Berlin in 3 days: the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island and the Wall

Start with the city's emblem. The Brandenburg Gate was built between 1788 and 1791 to a design by the Prussian court architect Carl Gotthard Langhans; it is Berlin's first neoclassical building and takes its cue from the monumental gateway to the Acropolis in Athens. The four-horse Quadriga on top of the two rows of Doric columns is the work of Johann Gottfried Schadow; Napoleon took it to Paris in 1806 and it came back in 1814. Pariser Platz is quieter early in the morning; look at the gate once from the east side and once from the west to see both faces.

The Reichstag, where the German Bundestag sits, is a few minutes' walk north of the gate. Its glass dome, now the building's trademark, was not in Norman Foster's first plans; it sits directly above the plenary chamber, the mirrored cone in the middle reflects daylight down into the hall, and two steel ramps in a double spiral lead to the top. Inside, wall inscriptions left by Soviet soldiers after the siege of 1945 have been preserved. Guided tours, watching a plenary session and going up to the dome and roof are possible only with advance registration; without it you will see the building from the outside only.

Walk south along Ebertstraße to reach the Holocaust Memorial. Opened on 10 May 2005, it consists of the Field of Stelae designed by Peter Eisenman and the Information Centre beneath it. As you walk between the 2,710 concrete stelae spread over 19,073 square metres, the ground and the height of the blocks shift; the sense of isolation and disorientation is part of what the memorial is saying. The underground Information Centre tells the story of the systematic murder of Europe's Jews through the lives of individuals and families. This is a place of remembrance: keep your voice down, do not climb on the stelae and follow the memorial's visitor rules.

After lunch, head south along Friedrichstraße to the corner of Zimmerstraße. This was the most famous crossing point of divided Berlin and recalls the Cold War's mark on the city. Today a small spot at the junction keeps the memory of the checkpoint alive; the surroundings are busy and commercial, so a short stop here, followed by a late-afternoon walk along Unter den Linden and Friedrichstraße, suits the pace of the day.

Day two is for Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Visitors enter through the James-Simon-Galerie on Bodestraße. The Neues Museum brings its Egyptian, prehistoric and classical collections together under one roof; the main goal of the plan is the bust of Nefertiti, around 3,000 years old, displayed in the North Dome Hall. Take the rooms slowly: the hall where the bust stands is worth seeing alongside a restoration that keeps the building's wartime scars visible.

After lunch, explore the rest of the island. Museum Island brings five historic museums together; with a day ticket you can visit a second one. The Pergamonmuseum, home to the altar brought from Bergama, is closed for a long refurbishment and is due to reopen on 4 June 2027. In good weather, stop in the Lustgarten in front of the Altes Museum, the easiest place to take in the island's architecture.

Cross the Spree and walk to Alexanderplatz. The TV Tower's viewing floor gives a 360-degree view of Berlin from the highest point in the city; the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag and Museum Island lie below you like a map. Choose a slot close to sunset and you will also see the city lights come on. Hackescher Markt, a good place for the evening, is a few minutes' walk from the tower.

The last day follows the traces of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße brings together a 70-metre stretch of original wall, a watchtower, an interactive open-air exhibition and a Documentation Centre. In August 1961, images of people escaping from this street went around the world. Following the open-air exhibition along the street shows you on the spot how the Wall cut through homes, families and everyday life.

Walk east from the memorial into Prenzlauer Berg. With its tree-lined streets, cafés and restored apartment blocks, the district is a good place for lunch and a short break. MaMi's, November Brasserie and Lucky Leek from this plan's food list are all here; pick one and start the afternoon rested.

Take public transport to Friedrichshain and head down to the banks of the Spree. The East Side Gallery is a preserved section of the Berlin Wall and, at 1,316 metres, is described as the longest open-air gallery in the world. Among the murals along it, the Trabant and the "fraternal kiss" are the most widely recognised. Walk the gallery from end to end, using the riverside path as well, and do not touch the paintings.

From the end of the gallery, walk across the Spree on the red-brick Oberbaumbrücke into Kreuzberg. The river that once separated the two halves of the divided city now joins two lively districts. Kreuzberg's canal banks and busy streets make a good setting for the evening; MASTAN, from this plan's food list, is in the district and makes a fitting last stop for the three-day route.