15 Berlin Must-Dos

Berlin is a breath of fresh air for anyone searching for freedom. Here, you can be whoever you want to be: nothing surprises these streets. So, relax, come on in and explore, and be creative, curious, and captivated by the city's spirit. There's something for everyone! Here are some ideas to get you started...

1. Climb up to the top of the Reichstag to take in its high-tech design and peek through the glass dome at those Bundestag MPs bustling away. It's free!

2. Catch a 15-minute service at the Berlin Cathedral – the largest Protestant church in Germany – and marvel at the music from the powerful organ.

3. Trot through the Brandenburg Gate and catch the watchful eye of one of the gallant horses galloping up top.

4. Find the original flag of the Federal Republic of Germany inside the New Church – you'll never call it black, red, and yellow again!

5. Visit the Topography of Terror – former Gestapo HQ – to reflect on the horrors of war, lest we forget.

6. Get a picture with the likes of Diane Kruger and Til Schweiger using the magic red-carpet cameras on the Boulevard of Stars.

7. Explore Tiergarten by bike so you can see all the sights: from the President's Office and the embassies in the Diplomatic Quarter to the Bismark Monument and Victory Column (which you can climb up, by the way). As you go, be sure to admire the leafy green space, bursting with life – Tiergarten means Animal Garden, after all!

8. Soar among the clouds in a hot air balloon or take the elevator up the TV Tower to enjoy a 360° panorama of Greater Berlin.

9. Reenact the socialist fraternal kiss between Brezhnev and Honecker in front of the Berlin Wall.

10. Find the bronze lady perched beside Neptune Fountain. For luck in love, touch her breasts; for fortunes, touch the fish; for travels, touch her toes.

11. Ride Europe's fastest lift to the top of the Daimler building and catch a glimpse of Berlin's answer to Mount Fuji.

12. Court Berlin's most beautiful queen, Nefertiti, at the Neues Museum before heading through the Ishtar Gate into the Pergamon Museum.

13. Get a load of the ghoulish howls echoing in the ruins of the Franciscan monastery. Don't believe in ghosts? Come at midnight to hear their groans.

14. See the baby pandas in the Zoological Garden. You'll need at least half a day – it's impossible to tear yourself away from them!

15. Join our 15:15 in Berlin tour to learn about life in the city, uncover its secrets, and fall in love in a unique, exciting way.