Berlin 2 day itinerary - realistic?
 

I will have two free days in Berlin following a business trip to Hannover. I will be staying at the Westin on Unter der Linden.

Looking over the guidebooks, I came up with the following itinerary, but I am not sure how realistic it is. I will be on my own and am OK with walking around all day.

Day 1 - Go at 8 to see the Reichstag, then walk by Baranderburg Gate and Holocaust Memorial. Go to GemaldeGalerie, Topographie de Terrors, and Checkpoint Charlie Museums (~90 min/each), and then walk through Tiergarten towards the "tooth" church, the "story of Berlin" exhibit (if time allows) and Kurfurrstendamm.

Day 2 - Walk around Mitte, visiting Pergamonmuseum, Old National Gallerie, Berlin Cathedral, and going to the top of the Berlin TV Tower. I have a train back to Hannover about 7:30pm from the new main station.

Please advise is this is realistic, captures the "highlights" of Berlin, or if there are any changes that I may want to consider.

Thanks,

It is possible that you have to wait a very long time to enter Reichstag. We could not enter so long in the morning, and return there in the evening, when we waited for one hour.

It will be nice to walk in Potsdamer Place, a place that was nothing there till 1990 and now there are very modern buildings and shops.

If you can, visit Charlottenburg castle, but note that there are only guided tours inside, and yopu need there a full morning (opens at 9:30).

The first day appears a bit long for me. Walking from your hotel to the Reichstag you will pass the Brandenburg Gate and can make a small detour of about 500 yards to take in the Holocaust Memorial.

The walk from Mitte to Gedaechtniskirche on Kurfuerstendamm would be a bit long IMHO - and there isn't much to see in Tiergarten anyway. I'd rather take public transport on that portion. Bus No. 100 might be nice as it stops at virtually every tourist site.

Just a few alterations:

Visit the Reichstag in the evening to enjoy sunset and the lights at Potsdamer Platz. Here is a Fodorite's tip to beat the line (it is always long): Make a reservation for the restaurant and enter the Reichstag throug a separate entrance. The reservation number will be the magic code. The restaurant is not cheap but really good.
Reservierungen:
Tel.: (+49) (0) 30 22 62 99 0
Fax: (+49) (0) 30 22 62 99 43
E-Mail: [email protected]

Do not forget to walk over Gendarmenmarkt, just 200 yards from the Westin. It is also lively at night with many restaurants.

For Checkpoint Charlie Museum will 30 min be enough; it is a small museum, but don't miss it.

Do not walk through Tiergarten, but take the bus or the underground train.

Do not miss the Pergamon Museum - it is outstanding. I don't know if the TV tower is so interesting if you don't have much time. If the weather is nice, a boat trip on the Spree (I think the boats start at Pergamonmuseum) can be fun.

If you want to leave the beaten path, walk several hundred yards northwards from the Westin on the Friedrichstraße and turn right into Oranienburger Straße. Enjoy the scenery and, at the end of Oranienburger, turn left into the Hackesche Höfe (or do it the other way round if you start from the area around the cathedral).

I believe you've received sound advice above. Just one more idea for you to consider would be to visit Queen Nefertiti at the Egyptian museum. When I lived there, the West Berliners were very proud of her. Here's a link: (my first time with tinyurl - hope it's successful!)

http://tinyurl.com/o6pt2