Your Guide to Discover Berlin in 3 days
Day One - Holocaust Memorial and the Tiergarten
With only 3 days in Berlin, it is essential that you check into a well-located hotel, such as Hotel Berlin, Berlin situated on Lützowplatz. Here, your accommodation in Berlin is close enough to reach every location in the city you might wish to visit. A stone's throw from the Landwehr Canal and the Bauhaus-Archiv Museum, it offers a choice of rooms or suites and has an excellent bar – ideal for relaxing after a busy day out in the city. What's more, you can spend day one on a Segway tour which is easily booked from the hotel. A premium tour runs for two hours and will take in the German Chancellery, the famous Reichstag building, the Soviet Memorial and the Holocaust Memorial before returning you to your accommodation in Berlin. This leaves the rest of the day free to explore the superb Tiergarten and its zoo, both a few minutes walking distance from the hotel.
Day Two - Rent a bike and get lost in Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg
The next day of our weekend itinerary in Berlin has to offer is ideal for bike rental so that you can venture a little further afield. Single-day bicycle hire is a good value way of getting around the city and you'll soon find that Berlin is very much geared up for pedal power. Set out towards the East Side Gallery via Potsdamer Platz. You will pass by the Mall of Berlin en route before turning south on Willhelmstraße toward Checkpoint Charlie, the old crossing point used during the Cold War. The gallery is a stunning graffiti project that was developed by over one hundred artists. It covers part of the old Berlin Wall, a celebration of the time it came down. Cycle back towards your hotel on Gitschiner Straße which will lead you to the German Museum of Technology. Offering a fascinating insight into transportation and technology, the museum has an aeroplane on its roof and is set in an attractive green park. It also has a good restaurant, making it the ideal place to eat.
Day Three - Visit the Museum Island and Berlin city centre
The last day of your time in Berlin should be spent in the heart of the city. Walk over to the aptly-named Museum Island where you will find a plethora of interesting exhibition spaces and galleries on an island in the midst of the Spree River. The Bode Museum, with plenty of Byzantine artefacts, is a good place to start, but don't miss out on Sea Life Berlin, which lies just over the river. Ampelmann Restaurant is not far from here serving a range of international cuisine. Emmas Restaurant, on Heiligegeistkirchplatz, serves typical café style food and is perfect for a spot of lunch. Finally, if you're looking for a more traditional eaterie to round off your weekend in Berlin, then try Zur Gerichtslaube, a bar and restaurant housed in a thirteenth-century building on Poststraße, very close to the island.