10 Cultural Things to Do in Berlin

Vermeer and Titian, Goya and Rubens... the Picture Gallery’s 72-room Old Master collection is overwhelming. Its centrepiece is the octagonal Rembrandt room, showcasing 16 of the Dutch painter’s canvases. Look for the enigmatic portrait of his lover Hendrickje Stoffels and the biblical Susanna and the Elders.

Tales of ancient civilisations come alive at the Pergamon Museum. Go back to ancient Greece scaling the 160BC Pergamon Altar and pondering its marble frieze depicting a battle between the gods and giants. Nearby, mythical dragons and aurochs guard the dazzlingly blue Ishtar Gate, once the entrance to Babylon.

Hearing the revered Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra perform under Sir Simon Rattle’s baton is one of the top 10 cultural things to do in Berlin for classical music enthusiasts. Arrive early to appreciate Hans Scharoun’s quirkily designed concert hall, a kind of asymmetrical big top.

One of Berlin’s most original galleries, Hamburger Bahnhof occupies the echoing halls of a 19th-century railway station. Today the crowd-puller is the Marx Collection. Don’t miss highlights like Andy Warhol’s silk-screened portrait Chariman Mao and Joseph Beuys’ thought-provoking Tram Stop.

Strauss once conducted at 18th-century opera house Staatsoper Unter den Linden, whose soaring Corinthian columns and opulently gilded interior are magically lit up by night. Book tickets at the same time as your Berlin hotel to see world-class opera, ballet and chamber concerts.

Housed in an elegant 19th-century villa, the little-known yet exceptional Käthe-Kollwitz-Museum zooms in on German expressionist artist Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945). War, hunger and death are dark recurring themes in her emotive lithographs, paintings and woodcuts, like Bread! (1924) and War (1922-23).

Critics who claim west Berlin lacks edge clearly haven’t descended to the pitch-black, poster-plastered bowels of Quasimodo on gig nights. Berlin’s oldest jazz club has welcomed the likes of Curtis Stigers and John Lee Hooker Jr. Squeeze in by 9pm to grab a seat near the stage.

Cubist landscapes appear to leap off the canvas at the Picasso and his Time collection, Museum Berggruen’s star attraction. Take time to contemplate 100 of the Spanish master’s paintings, sculptures and early sketches. Seated Harlequin and Houses on a Hill are must-sees.