Places of interest

• Leaving from the Zoo station or Friedrichstrasse, busses with the numbers 100 and 200 are a great way to gain initial first impressions of the city. Tip: depart the bus at the Brandenburg Gate and walk along the 'Unter den Linden' boulevard to the Gendarmenmarkt - weather permitting, it is an invigorating experience (no guided tours).

• Mall of Berlin (LP12) at Leipziger Platz: more than 270 shops with food court
• Friedrichstraße: Galeries Lafayette and design boutiques
• Tauentzienstraße: KaDeWe - the Kaufhaus des Westens enviably located at the Wittenbergplatz with its famous connoisseur level on the 5th floor

Berlin is the city of museums. Over 170 museums in Berlin keep the history, art and knowledge of the city alive and form a unique museum scenery - a dynamic landscape that is growing in breathtaking speed. Many of the museums also form the city's memory banks if you will. Among other things, they document the Kingdom of Prussia, the city's turbulent role in two world wars and the affects of the Iron Curtain.

25th November to 30th December 2024

Christmas shopping in the capital is a highlight of the season! More than 80 markets large and small liven up Berlin's districts and neighbourhoods. In addition to the well-known markets on the Gendarmenmarkt, Alexanderplatz and in Spandau, why not try these lesser known delights: the Nostalgic Christmas Market at the Opernpalais, for instance, the Finnish Christmas Market in Kreuzberg, the Christkindlmarkt (Christ Child Market) in Kladow, or the fairytale bazaars around the Jagdschloss Grunewald palace and against the splendid backdrop of Charlottenburg Palace.

4th September 2022

The Berlin International Stadium Festival ISTAF in the Olympiastadion Berlin has the longest tradition and is also probably the most famous German festival for track and field athletes.

21 to 30 March 2025
The MaerzMusik Festival is an international festival for contemporary sound-based art forms and is considered one of the most important festivals for new music in Germany.

6 to 9 June 2025
Berlin could hardly show itself from a more colorful side: Numerous groups of diverse nationalities present music, dance, performance, visual arts, and acrobatics on moving floats at the Carnival of Cultures. From Brazilian samba to Chinese lion dance, from West African drumming to Bernese carnival brass bands, the groups at the carnival impressively demonstrate that Berlin's treasure is its diversity and internationality.

21st June 2025

On the first day of summer, Berlin celebrates the Fête de la Musique. Musicians take part in the festivities and play their music free of charge on more than 100 stages and in many streets all over the city.

6. Juni 2020

Wissenschaftliche Einrichtungen bieten Öffnungszeiten bis Mitternacht mit Experimenten, Vorträgen, Workshops und Mitmachaktionen.

19th June to 19th July 2020

Around 150 fairground attractions, a French village, live music and a whole lot more welcome visitors to the German-French Folk Festival on the Zentraler Festplatz near Kurt-Schumacher-Damm.

9th to 18th October 2025

For the Festival of Lights, Berlin is transformed into a metropolis of lights in October: the Brandenburg Gate, the TV Tower, the Berlin Cathedral, the Radio Tower and many other Berlin landmarks shine at night with colourful illuminations.

Numerous artists from Germany and abroad present light installations and projections on building facades for the Festival of Lights, creating an extraordinary cityscape.