Europe's coolest capital: these highlights will make Berlin a top destination in 2025 and 2026

Berlin, May 2025 According to the latest "Europe’s Best Cities" study, Berlin is once again one of the three most attractive metropolises in Europe. This is because 36 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German capital is a dynamic creative metropolis where past, present and future merge. In 2025 and 2026, Berlin will once again present itself as a vibrant stage for extraordinary experiences: with international cultural highlights, iconic architecture, new moments of pleasure at a height of over 200 metres and premieres in the entertainment and sports sectors.

200 years of Museum Island Berlin: an anniversary for cultural history
The world-famous Museum Island in the heart of Berlin celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2025 - and invites you to a multi-year anniversary programme full of highlights. It will kick off with a major open-air festival around UNESCO World Heritage Day on 1 June. In summer, the Kolonnadenhof is transformed into the atmospheric Kolonnaden Bar with a cultural programme. From July, the Collection of Classical Antiquities presents the exhibition "Foundation Stone Antiquity. Berlin's first museum", followed in November by the show "Myths in stone. Göbeklitepe and the world of the last hunters". The anniversary series will run for five years and focus on a different one of the five museums each year: in 2026, the Alte Nationalgalerie will take centre stage. One of the highlights will be the partial reopening of the Pergamon Museum in spring 2027, when the northern wing will be accessible again. The Neues Museum will follow in 2028, the Bode Museum in 2029 and the entire island will celebrate its grand finale in 2030. To the fact sheet.

Premiere of Berlin Freedom Week in the city of freedom
From 8 to 15 November 2025, Berlin - the city of freedom - invites you to the first Berlin Freedom Week, a new, city-wide week of events dedicated to freedom, democracy and human rights. To mark the 36th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the capital will become an international stage for committed voices, courageous ideas and shared visions. Conferences, cultural events, workshops and interactive formats for all generations are planned - open to Berliners and international guests alike. Berlin Freedom Week creates space for reflection, dialogue and encounters - in a place that stands for the value of freedom like no other.

Art highlights 2026: Modernism and Impressionism
In 2026, Berlin will be culturally dominated by a "French Summer": in cooperation with the Centre Pompidou, the Neue Nationalgalerie (20 March to 9 August 2026) will be showing the first major exhibition of works by the important sculptor Constantin Brancusi in Germany for over 50 years - including a spectacular reconstruction of his Parisian studio. The Alte Nationalgalerie (22 May to 27 September 2026) is dedicating a major special exhibition to the legendary art dealer Paul Cassirer (1871-1926) with over 100 masterpieces of French Impressionism, including works by Monet, Degas, Cézanne and van Gogh.  
From 1 to 3 May 2026, Gallery Weekend Berlin invites international art lovers to the capital - over 50 galleries open their doors and present contemporary positions in a unique atmosphere. Interactive exhibitions and immersive experiences are a new trend in Berlin: Around 20 museums are the perfect place for selfies and modern art experiences.

Top sights and anniversaries in 2025
In September, the East Side Gallery celebrates its 35th anniversary as the longest open-air gallery in the world. The Gendarmenmarkt, one of the capital's most beautiful historic squares, invites you to stroll around again after a two-year break in construction. The internationally renowned exhibition centre C/O Berlin turns 25 and the Berlinische Galerie, the museum for modern art, photography and architecture, turns 50 - with exhibitions on Dada pioneer Raoul Hausmann. All top exhibitions here.

Indulgence and glamour at the highest level
"Sphere by Tim Raue" in the TV tower: from June 2025, Berlin's most famous star chef will open his new restaurant at a height of 207 metres - with a panoramic view in the TV tower's revolving restaurant. More restaurant news here and tips from Berlin's top chefs here.
Berlin dances - at the Hip Hop Ball in the Rotes Rathaus: On 15 November 2025, the Rotes Rathaus will become a ball location with a mix of hip hop and classical music - exclusive, extravagant, international.

Entertainment in a class of its own: Cirque du Soleil and new Grand Show at Friedrichstadt-Palast
From November 2025, Cirque du Soleil will be performing its first permanent show in Europe at the theatre on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, presenting a mixture of artistry and magic with the premiere of "Alizé". Berlin was chosen as the ideal permanent location because of its cosmopolitanism and international appeal.
Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin will present its new Grand Show "Blinded by Delight" from autumn 2025. The show takes the audience into a dream world full of happiness and questions the courage to live dreams. With over 100 artists on the world's largest theatre stage, the show promises a special and glamorous experience. The world premiere will take place on 8 October 2025.  

International sporting highlight: NFL premiere in Berlin
American football in the German capital: on 9 November 2025, a regular NFL game will take place in Berlin's Olympic Stadium for the first time - a milestone for fans and the sports metropolis of Berlin.

Growth in height and depth
Berlin has a new skyscraper: the  Estrel Tower will be completed at the end of 2025 and will rise into the sky as Germany's tallest hotel tower - a spectacular location for hotel accommodation or meetings with 45 floors. All hotel newshere.
A completely different highlight is being created in Berlin-Lichtenberg: the "Ocean Berlin" marine park will open in 2026 as a new adventure space centred around the ocean habitat. With a 7.5 million litre predatory fish tank and innovative educational offers, environmental education will become an experience - and Berlin will be one attraction richer. 

visitBerlin has compiled a list of the most important events in Berlin in 2025 at visitBerlin.de/en/berlin-2025-the-main-events. Berlin's new openingshere.