Neighbourhood guide · Berlin
The Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden, Museum Island, the Gendarmenmarkt, the Hackesche Höfe and Rutz’s three stars.
Neighbourhood guide
The historic heart: the Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden, Museum Island, the Gendarmenmarkt and the lanes of the Scheunenviertel.
The back story
From the Brandenburg Gate to Bernauer Strasse: where the Wall stood, how it fell, and where to see its story today.
The symbol of the city
The neoclassical gate at the head of Unter den Linden, symbol of reunified Berlin.
Book the dome in advance
The parliament building with its glass dome and roof terrace, open to visitors who register in advance.
Dome walk and crypt
The domed Protestant cathedral on the Lustgarten, with a walk round the dome.
In the rebuilt palace
The museum and cultural centre in the rebuilt Berlin Palace, opposite Museum Island.
The tallest view in the city
The TV tower on Alexanderplatz, with a viewing floor and a revolving restaurant.
Panoramastrasse 1a, BerlinExplore View on map
The finest square in Berlin
The square of the Konzerthaus and the French and German churches.
Where to understand the Wall
The central memorial to the division of Berlin, on Bernauer Strasse.
Bernauer Strasse 111, BerlinExplore View on map
Field of stelae and information centre
The field of concrete stelae near the Brandenburg Gate, with an information centre beneath.
Cora-Berliner-Strasse 1, BerlinExplore View on map
The bust of Nefertiti
Egypt, prehistory and the bust of Nefertiti, in David Chipperfield’s restoration.
19th-century art
Nineteenth-century painting and sculpture in a temple on Museum Island.
Sculpture and coins
Sculpture, Byzantine art and the coin cabinet, at the tip of Museum Island.
Closed for refurbishment
The museum of the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate, closed for a major refurbishment.
Contemporary art
A contemporary art institution in a former margarine factory on Auguststrasse.
In a wartime bunker
A private collection of contemporary art in a wartime bunker in Mitte, by guided tour.
Chamber music in the round
An oval chamber-music hall by Frank Gehry, behind the Staatsoper.
Opera and ballet on Unter den Linden
The state opera house on Unter den Linden, home of the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Staatsballett.
Brecht’s theatre
The theatre founded by Bertolt Brecht, at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm.
Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, BerlinExplore View on map
Classic and new drama
One of the great German-language stages, on Schumannstrasse.
Grand revue
The great revue theatre on Friedrichstrasse.
Friedrichstrasse 107, BerlinExplore View on map
A 1920s picture palace
A 1920s cinema on Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse, with silent films accompanied on its cinema organ.
Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 30, BerlinExplore View on map
The great park in the middle of the city
Berlin’s great central park, between the Brandenburg Gate and the Zoo.
The great boulevard
Berlin’s historic boulevard, from the Brandenburg Gate past the State Opera to Museum Island.
The government quarter by the river
The riverside promenade of the government quarter, from the Reichstag to the Hauptbahnhof.
Three MICHELIN Stars (2026)
Berlin’s only three-star restaurant, on Chausseestrasse in Mitte.
Chausseestrasse 8, 10115 BerlinExplore View on map
Two MICHELIN Stars (2026)
A two-star restaurant in The Mandala Hotel on Potsdamer Platz.
Potsdamer Strasse 3, 10785 BerlinExplore View on map
One MICHELIN Star (2026)
A one-star restaurant in Pariser Platz (creative, in MICHELIN’s classification).
Unter den Linden 77, 10117 BerlinExplore View on map
One MICHELIN Star (2026)
A one-star restaurant in Mitte (creative, in MICHELIN’s classification).
Torstrasse 167, 10115 BerlinExplore View on map
One MICHELIN Star (2026)
A one-star restaurant in Mitte (vegetarian, in MICHELIN’s classification).
Behrenstrasse 55, 10117 BerlinExplore View on map
Bib Gourmand (2026)
A Bib Gourmand in Mitte: good cooking at moderate prices, in MICHELIN’s words.
Torstrasse 48, 10119 BerlinExplore View on map
A Berlin institution
The grand brasserie on Französische Strasse, for schnitzel and people-watching.
On the Gendarmenmarkt
A historic wine restaurant on the corner of the Gendarmenmarkt.
Charlottenstrasse 56, BerlinExplore View on map
On the Spree
A steakhouse on the bank of the Spree by the Weidendammer Bridge.
Friedrichstrasse 105b, BerlinExplore View on map
In a red-brick courtyard
A restaurant and bar in a 19th-century red-brick building off Bergstrasse.
Bergstrasse 22, BerlinExplore View on map
In a courtyard off Münzstrasse
A café in a courtyard off Münzstrasse, for coffee and brunch.
Münzstrasse 21, BerlinExplore View on map
Under the railway arches
A cocktail bar under the railway on Schiffbauerdamm, behind an unmarked steel door.
Schiffbauerdamm 11, BerlinExplore View on map
A techno pioneer
One of Berlin’s founding techno clubs, in a former power station on Köpenicker Strasse.
At Leipziger Platz
A large shopping centre at Leipziger Platz, by Potsdamer Platz.
Leipziger Platz 12, BerlinExplore View on map
Art Nouveau courtyards
A sequence of eight linked courtyards with tiled Art Nouveau façades, shops and a cinema.
Rosenthaler Strasse 40–41, BerlinExplore View on map
At the Brandenburg Gate
Berlin’s most famous hotel, on Pariser Platz beside the Brandenburg Gate, with the one-star Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer.
Unter den Linden 77, 10117 BerlinExplore View on map
Facing the State Opera
A Rocco Forte hotel on the Bebelplatz, facing the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.
By the Gendarmenmarkt
A grand hotel a few steps from the Gendarmenmarkt and the Konzerthaus.
Art-filled rooms off Unter den Linden
A boutique hotel in Mitte, with a bar and brasserie, full of contemporary art.
Neustädtische Kirchstrasse 3, 10117 BerlinExplore View on map
In the old telegraph office
A hotel in a former telegraph office on Monbijoustrasse, near the Hackesche Höfe.
On Torstrasse
The members’ club and hotel on Torstrasse, with rooms open to non-members.
One of Europe’s largest university hospitals
Berlin’s university hospital, with campuses across the city.
Charitéplatz 1, BerlinExplore View on map
A Balinese-style day spa
A large Balinese-style day spa with saunas and pools, near the Hauptbahnhof.
Seydlitzstrasse 6, BerlinExplore View on map
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