As a first timer how long should one spend in Berlin?

Hi Shrirang. I am from Berlin. 

I would suggest a minimum is 3 nights, but you should better stay 5 nights, so that you have 4 full days to discover the city (with day 4 to spend in Potsdam to see the castles). Berlin is very divers.

Berlin is a great city, even if you are not a history buff, but to really get a feel for the city, I would plan to spend at least 5 days to 8ish, as s minimum. I haven't been in a couple of years, but it used to be more expensive than Munich & Rome, although some things are cheaper, especially if you don't erat in the most expensive touristy places.  Most people in Berlin speak English as well as other languages, although if you speak German there is a great (inexpensive) art & theatre  scene in Berlin.   You should have no trouble getting around, since there is fantastic public transport all over town. Check out some of the musuems you may not know, such as the Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz | House of the Wannsee Conference, and make sure you get a chance to hang out in some of the famous parks, especially the Tiergarten.  It could also be fun if you could time at least part of your visit with one of the famous Berlin festivals, such as the Love Parade, although things are even more crowded & espensive then!  Be sure to also go to visit the famous kdw Berlin (pronounced Kah-day-vay), which is among the greatest stores in the world. Be sure to go to the top where you can find phenomenal foods from all around the world-- it's pricy, but I also go there to pick up some great things to either eat right away or to cook at home later!

There is so much to see and do in Berlin, you should spend at least three days there. On www.visitberlin.de you will see links to some really cool history specific tours, and I'm sure they will be ranked on other sites as well. I would definitely recommend relaxing and enjoying the Berlin lifestyle. Rent a bike for a few days and get a map, visiting places like the Topography of Terror and the Wall sites, then stopping off for a beer or a coffee. It is quite normal to drink beer or picnic in the park, and a nice way to see berlin life. Görlitzer Park is actually a bomb crater, so an interesting place to visit. On Sunday visit the Mauerpark for the massive flea market, followed by the surreal outdoor Karaoke at  Sonntagskaraoke im Mauerpark http://www.bearpitkaraoke.com.

Mitte is a really popular area, but very touristy. Spend half a day there, see Checkpoint Charlie, then get out to see real Berlin.

I definitely recommend you to make the Free Tour! They cover the most famous attractions of the city center and explain all the history behind.

The tour starts at the Pariser Platz, in front of the Starbucks.

https://www.neweuropetours.eu/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQL0qBTbEto

Would definitely suggest to take more time for Berlin as for Munich. How much time you want to spend exactly depends of course. Being interested in History Berlin is exactly the right place. Recommend to go to a tour of the Berliner Unterwelten where you can visit old bunkers and learn about attempts to flee to West Berlin by tunnels during the cold war.

There is also a gigantic closed down airport to visit Tempelhofer Freiheit. Really nice to visit these empty old terminals. If you are into photography, there are nice photo tours from go2know.de to ruins of old empty hospitals and even a deserted entertainment park Spreepark Berlin / Kulturpark Plänterwald.

Hope you enjoy your stay. Berlin is fantastic!

I spent 4 days in Berlin and it was amazing and packed with activity and left me wanting more. If I were to go again, I'd spend a week. It also depends on your interests as well. If you're interested in history and/or museums, the city is so rich with those that you definitely need some extra time. If you can escape the city to see some of the things outside it like the Charlottenburg Palace, that would truly make a wonderful trip.

I saw the the Brandenburg Gate, the Tiergarten with its wonderful zoo (really, you could spend an entire day here enjoying the beautiful gardens and zoo), the Holocaust Memorial in one day while also enjoying parts of the Berlin Wall near Potsdamer Platz and visiting the shopping areas along the  Kurfürstendamm am Adenauerplatz areas.  KaDeWe is a fabulous shop there - pricy, but iconic. You'll also see the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which is gorgeous.

You can spend another full day exploring the area around Checkpoint Charlie with the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and huge parts of the original wall and a lovely outdoor display of the sad history there. The Jewish Museum Berlin is serious, but beautifully done and is in that area as well.

I love the shopping areas and beautiful streets around the Hackescher Markt. It's an easy walk at the end of Oranienburger Strasse where there's an amazing old post office building that was once had stables inside for the postal horses. There's also a beautiful Neue Synagoge there with tours available and a nice view from the top.  We ate at the Oranium restaurant on the corner and loved our meal.  Great ambience there.  The entire area is just a nice place to wander, shop, eat, and explore so many historical details.

The area around Alexanderplatz is a great area to explore as well.  Enjoy the fountains and buildings, see St. Mary's Church and the DEMOS Gesellschaft für E-Partizipation tower. Walk past the  Berlin Rathaus, then, while facing it, continue behind it and to the right where you'll find a darling little district of tiny streets, great restaurants, and fun boutique shopping.

The artsy areas around Berlin Schonhauser Allee and Kastanienallee are fun - many more little cafes, traditional German ambiance, and some great artists and designers. I like Bracas Coffee for a good cup of coffee on Kastanienallee. You'll find an old Biergarten Prater Garten there as well and many other little historical landmarks (look in the space under the U-Bahn where Shoenhauser meets Danziger... my grandmother played ball there growing up.)

Anyway, I saw all this and a bit more in 4 days while toting around 4 kids, so you can do a lot in 4. Still, if you have the luxury of time, add a couple more days. In my time, I walked by Museum Island, but didn't have time to enter a single one and only saw the Berliner Dom from the outside.

Look for the bear statues!  There was one on Unter den Linden - a gallery of them there too with miniatures to view and purchase.  Cute souvenirs... kids love the hunt.