Berlin

The neoclassical arch that is the symbol of the city and of a reunited Germany — once stranded in the death strip of the Wall, now the backdrop to every celebration. Stand in Pariser Platz beneath it; simple, free, and heavy with history.

Germany's parliament, crowned by Norman Foster's great glass dome — a spiral ramp up inside it for a 360° view over the city and down onto the debating chamber, a deliberate symbol of transparency. Free, but you must register online ahead.

The longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, a 1.3km run of it turned into an open-air gallery — 100-odd murals including the famous socialist 'fraternal kiss'. The most powerful, and most photographed, piece of the Wall left standing.

Five world-class museums on an island in the Spree, a UNESCO site — the bust of Nefertiti in the Neues, the vast Pergamon altar (partly closed for works), classical treasures and Old Masters. Pick one or two; a day here barely scratches it.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe — 2,711 grey concrete slabs in undulating rows that you walk into and lose yourself among, disorienting and silent, with a searing information centre beneath. Free, sombre, and unforgettable.

Berlin's nightlife is a religion, and Kreuzberg is its parish — canal-side bars, tiny live venues, late kebab stands and clubs that don't fill up till 3am. Start with a Berliner Pilsner by the water, follow the crowd, and pace yourself.

The 368m Fernsehturm spiking over the old East, the tallest building in Germany — a lift to the observation deck and revolving restaurant for the best view over the whole flat sprawl of the city. The unmistakable needle on the skyline.

A whole disused airport turned into the city's most surreal park — Berliners cycle, skate and kite-buggy down the old runways, barbecue on the aprons and drink in the huge open space. The most Berlin thing there is: a monument to doing what you like.

Berlin's two great street foods — the döner kebab, arguably perfected here by the city's huge Turkish community, and the currywurst, a sliced sausage doused in curried ketchup. Eat both, standing up, for a few euros. The taste of the city.

A Sunday institution on the old death strip — a big flea market of vintage and junk, buskers, and a legendary outdoor karaoke in the amphitheatre where hundreds cheer strangers on. Grab a beer, find a spot on the grass, and soak up Berlin at play.

The largest palace in Berlin, a baroque-and-rococo confection with gilded state rooms and formal gardens laid out along the river — the Prussian kings' answer to Versailles. A grand, green half-day out in the elegant West.

Berlin is the world capital of techno, and its temple is Berghain — a former power station where the party runs from Saturday night deep into Monday. Notoriously tough on the door; if it's not your scene, the city is full of other clubs that are.

On Bernauer Straße, the one place that preserves the Wall as it really was — a surviving section with the death strip, watchtower and border installations intact, plus a moving open-air documentation of the families it split. The Wall, properly explained.

When the sun's out, the city decamps to the biergarten — long benches under the chestnut trees, a cold Pils or a Berliner Weisse with a shot of syrup, and pretzels and sausages. Prater in Prenzlauer Berg is the oldest; find any and settle in.

The most beautiful square in the city — the grand concert hall flanked by the matching domes of the French and German cathedrals, elegant and symmetrical. Lovely by day, glorious floodlit at night, and home to a fine Christmas market in December.

The most famous Cold War crossing, now tourist theatre — but the Wall Museum beside it, and the line of cobbles tracing where the Wall ran, land hard.

The city's great domed cathedral on Museum Island, floodlit and mirrored in the Spree at night. Climb the dome for a walk around the roof and the view.

The photogenic double-decker brick bridge linking Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain — trains up top, traffic below, and a chunk of East Side Gallery right there.

Frederick the Great's rococo summer palace, terraced over vineyards half an hour out of town — Versailles in miniature, with gardens you can roam for free.

Wiped flat by the war and the Wall, now a canyon of glass towers and neon — the clearest picture of how completely Berlin rebuilt itself. Best lit up at night.