The back story 1
In-depth stories behind the list.
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The back story
Berlin, the city of music and art: the back story
Three opera houses, the Berliner Philharmoniker, Museum Island and the galleries of a city that never stopped making art.
36 of the best · Berlin, Germany
Arts & Culture in Berlin
The Berliner Philharmoniker, three opera houses, Brecht’s theatre, Museum Island, the Neue Nationalgalerie, grand old cinemas and the Berlinale.
Our 36 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
What's onThis week in Berlin
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Insiders' picks
Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love Berlin.
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The Berliner Philharmoniker
Berliner Philharmoniker at the Philharmonie
The home of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Hans Scharoun’s concert hall at the Kulturforum.
Herbert-von-Karajan-Strasse 1, BerlinExplore View on map
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Opera and ballet on Unter den Linden
Staatsoper Unter den Linden
The state opera house on Unter den Linden, home of the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Staatsballett.
The full list: Arts & Culture, A–Z
Latest film trailers
The newest official trailers and upcoming films, updated automatically as they are released. In Berlin, cinemas such as the Babylon and the Delphi Filmpalast often show films in their original language.
Latest from the film studios
Trailers play from the official YouTube channels of Rotten Tomatoes Trailers and the studios, and update automatically. Use the playlist button in each player to browse more.
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Neighbourhood
Visual arts
Museums 5
Great collections.
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Sculpture and coins
Bode-Museum
Sculpture, Byzantine art and the coin cabinet, at the tip of Museum Island.
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Daniel Libeskind’s building
Jewish Museum Berlin
Jewish history in Germany, in Daniel Libeskind’s zinc-clad building.
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The bust of Nefertiti
Neues Museum
Egypt, prehistory and the bust of Nefertiti, in David Chipperfield’s restoration.
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Closed for refurbishment
Pergamonmuseum
The museum of the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate, closed for a major refurbishment.
Art museums and galleries 9
Old masters, the moderns and contemporary art.
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19th-century art
Alte Nationalgalerie
Nineteenth-century painting and sculpture in a temple on Museum Island.
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In a wartime bunker
Boros Collection
A private collection of contemporary art in a wartime bunker in Mitte, by guided tour.
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Art Nouveau courtyards
Hackesche Höfe
A sequence of eight linked courtyards with tiled Art Nouveau façades, shops and a cinema.
Rosenthaler Strasse 40–41, BerlinExplore View on map
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Contemporary art
Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
Contemporary art in a former railway station.
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Photography
Helmut Newton Foundation
Helmut Newton’s photographs, in the Museum für Fotografie by the Zoo station.
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Contemporary art
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
A contemporary art institution in a former margarine factory on Auguststrasse.
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Mies van der Rohe
Neue Nationalgalerie
Twentieth-century art in Mies van der Rohe’s glass and steel hall.
Architecture & landmarks 5
Great buildings, old and new.
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Dome walk and crypt
Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)
The domed Protestant cathedral on the Lustgarten, with a walk round the dome.
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The symbol of the city
Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor)
The neoclassical gate at the head of Unter den Linden, symbol of reunified Berlin.
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A ruin kept as a memorial
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
The war-damaged tower of the old church on Breitscheidplatz, beside its blue-glass successor.
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A socialist boulevard
Karl-Marx-Allee
The monumental 1950s boulevard of Friedrichshain, from Strausberger Platz to the Frankfurter Tor.
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Red-brick towers over the Spree
Oberbaum Bridge
The two-deck red-brick bridge over the Spree between Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.
Performing arts
Concert halls 3
The Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus and the Pierre Boulez Saal.
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The Berliner Philharmoniker
Berliner Philharmoniker at the Philharmonie
The home of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Hans Scharoun’s concert hall at the Kulturforum.
Herbert-von-Karajan-Strasse 1, BerlinExplore View on map
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Chamber music in the round
Pierre Boulez Saal
An oval chamber-music hall by Frank Gehry, behind the Staatsoper.
Theatre & musicals 4
Plays, musicals and the playhouses.
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Brecht’s theatre
Berliner Ensemble
The theatre founded by Bertolt Brecht, at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm.
Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, BerlinExplore View on map
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Classic and new drama
Deutsches Theater Berlin
One of the great German-language stages, on Schumannstrasse.
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Grand revue
Friedrichstadt-Palast
The great revue theatre on Friedrichstrasse.
Friedrichstrasse 107, BerlinExplore View on map
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On the Kurfürstendamm
Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz
An internationally known theatre on the Kurfürstendamm, often with English surtitles.
Kurfürstendamm 153, 10709 BerlinExplore View on map
Opera and ballet 3
Three opera houses and the Staatsballett.
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Opera on Bismarckstrasse
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The great opera house of the old West, on Bismarckstrasse in Charlottenburg.
Bismarckstrasse 35, BerlinExplore View on map
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At the Schillertheater during renovation
Komische Oper Berlin
Opera, operetta and musicals, now playing at the Schillertheater while its own house is renovated.
Bismarckstrasse 110, 10625 BerlinExplore View on map
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Opera and ballet on Unter den Linden
Staatsoper Unter den Linden
The state opera house on Unter den Linden, home of the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Staatsballett.
Film 3
Cinemas and film.
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A 1920s picture palace
Babylon
A 1920s cinema on Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse, with silent films accompanied on its cinema organ.
Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 30, BerlinExplore View on map
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A grand auditorium in Charlottenburg
Delphi Filmpalast
A grand single-screen cinema on Kantstrasse.
Kantstrasse 12a, 10623 BerlinExplore View on map
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On Karl-Marx-Allee
Kino International
The modernist cinema on Karl-Marx-Allee, a Berlinale venue.
Karl-Marx-Allee 33, BerlinExplore View on map
Folk & cultural traditions
Crafts & makers 1
Traditional crafts and the people who keep them.
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Berlin porcelain
KPM Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin
The royal porcelain manufactory, founded in Berlin in the 18th century, still making by hand.
Festivals & heritage events 2
The cultural calendar.
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Every October
Festival of Lights
Ten nights in October when Berlin’s landmarks are lit with projections.
