During my travels in Europe, I didn’t necessarily plan on visiting Germany. After my weekend in Berlin with 1 day chock-full of sightseeing, I don’t know what was wrong with me. This city quickly became one of my favorites, and was so different from my expectations. My only regret was that I didn’t get more time to see the city once my flight was so delayed that I arrived hours late. Don’t worry, I’m definitely going back someday. Keep reading for my one-day itinerary in BerLIT!

Public Transport

Start your short trip to Berlin by purchasing a daylong metro pass in whichever station nearest your accommodations. Mine was 15 euros, give or take, and I used it to zip all over the city. Berlin is huge. Much bigger than I anticipated, and it is spread out over many miles (or kilometers).

If it’s warm out, feel free to walk everywhere, but if you visit in the spring like I did, you’ll likely still need a coat. It’s worth it to go ahead and get the day pass so you don’t have to keep buying individual tickets and you’ll save by buying in bulk. Just don’t lose it, because you have to verify it each time you get on the train or the conductors that hop on randomly to check tickets will fine you!

Alexanderplatz

Once you’ve hopped on the metro, take it all the way to Alexanderplatz, in the city center. This station is both a local metro stop and a larger train station. You’ll see vendors and shops, and people everywhere headed all over Germany, and even the rest of Europe.

After you exit the station, you’ll be in a walking area, also named (guess what?) Alexanderplatz. It’s a square with shops, and you can see the Berliner Fernsehturm from the photo below. It’s a museum and viewing point of the whole city. This is a great place to start if you plan on walking for the day as well.

Brandenburg Gate

From Alexanderplatz, head over to the Brandenburg Gate. This is truly overwhelming in person, and just so majestic. I visited it during the daytime, but you can also see it lit up at night. One of my favorite things about visiting the city center of Berlin was how much beautiful architecture it has to offer, and this sight is at the top of that list.

Berlin Cathedral Church

Hand-in-hand with Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Cathedral Church is breathtaking. The large blue-green domes make it a beacon of the city, visible from blocks away. It sits right next to a park, and would be a great area to relax, read, eat some lunch, or just go for a walk.

East Side Gallery

Last and best is the East Side Gallery. This is hands-down the most famous landmark in the city, and for good reason. Not only is it a relic to the past, when Berlin was split into East and West, but it is thought-provoking art. I went right before sunset, and walked the whole exhibit before dark. I stopped for at least 100 pictures along the way, just because each mural was so eye-catching and I knew I wanted to have those memories. You absolutely cannot visit Berlin without coming here!

I know I barely scratched the surface on this first trip to Berlin, especially since I only had 1 day! On my next trip to this city, I plan to not only revisit all the places above, but also see Checkpoint Charlie, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, go inside the cathedral, visit a couple of museums, and, of course, eat some more delicious food. Until next time!