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Berlin is one of Germany’s most popular tourist destinations thanks to its complex history and rich culture. It’s a hub for the arts, politics, science, and media and boasts a range of fascinating attractions, such as the Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag Building, and remnants of the Berlin Wall.
If you’re planning to visit Berlin for the first time, you’re sure to want to check out these popular sights, but if you prefer to wander away from the beaten path, you might be more interested in the city’s lesser-known attractions.
In this travel guide, we highlight 23 of Berlin’s must-see hidden gems and share some essential travel tips to help you discover the offbeat and eccentric side of this city.
1. Haus Schwarzenberg Street Art Alley
- Address: Rosenthaler Str. 39, 10178 Berlin
- Website: haus-schwarzenberg.org
- Opening Hours: 24/7
Berlin is dotted with popular art museums, but a great way to see the city’s grittier artistic side is to check out its huge array of street art. The art in the alley of Haus Schwarzenberg is evolving all the time, with the likes of El Bocho, Stinkfish, Otto Schade, and Miss Van having contributed over the years.
2. Berlin Botanical Garden and Museum
- Address: Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, 14195 Berlin
- Website: bo.berlin
- Opening Hours: 9 am – 8 pm daily
Berlin Botanical Garden first opened as a kitchen garden in 1679, and it has since become the second-biggest botanical garden in the world. The accompanying Royal Botanical Museum provides valuable insight into many of the 22,000 plant species that thrive across the 106-acre garden.
3. Stasi Museum
- Address: Normannenstraße 20/Haus 1, 10365 Berlin
- Website: stasimuseum.de
- Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 10 am – 6 pm / Saturday & Sunday: 11 am – 6 pm
The Stasi was the German Democratic Republic’s secret police force. It ran extensive covert operations against perceived enemies. The Stasi Museum documents the many bizarre methods the Stasi used to spy on suspected East Germans.
4. Berliner Unterwelten-Museum
- Address: Brunnenstraße 105, 13355 Berlin
- Website: berliner-unterwelten.de/
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 4 pm daily
The unique Subterranean Berlin Museum is housed inside a former air raid bunker within a metro station. It covers four floors of tunnels, walkways, storage rooms, canals, and abandoned subway stations.
5. Friedrichsfelde Socialist Cemetery
- Address: Friedrichsfelde Municipal Central Cemetery, Gudrunstraße 20, 10365 Berlin
- Website: sozialistenfriedhof.de
- Opening Hours: 8 am – dusk daily
Many of Germany’s famed communist figures are buried in Friedrichsfelde Cemetary, including Wilhelm Liebknecht, Karl Liebknecht, and Rosa Luxembourg. This is a fascinating place to visit for political history enthusiasts.
6. Grunewald
Grunewald is a 3,000-hectare forest that serves as a haven for taking leafy walks and bike rides. There are several attractions within the forest, including a memorial to Slavic Prince Jaczo. Climb up the Karslberg for impressive views, or take a ferry to Lindwerder Island.
7. Quirky Disco Phone Booths
Berlin is renowned for its huge clubs and techno scene, but for an alternative to the typical nightlife, check out the city’s hidden miniature discos set up in converted phone booths. The Telediskos can be found inside Kater Blau nightclub and on the RAW-Gelande site in Friedrichshain.
8. The Carillon in Tiergarten
- Address: John-Foster-Dulles-Allee, 10557 Berlin
- Website: carillon-berlin.de
- Opening Hours: 24/7
A huge, sleek tower looming over the trees in Tiergarten is one of the world’s biggest musical instruments. The Carillon is a freestanding tower that contains 68 bells, which are controlled via pedals and keys. Live concerts take place at 3 pm every Sunday between May and September.
9. The Parliament Of Trees
- Address: Schiffbauerdamm, 10117 Berlin
- Website: stiftung-berliner-mauer.de/de/parlament-der-baeume
- Opening Hours: Sunday: 12 pm – 5 pm
The Parliament of Trees is an artwork created by Ben Wagin to serve as a Berlin Wall memorial. Sixteen trees, one for each of the country’s federal states, symbolize the unification of Germany following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
10. Viktoriapark Waterfall
- Address: Am Weinhang 1, 10965 Berlin
- Website: berlin.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/3560783-3558930-viktoriapark
- Opening Hours: 24/7
Viktoriapark in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg boasts the highest hill in inner Berlin, where you can enjoy fabulous views of the city. It’s a peaceful oasis just five minutes away from the former Tempelhof airport, and it even has a pretty waterfall modeled after Zackelfall in the Sudeten Mountains.
11. Körnerpark
- Address: Schierker Str., 12051 Berlin
- Website: körnerpark.de
- Opening Hours: 24/7
Körnerpark in the district of Neukölln is one of Berlin’s most attractive green spaces. It combines long stairways and balustrades with sweeping green lawns, canals, a fountain, and colorful flowerbeds. Look out for outdoor concerts in the park throughout the summer.
12. City Trabi Tours
Trabi cars are slow, noisy vehicles that were popular in former East Berlin. A fun way to explore the city is in a Trabi. Tours go off the beaten path to explore Cold War hotspots, including Karl-Marx-Alley, Checkpoint Charlie, and the East Side Gallery. If you don’t feel up to driving, you could try a bike tour, segway tour, or walking tour instead.
13. Wir Waren Nachbarn Memorial
- Address: John-F.-Kennedy-Platz 1, 10825 Berlin
- Website: wirwarennachbarn.de
- Opening Hours: Saturday – Thursday: 10 am – 6 pm
The We Were Neighbors Memorial tells personal stories of Jewish residents who were exiled and murdered by the Nazis. It is housed in the reading room of the City Hall (Rathaus) in Schöneberg and is a powerful way to personally connect with victims of the Holocaust and get a deeper understanding of the horrors of Jewish persecution.
14. Markthalle Neun
- Address: Eisenbahnstraße 42/43, 10997 Berlin
- Website: markthalleneun.de
- Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday & Friday: 12 pm – 6 pm / Thursday: 12 pm – 10 pm / Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm
The historic Markthalle Neun dates back to the 19th century, although it has since been renovated and redesigned. There are lots of delicious street food stalls here serving up dishes that are a little more out of the ordinary than Berlin’s famed currywurst and doner kebab. Visit during Street Food Thursday to sample tapas and snacks from all over the world.
15. Teufelsberg
Teufelsberg, which means “Devil’s Mountain,” is a former Nazi military college turned spy station. It has since been abandoned and is covered in graffiti. You can guide yourself around this street art gallery, but to learn about the history of the building and its best murals, consider booking a guided tour with a local instead.
16. Spreepark
- Address: Kiehnwerder Allee 1-3, 12437 Berlin
- Website: spreepark.berlin
There are lots of well-kept parks and green spaces in Berlin, so why not wander off the beaten track and head for a wild, abandoned amusement park instead?
Spreepark was originally built by the Communist government in 1969, but it closed after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It reopened in 1991; however, its new owner used ride equipment to smuggle cocaine, and the park was subsequently closed down again. Spreepark is now derelict, but you can join guided tours to get a glimpse of this eerie former attraction.
17. Berlin’s Flea Markets
Mauerpark Flea Market is one of the city’s busiest, with tourists flocking to check out its stalls on Sunday mornings before afternoon karaoke. If you’re looking for a smaller, quieter offering, check out one of the following flea markets instead:
- Antikmarkt am Ostbahnhof
- Antik- und Buchmarkt am Bodemuseum
- RAW-Flohmarkt
- Trödelmarkt am Marheinekeplatz
- Flohmarkt Arkonaplatz
- Nowkoelln Flowmarkt
18. Peacock Island
Peacock Island (Pfaueninsel) in the River Havel is named after its population of peacocks, but it also boasts an impressive white castle that served as a royal summer palace for Friedrich Wilhelm II. The island has a fascinating history, so much so that it makes up part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can reach it by taking the S-Bahn to Wannsee, followed by a bus and a ferry.
19. Gärten der Welt
- Address: Blumberger Damm 44, 12685 Berlin
- Website: gaertenderwelt.de
- Opening Hours: 9 am – 6 pm daily
Gardens of the World is a 250-acre public park comprised of seven themed gardens — Chinese, Japanese, Balinese, Oriental, Korean, Italian, and English. It’s a lovely attraction for a peaceful walk, particularly during a spring or summer visit to Berlin.
20. Berlin’s Unusual Museums
Berlin’s oldest and best-known museums are set on Museum Island, but if you’d prefer to beat the crowds and explore some eclectic exhibits, check out some of the following unusual museums.
German Spy Museum
- Address: Leipziger Pl. 9, 10117 Berlin
- Website: deutsches-spionagemuseum.de
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 8 pm daily
Learn about the secret services of both East and West Berlin during the Cold War.
Computerspielemuseum
- Address: Karl-Marx-Allee 93A, 10243 Berlin
- Website: computerspielemuseum.de
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 8 pm daily
Trace the evolution of digital video games and gaming culture since the 1950s.
Schwules Museum
- Address: Lützowstraße 73, 10785 Berlin
- Website: schwulesmuseum.de
- Opening Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12 pm – 6 pm / Thursday: 12 pm – 8 pm / Saturday: 2 pm – 7 pm / Sunday: 2 pm – 6 pm
Discover the stories of LGBTQ+ people who were persecuted throughout the Holocaust.
David Hasselhoff Museum
- Address: Weinbergsweg 1A, 10119 Berlin
- Website: circus-berlin.de/the-unveiling-of-our-hoff-museum/
- Opening Hours: 24/7
Pay homage to “The Hoff” when you visit this eccentric exhibition in the popular Circus Hostel in Mitte.
Trabi Museum
- Address: Zimmerstraße 14-15, 10969 Berlin, Germany
- Website: trabi-museum.com
- Opening Hours: 10 am – 5 pm daily
Learn about the quintessentially East German utilitarian vehicles that were produced from the 1950s until 1991.
21. Spandauer Zitadelle
- Address: Am Juliusturm 64, 13599 Berlin
- Website: zitadelle-berlin.de
- Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday, Friday – Sunday: 10 am – 5 pm / Thursday: 1 pm – 8 pm
This 12th-century fortress was constructed on an island at the confluence of the Spree and Havel rivers to protect the town of Spandau which is now a Berlin borough. Although the current buildings mostly date back to the 16th century, parts of the citadel, such as the Julius Tower, date back to the 13th century and are considered the oldest buildings in Berlin.
22. GDR Watch Tower
Address: Erna-Berger-Straße, 10117 Berlin
This watch tower was used to monitor the nearby border strip and is a lasting relic of the German Democratic Republic. More than 200 watchtowers like this were erected along the border from the late 1960s onwards, but this is the last of its kind to remain.
23. German Resistance Memorial Center
Address: Stauffenbergstraße 13, 10785 Berlin
Website: diemauerthewall.de/watchtower
Opening Hours: 11 am – 5 pm daily
Claus von Stauffenberg was an army officer and aristocrat who conspired against Nazi leaders and plotted to assassinate Hitler. Unfortunately, the plan failed, and the conspirators involved were executed.
The German Resistance Memorial Center now occupies the building in which Claus Von Stauffenberg and his co-conspirators plotted. It commemorates their determination to stop the Nazis and celebrates the wider German resistance movement throughout World War II.
Discover the Quirky Side of Berlin
Berlin is packed with unusual attractions, so you won’t be disappointed if you love exploring quirky sights. Now you know about these must-visit Berlin hidden gems, you can get started planning your upcoming visit to this fascinating city.
