Estrel Hotel Berlin

Checkpoint Charlie

When Berlin was divided into East and West from 1945 to 1989, Checkpoint Charlie was one of the most famous border crossings. The sense of the Cold War is evident at Checkpoint Charlie. Although the name sounds nice and glamorous, Checkpoint Charlie actually just means Checkpoint "C". It tells the story of a series of spectacular escape attempts from the east to the west, which sadly cost several lives. Checkpoint Charlie was dismantled on 22 June 1990 on the occasion of German reunification.

At the border crossing is a fascinating museum with an extensive collection of pictures, photos, newspaper clippings, films and other items documenting and telling the story of the Berlin Wall and the many attempts to escape over the Wall. It is both exciting and frightening.

Berlin

Go on a driving holiday in Germany and discover Berlin, which is a universe of its own. Berlin is definitely one of those big cities that must be visited at least once in a lifetime. Go on a city break and get to know Berlin with Risskov. Berlin has everything your heart desires. Suitable for both summer and winter holidays. Easily accessible by car and therefore suitable for a real self-drive holiday with the whole family. See, for example, the famous Brandenburg Gate, Berlin's symbol, which miraculously survived the ravages of war. Or the Wall, which still runs through Berlin, just on the street itself where it is marked. In several places, pieces of the dreaded wall and the eerie part of European history are left behind.

Also visit the STASI prison in Hohenschönhausen, which also bears witness to a grim past. Or the German Reichstag, whose beautiful old historic building has seen a bit of everything. Of course, enjoy a stroll down Unter den Linden, once one of the busiest streets in all of Europe.

Museum Island is one of the largest museum complexes in the world. It houses a number of large buildings, with everything from Babylonian temples to Egyptian mummies and, of course, the bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

Continue to Kurfürstendamm, located at the western end of Berlin. Here you can go shopping. Also try to visit the flea market on Strasse des 17. Juni, which is a unique experience. Finish off your visit with some good food in one of the many delightful restaurants in the centre of Berlin. Food comes in all colours and combinations, simply a fantastic range of gastronomic experiences. At Risskov there are several offers for stays with children and cheap weekend breaks in Berlin.

German Museum of Technology Berlin

The Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, or Technical Museum, is probably best suited for older children and adults. Nevertheless, it's an unusual journey into the world of technology, involving steam engines, steam locomotives, aeroplanes, computers and a host of other forms of technology. A good mix of older and newer technologies, and lots of things to try out too. There's more than 26,000 square metres of exhibition space, so there's plenty to get stuck into if you're interested in finding out how things work.

Brandenburg Gate

Go on a family holiday to Germany and discover all the sights of Berlin. Find Denmark's cheapest rates for weekend breaks in Berlin at Risskov and stop by the Brandenburg Gate, the most impressive and last remaining city gate in Berlin. There were originally 18 city gates on the old customs wall, which stood in the city from the 18th century until the mid-19th century. Carl Gotthard Langhans built the 26-metre-high gate back in 1789-91 following the Greek model. At the top of the Brandenburg Gate stands a 6-metre high statue of a chariot and in the gatehouses you can see two large statues - in one stands the god Mars with the sword and in the other Minerva with the lance. The gate is at the end of the two boulevards, Unter den Linden and Straße des 17. Juni. Find child-friendly hotels in Berlin and go on a real city break with the family.

AquaDom & Sealife Berlin

The large AquaDom & Sealife Berlin is a huge aquarium with 35 tanks filled with sharks, starfish, octopuses and many thousands of different fish species. AquaDom is the largest cylinder tank in the world, containing more than 1 million litres of water as well as coral reefs and hundreds of fish. The cylinder acts like an elevator, transporting visitors up through a multitude of fish that are actually swimming right next to it. Take a cheap mini break or weekend break in Berlin and visit AquaDom &

Sealife Berlin and enjoy the fascinating sight - it is an exciting experience for both adults and children and especially AquaDom will be a fun way to end the visit in Sealife Berlin.

Television Tower

Visit Berlin's architectural landmark, the Television Tower, which is 368 metres high and can be seen from all over the city. The restaurant and dome at the top of the tower offer a stunning 360-degree view of the German capital. Around 1.2 million people visit the TV Tower every year, making it one of Berlin's most important tourist destinations.

The TV tower was built in the 1950s on the city's most famous square, Alexanderplatz. The enthusiasm of the time for space travel and rockets is evident in the architecture and some of the inspiration for the tower came from the Soviet Sputnik satellite. To this day, the TV Tower is still used as a TV tower and around 60 TV and radio channels are broadcast from the tower.

The TV tower can be visited for a fee and if you want to have dinner in the restaurant, it is a good idea to book a table in advance.

Parliaments

The Reichstag is Germany's parliament building, located in the centre of Berlin near the Brandenburg Gate. During the Cold War, the building was located in West Berlin and the Berlin Wall ran directly behind the Reichstag, which at the time stood deserted and abandoned. Bombings during World War II left the building in ruins, but in 1990 it was completely rebuilt with a magnificent glass dome on the roof. Don't deprive yourself of a trip up to the dome, where you can look down into the parliament chamber and enjoy an absolutely stunning view over Berlin.

Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was about 43 km long and 3.6 metres high and divided West and East Germany from 1961 until 1989, when Berlin was reunited. Today, little remains of the Berlin Wall, but there are markers around where it once stood. Experience Berlin with Risskov on a cheap weekend break in the big city. Ideal for a small family holiday filled with exciting experiences. There is only about 1.5 km left of the Wall, also called the 'East Side Gallery', which is located at Muehlenstrasse. But the best place to experience the Wall is at the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse 111 - take the U-bahn to ´Nordbahnhof Station´. Go on holiday with children and find a cheap hotel stay at Risskov and discover the city at a family pace.

Labyrinth Children's Museum Berlin

Take a city break in Europe and visit Berlin on a self-drive holiday in the south. Stop by the Labyrinth Kindermuseum in Berlin and find child-friendly hotels in the area at Risskov. The child-friendly museum opened in 1997 in a former factory in the Wedding area. It took about 10 years for the museum to establish itself as one of the most important children's museums in Germany. Labyrinth works with a host of public and private institutions to promote children's experiences of how children in other cultures live and work. Remember to bring extra socks, as shoes are not allowed. Find cheap hotel accommodation for a family holiday at Risskov and get away to the many adventures that await in Berlin.

Christmas market in Berlin

Go on a city break in Berlin and enjoy a stay in the cultural city with sightseeing, shopping and lots of lovely Christmas atmosphere. As Christmas approaches in Berlin, countless Christmas markets spring up all over the city, transforming the beautiful capital into a true Christmas paradise for people of all ages.

The Christmas market in front of the Red Town Hall is hard to miss, with its huge 50-metre high Ferris wheel, beautifully decorated with colourful lights. Here visitors can delve into Berlin's history and experience an old-fashioned urban environment as it looked in Berlin around 100 years ago. Particular emphasis is placed on the old virtues and traditional crafts and art forms. As well as countless stalls and food tents, you'll find a long list of entertainment on offer in the form of rides and the impressive 600m² floodlit ice rink. You might also be lucky enough to spot Santa Claus, who passes by three times a day on his sleigh for photos and hugs.

Not far from the Red Town Hall on Alexanderplatz you will find another Christmas market. Here you'll find Europe's largest 'walk-in' Christmas pyramid, decorated with more than 5,000 lights and offering a lovely view from the top. The market is one of the most visited in town, offering plenty of exciting entertainment and cosy stalls where you can enjoy everything from gingerbread to bratwurst.

Another of the city's most popular Christmas markets is the centrally located Gendarmenmarkt, which lies between the Deutscher Dom and the French cathedral. Here, visitors can see a wide range of exciting crafts every year and watch some of the talented artisans at work. Of course, you'll also find plenty of delicious Christmas food and general stalls selling all sorts of Christmas goodies.

More than 250 stalls are set up in front of the beautiful Schloss Charlottenburg, which, combined with lots of Christmas decorations, food and Glühwein tents and nostalgic rides for the kids, form the backdrop to the cosy Charlottenburg Weinachtsmarkt. The castle itself will be decorated and lit up with lots of Christmas lights in festive colours and the whole area around is transformed into a Christmas land with a big Ferris wheel, merry-go-rounds and slides where the kids can have fun while the adults ooze around between the stalls.

Berlin's biggest Christmas market is just outside the city centre, in the beautiful Alstadt Spandau district. Around the beautiful St. Nikolai Kirche, craftsmen of all kinds have set up stalls and the market has a very special atmosphere with its big Christmas tree and the many smells, sounds and music that fill the air here.

These Christmas markets are just a small part of all the exciting and cosy Christmas markets that can be found around Berlin. A small selection - but others worth visiting are the beautiful "Winter World" Christmas market at Potsdamer Platz and the Christmas markets at the Palace Square in Köpenick and at the Opernpalais in Berlin Mitte.

Get into the Christmas spirit with Risskov and book one of our many hotels in Berlin and the surrounding area, and stay close to all the great Christmas experiences in the historic capital.