BERLIN

A 7-day tour for British tourists

The city of pulsing culture, vanguard architecture, lovely food and perceptible history
is waiting for you in this unforgettable journey

Dates: available from November to January

Accommodation: Aletto Kudamm Hotel & Hostel, Charlottenburg,
Hardenbergstraße 21
Price: 350£ per person. Includes 6 nights at Aletto Hotel, half board, weekly
pass for public transportation, escort for the entire period, English tour guide for
2 days, entrance to museums
Recommended to young people and students

DAY 1
Arrival at the hotel and accommodation in the rooms. Provide yourself of
pack lunch or try the typical fast food "currywurst" in the adjacent district of
Kurfürstendamm. In the afternoon we visit the Gedächtniskirche, the symbol
of West Berlin that celebrates peace and reconciliation. This church was
built at the end of 19th century in neo-Romanesque style in memory of
Kaiser Wilhelm I, German emperor and king of Prussia, but it had been
destroyed almost completely during the air raids of the Second World War.
We also enter the nearby church, called Neue Gedächtniskirche, famous for
the blue glass windows.
Then we move to KaDeWe, the large department store where you can find
lots of luxurious brands but also taste the refined gourmet cuisine. In the
evening we return to Aletto Hostel and have dinner at the buffet.

DAY 2
After breakfast we catch a bus and go to see the Reichstag, the German Parliament and the famous glass
dome. The Parliament dates back to the end of the 19th century and is an example of high renaissance. The
dome is not the original one because after the Second World War it had instability problems, so it was blown
up and rebuilt. Here is booked an audio-guide that will explain you the story of the building and evidence
you some of the city attractions that can be seen thanks to the 360 degree view from the dome.
While we are on our way to visit the Brandenburger Tor, we walk through a glimpse of the Tiergarten, a
marvelous natural park. The Brandenburger Tor is situated in Berlin
centre and is a must for tourists. The gate is a triumph of classical
architecture of the 18th century and at the top stands the Victory
Chariot or Quadriga.
For luch time we go to Potsdamer Platz, the modern square rebuilt in
the 90's after the fall of the wall.
In the afternoon we visit the Museum Topography of terror, that once
was the central office for the planning of the police and the forces of
the SS and then became a documentation site of Nazi crime.
Then we catch another bus and return to our hotel and have dinner.
DAY 3
This day we see the Trӓnenpalast, that means "the palace of tears". It was
built in the 1962 near the Friedrichstraβe railway station as a dispatch hall for
the departure of the GDR citizens to west Berlin and today is an interactive
museum about the history of Germany's separation.
Our next stop is Alexanderplatz, the main square of East Berlin. It takes its
name from the Russian tsar Alexander I and it was an important market place.
Over time it had been added some buildings, as the Fernsehturm (the
television tower), Urania World Clock, the International Friendship Fountain
and the church Marienkirche of the 13th century. We can take a break here
and have lunch.
Our next activity of the day is the first guided tour with the English guide, that
is waiting for us at Bernauer Straβe. The topic of the tour is the fall of the Berlin Wall and some episodes of
attempts by the citizens of the GDR to escape to liberal Germany. You can see a 2 km stretch of the wall and
take pictures of its graffiti.
As usual we return in our hotel, have dinner and relax all the night.

DAY 4
We dedicate this day to visit Kreuzberg, the Turkish district of West-Berlin with its racy life and colorful,
chaotic streets.
In the morning we see the famous Checkpoint Charlie at Friedrichstraβe. It was the American control post at
the border of the western sector and the only passage through the Wall between the two parts of Berlin. In
front of it there is an open-air exhibition with some
interesting photos of the Wall.
Not far from here there is the Judisches Museum (Jewish
museum), one of the most impressive museums of the
city. It was opened in 2001 and realized by American
architect Daniel Libeskind. The building is built on
purpose to feel disorientation and anguish, once inside it,
and it is made of three axes - axis of exile, axis of the
holocaust, axis of continuity.
After lunchtime we attend our second guided tour in
Kreuzberg and if the weather is nice, we will go over the
hill from which the sector takes its name.

DAY 5
This day we have to wake up earlier because we have to catch a train and after a one-hour ride we arrive at
Sachsenhausen. Then a bus will bring us to the concentration camp Sachsenhausen, one of the biggest in
Germany and certainly the most important in Europe. Due to its proximity to Berlin it was used as a model
camp for both its organization and the training of commanders and personnel and from 1936 to 1945 were
detained 200,000 prisoners, half of whom died. Today this camp stands as memorial to the victims.
After returning to Berlin center, we catch the underground tube to reach Hackescher Markt, the shopping
zone of Berlin where we have lunch and have some free time to look at the
shops.
At walking distances there is the Neue Synagoge, the Jewish synagogue
built between 1859 and 1866. This buildings is famous for having avoided
the fire set by the SS during the "night of crystals", thanks to a policeman.
The synagoge is renowned for its enchanting golden domes.
Now it's time to go to Neues Museum, which belongs to the UNESCO
cultural heritage. We can see the Egyptian collection and the collection of
papyrus. The second museum we visit is the Pergamonmuseum, known
because of it contains the Altar of Pergamon and the Gate of Ischtar,
coming from Babylon.
DAY 6
Our first stop of the day is the Bebelplatz. In this squares was the
book burning by the Nazis on May 10, 1933 and, to remember this
unpleasant event, it has been designed by Micha Ullman an
underground empty library in the middle of Bebelplatz.
Then we visit the art museum Gemäldegalerie, a huge, modern
building that host paintings and artworks of artists, most of all
Italian, German and Flemish from the 13th century to the 18th
century. Here we can find the widely known Amor Vincit Omnia
of Caravaggio and the Madonnas of Raphael.
After lunch we visit the Kulturbrauerei, the permanent exhibition
dedicated to the GDR. It is an interactive museum where you can
immerse yourself in life of the old East-Berlin.

DAY 7
In our final day we have to pack the luggages and, after
leaving them in the hotel's reception, we can go to visit the
Castle Charlottenburg. The castle situates in the Westside of
Berlin district Charlottenburg and it is one of the most
gorgeous example of baroque style in the city. The first king
Friedrich had dedicate it for his wife Charlotte Sophie. Today
the interior holds an art museum.