It will be 30 years since the wall dividing Berlin came down on November 9, 2019. Over the past three decades, Berlin has been transformed into a vibrant, creative city where technology, talent and tolerance thrive. And to celebrate the falling of the wall, which was also the end of Communism in the country, the happening city will host events all through the year. From rooftop bars to Christmas markets, sightseeing and museums, Berlin is worth visiting now more than ever.
If nightclubbing is your thing, then Berlin is intoxicating. Visitors to the city can join the hordes of partygoers and converts to the clubbing scene who can be seen spilling into graffitied alleyways almost every night of the week. If art is more your style, there are more than 440 galleries dotted around the German capital that are worthy of the hype that has been generated.
Add to the mix a mural festival and a booming urban art scene and you will start to get the picture. There are 180 museums in Berlin, five of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Museum Island. Arrive at the island via one of the inner-city waterways, which are crowded with kayakers and vessels over summer. Museum Island houses Berlin’s great collection of antiquities and is a must-visit attraction.
The Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Charlottenburg Palace and the path that the Wall took are also top five sites in the city and a haunt for tourists who want to learn more about German’s war history. The gentrified Kurfurstendamm shopping precinct is where you will find the recently reopened Staatsoper Opera House, which is popular with music lovers.
Cruises on the Havel and Spree Rivers and the beaches of Wannsee are also Berlin highlights. Around the anniversary of the falling of the Wall, there will be a large number of events covering reunification, the construction of the Berlin Wall, the division of the world during the Cold War and the overcoming of the Wall by the Peaceful Revolution of 1989. visitberlin.de/en
