Explore

Go on a Tour of Berlin - the Mitte and surrounding districts are sufficiently compact to allow a number of excellent walking tours through its history-filled streets. You'll see amazing things you would otherwise miss. Details are usually available from the reception desks of hostels and hotels.

Ticket B City - Tours by architects in Berlin. Showing the city of Berlin on hand-picked architectural routes. Led by selected architects in German, English, French, Italian or Spanish. Anything is possible - tours from the water, on land or in a helicopter. They arrange your special tour on contemporary architecture in Berlin with many exclusive visits to the interiors of buildings and unforgettable experiences. 

Alternative Berlin. English tour starting at 11.00AM and 1.00PM each day at Alexander Platz TV tower in front of Starbucks coffee. This tour uses Berlin's transit system to cover a massive amount of territory and focuses on the underground sites and sounds of Berlin, including art & graffiti culture, technological wonders, and landmarks of rock & electronic music. The tour takes three and half hours. Free (but tipping is more or less standard - the tour guides don't receive any other salary). 

The Berlin Experts. Offers daily in-depth walking tours of Berlin's architecture, history, and culture. All tours include some history as well as other tidbits of trivia not commonly known. Especially popular is the Deconstruction/Construction Tour which provides an offbeat perspective of contemporary Berlin. They also offer special tours for cruise ship passengers. 

Stern und Kreisschiffahrt. By far the biggest boat company in Berlin. They offer tours on most lakes. 

Admission Free Berlin. Website giving a daily overview about free sights, parties and cultural events in Berlin.

Recreation

Pick up a copy of Exberliner, the monthly English-language paper for Berlin to find out what's on, when and where. It provides high quality journalism and up-to-date listings. If you understand German, the activity planners for the city, zitty and tip are available at every kiosk. Be prepared to choose among a huge amount of options.

Parks

Berlin has many great parks which are very popular in the summer. Green Berlin operates some of them.

Tiergarten is Berlin's largest park. In the summer and on weekends you will see loads of families with their barbecues.

Viktoriapark (Kreuzberg) offers superb panoramic views across south Berlin. National monument by Schinkel on top of it.

Schlossgarten Charlottenburg is inside the area of the Charlottenburg Palace, but the green area of the park is free, so you can go there to have a walk even if you are not interested in the palace. It covers a large area and you can get in from the entrance just near the "New Pavillon" (Neuer Pavillon a.k.a. Schinkelpavillon) placed on the right of Luisenplatz. The nearest station is Sophie-Charlotte Platz on the U2.

World's Garden (Gärten der Welt) in Marzahn. Inside you can find a large, well-established Chinese garden, a Korean garden, a small Bali's Garden/Glasshouse, an Oriental Garden with nice fountains and a cloister and a Japanese garden which is a project by the city partnership of Berlin and Tokyo. Open daily from 9AM-4PM, in April and October until 6PM, from May-September until 8PM. Best time for a visit is in spring or summer. Entrance is 3 ?. To get there, take the S7 until "Marzahn" station and continue with bus 195 until Eisenacher Straße.

Lakes, Beaches

Wannsee is called Berlin's "bath tub". The Strandbad Wannsee is the most famous bathing area for locals. Take the S-Bahn lines S1 or S7 to the station Nikolassee and follow the crowd!

Müggelsee in the south east of Berlin is a popular swimming spot.

Festivals

Berlin Film Festival. The city's largest cultural event and an important fixture in the global film industry's calendar (up there with Cannes). 250,000 tickets sold, 400 different films screened and a host of associated parties and events every year. In contrast to e.g. Cannes, all screenings at the Berlinale are open to the public. Tickets are inexpensive and relatively easy to get for the "International Forum of Young Film" screenings and the "Berlinale Panorama" (movies which are not in the competition). 

Lange Nacht der Museen, ? +49 30 90 26 99 444. A large cultural event in January and August with museums open until 2AM and extra events around the city. 

Fête de la Musique. All kinds of music around the city on this day coordinating with a similar day in several French cities. 

Oberbaumbrücke Festival, (just under the Oberbaumbrücke). In August (check the exact dates). artists are selling their works, amateur tango dancers are giving public performances and you can contribute to a collaborative painting on a very long canvas spread on the street along the festival. 

Parades

Christopher Street Day - as the Germans name their gay prides - is a well-known annual political demonstration for the rights of the gay culture organized in all major German cities. Even if you are indifferent about the issue, the Christopher Street Day is usually a worthwhile sight as many participants show up in wild costumes.

Fuckparade in August. The Fuckparade (Hateparade in the early days) started as an antiparade or demonstration against the commercialized Love Parade, and was first on the same date as the Love Parade but later the date was shifted. The Fuckparade is a political demonstration, with political speeches at the beginning and the end and the parade with music between. The general motto of the Fuckparade is "against the destruction of the club scene". The music is quite different than at the Love Parade: mostly independent/alternative/extreme electronic music.

Hanf Parade in August. The Hanfparade is the biggest European political demonstration for the legalization of hemp for use in agriculture and as a stimulant.

Karneval in late February or early March. As a lot of people in Berlin originally came from the southern or western area of Germany where Fasching, Fastnacht or Karneval is celebrated, a carnival parade was also established in Berlin. It grew bigger and bigger (about 500.000 to 1 million people watching), but the costumes and cars are rather boring and the people are not as dressed up as in the "original" big carnival parades (Cologne, Mainz, Düsseldorf). Since 2007 the traditional route across Kurfürstendamm was chosen.

Karneval der Kulturen in May or June (on Whit Sunday). The idea of the "Carnival of Cultures" is a parade of the various ethnic groups of the city showing traditional music, costumes and dances. Other more modern, alternative and political groups also participate. Similar events are also held in Hamburg and Frankfurt.

Theatre, Opera, Concerts, Cinema
Berlin has a lot of theater houses, cinemas, concerts and other cultural events going on all the time. The most important ones are listed here.

Theater

Deutsches Theater. Classical theater with impressive line up of actors and directors.
Volksbühne am Rosa Luxemburg Platz. Sometimes controversial, modern theater.
Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz. Modern theater.
Theater am Kurfürstendamm. Popular theater with tv celebrities in modern plays.
Theater des Westens. A historic theater in the former West Berlin, only musicals today.
Friedrichstadtpalast. Cabaret shows and revues with actresses from the former East German ballet.
Berliner Ensemble. Contemporary theater.
English Theater Berlin Theater that features all plays/music theater in English

Opera

Komische Oper. Modern operas.
Deutsche Oper. Classic opera house of West Berlin.
Staatsoper Unter den Linden. The impressive building and royal history make the building alone worth a visit.
Neuköllner Oper. Voted several times best off-opera house and known for its modern and contemporary pieces. Mostly in German as usually relating to developments in Germany. Very creative and innovative.

Cinema

There are about a hundred cinemas in Berlin, although most of them are only showing movies dubbed in German, without subtitles. Listed below are some of the more important cinemas also showing movies in the original language (look for the OmU - "original with subtitles" - notation). Most movies which are dubbed in German are released a bit later in Germany. Tickets are normally ?5 to ?7. Monday to Wednesday are special cinema days with reduced admission.
CineStar. The "CineStar Original" cinema located inside the Sony Center at the Potsdamer-Platz shows only movies in original version (e.g. in English, without subtitles).
Babylon Kreuzberg. Also non-mainstream movies in this small cinema built in the 1950s.
Central. Repertory cinema located in an ex-squat near Hackesche Höfe.
Kino Moviemento""". The oldest cinema deutschland (1907). Located between Kreuzberg and Neukölln.
Eiszeit.
Filmtheater Hackesche Höfe. Located on the 4th floor of the Hackesche Höfe. Very broad range of movies.
Neue Kant Kinos. One of the few old cinemas (founded 1912) left in Berlin's western city. Mostly non-mainstream European movies.

Concert Houses

Philharmonie. Berlin Philharmonic orchestra is one of the best in the world. Famous building and outstanding musicians make a reservation essential. Cheaper tickets are usually available 2-4 hours before the concert if not sold out.
Konzerthaus at Gendarmenmarkt.