Berlin Vacation Ideas

Here are a few ideas for great Berlin vacation spots to visit. A vacation to Berlin will take you to a modern, prosperous, cosmopolitan city full of historic buildings, museums, art galleries and many varieties of entertainment. It’s a city that is constantly transforming itself while at the same time holding on to the past.

Vacation Ideas in Berlin #1:The Gemäldegalerie, also referred to as , has a wonderful display of European art from the 13th to 18th century. In fact it is considered to be the finest collection in the world.

Among the 1,000 or so paintings on display are 16 Rembrandts as well as van Eyck, Bruegel, Dürer, Raphael, Tizian, Caravaggio, Rubens and Vermeer. The 7,000 square metres of exhibition space also holds many other portraits, genre paintings, interiors, landscapes and still-lifes from artists of the time period.

Berlin Vacation Idea #2:Take the River Havel ferry, near Potsdam, over to Peacock Island. This mile-long island was designed as a park in 1793 by King Friedrich Wilhelm II. Everything, including the wind¬ing pathways and trees, were designed and laid out with an artistic goal in mind. There are a number of interesting buildings including a mock castle that the King built for his mistress. You will also find many exotic plants, a rose garden, a flower garden and a considerable animal collection.

Berlin Vacation Idea #3: Tiergarten is lovely 630-acre park located on the center of Berlin. It was once the hunting grounds of high nobility. Now it is the centerpiece for Germany's political heart and soul – the Tiergarten district. The park is a popular spot for vacationers and locals for walks, family picnics, grilling, playing games or for relaxing. This also where you will find Zoologischer Garten, Germany's oldest zoo and home to the world’s most diverse variety of animals.

Vacation Ideas in Berlin #4:Also in the Tiergarten district is the Musical instrument Museum. Here you can see more than 3,000 musical instruments form as far back as the 16th century. Frederick the Great’s flute is on display as well as Edward Grieg’s piano. Some of the other pieces are a collection of early seventeenth century woodwind instruments, the 1929 Mighty Wurlitzer Cinema Organ, a 1703 violin made by Antonio Stradivari and the worlds greatest collection of Ruckers harpsichords.

Berlin Vacation Idea #5:Another of Berlin’s parks is Grunewald Forest in the western part of the city. During the summer you can enjoy concerts in the courtyard of the Grunewald Hunting Lodge. The lodge was built in 1542 and houses an art collection featuring works by German and Dutch painters of the 15th-18th centuries. Climb to the top of the 55 meter-high Grunewald Tower for a view that extends all the way to Potsdam.

Berlin Vacation Idea #6:In the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz is location of the Berlin Film Museum. The city of Berlin was the center of Europe’s film industry in the 1920s. The stars and directors responsible are honored here with films clips and plenty of personal memorabilia. Take a journey through film and television history at the Berlin Film Museum.

Berlin Vacation Idea #7:The Komische Oper is a musical comedy playhouse that specializes in offbeat and experimental type works. These are German language productions of opera, operetta and musicals. It’s been around since the early 1890s and has been opened and closed at various times and completely rebuilt in 1965-1966. It is located just off Unter den Linden.

Berlin Vacation Idea #8:In the heart of Berlin is one of Berlin’s unique cultural attractions, The Chamaleon Variete, where humor is the order of the day. Here you can see shows by a variety of tap dancers, trapeze acts, magicians, clowns, musicians, dancers, singers, comedians and acrobats and other talented performers. This is one of the most affordable and offbeat venue in town.

Berlin Vacation Idea #9:Relax and take a stroll on the grounds of the Charlottenburg Palace, former residence of Prussian royalty. The palace dates back to 1694 and was originally built as the summer home for Sophie Charlotte, Elector Frederick III's wife. Now this magnificent palace is home to a 1713 gallery lined with oil paintings, a fine display of Chinese and Japanese porcelain and a collection of works of German Romantics.

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