Discover Berlin from different perspectives: plant life from every continent sits alongside gardens shaped by a variety of cultures. Museums tell stories of distant eras, while memorial sites bring the city’s more recent history into focus. These contrasts give you the freedom to shape your visit around the subjects that interest you most.
Botanical Diversity and Designed Gardens
The Botanical Garden covers 43 hectares and is home to 20,000 plant species from every continent. These figures alone bring together two perspectives: the diversity of plant life and the generous scale of the grounds. The architecture also comes into focus in the Tropical Greenhouse. The 25-meter-high Art Nouveau building is surrounded by 14 other greenhouses. Here, botanical collections and architecture meet in one place.
The Gardens of the World offer a different approach to garden design. There, you’ll find themed gardens and garden rooms from various cultures, as well as contemporary garden art. For the 2017 International Garden Exhibition Berlin, the Gardens of the World were expanded together with Kienbergpark to cover 43 hectares. The grounds offer opportunities to relax, observe nature, play and enjoy cultural activities. You can keep these different ways of experiencing the gardens in mind when choosing, rather than limiting a garden visit to just one theme.
Britzer Garten also adds to the picture of designed green spaces: it has four themed gardens, and three flower shows are held there each year. If you’d like to plan your visit around one of these seasonal shows, check the dates before you travel. While the Botanical Garden focuses on 20,000 plant species from every continent, visits to Britzer Garten are shaped by its four themed gardens and three annual flower shows.
Collections, Art and Wildlife
The collections across the five museums on Museum Island span prehistory to 19th-century art. On view are unique collections of European and Mediterranean art and culture. Museum Island has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. You can visit the museums and their collections on your own or as part of a guided tour. The span of periods and the variety of collections give your visit a clear cultural focus.
Berlin Zoo offers a different focus: it is Germany’s oldest zoo and is home to many endangered species as well as rare domestic animal breeds. Berlin’s possible discoveries thus range from art and cultural history to wildlife, without suggesting that these subjects offer the same experience.
Sites of Division and Urban Spaces
Mauerpark occupies the former Berlin Wall strip between Prenzlauer Berg and Wedding. Next to the park in Prenzlauer Berg is a flea market whose stalls are run mainly by private sellers rather than professional vendors. If you’d like to include a visit to the market, check its current operating days in advance.
Since 2009, karaoke has been held in Mauerpark’s amphitheater on Sundays from 3 p.m. in good weather. Visitors can sing there in front of an audience. Weather and specific event details are part of this condition, so check whether the event is taking place before your visit.
The Berlin Wall Memorial stretches for 1.4 kilometers along Bernauer Straße on the former border strip between East and West Berlin. It includes the last surviving section of the Berlin Wall and the former border area behind it, and is the central memorial to the division of Germany. At the East Side Gallery, you can walk along a 1,316-meter stretch of the Wall—the longest continuous surviving section of the Berlin Wall. The Memorial brings together remembrance and the former border area; at the East Side Gallery, the focus is on walking along the surviving section of the Wall. Public overview tours on various topics are held there regularly. They last about an hour and use audio guides; check the schedule before your trip.
The Berlin Wall Trail is also a distinctive point of reference for finding your way around the city: it is part of Berlin’s Green Main Trails. This network includes walking paths, promenades and tree-lined streets, and is almost 550 kilometers long. The different types of routes show that Berlin’s trail network offers more than just one kind of walk.
Practical Information for Your Visit
If you plan to use public transport, the Berlin WelcomeCard combines a public transport ticket with a free app. It is available for the Berlin AB or Berlin ABC fare zones, with a validity period of your choice from 48 hours to six days. You can weigh up which fare zone and duration suit your stay based on your own plans; check the current terms before you travel.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Marzahn, Berlin, Friedrichshagen, Karlshorst, Karow, Kladow, Ruhlsdorf, Schmöckwitz, Wannsee, Adlershof, Charlottenburg, Köpenick, Mahlsdorf, Velten, Tiergarten, Buckow, Wedding, Schöneberg, Berlin-Reinickendorf, Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg, Hermsdorf, Friedrichshain, Berlin-Neukölln, Wilmersdorf, Rahnsdorf, Bohnsdorf, Altglienicke, Weißensee, Zehlendorf, Spandau, Marienfelde, Friedenau, Pankow, Rudow, Steglitz, Biesdorf, Grünau, Hohenschönhausen, Tempelhof, Lichtenberg, Hellersdorf.
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