Things to do in Berlin, splurging
Neues Museum, Charlottenburg Palace, the East Side Gallery, and dinner at 893 Ryōtei.
This is Berlin for people who want the chef's-table reservation and the right vintage-find in the same day, without pretending the city is only about one or the other. The plan moves from Prenzlauer Berg down through Charlottenburg and into Kreuzberg, keeping the mornings loose and the evenings committed. It suits anyone who books restaurants before flights and still wants to be home before 1am.
Day 1: Prenzlauer Berg into Mitte
A Sunday morning at Mauerpark's flea market for vinyl and vintage leads into Nefertiti at the Neues Museum, then a considered evening: dinner at Lokal and a nightcap at KINK that actually lives up to the billing.
- 9:30 AM
44 Brekkie
Kollwitzkiez brunch café: eggs, sourdough and a flat white before the walk up to Mauerpark.
Map - 10:45 AM
Mauerpark
Sundays bring the flea market and open-air karaoke; other days it's a wide park on the old Wall strip.
Map - 12:30 PM
Remi
Bright room in the Suhrkamp building on Torstraße: a short seasonal lunch, Tuesday to Saturday.
Map - 2:30 PM
Neues Museum
Neues Museum for the Bust of Nefertiti and the stunning Chipperfield restoration, a UNESCO island heavyweight.
Map - 7:30 PM
Lokal
Rustic Linienstraße dining room for German game, fish and seasonal vegetables with a good wine list.
Map - 9:30 PM
KINK Bar & Restaurant
Big cocktail bar near Senefelderplatz with a long open bar and inventive house drinks for a nightcap.
Map
Day 2: Charlottenburg, west-side best
Concept boutiques at Bikini Berlin, lunch among the paintings at Paris Bar and the Baroque palace gardens by afternoon, before Japanese at 893 Ryōtei and the rooftop at Monkey Bar.
- 9:30 AM
Bonvivant Cocktail Bistro
Vegan brunch on Goltzstraße, Friday to Sunday from 9:00, from a cocktail bistro known for its dinners.
Map - 10:30 AM
Bikini Berlin
Concept mall on Budapester Straße: design shops and independent labels, with a window onto the zoo's monkeys.
Map - 12:30 PM
Paris Bar
West Berlin's art-crowd brasserie: steak frites or schnitzel under walls crowded with paintings.
Map - 2:30 PM
Charlottenburg Palace
West Berlin's showpiece Baroque palace with sprawling gardens, friends say it's a proper half-day excursion.
Map - 7:30 PM
893 Ryōtei Japanese Restaurant
Duc Ngo's Japanese room behind graffiti-covered windows on Kantstraße: sashimi, nigiri and wagyu.
Map - 9:30 PM
Monkey Bar
Monkey Bar's rooftop perch above the city, a well-known cocktail spot to close the night on a high note.
Map
Day 3: Kreuzberg, slow then serious
A gentle Wrangelkiez start at annelies gives way to North African at Kitten Deli, the East Side Gallery at a walking pace, and an evening that earns its keep: dinner at Der Goldene Hahn, wine at ORA.
- 9:30 AM
- 1:00 PM
Kitten Deli
Relaxed deli near the canal for a light lunch of small plates before the walk to the Wall.
Map - 3:00 PM
East Side Gallery
30-minute Wall walk with iconic murals, fold into a Spree stroll toward Friedrichshain rather than standing still.
Map - 4:30 PM
East-Side-Park
Riverside lawn behind the East Side Gallery murals, a free place to sit by the Spree.
Map - 7:30 PM
Der Goldene Hahn
Candlelit Kreuzberg Italian with a daily menu of pasta and grilled meat and a deep Italian wine list.
Map - 10:00 PM
ORA Restaurant & Wine Bar
Low-key but excellent wine bar nearby, perfect nightcap before midnight with none of the techno-club commitment.
Map
Where to stay
Regent Berlin
Quietly the most polished address in Mitte, central enough for all three days and the kind of place that handles late dinner reservations without fuss.
The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin
The Ritz on Potsdamer Platz sits at the triangle of all three itineraries and matches the spending level of the nights you have planned.
Make Berlin your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Reichstag Dome: weeks ahead
- Neues Museum: a few days ahead
- Boros Collection: weeks ahead
- Berliner Philharmonie: a few days ahead
- Berliner Unterwelten: weeks ahead
- Vabali Spa Berlin: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Checkpoint Charlie is a replica guardhouse and photo touts. Spend the history hour at Bernauer Strasse or Topography of Terror.
- The TV Tower restaurant means paying to queue and eat mediocre food at height. Use the Reichstag Dome for views.
- East Side Gallery takes 20 to 30 minutes. Fold it into a Spree walk, do not give it half a day.
- Mustafas queue is the trap, not the kebap. Ruya by Zoo station serves the top rated version fast.
The full Berlin travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around