Another of Gustav’s former home cities, Berlin is unlike any other. Few places in the world have undergone such dramatic transformations as Berlin during the twentieth century. It is a city one can return to time and again, always discovering something new.

We stay centrally and move through the city by tram and metro, much of it above ground, allowing Berlin itself to unfold as part of the experience. Germany’s history and the legacy of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Bernauer Straße and Checkpoint Charlie, East and West with their well-known and lesser-known sites, great art and alternative culture – all find their place within this global metropolis.

Berlin’s museums are among Europe’s most significant. On Museum Island, institutions such as the Bode Museum, the Egyptian Museum and the Altes Museum offer collections of remarkable depth. The German Historical Museum, the Berlinische Galerie and the Neue Nationalgalerie provide further perspectives, and we make a thoughtful selection among them.

One day takes us beyond the city to beautiful and historically compelling Potsdam. We also visit one of the Cold War’s most iconic sites – Glienicke Bridge – the crossing between East and West where prisoners and spies were once exchanged across the Iron Curtain.

Berlin truly contains many different worlds. Through its layers of history, art, architecture and constant reinvention, we encounter a city that never stands still. As the Christmas season approaches, Berlin reveals yet another side of itself.