Reichstag visit(s)
 

On this second visit to Berlin, seeing the Reichstag was a priority as it was still under construction our first time. (Priority#2 was the Museum Pass - we had more money this time!)

http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/vis...upp/index.html

We made two reservations, one for a guided tour (in English) of the building, followed by dome access.

The second reservation was for a lecture, given in the plenary chamber, also in English and also followed by a dome visit.

The website was easy to navigate and the invitation to the tour came within 10 days, email. The invitation to the lecture arrived almost two months later, but we had made our requests far ahead so no problem. Also, we had received immediate confirmation emails of our requests so were confident of the process.

No waiting in lines, and certainly no need to frequent the on-site restaurant to gain access.

Both visits were great but we agreed the lecture on the German Parliamentary system was superb, especially as we were there just after the September elections when there was still no decided coalition govt. There were over 50 attendees from probably 20 different countries and the lecturer was very knowledgeable.

I must say I came to Berlin this time with a bit of bitterness as we visited Warsaw first and that sad history is not easily overlooked. But the current openness of the German government and recognition of past evil gives a more favorable impression.

And I thought it was swell of the Bundestag to let us visit twice!

great reporting!

I am not" big" on tours but was glad to have booked one of the Bundestag
( ahead of time) . Really informative and interesting..
I did go to the restaurant afterword for a nice lunch.

Re avoiding lines - where do you enter then? Thank you-

Sorry for delay; we were directed to left entrance at the west portal for admission.

We were met there by a very efficient Reichstag employee with clipboard in hand;
she asked for passport and we were on our way.

You need a passport now to enter the Reichstag? Security measure? When I went just after newly redone Reichstag opened I never had to show any ID - or was it for the tour only?

Curious.

Reichstag increased the security checks after the 2010 bomb threat.

I had to show my passport ...in 2011
don't think one can just walk in anymore - tour or not.

Hello again; this is from Bundestag website:



<i>"If you would like to visit the dome but have not booked in advance, you can register to do so at the service centre run by the Visitors’ Service near the Reichstag Building, next to the Berlin Pavilion on the south side of Scheidemannstraße. If any free places are still available, you will be issued a booking confirmation entitling you to visit the dome; please note that this must be issued a minimum of two hours before the time of your visit. You can also register to visit the dome in the following two days. The service centre does not accept bookings for visits more than two days in advance.
To book your visit to the dome, you will need to provide the following information: your last name, first name and date of birth. The booking confirmation is issued to you personally and is non-transferable. You will be asked for proof of identity both upon registration and at the main entrance for visitors."</i>