Hamburg is the cultural and commercial capital of northern Germany. The city features no less than 60 museums, over 40 theaters and about 100 music clubs and venues. From the Beatles to Opera (the Beatles famously performed in Hamburg in 1960 for a total of 106 nights), the city is a major musical destination for city dwellers and visitors alike. Many come here as well for specific activities such as sports events, fairs and congresses.

From 2001 to 2007 Hamburg has more than doubled its number of overnight stays, indicating the success of their recent tourist industry efforts. Many come for the Reeperbahn, Europe’s largest red light district and the center of the city’s nightlife. The area features endless strip clubs, brothels, theaters, bars and clubs. Another very popular attraction is the Landungsbucken, the famous harbor promenade. There is also the Alster Arcades which is a colonnaded Victorian shopping area along the lake shore.

A recommended and very popular thing to do is a boat tour of the harbor and/or canals which will give a different view and perspective of the city. There is also the old warehouse district, the majestic Town Hall, the Art Hall Museum, and Hamburg’s famous zoo. Another poular spot is the relaxing neighborhood Schanze with open air and beaches along the river Elbe.

Try taking a ride on the elevated U-Bahn from Rodingsmarkt to Landungsbucken for spectacular views of the massive port. And to get away from the city feel, try a short jaunt to Blankenese, a lovely picturesque former fishing village with tiny beaches, winding streets and comely houses.

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Things to Do and See in Hamburg, Germany

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 for decision of East Germany Government and shortly after, the U.S. President John F. Kennedy decided that American forces in Berlin had to open in the wall three checkpoints. Thanks to these checkpoints, diplomatic corps and allied forces could pass and enter the Western Part of Berlin and back. Checkpoint Charlie became soon the most famous and got its name from the American alphabet, as the others were named Alpha (A) and Bravo (B). This is the reason why this checkpoint is also sometimes simply known as “Checkpoint C”.

Checkpoint Charlie is a real historic spot: here took place many important historical facts during the Cold War. For example, in 1961 Soviet and American tanks faced each other here and both Kennedy and the Soviet president Nikita Khrushchev visited the checkpoint after its building. Checkpoint Charlie’s location is right in the heart of Berlin, at the connection of Friedrichstraße with Zimmerstraße and Mauerstraße (which for other older historical reasons means ‘Wall Street’), in the neighbourhood Friedrichstadt. It is also now famous because it appears in many spy movies, as true symbol of the Cold War. By 1962 it was the only gate for foreigners visiting Berlin to cross from one part to the other.

Checkpoint Charlie was removed in 1990, a year after the Berlin wall came down and the reunification of the country was already almost complete. As it has been removed, visitors can find a replica in the same exact place where Checkpoint C was located and also a line of bricks traceing the Wall path. You can visit the original structure in the Allied Museum in the city of Zehlendorf. The watchover, another part of Checkpoint C, has been removed in year 2000 and now stores and offices are occupying that space.

You can also visit the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, the museum built after the erection of the Berlin Wall and expanded in the 90s. It is located just a yard from the original position and its meaning is to be a call to freedom.

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Berlin attractions: Checkpoint Charlie

As we were travelling on a Sunday, we were able to take advantage of a special weekend ticket (Schones-Wochenende-Ticket.). For 37EUR, up to 5 people could travel on 2nd class from Rostock to Berlin return on any of the direct trains plus travel in Berlin on the S-Bahn (city trains) was also included. The 250km (150miles) trip too around 2 hours 40 minutes on a fast, comfortable train.

As our time in Berlin was limited, I did what I always advise people to do when they want to see as much of a city as possible in a short space of time – we took a city tour by bus. The Berlin City Tour was one of a number of tour options we had and this one suited us perfectly as they had a stop at the Berlin Haptbahnhof (Main Station). The Berlin City Tour has a single route with 6 hop on/hop off points around the city taking in all the main sights of Berlin. The complete loop takes around 1 hour 45 minutes with short stops at the Brandenburg Gate, Alexandraplatz and the shopping street of Tauentzienstrasse. The tour commentary was provided in German and English by a guide sitting at the front of the bus.

Angel, Tiergaten

Most people know Berlin as the Capital of the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler and more recently as a city divided into East and West by the Cold War. However, the history of Berlin dates back to 1237 and there are a number of sculptures and landmarks in the city to mark its’ 750th anniversary. Berlin is also the place where President Kennedy addressed the crowds in 1963 and made his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” quote in a speech were he was underlining the US support for West Germany. Today, there is a Kennedy Museum located a few metres away from the Brandenburg gate. More recently, Barack Obama addressed a crowd of around 200,000 people in Berlin from the Angel in the Tiergarten.

Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi’s Gestapo Headquarters were set up on Prinz-Albrehct-Strasse just one block away from Checkpoint Charlie. Part of the original Berlin Wall still stands here. The original buildings were partly destroyed during World War II and were finally demolished in 1956. Since 1997, a permanent exhibitions has been in place called the “Topography of Terror”. Across the road (and the former Berlin Wall) is the building where Herman Goering’s Air Defence Ministry conducted their operations, including the Battle of Britain.

Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin

As the section of the Berlin Wall ends, you will see a double line of bricks along the pavement and road. This line marks where the Berlin Wall used to stand and there are plaques at regular intervals that read “Berliner Mauer 1961 – 1989″. If you want a brief taste of the old East, it is possible to hire an old East German Trabant car for a short time and take part in a Trabant Safari around Berlin. One block along from the “Topography of Terror” exhibition is Checkpoint Charlie, the iconic crossing point of the East/West Berlin border. After the end of World War II, control of Berlin was given to the Allied Forces. The British, French and Americans controlled West Berlin while the Soviets control the East. In 1961 as the Cold War intensified, the people of Berlin woke up to find the Soviets were ringing West Berlin with miles and miles of barbed wire. Over time, the wall was strengthen and fortified dividing the city. However, West Berliners were still permitted to cross into the East (and back again) and foreign nationals could also cross the border. Checkpoint Charlie was one of the crossing points and it was here in late 1961 that tanks from America and the Soviet Union were involved in a stand-off that some feared could have resulted in World War III.

In 1989, as the era of Communism was coming to an end, Berlin was the city where one of the main symbols of the oppressive regime finally fell as the Berlin Wall was opened allowing people in the East to freely travel to the West of the city. Since reunification, Berlin has once again been restored as the capital city of Germany and there is plenty of rebuilding and restoration work underway throughout the city.

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A visit to Berlin is part of the itinerary on a number of the Battlefield tours or you may prefer to visit Berlin for a city break. These can both be arranged with Explorer Travel 0208 816 8789.

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Day Trip to Berlin