Berlin Tour by Public Bus Line 100
An insiders’ tip to explore Berlin easily and on budget is to take the public bus line number 100. A ride on this double decker bus is a "Must Do" for each tourist. The tour starts at Zoo station in the City West and ends at Alexanderplatz in the City East.
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The bus departs several times per hour from Zoologischer Garten station and ends at Alexanderplatz. Bus stops are numerous, so you will get a good overview of Berlin’s central district "Mitte".
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The tour starts at the heart of the former West Berlin at "Zoologischer Garten" train station. Before heading to Tiergarten the bus passes by the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Emperor Wilhelm II Memorial Church). This neo-Romanesque church was built from 1891 to 1895 but heavily destroyed during World War II.
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The "Elefantentor" (Elephant-Portal) is a magnificent eye catcher. The original of 1899 was destroyed during the war but rebuilt in 1984 as a detailed copy.
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After passing the “Bauhaus-Archiv” (Museum of Design) the bus is heading to Tiergarten, the central park of Berlin. The Victory Column in the middle of the park was erected to commemorate Prussian victories of 1864, 1866 and 1871. The physically fit may, for a small fee, climb almost to the top of the column (285 steps) and take-in the spectacular view over the central district of Berlin.
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The “Haus der Kulturen der Welt” (House of World Cultures) in Berlin is an art institution presenting art exhibitions, concerts, films and academic conferences on non-European art and culture. Because of its architecture it is also known as "the pregnant oyster".
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Just a few minutes' walk from the Reichstag is the symbol of Berlin - the Brandenburg Gate. It was built between 1788 and 1791 by Carl G. Langhans.
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After a couple of minutes the bus arrives at the most famous avenue in Berlin – Unter den Linden. The avenue is at the heart of the historic section of Berlin dating from the 17th and 18th century and connecting Pariser Platz and Bebelplatz, crossing Schlossbrücke (palace bridge), Lustgarten and Museum Island.
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The current main building of the Humboldt University (established in 1810) was built between 1748 and 1766 as the third construction of the Forum Fridericianum.
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The Bebelplatz is best known as the site of the book burning ceremony held on May 10, 1933 by the Nazis. About 20,000 books were burned, including works by Thomas Mann, Erich Maria Remarque, Heinrich Heine, Karl Marx and many other authors. Today a glass plate is set in the middle of the square to commemorate this event.
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The New Guard House was erected in the years 1816 to 1818 according to designs by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Since 1993 it is the "Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Tyranny".
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The old Arsenal is one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in Berlin, erected between 1695 and 1706 in baroque style. After a reconstruction in 2006, the “Zeughaus” now hosts the new permanent exhibition of the German Historical Museum.
© Tobias Droz/BerlinOnline
The palace bridge between the Arsenal and the Berlin Cathedral is one of the most impressive bridges in the city with its historic railings and eight marble figures.
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The Altes Museum (Old Museum), is one of several museums on the Museum Island. It was built between 1825 and 1828 by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel in neoclassical style.
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The Berlin Cathedral is a Lutheran cathedral and located on Museum Island in the Mitte district, and was built between 1895 and 1905.
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The Neptun Fountain was built in 1891 and designed by Reinhold Begas
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St. Mary's Church is the oldest church in Berlin along with the Nikolaikirche. It was first mentioned in German chronicles in 1292.
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The sightseeing tour by bus is coming to an end. Directly on Alexanderplatz is the tallest building in Germany - The Berlin Television Tower. With its 368m, the Berlin Television Tower is the fourth tallest isolated building in Europe.
© Tobias Droz/BerlinOnline
It took us barely half an hour from Zoologischer Garten train station to Alexanderplatz. If you want to return to the starting point, just take the same bus in the opposite direction or take the S-Bahn.