Things to Do in Germany

Located on the northern tip of Spree Island, Berlin’s Museumsinsel (Museum Island) is an ensemble of five world-renowned museums. In 1830, King Friedrich Wilhelm III commissioned the construction of the Royal Museum - now the Altes Museum - to allow the general public to view the royal art treasures of Germany. The idea for the island was devised in 1841, when Friedrich August Stuler wanted to create a cultural center, which later became Museum Island.

Almost 70% of the buildings were destroyed during World War II, where the collections were divided between East and West Berlin. Since 1999, the museum has been the only architectural and cultural ensemble that was honored world heritage status by UNESCO.

If you can only visit one museum, The Pergamon, completed in 1930, is your best bet. This collection of museums house the Collection of Classical antiques occupying the architectural halls and sculpture wing, the Middle Eastern Museum and Museum of Islamic Art. You will also find classical sculpture and monumental architecture from Greece, Rome and Babylon.

The Bode Museum, formerly the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum added in 1904, houses an extensive collection of sculptures from the Museum of Byzantine Art as well as a coin collection.

The Altes Museum is one of the most important works of Neoclassical architecture. Its Pantheon-inspired rotunda is the focal point of the prized Antiquities Collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan art and sculpture.

The New Museum (Neues Museum), completed in 1859, is a showcase for prehistoric and Egyptian treasures. It was reopened in 2009 after being in ruins for ten years. Its most valued piece is the bust of Nefertiti.

The Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie), completed in 1876, features works of Classicism, Romanticism, the Biedermeier era, Impressionism and early Modernism.

Renovation continues across all museums.

The Neue Pinakothek forms part of an extraordinary concentration of art museums just outside Munich’s old town. Its exterior – a gloomy postmodern mish-mash which has aged poorly – is the least impressive of the three museums bearing the “Pinakothek” tag, but once inside all is forgiven.

The collection is largely 19th century art, with a bit of scope creep into the adjoining centuries, and it was first established by King Ludwig I whose philhellenism made Munich a showcase of neo-classicism. There is an impressive showing of English works – Gainsborough, Turner, Constable – as well as masterpieces of German and French Romanticism. Look out for Carl Spitzweg’s The Poor Poet, an affectionate dig at the Romantic cult of the impoverished, garret-dwelling writer. Many visitors will be delighted by the Impressionist collection, which boasts works by almost all of the movement’s leading lights as well as those who came immediately before or after: Monet, Manet, Cezanne and Gauguin, to name a few.

With its snow-white limestone facade and fanciful turrets peeking out from the forested mountain tops of the Hohenschwangau valley, Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) could easily have been lifted from the pages of a fairy tale. In a way, it has—the German castle famously inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle.

Located at the western entrance to the exquisite Hofgarten gardens, the Odeonsplatz is one of central Munich’s largest public squares, notable for its distinct Italian-style architecture. Taking its name from the 19th century Odeon Concert Hall that once stood at the head of the square (the remains of the building now form part of a government office block), the space still retains its creative streak, hosting a number of annual concerts, parades and city celebrations. At the top of the list is the Odeonsplatz Classical Evening, a grand open-air event held each July and drawing crowds of over 16,000 to watch performances by the prestigious Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and other world renowned classical acts.

Even if you don’t catch the square at its most atmospheric, the Odeonsplatz still offers a dramatic starting point to city walking tours, with the resplendent Residenz Palace to the east and the monumental Ludwigstrasse running north to the triumphal arch of Siegestor. Also on the square is the Feldherrnhalle, or Field Marshal's hall, an arched fronted hall designed in 1841 by Friedrich von Gärtner, and the 17th century Theatinerkirche, an Italian-baroque style church, topped with a 71-meter copper dome.

The Lilliputian Nicholas Quarter is an area that was developed around Berlin’s oldest parish church, the Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas’s Church), dating from 1230. The area now tries to maintain its medieval character; its cobblestoned lanes worth a quick stroll if you are in the surrounding borders of Rathausstrasse, Spandauer Strasse, Mühlendamm and the Spree River. Though there are many gift stores, cafes and restaurants in the quarter, you will find locals elsewhere.

The main attractions, in addition to the St. Nicholas church, include the Ephraim Palace, a masterpiece of palace architecture of the 18th century Berlin. Equally beautiful is the Baroque style Knoblauch house built in 1760, which offers insight into world of the upper middle class world through its rooms and valuable furniture.

For those who love historical architecture, you'll find two of Berlin's oldest buildings at Breite Strasse : No. 35 is the Ribbeckhaus, the city's only surviving Renaissance structure, dating from 1624, and No. 36 is the early baroque Marstall, built by Michael Matthais between 1666 and 1669.