Berlin – Always worth a visit

There is so much to do in Germany’s capital city Berlin, it is hard to know where to start. Germany‘s largest public transport company,  the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), helps you decide by providing a taste of Berlin‘s history, culture, and architecture on their bus lines 100, 200 and 300, offering a hop-on, hop-off service (albeit without commentary) at a very reasonable price. With a ticket for fare zones AB, you reach many of Berlin‘s most important sights in around 60 minutes driving time. By Helen Cleary

Bus No. 100 takes you from Alexanderplatz to Zoologischer Garten. Famous sights en route include the TV Tower, Berlin Cathedral, Museum Island UNESCO World Heritage site with five renowned museums, Brandenburg Gate (historic landmark and symbol of Berlin‘s reunification), Reichstag (the seat of the German parliament), Bellevue Palace (the official residence of the incumbent German President), the Victory Column, Tiergarten park, and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The journey ends at Berlin Zoo - one of the most bio-diverse zoological gardens in the world.

Bus No. 200 also connects central points of West Berlin with Alexanderplatz but then continues East toward Prenzlauer Berg. As well as some of the sights covered by the 100, the 200 also passes by the Philharmonie concert hall, Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie (the most famous border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War), Fisher Island and Nikolaiviertel where the city’s first settlements were founded in the twelfth century, the Red Town Hall, and Friedrichshain Volkspark. 

The 300 does not go as far West as the previous two buses, starting instead at the Philharmonie. On its journey East from Alexanderplatz it heads to Warschauer Straße. As well as some of the sights  mentioned above, the 300 passes by the Bundesrat, Humboldt University, Neue Wache Memorial, State Opera, and East Side Gallery with the longest preserved section of the Berlin Wall, now a vibrant art installation and a poignant reminder of the Cold War and the division of Berlin. 

Berlin’s waterways also invite you to go on hop-on, hop-off river cruises. Shipping companies offer a wide range from short tours on the Spree river that pass through the city’s historical centre to longer lake cruises. On a themed boat trip, for example the 90-minute “Wild East“ tour on the Kaiser Friedrich, Berlin‘s oldest passenger ship, between Jannowitz Bridge and the Island of Youth, you learn about wild night clubs, fallen icons, astonishing criminal cases and a spectacular escape from the GDR, as well as taking a short excursion to the origins of Berlin and the historic harbour.

You can even rent a motorboat, yacht, or raft and explore the Spree and Havel rivers and Berlin‘s lake landscape by yourself.