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For a scene-stealing blend of glamour and grit, ready to captivate anyone eager to dive into vibrant culture, bold architecture, global food, intense parties and laid-back nature spots, head to Berlin.

Whether your tastes run to posh or punk, you can sate them in the capital of Germany. Here are some of the best experiences that capture the Berlin spirit right now.

1. Unlock the treasures of Museum Island

Feel like a kid in a cultural candy store as you drift around the five treasure troves of the world-famous Museum Island. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, these museums are a showcase of human ingenuity from the Stone Age to the 19th century. Don’t skip showstoppers like Egyptian Queen Nefertiti’s timelessly beautiful bust at the Neues Museum, Caspar David Friedrich moody landscapes at the Alte Nationalgalerie, or the pantheon of ancient Greek and Roman gods at the Altes Museum. But then toss the map and let your curiosity guide you – stunning discoveries await on every floor.

Detour: While Museum Island’s Pergamonmuseum undergoes restoration, you can still marvel at treasures from its collection at the nearby . This monumental 360-degree painting captures a day in the ancient city of Pergamon with brilliant photorealistic detail.

2. Kick back in Berlin’s next-gen parks

Already one of Europe’s greenest cities, Berlin is still busy adding new parks to its urban tapestry. Proving its mastery at upcycling, it turned a former railway junction into the family-friendly with expansive lawns, outdoor dance floor and skatepark. Even more ingenious is the Tempelhofer Feld on the airfield of Tempelhof Airport, famous for its role in the 1948–49 Berlin Airlift. Cruise down the breezy runways on a bike, explore urban gardens, play mini-golf in a kooky art installation and watch wind skaters pull off their tricks, then wrap up over sunset in the beer garden.

3. Greet the sunrise after an epic night of clubbing

You can’t lay claim to truly having “done” Berlin until you’ve partied till dawn or beyond in the high-octane clubs of this curfew-free city. With doors at Berghain and KitKat tougher to crack than a chastity belt, why not skip the hype and hit the floors at , , , or instead? For an eclectic sound mix, check out the party nights at such legendary spots as and queer-fave .

4. Tap into Berlin’s ����ä�پ� culture

Besides Guten Tag and Danke, another word you should be familiar with when visiting Berlin is ����ä�پ�. Berlin’s spin on convenience stores, ����ä�پ�s are often way more than just a place to grab beer, chips or cigarettes after hours. The name is short for ����ä�ٰ첹�ܴ�, meaning late-night shopping, although some are actually open 24/7. The best of Berlin’s roughly 1500 ����ä�پ�s blend convenience with community, transforming the humble corner kiosk into a vibrant social hub. Gather your crew and share laughs and drinks with strangers while camped out at rickety beer tables out front. And if you’re lucky, you might just stumble upon an impromptu ����ä�پ� rave – take that, Berghain!

5. See the city's best street art

Street art aficionados will be able to channel their inner Banksy and find themselves in stencil-and-sticker heaven in Berlin. Keep your eyes peeled, especially in Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, where facades, bridges and door entrances are adorned with works by both budding aerosol talent and icons like Heracut, Blu and Shephard Fairey.

Friedrichshain is also home to the East Side Gallery, a 1.3km (0.8-mile) section of the Berlin Wall transformed into a giant mural by global artists in 1990. If you’re craving a street-art fix on a rainy day, take refuge at , Germany’s first urban art museum.

For the ultimate art-history-views combo, head west to where hundreds of amazing large-scale works smother an abandoned Cold War-era US spy station that still looms atop a hill made from WWII debris.

Planning tip: Dive deeper into the mysteries of street art – its history, culture and techniques – on artist-run adventures offered by . 

6. Swim, paddle and sail on Berlin’s waterways

Berlin may be landlocked, but there’s no shortage of water for cooling off on sizzling summer days. An easy escape is the forest-fringed Schlachtensee, a silky lake right by the eponymous S-Bahn (light rail) station. A bit further on the same line, the century-old lakeside lido beckons with a 1km-long (0.6-mile) sandy beach, restaurants and boat rentals. An in-town fave is the , a flirty beach club with a barge-turned-swimming pool moored in the Spree River. 

Not into swimming? Hop on a and glide past landmarks like Museum Island and the government quarter while sipping a cold beer. The more adventurous can rent a to follow swans along the Landwehr Canal or paddle on the Spree as the sun sets behind the fairytale ������������ܳ�����ü�����.

7. Catch a glimpse of life behind the Berlin Wall

The East Side Gallery may be the most iconic remnant of the Berlin Wall, but for a deeper look at life in the divided city, there’s no better place than the (Berlin Wall Memorial). Multimedia stations, photos and original border installations stretching along a 1.6km (1 mile) section following the former course of the Wall help demystify the 28 years of division.

To take a peek into everyday life in East Germany, swing by the interactive (GDR Museum). For chilling insight into the all-encompassing powers of GDR’s secret police (Stasi), visit the Stasimuseum in the organization’s original HQ or take a tour of the eerie Stasi Prison.

Planning tip: Before your trip, watch the 2006 Academy Award-winner The Lives of Others, which dramatizes the Stasi's notorious dragnet tactics.

8. Connect with nature and visit the zoo at the Tiergarten

Prussian kings used to hunt boar and deer in the vast and idyllic Tiergarten until one enlightened monarch decided to turn it into a park for the people. The people loved it then, and they still do now. Join the locals jogging along rhododendron-lined paths, paddling around a lily-dotted pond or clinking mugs of cold Pilsner in the beer garden. In the park’s southwestern corner, the welcomes you to wave hello to its eclectic residents, including the superstar pandas Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, along with their cute cubs born in 2024.

Local tip: For a bird’s-eye view of Tiergarten, climb to the skirt hems of the golden goddess crowning the (Victory Column). Originally a monument to Prussian military might, it’s now the unofficial symbol of Berlin’s sizeable LGBTIQ+ community. How would the Kaiser feel about that?

9. Gobble a wiener on the go

Don’t leave town without trying a Currywurst, Berlin’s snack food with cult status. This fried and sliced sausage, drenched in tomato sauce and dusted with curry powder, was actually invented here in 1949. Originally a pork-only affair, sausages have had a glow-up, with options to please everyone from organic meat lovers to die-hard vegans.

Local tip: There are sausage kitchens all over town but the most famous wurst places are and .

10. Explore Berlin’s eclectic art scene

Berlin’s art scene dazzles with heavy hitters – from Rembrandt to Picasso to Kollwitz – across blockbuster museums like the (Old Masters), (19th-century art) and the and (20th-century art). For something edgier, check out the free-spirited works of the in a spooky WWII bunker or the provocative (and sometimes X-rated) photography at . Dive into global art at the and the in the Humboldtforum, the new cultural center inside a replica of the historic Prussian city palace. Featuring stunning pieces from Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, exhibits here also invite reflection on colonialism, provenance and cultural ownership.