Bound for Berlin: five attractions you shouldn't miss

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by: bythesea
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Word Count: 446
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 Time: 11:51 PM
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Germany's capital is steeped in culture, meaning that anyone who heads there on a short city break will struggle to fit everything in. With that in mind, worry about the important stuff - booking flights and accommodation as well as your holiday insurance - and read on for five of Berlin's must-see attractions.

Museum Island

As the name suggests, Museum Island - or Museumsinsel - houses five different museums, offering culture lovers a huge choice. The best known is probably the Pergamon-Museum, which holds a large collection of ancient Greek art. Other notable offerings are the Bode-Museum's sculpture collection and Alte Nationalgalerie's assortment of 19th Century paintings.

Reichstag

Visitors can enjoy a spectacular view of Berlin when visiting the Reichstag, Germany's parliament building. An incredible glass dome was installed during renovation work in the ‘90s, which offers a stunning overview of the city. Due to the nature of the building, security is tight and you'll often encounter long queues at the entrance - so it's worth pre-booking for the offered free tours, which will jump you to the front of the line.

Berlin Wall

Although the majority of the Berlin Wall was demolished to great fanfare in 1990, a sizable stretch remains in place to the east of the city centre. The East Side Gallery, as it's known, has been preserved as a showcase for a huge number of murals. Other, smaller sections of the wall are also still standing, accompanied by the Berlin Wall Memorial, a haunting tribute to those who died attempting to cross the divide.

Berlin Zoo

The oldest zoo in Germany also boasts the world's largest number of species. Located in the heart of Berlin, the zoo is particularly noted for its panda bears along with a polar bear by the name of Knut, which was born in captivity in 2006. A huge variety of fish and reptiles can also be found at the zoo's aquarium.

Olympiastadion

Sport fans will not want to miss a visit to Berlin's Olympic Stadium, which was originally designed by Werner March and built in time for the 1936 games. As the venue in which Jesse Owens won four gold medals against all the odds, the stadium will forever be steeped in sporting history. It underwent a major overhaul before the 2006 World Cup, and played host to many of the matches, including the final. It's also used for major music concerts, with the likes of The Rolling Stones having previously played there.

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