Berlin Kreuzberg

While sights don't quite compare to the grand historical scope of Mitte, there is still a fair amount to see in this more real section of town. The greenery in itself is an amazing sight.

Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, Trebbiner Str. 9 (www.sdtb.de), Don't tell the National Air and Space Museum about this place. With 30 full-sized airplanes, 20 boats—including a full-sized Viking relic—and a train from every decade since 1880, this museum could be a city in itself. Most impressive are the large mechanical demonstrations conducted throughout the day. The museum also has a garden with two windmills and a brewery. U1 or U2: Gleisdreieck. Many exhibits in English. €4.50, students €2.50. Open Tu-F 9am-5:30pm, Sa-Su 10am-6pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Oberbaumbrücke, Twin brick towers rise from this double-decker bridge that spans the Spree River. Once a border crossing into East Berlin, it now connects Kreuzberg to Friedrichshain. Residents of the rival neighbohoods duke it out on the bridge every July 27, when thousands of people chuck rotten vegetables at each other. U1 or U15: Schlesisches Tor. Wheelchair access.
Molecule Man, Between the bridges Elsenbrücke and Oberbaumbrücke It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a statue that looks like three men hugging! “Molecule” refers to the porous grating the statue is constructed from, and “Man” refers to the junk between his legs. Designed by American artist Jonathan Borofsky in 1999, the 30m tall statue sitting in the middle of the river symbolizes unity. S8, S9, S41, S42, or S85: Treptower Park. Wheelchair access.
Arena Pool, Eichenstr. 4 (www.arena-berlin.de), In the summer it's a pool floating in the river. In the winter it's a sauna. Year-round, it's awesome. Arena Pool has a bar, club, party boat, and enough Speedo-clad German men to forever give you nightmares. S8, S9, S41, S42, or S85: Treptower Park. Admission warrants unlimited pool entrance and access to bar and locker room. Adults €4, students €3. Open daily 8am-late. Does not take credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Tempelhofer Park, At Columbiadamm and Tempelhofdamm (www.gruen-berlin.de), This expansive park was an airport, and also the drop point for the Berlin Airlift, until 2008 when it closed forever. In 2010, the space was converted into a park where runways became jog trails and beer gardens replaced those weird caterpillar-like cart things that hold your luggage. U6: Pl. der Luftbrücke. The dog that you brought with you on your backpacking trip must stay on a leash. Free. Open dawn-dusk. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has outdoor seating.
Checkpoint Charlie, Zimmerstr. and Friedrichstr. This tourist trap once had significance as the entrance point into the American sector from East Berlin. For reasons unknown to Let's Go, it has recently become a prime tourist destination, where buses of photo-snapping lemmings buy into this scheme. Germans in American uniforms stand in the middle of the street and charge you €3 to take a picture of them; this is the most lucrative business since prostitution. A set of placards along Kochstr. provide a somewhat interesting history on the checkpoint and the various escapes it saw. Skip the musuem. U6: Kochstraße Free. Open 24hr. Wheelchair access.
Bergmanstraße, Bergmanstr. between Merringdamm and Zorrenstr. A bubbling commercial street where street vendors mix with specialty restaurants, hip clothing stores, and a series of conspicuous Whole Foods knock-off stores. Pl. der Luftbrücke. From the U-bahn, head north up Merringdamm. Wheelchair access.
Jewish Museum, Lindenstr. 9-14 (www.jmberlin.de), Modern, interactive exhibits treat subjects ranging from explanations of the Torah to the philosophies of Moses Mendelssohn to the anatomy of Jewish discrimination under Charles V. Architect Daniel Libeskind designed the museum's building to reflect the discomfort, pain, and inherent voids in Jewish history. While most attempts at “conceptual buildings” suck grandly, this one amazingly succeeds and the effect is moving, disorienting, and thought-provoking. No two surfaces are parallel to each other; the floor is uneven, and the doors and windows seem like portals from a nightmare. U1 or U6: Hallesches Tor. From the station, head east on Gitschinerstr. and take a left at Lindenstr. €5, students €2.50. Audio tours €2. Open M 10am-10pm, Tu-Su 10am-8pm. Last entry 1hr. before close. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has outdoor seating.
Schwules Museum (Gay Museum), Mehringdamm 61 (www.schwulesmuseum.de), This little indie-feeling museum is actually state-supported, making it the world's only state-funded exhibit on homosexual persecution. Temporary exhibits take up over half of the museum, and displays are far from extensive, but the museum does offer a history rarely presented. The permanent exhibit focuses on German homosexual history from 1800 to the present. U6 or U7: Mehringdamm. From the station, head south on Merhringdamm. The museum will be through a courtyard on your left. English exhibit guide available. €5, students €3. Open Tu-F 2-6pm, Sa 2-7pm. Serves alcohol.