Known for
From Alexanderplatz and the Nikolaiviertel the way runs through Museum Island and Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag.
Museums, island and the Gate
Mitte
Mitte
Unter den Linden, Alexanderplatz, Gendarmenmarkt, Potsdamer Platz
The walk runs from Alexanderplatz and the Nikolaiviertel across Museum Island and Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. Gendarmenmarkt and Potsdamer Platz sit on the same day.
Why go
Come on the first morning, before the museums fill up.
Where to stay
Sleep here if you want the island outside the door. Anyone who wants quiet nights should leave the suitcase in Prenzlauer Berg.
Local guide
Fedor Samorodov · guide
The museum rooms on the island are a separate visit, and the island itself stays on the way. The line runs from Alexanderplatz to the Gate and the Reichstag, with Gendarmenmarkt and Potsdamer Platz on that same line.
Places
- Alexanderplatz — Berlin’s vast central square and transport hub, surrounded by major sights including the TV Tower, the Red City Hall and the Nikolai Quarter.
- Altes Museum — Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s major Neoclassical museum on Berlin’s Museum Island, now home to the Antikensammlung and part of the Münzkabinett.
- Gendarmenmarkt — A grand Berlin square framed by the Konzerthaus and the French and German Churches, with Friedrich Schiller holding the centre.
- Alte Nationalgalerie — A 19th-century art museum on Berlin’s Museum Island, housed in a grand blend of Neoclassical and Renaissance Revival architecture.
- Berlin State Opera — Frederick the Great’s royal opera house survived wartime destruction and was rebuilt in East Berlin. Its monumental, freestanding design helped redefine what a city theater could look like.
- Friedrichstadt-Palast — A major revue theatre in Berlin-Mitte, also known as Palast Berlin. The current venue is distinct from the demolished theatre that previously carried the name.
- German Historical Museum — Berlin’s major museum devoted to German history, housed in the 17th-century Zeughaus with an attached exhibition hall by I. M. Pei.
- New Synagogue Berlin — Berlin’s New Synagogue is known for its Moorish architecture, inspired by the Alhambra, and for its survival through Kristallnacht and the Second World War. What appears complete from the street is actually a reconstruction of the original frontage, dome and towers.
- Academy of Arts, Berlin — Berlin’s state arts institution traces its predecessor to 1696. The present Academy was created by reuniting the formerly separate East and West Berlin academies.
- Bebelplatz — A central Berlin square framed by the State Opera, historic palaces, the Alte Bibliothek and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral. Its older name, Opernplatz, still lingers in local speech.
- Friedrichswerder Church — Berlin’s first Neo-Gothic church, designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel—an architect better known for Neoclassicism. Today it displays nineteenth-century German sculpture and an exhibition devoted to Schinkel.
- Pergamon Museum — A monumental Museum Island institution best known for collections that included the Pergamon Altar, ancient Near Eastern art, and Islamic art. The entire museum is currently closed for a renovation expected to stretch well into the 2030s.
- St. Mary’s Church — One of central Berlin’s old churches, shaped by the Reformation and extensive later restoration. Its earliest recorded story is also tied to a deadly medieval antisemitic accusation.
Where to have it
- FREA Bakery — Веганская пекарня с залом на Gartenstraße 9, в Митте. С утра до вечера сидят за кофе и выпечкой, это не окно у метро. Один адрес.
- Sant Buena — Кафе на Torstraße 153, в Митте у границы с Пренцлауэр-Бергом. С утра кофе и завтрак, по понедельникам закрыто. Один зал на этой улице.