Berlin for geeks

Exhibits at the Deutsches Technikmuseum

Art and history fans have been all over Berlin for years, but those highbrows are only seeing one side of the German capital. It’s also a city for the hardcore gamer, the tech enthusiast and the film and TV buff – so get yourself into a city-centre hostel, hook up with some like-minded geeky travellers and start exploring these awesome cultural attractions...

Museum of Computer Games

Calling all gaming enthusiasts! Europe's first museum for computer games opened in Berlin in 2011 in the hip district of Friedrichshain. Enjoy an odyssey through gaming history by exploring the museum's 300 exhibits, including playable classics and rare originals. Don't leave without playing the Giant Joystick, PainStation, Nimrod and the legendary Pong-Machine. There's even a 1980s-style arcade where you can play as much as you like, without needing to feed the machines with coins.

Tempelhof Airport

History fans and plane spotters will love this former airport turned green space. Famous for its Nazi and cold war history, Tempelhof's airfield is now Berlin's biggest park. The airport closed in 2008 and in 2010, it was transformed into a paradise for joggers, rollerbladers, kite-flyers, yogis, unicyclers, wind-karters and cyclists. It even boasts a picnic area and a 2.5-hectare barbecue area. The airport's seven hangars have played host to music concerts, fashion shows and fairs. Evidence of the park's history is unmistakable thanks to the presence of runway signs and an aeroplane used for training by fire services. Take a walking tour of the terminal building, where you can take a peek at bomb shelters and burned-out film stores.

The German Technology Museum

Trainspotters will get hot under the collar at the Deutsches Technikmuseum, which homes one of the world's largest railway collections, set in historical locomotive depots. The museum – one of the largest of its kind in Europe – also has a ship navigation simulator, where you can attempt to guide a ship into a harbour.

Museum of Film and Television

Silver screen enthusiasts should swing by the small but fascinating Deutsche Kinemathek, which spans the entire world of German cinema, from the first-ever moving images to digital film. Take a journey through more than 100 years of German film history, including silent film stars, movies during the Third Reich, Nazi propaganda, Marlene Dietrich, exile in Hollywood, post-war film and modern-day German cinema. The museum is crammed full of costumes, memorabilia, film scripts and props.