What are the top 3 things a first-time vistor to Berlin should see/do?

i lived there. here is what u need to see! its awesome!
the Brandenburger Tor, Fernsehturm, Berliner Dom, now if u want to see more, here are some other one's that are awesome.:

Alexander Platz
Berliner Rathaus
Bundeskanzleramt
Checkpoint Charlie
Holocaust Mahnmal
J眉disches Museum
Kurf眉rstendamm
Neue Synagoge
Nikolaiviertel

and there is so much more..enjoy!

Hi there...I've visited Berlin a number of times...most memorable: Brandenburg Tur, Holocaust Museum (though very sobering) & Checkpoint Charlie. Take the city bus tour...see the top sites at a glance with a bit of explanation from someone who knows. Hop on & off when you see something you want to explore. I also visited the Reichstag building at night...phenomenal views of the city. Not in the top three, but worth a visit.

Enjoy your visit~

Anywhere but Berlin.......

surely the turist麓s top three would be:
Kaiser Wilhelm Ged盲chtniskirche in ku-dam
Berliner Dom mit Lustgarten
Museumsinsel

but if you really want to feel berlin, try to go out of the turist atractions, and try to walk through the canal in kreuzberg from g枚rlitzer strasse until kottbusser tor, especially on fridays (there麓s a turkey market there), or see the streets of friedrichshain with the many cultural movements like punks, indies, new hippies and - beware - nazis. Go to drink a coffee or a sunday brunch in the Kollwitzerstrasse in Prenzlauer Berg, try a place in the fine restaurant in Zionkirchesplatz where you eat as much you want and pay as much you want as well, eat a sausache in Alexanderplatz, go to see the museum in the small and beautiful K枚pernick, watch a movie in the cinemas of Hackescher Markt, visit the gates of Babilon in the pergamon museum...

Berlin is a wonderful place to visit, to live, to fall in love with...