At 1316 m long this is the longest complete section of the Berlin Wall still standing. Soon after the wall came down, 118 artists from 21 countries painted such images as a Trabant breaking through the wall’, Eric Honecker and Leonid Brezhnev locked in a brotherly socialist kiss. In September 1990 it was formally opened as a an open air gallery, which given its length makes its the longest open air gallery in the world.

With the aid of multimedia and interactive displays, the Jüdisches Museum allows visitors to learn about the history of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present. Consisting of two buildings, Berlin’s Jewish Museum is the largest Jewish museum in Europe. Visitors enter through the 18th century Kollegienhaus and make their way to the striking building designed by Daniel Libeskind. The ‘Axis of Exile’ leads from one building to the other and on to the ‘Garden of Exile’.

With a total height of 368 metres, Berlin’s TV tower is the most visible and distinctive feature on the city’s skyline. Even visible from some of the suburbs. The tower was erected by the East German government as a show of strength and power of the Communist regime and city. Built between 1965 and 1969, to replace the Berlin Radio Tower that looks a bit similar to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the TV Tower is still the tallest structure in Germany. And the third highest human-made structure in the European Union. At the top, there is a viewing platform and a revolving restaurant.

The WWII bunker on Schöneberger Straße near Anhalter Station was intended to shelter up to 3,000 commuters in the event of an air raid on Berlin. Today it houses the exhibition ‘Hitler – how could it happen’. With text, historic photographs and film, on three of the bunkers’ five levels, the rise of and demise of Hitler is documented in 40 separate displays. The exhibition has the only model of the Führerbunker. This self-guided tour takes between two and three hours.

Built between 1884 and 1894, this iconic building with its glass dome has been home to the parliament of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and for the National Socialists – until it was destroyed by fire in 1933. Renovation was completed in 1999, and it is now the second most visited attraction in Germany. It is possible to climb to the top of the dome, visit the Plenary Chamber and have a meal at the Rooftop restaurant. The Reichstag is free to visit, but advance registration is required. Take a guided tour that includes registration.

In a circular rotunda 30 m high, visitors can view a 360° panorama of the Graeco-Roman city of Pergamon. The ‘snapshot’ is from a day in 129 AD, a day on which the festival of the god Dionysos was held and the city was visited by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The enormous image, which you climb a central tower to experience at different heights, was created by Yadegar Asisi and is based on the current state of archaeological knowledge. Also on display are important pieces from the Pergamon Collection. This attractions is open while the Pergamon Museum is closed.

The ‘New Museum’ was completed in 1855, but suffered considerable damage during World War II. After a major refurbishment it re-opened in 2009. The museum houses three collections: the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, the Museum for Prehistory and Early History, and the Collection of Classical Antiquities. One of the most celebrated pieces is the bust of Nefertiti.

The DDR Museum offers visitors an immersive experience of life in the German Democratic Republic. From sitting in a typical East German living room to an interrogation room. From taking a drive in Trabi to being inside a prison cell. Visitors are encourage to touch interact with objects in three themed areas and 45 topics to get an idea of everyday life behind the Berlin Wall and the workings of the state and its security apparatus. This is the largest museum focused on the GDR in Berlin.

Although aimed at children, Little Big City Berlin is a history experience anyone can walk into. Here the various stages of Berlin’s sometimes troubled past are presented in miniature form, with great sensitivity. This is nothing like your average miniature model. The scale used for the models means that you will discover buildings and events, and even recognise famous people as well as  learning about many more. Many of the displays have interactive elements, allowing visitors to have a more active involvement.

Topographie des Terrors in central Berlin is an indoor and outdoor exhibition space detailing the horrors of the Nazi regime. The site was the headquarters of both the SS and Gestapo. Who not only planned many atrocties here, but so too were prisoners tortured in the Gestapo cellar. Before May 1933 this was the Prinz-Albrecht-Palais. The area was heavily destroyed at the end of the war, but recent excavations have uncovered the cellars and other basement elements.