Sunny, then improvised.
Berlin wakes up today with that particular summer confidence it gets when the sun is already warm before nine and the whole city quietly decides to be outside. By afternoon the high 20s will have Tiergarten smelling of cut grass and sunscreen, the canals glittering, and everyone absolutely certain the evening will be perfect — which is almost true, except the clouds have other ideas around dinnertime. This is a city that has survived considerably worse than an evening rainstorm, and the Spätis will be stocked, the clubs will be warm, and the plan will simply reorganise itself, as Berlin plans always do.
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You've got a gorgeous morning and afternoon ahead—sunny skies and temperatures climbing into the high 20s will make it perfect for lingering in the beer gardens or grabbing a coffee at an outdoor café—but don't let that fool you into ditching an umbrella, because rain's moving in around dinner time and sticking around through the evening. The wind stays light all day, so at least you won't be fighting the elements when those clouds roll in. Best bet is to get your outdoor plans done early and have a backup plan indoors for later.
Suggestions: This morning in Berlin
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The Pergamon is partially closed for renovation and will be for years — but the Ishtar Gate of Babylon remains open and it remains one of the most staggering objects in any museum anywhere. Deep blue glazed brick, lions in procession, built in 575 BC and standing eighteen metres high inside a room on a Berlin island. Go on a Tuesday evening when Museum Island stays open late and the school groups are long gone. Book timed-entry tickets online; the walk-up queue is punishing. Book timed entry for this evening to avoid crowds and stay dry indoors.
Every Tuesday from September to June, the Berliner Philharmonie — one of the great concert halls of the world, designed by Hans Scharoun in 1963 — opens its foyer at 1pm for a free 45-minute concert. The programme ranges from chamber music to contemporary composition to visiting soloists. Arrive by 12:45, because when the foyer fills it fills. The building alone is worth the trip: an asymmetrical golden tent of a hall where every seat faces the orchestra from a different angle and the acoustics are, by consensus, perfect. The Philharmonie's free foyer concert at 1pm is perfect timing before afternoon clouds roll in.
The Nefertiti bust has been in Berlin since 1913 and is still the most quietly startling object on Museum Island. The Neues Museum around it — rebuilt by David Chipperfield, who deliberately left the war damage visible in the walls — is worth the visit on its own architectural terms. Come on a Tuesday evening when the museum stays open until 8pm. The crowds thin considerably after 6pm and you can stand in front of a 3,300-year-old painted limestone portrait in something approaching silence. A Tuesday evening at the Neues Museum keeps you indoors when rain arrives later.
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