Whether you like history or architecture or just want to have an amazing view of Berlin, you will enjoy a tour of the dome of the Reichstag. You can visit the Reichstag for free and if you book it online, you don’t even have to wait in the very long line before the building.

The Reichstag building was designed as a home to the parliament of the German empire. It was opened in 1894. The original building’s design was made by Paul Wallot. The building was used by the parliament of the German Empire until 1918. The parliament of the Weimar Republic, also called the Reichstag sat there until 1933, when it was burned down. During Nazi Germany, there was no parliament, so the building remained empty and derelict until after the reunification of Germany. Then it became the seat of the German parliament again in 1999, after a reconstruction led by British architect Lord Norman Foster.

Today’s parliament of Germany is called the Bundestag. So, in today’s usage, the German term Reichstag refers to the building, while the term Bundestag refers to the institution.

The Reichstag Dome

The Reichstag is the large glass dome at the very top of the building. The dome has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from inside the dome, and natural light from above emits down to the parliament floor. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which would not only cause large solar gain, but impress those below. The dome is no longer open to anyone without prior Registration but luckily it’s still possible to visit it for free.

How to Visit the Reichstag in Berlin

Before going to Berlin, we signed up via internet to be able to visit the Reichskuppel. This way, we didn’t have to wait in the long line at the entrance and even made it inside at quarter to five, without waiting (15 minutes prior to our assigned entry time). We showed them our confirmation at the entrance, got through the security checks and were ushered to the elevator up to the dome.

I was very enthusiastic about the free audio guides. First of all, they were free. Secondly, they had them in sooo many different languages and thirdly, you didn’t have to do anything other than listen. It told you when to walk and where to walk and look and always said the right thing at the right point. Much better than the one we had at the Guinness factory in Dublin, where we had to push buttons to move forward and after a while we would hear the wrong text.

 

We walked in circles around the dome to get to the top. The view was really nice and I got to know a lot about Berlin. The Kuppel itself is really cool too. In the middle, there is a big mirror construct. Below the Kuppel, if you look really closely, you can see into the room where political meetings are held. When we reached the top, we could walk down on the opposite side, without ever colliding with the people who were walking up on the other path. Really an awesome construction!

So, if you are going to Berlin, plan your visit ahead and book your free self-guided tour of the Reichstag at home already.

 

Close to the Reichstag you find the monument for the Jews. The big place with gray rocks in different sizes is quite impressive. But with the background knowledge why this place is there, I didn’t feel too comfortable walking between the blocks. Otherwise it would probably be a fun place for hide and seek…

Judendenkmal

 

For the first nights, we stayed at the “Happy go Lucky” hostel. It’s located right at the subway station Charlottenburg/Wilmersdorferstrasse, from where we could quickly get to everywhere. The outside of the hostel was painted in bright orange and had a few smileys on the wall. The right place for me?. They have a big lobby area with tables, where we could eat from a breakfast buffet in the mornings for 6 Euro. The room was quiet and I only once was in the shared story bathroom with another girl at the same time.

To book a hotel or hostel check booking.com