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Jüdisches Museum
One of Berlin's must-see sights, the Jewish Museum is the largest in Europe. It chronicles 2000 years of Jewish history in Germany with an emphasis on culture, art and science. The 14 sections cover every major historical period. Only one section deals with the Holocaust, but its horrors are poignantly reflected by Libeskind's powerful architecture.
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Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
Berliners call the blasted tower of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche the 'hollow tooth'. It's a poignant reminder of the devastation wrought upon the city by World War II. The church was bombed by the British in late 1943 in a fierce raid that left only the broken west tower standing.
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Kennedy Museum
US president John F Kennedy of ' Ich bin ein Berliner ' fame is the focus of this intimate, nonpolitical exhibit set up like a walk-through family photo album. Besides pictures there are scribbled notes, JKF's crocodile-leather briefcase, Jackie's Persian lamb pillbox hat and a hilarious Superman comic book edition starring the president.
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Kollwitzplatz
This park-like square was ground zero of Prenzlauer Berg's revitalisation and named after the great 20th-century German woman artist Käthe Kollwitz, who is honoured with a bronze sculpture. It's a lively spot where locals gather in cafés, restaurants and shops and kids burn energy on the big playground. The Saturday organic farmers' market draws people from across town.
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Kulturforum
For more culture than you can poke a stick at, head to this cluster of museums and concert venues west of Potsdamer Platz. Kick off with the Berliner Philharmonie, a concert hall with otherworldly acoustics, before ambling over to the Kammer Musikaal (Chamber Music Hall) and the neo-Romanesque confection of Matthäuskirche.
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Kunst-Werke Berlin
A former margarine factory, this place has taken on new life as an epicentre of cutting-edge art. Its founder, Klaus Biesenbach, has since left for a prestigious gig with New York's MOMA, but exhibits here are still often essential viewing. Afterwards, the courtyard café inside Dan Graham's glass-and-chrome cube makes for a stylish refuelling spot.
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Legoland Discovery Centre
A life-size giraffe, a dragon castle and Berlin in miniature get tots squealing with delight at this indoor amusement park made entirely from Lego bricks. Other attractions include a 4-D cinema, a Lego factory and interactive games.
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Marienkirche
This brick gem has welcomed worshippers since the 13th century and has a vestibule gruesomely decorated with a (badly faded) Dance of Death fresco created after the plague of 1486. Outside the church is the epic 1891 Neptunbrunnen (Neptune Fountain) by Reinhold Begas with buxom beauties representing major rivers.
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Martin-Gropius-Bau
Designed by the great-uncle of Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, this grand Italian Renaissance-style palace usually presents some high-calibre travelling show such as the 2007 Cindy Sherman retrospective. A short stretch of Berlin Wall runs east along Niederkirchner Strasse. Admission varies according to the exhibit.
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Museum Für Film Und Fernsehen
From silent movies to sci-fi, this hi-tech museum charts the major milestones in German film and TV history. Of particular note are the head-spinning Caligari tribute, an exhibit about Leni Riefenstahl's epic Olympia and the collection of Marlene Dietrich memorabilia. Upstairs in the viewing room, famous TV broadcasts like JFK's Ich bin ein Berliner speech are only a mouse-click away.
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Museum Für Fotografie - Helmut Newton Sammlung
This museum is a bit of a shrine to Helmut Newton, the late enfant terrible of fashion photography. Besides a changing selection of his images, you can also admire his trademark 'Big Nudes', his partially recreated Monte Carlo office, his car and various personal effects, including his cameras. Other photographers are featured in temporary shows.
Read more about Museum Für Fotografie - Helmut Newton Sammlung
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Museum Für Naturkunde
He's back! After a thorough bone-by-bone cleaning, the world's largest dino on display, a 23m-long and 12m-high brachiosaurus, has returned to the glass-covered central hall of this university-affiliated museum. Other sections have also been dusted up and present such showstoppers as a fossilised archaeopteryx, meteorites and giant chunks of amber.
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Musikinstrumenten-Museum
Packed with fun, precious and rare sound machines, this surprisingly undervisited museum includes a glass harmonica invented by Ben Franklin, a flute played by Frederick the Great and Johann Sebastian Bach's cembalo. The Mighty Wurlitzer organ with more buttons and keys than a troop of beefeater guards is cranked up at on Saturday.
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Neue Synagogue
The gleaming gold dome of the New Synagogue is the most visible symbol of Berlin's revitalised Jewish community. The 1866 original seated 3200 and once was Germany's largest synagogue. Partly reconstructed, the building now contains displays on its history, architecture and former congregation. The dome can be climbed.
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Oberbaumbrücke
Linking Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain across the Spree, Berlin's prettiest bridge resembles a medieval drawbridge complete with towers, turrets, crenellated walls and arches. Looking south you'll spot a floating pool (the Badeschiff) and Jonathan Borofsky's giant aluminium sculpture called Molecule Man .
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Pergamon Museum
If you only have time for one museum in Berlin, make it the Pergamon for a feast of classical Greek, Babylonian, Roman, Islamic and Middle Eastern art and architecture. The giant complex, which was only completed in 1930, harbours under one roof: the Collection of Classical Antiquities, the Museum of Near Eastern Antiquities and the Museum of Islamic Art.
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Reichstag
Just north of the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag has been the seat of the Bundestag (German parliament), since 1999 following a complete renovation by Lord Norman Foster. The British architect turned the 1894 building by Paul Wallot into a state-of-the-art parliamentary facility, preserving only the historical shell and adding the glistening glass dome.
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Reiterdenkmal Friedrich Des Grossen
Frederick the Great cuts a commanding figure on horseback in this famous 1850 monument (near Bebelplatz), which kept sculptor Christian Daniel Rauch busy for a dozen years. A who's who of German generals, scientists, artists and thinkers parade around the plinth.
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Sammlung Daimlerchrysler
Escape the city bustle at this quiet and stylish gallery that presents international abstract, conceptual and minimalist art. It's on the top floor of the Weinhaus Huth, the only surviving historic structure on Potsdamer Platz. Ring the bell to be buzzed in.
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Schwules Museum
Museum, archive and community centre all in one, this nonprofit space is a great place to learn more about Berlin's queer history. Special exhibits usually focus on gay icons. The entrance is behind Café Melitta Sundström.
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Sea Life Berlin
Pricey but entertaining, this aquarium follows the Spree River into the North Atlantic, introducing you to various aquatic denizens along the way. Visits conclude with a glacial lift ride through the Aquadom, a 16m-tall cylindrical tropical fish tank. Catch a free preview from the lobby of the Radisson SAS Hotel.
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Sophie-Gips-Höfe & Sammlung Hoffmann
A simple doorway leads to this artsy trio of courtyards between Sophienstrasse and Gipsstrasse, home to galleries, offices and the popular Barcomi's Deli . The complex is owned by a modern-art-loving couple, Erika and Rolf Hoffmann, who offer tours of their collection, the Sammlung Hoffmann, every Saturday.
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TV Tower
The TV Tower is the tallest structure in Germany, soaring 368m above Berlin since 1969. Come early to beat the queue for the lift ride to the panorama level at 203m, where views are unbeatable on clear days. From here and the upstairs café, which makes one revolution in 30 minutes, you can easily pinpoint landmarks and study the city layout.
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Volkspark
Berlin's oldest public park (since 1840) provides treasured relief from urbanity. Besides expansive lawns, it has playgrounds, tennis courts, a free half-pipe for skaters, the adorable Märchenbrunnen (Fairytale Fountain; popular with gay cruisers) and various socialist monuments. Its two hills are actually piles of wartime debris; the taller one is nicknamed Mont Klamott. Summer events include a popular outdoor film series.
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Wasserturm
Nicknamed 'Dicker Hermann' (Fat Hermann), this 1873 brick water tower suffered a dark spell as an improvised concentration camp under the Nazis. After the war, the tower was converted into flats. A lively row of restaurants and bars has sprung up on Knaackstrasse opposite.
