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When in Berlin, be sure to tour around the city for the rich cultural and political history. One of the New Berlin Tours' offering is the free tour, which takes you through interesting sites around the city. The red T-shirted guides cover areas like The Berlin Wall, The New Holocaust Memorial, Museum Island, and The Reichstag. The 3.5-hour New Berlin Free Tour  is really  free but thrives on tips from visitors. This is a great way to get acquainted with the city and be photographed in front of famous monuments. The tour is available in all seasons and reservation is not necessary.

Located next to Zoo Station in the heart of the western city centre, Zoologischer Garten Berlin is home to Skippy the kangaroo, Pretty Woman the gorilla and Kiri the elephant, to name just a few. Other attractions are the nocturnal animals and a pair of Chinese panda bears, although Yan-Yan's lack of sexual interest in her partner Bao-Bao has been talk of the town for years! Founded in 1844 by Prussian King William IV, the Zoologischer Garten is Germany's oldest zoo. With 13,000 animals and 1,400 different species, the zoo is also one of the world's most populous. The nearby Aquarium was opened in the 1930s.

Only half an hour S-Bahn ride from Berlin, the magnificent baroque city of Potsdam is a magnet for day-trippers and a must for visitors with time on their hands. Located to the south-west of Berlin, Potsdam was founded in 993 and became the seat of the Prussian royal family in the 18th century. It is now the capital of the state of Brandenburg. The grandiose baroque palace and landscape gardens of Sanssouci belong in the same league as other magnificent European royal residences like Versailles and Windsor Castle. To see everything the grounds have to offer will take the greater part of a day. Other architectural highlights the city has to offer include Nikolaikirche church, Cecilienhof and the historic Dutch quarter. Potsdam is also known for its film industry, in particular the Babelsberg Film Studios where classic German films like The Blue Angel were filmed. The Film Museum is definitely worth a visit, even for children who don't know who Marlene Dietrich is! And that's not all. Potsdam has much more to offer visitors,there are dozens of atmospheric cafés, riverside villas and beautiful streets in the historic city centre which are perfectly suited to a leisurely stroll.

The imposing Reichstag reflects Germany's past, present and future like no other building. It was constructed in 1884-1894 as the parliament for Bismarck's German Empire and has seen a century of German history. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 work began to return the building to its original purpose with a glass dome added by British architect Sir Norman Foster. Visitors can now climb up to the dome and there is a panoramic terrace, a photographic exhibition recounting the Reichstag's turbulent history and a rooftop restaurant.