ornate. The Chinese Tea House is charming. Bring a picnic lunch — the park is perfect for it. Alternatively, walk to the Dutch Quarter in Potsdam town centre — 134 red-brick houses built for Dutch artisans in the 1730s, now filled with cafes.

S-Bahn back to Berlin. Explore Prenzlauer Berg — beautiful pre-war apartments, tree-lined streets, and a polished but pleasant atmosphere. Dinner at Konnopke's Imbiss (currywurst from 1930, the oldest in Berlin, €3.50) under the U-Bahn tracks at Eberswalder Straße. Walk Kastanienallee for boutiques and bars. Drinks at Prater Garten — Berlin's oldest beer garden (1837).

Sunday Mauerpark flea market (10am–6pm) is a Berlin institution — vintage clothing, vinyl, antiques, and handmade goods. Street food stalls line the edges (Thai curry €6, bratwurst €3). The outdoor karaoke at 3pm draws hundreds of spectators. If not Sunday, the Nowkoelln Flowmarkt on Maybachufer (every other Sunday) or the Arkonaplatz flea market (Sunday) are excellent alternatives.

Berlin is one of the world's great street art cities. Walk from Kreuzberg's Cuvrystraße (massive murals) through the Oberbaumbrücke area to Friedrichshain's RAW Gelände. The Haus Schwarzenberg courtyard in Mitte has politically charged art. The Urban Nation Museum (free) on Bülowstraße has curated international street art. Join an Alternative Berlin walking tour (pay-what-you-want) for insider context.

Walk along the Spree river from Jannowitzbrücke to Holzmarkt — a community-run riverside village with bars, restaurants, a sauna, and a club in former warehouse buildings. The sunset over the Spree with the TV Tower in the background is classic Berlin. Dinner at Holzmarkt's restaurants or nearby Marktfisch (fresh fish, mains €10–14). Katerschmaus has excellent food and live music.

The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße (free) is the most comprehensive Wall site — a preserved death strip, watchtower, and the documentation centre with a viewing platform. This stretch saw dramatic escape attempts and the famous church demolition. The Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer visitor centre has personal stories of divided families. Allow 90 minutes for the full outdoor exhibition.

Schloss Charlottenburg (€14 for Old Palace) is Berlin's largest palace — Baroque and Rococo rooms, landscaped gardens (free), and the Belvedere tea house. Walk to KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) — Europe's second-largest department store. The 6th-floor food hall is extraordinary — 30,000 products, fresh oyster bar, sushi counters, and German deli counters. Lunch here is an experience.

Savignyplatz in Charlottenburg has a different energy — literary cafes, jazz bars, and old West Berlin sophistication. Dinner at Restaurant 1990 (Vietnamese, mains €10–14) or Schwarzes Café (open 24 hours, bohemian institution). Walk Kantstraße for Asian food (Berlin's best Chinese and Korean restaurants are here). Drinks at A-Trane jazz club for live performances nightly.

Walk up Kreuzberg hill in Viktoriapark — the highest natural point in central Berlin (66m) with a waterfall cascading down from a Gothic monument. The view from the top stretches across the city. Walk through the surrounding Bergmannstraße neighbourhood — Marheineke Markthalle for breakfast (fresh pastries, coffee, and market stalls), then browse the antique and vintage shops.

For Berlin souvenirs, try Ampelmann shops (East German traffic light man merchandise), Bonbonmacherei (handmade candy shop in Hackescher Markt), or vinyl records from Hard Wax in Kreuzberg. One last döner at Imren Grill on Oranienplatz or a final currywurst at Konnopke's. Pack your bags with a Berliner Kindl beer in hand.

A Berlin farewell belongs in a beer garden. Prater Garten (Kastanienallee), Café am Neuen See (Tiergarten lakeside), or Golgatha in Viktoriapark for sunset views. A Pilsner costs €4, a Flammkuchen €8. Berlin says goodbye casually — no fuss, no formality, just good beer and long summer evenings. BER airport is 30 min by S-Bahn/FEX express (€3.80).