Berlin Travelers Recommend

If you're curious to know the stories below the surface of Berlin's fascinating architecture, there's nothing like walking the very same streets to bring alive everything you've ever wondered about WWII and the Third Reich. Berlin is a city that is constantly changing and reinventing itself, however the marks of history are deeply scored into the architecture and psyche of the city. Hitler married long-time mistress Eva Braun in the Führerbunker, and two days later both committed suicide in order to avoid capture by Soviet forces. Hitler's plan to make Berlin the Reich capital of Germania was abandoned as the Allies bombed the city, while the remnants of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church stand as a grim reminder to the damages of war.

Day 1: Berlin Tours Get things rolling with a Berlin Sightseeing Cruise on the River Spree. You'll cruise right through the city, passing such famous sights as Potsdamer Platz, the Reichstag, Museum Island and Berlin Cathedral. Visit the extraordinary cultural treasures of the Pergamon Museum for ancient history and Alte Nationalgalerie for the art buffs. Day 2: History & Culture Walking Tours Immerse yourself in the days of espionage on a Nest of Spies Walking Tour which takes you into the dark side of Berlin, bring your camera along on an inspirational East Meets West Photography Walking Tour, or get on your bike on one of our cycling tours. Day 3: Day Trips from Berlin. Former residence of the Prussian kings, Potsdam is an easy day trip destination from Berlin. For a day trip with a difference, take a walking tour of Sachsenhausen, one of Nazi Germany's main concentration camps.

Very few European cities were as hard hit by World War II as Dresden, Germany. The city was in flaming ruins from the Allied firebomb attacks of February 13, 1945, depicted in Kurt Vonnegut’s classic Slaughterhouse Five. It is estimated that between 35,000 and 135,000 people died in the attacks. Rebuilding began shortly after and some projects were completed as recently as 2005, like the Frauenkirche, one of the city’s most famous landmarks. Known as the “Church of Our Lady,” this Lutheran church was turned to rubble in the attack and stood as a monument to peace when it was carefully put back together, stone by stone, like pieces of a puzzle. Of the 8,500 stones recovered from the site, 3,800 were reused. The golden orb atop the tower was donated by the UK as an unspoken apology for the devastation. What was once known as the “pearl of the Baroque” and home to Saxon kings is now a modern reconstruction of the pre-1945 architecture.

Discover the "Versailles of Germany," former residence of the kings of Prussia, where you'll see UNESCO World Heritage-listed parks, museums and the celebrated palace of Sanssouci. Potsdam's fairy-tale landscapes are the result of hundreds of years of human endeavor. See the lakeside Marble Palace with its Greek temple ruins and the dreamlike castle of Babelsberg. Enter Cecilenhof Palace, where Truman, Stalin and Churchill concluded the Potsdam Agreement, sealing the fate of Germany and Europe and ushering in the Cold War. Ride between West Berlin and East Germany over the Glienicke, find out where the KGB Prison was in the so-called Forbidden Town, and see the former Stasi Prison. Studio Babelsberg built in 1911 is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world, and now features a film theme park.