Germany’s capital is achingly hip, and by that alone, makes it an anomaly compared to the rest of no-nonsense Germany. Perhaps, this has got to with its Cold War history, the rise and fall of the wall that once separated its core and the consequent transition from tight-lipped communism to a shining beacon of liberty ever since. It is also a metropolis so representative that countless others in the world compete to dub themselves “the new Berlin”, but there’s only one original and it is still the best version of itself. Meet Germany’s worldly capital with a customised Berlin tour package from Chan Brothers Travel Private Tours and find out why most of Europe thinks it’s the place to be.

Berlin is a city that’s big on sights and museums, especially ones that are associated with the former past of East and West Germany, but once you are done with the big tourist magnets such as Berlinerdom and the Berlin Wall, make a beeline to the lesser-known Asisi Panorama which wonderfully recreates life in the 1980s before the wall came tumbling down. The closest you will get to a time machine, the modern 50-foot-tall steel building features all sorts of multimedia documenting that time period, but the highlight is when you step into the amazingly lifelike and true-to-scale panoramic painting and see for yourself everyday life on both sides of the wall. 

Berlin is one of the world’s best cities for all fans of design, from fashion, art and especially architecture from the early to mid-20th century. While many European cities pride its best buildings on opulence and ornamentation, Berlin’s point of view is decidedly more understated but nonetheless intriguing. Sharp and imposing lines of Brutalist architecture influenced the designs of monumental buildings such as the Jewish Museum, the minimalist and functional ideology of the Bauhaus school of thought hold headquarter at the Bauhaus Archive, and Le Corbusier imprinted his midas touch at the Unite d’Habitation – these are examples of why Berlin is a prime city for anyone who wants to walk along and learn more about architecture’s more minimalist side.