Mitte

Take a break from the real world and step into the Illuseum Berlin. Located in the center of Berlin, the Illuseum is a place where nothing is as it seems and where fun, entertainment, and interactivity for visitors of all ages is the focus. Whether it's slate space or infinite space, baffling holograms, or an impressive tunnel, anyone can immerse themselves for a moment in a world full of illusions, allowing themselves to fall under the spell of their senses. Experience a one-of-a-kind museum where you will defy gravity, lose the ground under your feet, see yourself grow and shrink, and become inspired by optical illusions. As a special treat, check out clever play-areas made of sustainable wooden toys with many impressive 3D puzzles and riddles that are not only fun but also train your logical skills. It's easy to waste a day at this tricky fitness center for the brain.

Visit the stunning Reichstag building, walk around its iconic glass dome, and explore Berlin’s government and parliament quarter on a captivating tour with a German-speaking guide to get a better understanding of Germany’s unique political history. Follow your guide as you take a stroll through Berlin’s parliament quarter along the banks of the River Spree. Walk by the impressive Brandenburger Gate and Pariser Platz and stop and see important governmental structures. Pass through the security check to get into the Reichstag building. Listen to an informative talk in the plenary chamber to learn insightful information about Germany’s parliament and as well as interesting details about the Reichstag building. Find out about the history and architecture of the building and its reconstruction by British architect Sir Norman Foster, which transformed it into one of the most modern and innovative parliament buildings in the world. Head up to the top of the Reichstag to experience the highlight of the tour; a visit to the roof terrace and the glass dome of the building. From here you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of Berlin.

See the impressive buildings of the parliament quarter along the banks of the Spree, while you stroll down the streets to the Reichstag. Marvel at the main studio of the German television station, the workspaces of the politicians, and the memorial to the victims of the Berlin Wall. Later, enjoy a free unguided presentation in the plenary hall, with a seat under the dome. Learn more about the tasks and duties of the parliament as well as the story behind a building that has played such a significant role in German history. The viewing terrace and the glass dome are definitely the highlights of this tour. Enjoy the breathtaking views of Berlin and spot the television tower, Brandenburg Gate, and Berlin Cathedral among other landmarks.

Meet your fellow crew members for a drink in the tavern before the captain rings the ship’s bell to board the Hansa. Assistants will make sure you are properly dressed for the freezing experience to come, as King Wilhelm I and Chancellor Bismarck see you off on your journey to the east coast of Greenland. When you enter the bar, you’ll receive a Seaman's Book, or Seefahrtsbuch, before you can take part in the Polar Expedition. The Seaman's Book documents you as a crew member of the Hansa. It also documents the drinks you have consumed, so be sure to have it stamped when you order your included drinks. In total you will have one drink in the tavern and two in the Icebar. Enjoy the ambient light and ice sculptures of the Icebar and test yourself how long you can last in the cold.

Embark on an adventure and enjoy one of the most exciting art-concepts of recent years that has opened in the center of Berlin. Discover the studio with over 20 interactive installations built for taking amazing pictures and videos. Have a marvelous time while creating your own wonders and will become part of the exhibits.  Explore more than 500 m2 that the studio offers and enjoy plenty of room to re-explore your inner child and dwell in stunning moments.  Nothing is as it might seem at first sight: its creators use optical illusions, infinity effects, and different perspectives to address all your senses. Plants are brought to life in the Wonder-Forest while lighting effects and a combination of scents and soft sounds draw the visitor deeper into the exhibit until they are completely immersed and everyday life is a distant memory.

Discover the wonders of the underwater world and encounter sharks, rays, and octopuses at SEA LIFE Berlin. More than 37 basins, home to over 5,000 creatures, offer you a glimpse into a magical world. Follow the lives of aquatic creatures from the Spree River to the depth of the Atlantic ocean. Walk through a glass tunnel and find yourself face-to-face with incredible sea creatures. Explore underwater habitats and learn how to protect the seas from plastic.

The new Berlin World Balloon is as unique as the city itself and one of the largest helium balloons in the world. The World Balloon has become something of a second icon of Berlin and draws countless visitors each day. Ascend to a height of 150 meters in total silence in a gondola secured by an extremely strong steel cable. Hover over Berlin from this height and enjoy an unobstructed view in every direction. Exactly in the center of Berlin, the World Balloon floats above Checkpoint Charlie, the buildings around the Axel Springer building, the Sony Center and the Brandenburg Gate. Get a unique look at historic Berlin and an incredible view of the new heart of Europe. On warm summer weekends, you can enjoy the beautifully-lit skyline of the capital after dinner with family and friends.

Explore Berlin's top sights on a convenient hop-on hop-off tour. The complete route will take around 2 hours although you'll have the freedom to jump on or off throughout the validity of your ticket. If, for example, you start your tour at Kurfürstendamm, you will pass the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and reach KaDeWe, one of Europe’s largest shopping centers, through Tauentzienstraße. Next you continue on to Lützowplatz and the embassy district at the Tiergarten and over to the Philarmonic and the West Berlin Kulturforum. The next stop is the historically significant Potsdamer Platz. In the 1930s, it was one of the most public squares in Berlin. After the Second World War, this was no man’s land, where the Berlin Wall divided the city. Today, seeing the vibrant life and the newly erected towers reminiscent of New York’s urban canyons, you will hardly believe that for years there was nothing here other than the Berlin Wall, spring-guns and GDR soldiers. Also, the Legoland Discovery Center is on Potsdamer Platz. From there, continue to Berlin’s other important historical sites. In the Niederkirchner Straße you can find the city parliament, the Martin-Gropius-Bau, a museum with changing exhibitions, the Topography of Terror, which exhibits the history of the Nazis and of the Jews’ suffering under the Nazis, as well as the Ministry of Finance, which was once the Nazi Ministry of Aviation. From there you drive on to Checkpoint Charlie, one of the former border crossings between East and West Berlin. A permanent exhibition looks back at the Cold War period. On Friedrichstraße you come across one of the nicest spots in Berlin, the Gendarmenmarkt, with two similar buildings, the German and French Cathedrals. The Konzerthaus Berlin is in the middle of the square. After the Gendarmenmarkt it’s on to Alexanderplatz and the TV Tower. The stop for these sights is the Neptune Fountain. This used to be the Berlin City Palace. Here you will also have the opportunity to go shopping. The next stop is Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, in front of the Radisson Hotel. From here you can transfer on to a boat if you wish to experience Berlin by boat as well as bus. Also, the Aquadom, Sealife Berlin and the Berlin Dungeon are located at this stop, as well as the Berlin Cathedral, which holds the sarcophagi of the Hohenzollern family. From here you can also admire the golden dome of the New Synagogue on Oranienburger Straße. The “Hackeschen Höfe” are only a few minutes away. Next you'll go over the glamorous street Unter den Linden to the Museum Island, Bebelplatz, Humboldt University and to the stops Unter den Linden 36 (Friedrichstrasse) at ZDF Capital City Studios and Unter den Linden 74, where one of Berlin’s most important attractions is located: Madame Tussauds Berlin. From here the ride continues to the Brandenburg Gate. On the way you will see the UK, Russia, France and US embassies, followed by the Holocaust Memorial. The stop there is at Platz des 18. März. The road leads on past the Reichstag and the government district. You will soon reach the new Hauptbahnhof. From here you have the world-famous view of the German Chancellery, the Reichstag and – as a special surprise – Berlin’s “Fujiyama”. Finally you will cross Berlin’s ‘green lung’, the Tiergarten. This park is bigger than New York’s Central Park. The tour then brings you past the Congress Hall to the stop at Bellevue Palace, the official residence of the President of Germany. From here you can also see the Siegessäule with the golden Victoria statue at the top. On the way back to Kurfürstendamm you will see, for example, the old Hauptbahnhof of former West Berlin, the Technical University and much more. The stops: 01 - Kurfürstendamm 231 (in front of Karstadt) 02 - KaDeWe (main entrance) 03 - Lützowplatz (opposite Hotel Berlin) 04 - Philharmonic / Kulturforum 05 - Potsdamer Platz (at Kolhoff-Tower) 06 - Potsdamer Platz / Linkstraße 07 - Topography of Terror 08 - Checkpoint Charlie (at the Checkpoint Charlie Museum) 09 - Gendarmenmarkt, Markgrafen- / Taubenstraße 10 - Alexanderplatz, Red City Hall, Neptunbrunnen (not in service during the Christmas market in December) 11 - Karl-Liebknecht Str. 5, (to the boat) 12 - Museumsinsel 13 - Humboldt University / Bebelplatz 14 - Unter den Linden 36 / Friedrichstraße 15 - Unter den Linden 74, Madame Tussauds Berlin 16 - Brandenburg Gate, Ebertstraße 17 - Reichstag, Scheidemannstr. 18 - Hauptbahnhof, exit Rahel-Hirsch-Straße 19 - Haus der Kulturen der Welt 20 - Bellevue Palace / Siegessäule / Tiergarten 21 - Bikini Haus, Budapester Straße 22 - U-/S-Bahn station Zoologischer Garten

Discover the center of Berlin via its major waterway, the River Spree, on a 2.5-hour boat cruise. See the main sights of the city from the water and feel the heartbeat of the bustling city. Start your roundtrip sightseeing tour on Friedrichstrasse and pass by the Federal Chancellery to reach Bellevue Palace, overlooking the Beamtenschlange (civil servant accommodation) and the Victory Column. Enjoy informative audio commentary as you see Berlin Central Station and the Interior Ministry before continuing on to Charlottenburg Palace. From there you will cruise past the Westhafen Canal, the Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal, the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Hamburger Bahnhof. You will then cruise back to Friedrichstrasse.

Discover some of the key landmarks of Berlin on a sightseeing boat tour. Enjoy a relaxing river cruise on the Spree to take in the sights at the heart of this bustling city.   Depart from Friedrichstraße or Nikolaiviertel. Your 1-hour sightseeing tour will take you past the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), through the new Regierungsviertel (Government Quarter), all the way to the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of World Cultures). After turning at the Lutherbrücke (Luther Bridge), keep a look out for Schloss Bellevue (Bellevue Palace), the "Beamtenschlange" (civil servant housing), and the Siegessäule (Victory Column). Marvel at Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), Museumsinsel (Museum Island), and the Nikolaiviertal, the oldest residential area in Berlin. Arrive back either Friedrichstraße or Nikolaiviertel to finish the tour.