Why go to Berlin? The 10 good reasons to go Berlin

In Berlin, many museums are closed on Mondays, with the exception of a few like the Pergamon and the Neues Museum, which are open all week, often between 10am and 6pm. On Thursdays, the national museums hold their nocturne, staying open until 8pm. Some museums can be very busy on long weekends.

Closing of the Pergamon Museum. Berlin's most famous museum, considered one of the most important archaeological museums in the world, is closed for major renovations until 2037.

It is possible (and advisable) to book a time slot for certain museums or attractions. On the website of the National Museums (www.smb.museum) or at the tourist office, you can buy your ticket and at the same time reserve a time slot for the Museum of Pergamon ( zeitfenster in German, time slot in English). This service is free of charge and will allow you to avoid long waiting hours in the queue. The same applies to the Television Tower (Fernsehturm), which is also very popular. However, the Fast View Ticket is more expensive than the ticket you can get on the spot after waiting in line.

For the Berlin and Potsdam castles, you can find combined tickets on the official website: www.spsg.de. They also allow you to book an entrance time for Charlottenburg Palace and Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam.

A visit to the Reichstag dome is free of charge and must be booked in advance. Make your reservation well in advance of your trip on the Bundestag website (www.bundestag.de/fr/visite), ideally at least two weeks in advance. Otherwise, once you are there, try your luck at the information booth in front of the parliament.

There are several tourist offers that allow you to save money at the entrance of museums and attractions in the city. The Welcome Card combines a ticket for public transport with a whole range of discounts. It is interesting if you want to visit the TV Tower or take a tour bus, but it is considerably more expensive than public transport tickets. Its price varies according to the duration of validity and the zones (www.berlin-welcomecard.de/fr). For two days in zones A and B, it costs 25 €. For six days ABC (with Potsdam) 56 €, against 36 € for 7 days of public transport without the discounts. Do the math by comparing the list of discounts with your To-do-List.

For a visit to the city's major museums, there is - in our opinion - nothing better than the Museumspass. For three consecutive days, this pass costs €29 (€14.50 for the reduced rate) and opens the doors of 30 museums, including the Museum Island, the Jewish Museum, the Museum of German History, etc. The ticket will pay for itself very quickly. For optimal organization, check the opening days, but beware of Mondays!

Many places dedicated to the preservation of memory are freely accessible in Berlin: for example, the exhibition Topography of Terrors or the memorials for the victims of Nazism.

Depending on the season you come to Berlin, you are likely to do very different activities. Winter is cold and gray in Berlin. The temperatures don't lend themselves well to long walks in the city and you'll soon be heading for the museum. In the summer, the long sunny days are an invitation to stroll and relax on the terrace or to run around to make sure you don't miss out on any of the exceptional cultural and festive offerings.

Occasionally, the city center of Berlin is partially closed off, for example because of the marathon or a state visit.

Every day, young Berliners offer Free Tours (no fixed price, just a tip of sorts) in English, German and Spanish, useful for discovering the city for the first time (www.neweuropetours.eu/sandemans-tours/berlin/). For a guided tour in English, go to Pariser Platz at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 2pm or 4pm. They start the tour not far from Brandenburger Tor station, and you'll recognize them by their red umbrellas. For an original tour of the city, we recommend the Berliner Unterwelten (www.berliner-unterwelten.de/fr), an association that opens the doors of Berlin's underground passages. They offer three themed tours in French!

Don't jump at the first tourist ticket that comes along. The Berlin tourist office Visitberlin is very "pushy". Take the time to see if the discounts offered are worthwhile for your stay. The Welcome Card does not include discounts for the famous Museum Island or the Gemäldegalerie.