Arrival in Berlin: First Steps Into the City

Mersad Monday, June 22, 2026 germany, throughmylens, travel

There is something special about arriving in a new city by plane. Before you even step onto the ground, the journey has already begun. My first impressions of Berlin came from above, through the small airplane window, as the landscape slowly changed beneath me. I took a few shots from the plane: a river cutting through the land, wide green fields, and that quiet feeling that comes when you realize you are no longer where you started. Those first images already signaled it clearly I was in a different country, and a new adventure was about to begin. I have been to Germany many times, but this was my first visit to the capital city Berlin.

After landing, I didn’t waste much time. Even though it had been a travel day, I knew I wouldn’t be able to just sit in my hotel room and wait for the next morning. My hotel was located near the East Side Gallery, which meant that one of Berlin’s most iconic landmarks was practically waiting for me outside: the Berlin Wall.

I stepped out and immediately found myself walking along the river, with the city slowly opening up around me. The atmosphere felt relaxed but alive. People were sitting in the park, walking, talking, cycling, and enjoying the evening. Along the remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall, colorful murals turned history into an open-air gallery. It was powerful to see something so heavy and historic transformed into art, memory, and expression.

From there, I kept walking toward Alexanderplatz. The city felt wide and layered, with modern streets, traces of history, and that unmistakable urban energy Berlin is known for. At Alexanderplatz, I saw the famous World Clock and the Fernsehturm rising above the city. It was one of those moments where you feel like you have finally arrived somewhere you had seen so many times in photos, but now it was real and right in front of you.

I continued toward Berlin Mitte, where the mood of the city shifted again. Suddenly, there were grand buildings, cathedrals, museums, and elegant streets that felt full of culture and history. Museum Island was especially beautiful, surrounded by impressive architecture and the calm flow of the river. Every corner seemed to offer another view, another building, another reason to stop and take a photo.

What was supposed to be a simple arrival evening turned into a 15-kilometer walk through Berlin. I walked straight into the sunset, chasing the warm light as it fell over the city. The sky changed colors, the buildings glowed softly, and Berlin gave me a first evening that felt cinematic in the best possible way.

By the time I headed back to my hotel near the East Side Gallery, I was tired but excited. I had only been in Berlin for a few hours, but the city had already pulled me in. From airplane views and riverside walks to murals, monuments, museums, and sunset streets, my first night in Berlin was the perfect introduction. And it made one thing very clear: this was only the beginning.

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