Berlin Travel guide – What you need to Know before you go
Berlin is the capital and largest city in Germany it’s a great city to visit. It’s a modern vibrant city on one hand yet on the other there are many reminders of its turbulent past. This is the main reason I love it so much. It’s a modern city with many modern attractions that doesn’t hide from its past.
Berlin is a huge city and you will not be able to do it all in a day or two. More time is always better but, if you don’t have more time then the best advice i can give is don’t try and do it all. Prioritise the things you want to see and do don’t rush and enjoy yourself.
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Table of contents
My Berlin top 5 things to visit
1.East side Gallery
The east side gallery is a open-air art gallery in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district of Berlin. There 105 paintings on display and all are painted onto a section of the Berlin Wall that still strands it the city. The majority of the paintings are political in nature. I loved it here and can highly recommend.
2. See the Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is probably Berlins most recognised Landmark. It was built in 1791. When they built the Berlin wall they actually built two walls The Brandenburg gate was hidden between the two walls in no mans land. In 1989 when the wall fell people flocked to the gate to celebrate. The gate has remained a symbol of unified Germany to this day.
3. Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
Sashenhausen concentration for me was must do activity. However never should it be treated as a Tourist attraction. Its not its a memorial a place to remember and reflect on the crimes of the past that happened here. These crimes should never be forgotten so that they are never repeated which is why i felt it important to visit it here. My tour guide described it as a memorial of shame. However I disagree I feel its a memorial of reflection and remembrance.
4. Berlin Wall Memorial
Located in the heart of the city, the Berlin Wall Memorial serves as the primary memorial site commemorating the German division. The memorial is 1.4 kilometers long and is located on the former border strip, starting at the historic site on Bernauer Strasse. It features original features from the actual wall. Its really a fascinating site to visit.
5. The Berlin Cathedral
Berlin Cathedral was built in 1905 it wasoriginally built as a royal court church. However its now also a museum and concert hall. The main reason people visit the cathedral is to take photographs. The beautiful ornate interior is decked in marble and onyx alter. It also has a 7,269-pipe organ and royal sarcophagi. Climb up the 267 steps to the gallery for glorious city views. Admission is 10 EUROs.
Other Things to see
1. Enjoy the view from Fernsehturm TV Tower in Alexanderplatz
Berlins main city square contains the iconic 368-meter-high Fernsehturm TV Tower. Take the lift up 200 meter and visit the tower’s observation deck for dazzling views of the city . Tickets start from 24.50 EURO for a fast track ticket.
2. Checkpoint charlie and the museum
Checkpoint charlie or checkpoint C is the best known checkpoint between East and West Berlin during the cold war. The guard house on the American side was removed in 1990. It is currently on display in the open-air museum of the Allied Museum in Berlin-Zehlendorf. A replica of the guard house and sign that marked the crossing point where erected on the original site. Visitor can also visit here and visit the Maumer museum. You can see the replica checkpoint without having to pay a fee. However to enter the museum which tells the story of the Berlin wall the cost is 17.50 Euros and 5 Euros for a permit to take pictures.
3. Berlin Dungeons
The dungeons is a fun a spooky to way to learn some of Berlins history. This is actor led interactive experience and they shows in both English and German. Tickets can be booked on the Dungeons website English shows are usually on three times a day 12.30. 1430 and 1630. However double check before purchase that your booking the right show. Tickets cost 23 Euros if bought online and 29 Euros if bought at the attraction.
4. Visit the Berlin Spy Museum
The Spy museum in Berlin is the only spy museum in central Europe. As the name suggests its an interactive exhibition dedicated to spies and espionage it is located near to the Potsdamer Platz. After a refurbishment in 2019 it was awarded the European museum of the year award in 2020. Its also one of the most visited museums in Germany with many unique and fun exhibitions. Ticket prices vary depending on time of day but start are 10 Euros.
5. Explore the Jewish History Museum
The museum traces the history of the Jews from when they first arrived in Germany. It tells of how the Jews contributed to Germany throughout history. It also shows the hardships that they experienced throughout history and about Jewish culture and customs. The museum only briefly mentions the holocaust as there is separate museum (The Topography of Terror). Entry to the museum is free although there is a cost to see temporary exhibition.
6. Berlin zoo and aquariam
Berlin Zoo is the oldest and most frequently visited zoo in Germany. Its also the only zoo in Germany to have giant pandas. The zoo has the largest variety of species of any zoo in the world. Tickets for the zoo 18.50 Euros. There is also an aquariam on site but these tickets are separate and are treated as a separate attraction. However, you can buy combi tickets.
7. See the DDR Museum
This museum uses interactive Exhibits that focus on what daily life was like in East Berlin during communism. Tickets are 13.50 Euros
8. Take a Free Walking Tour
There are lots of walking tours of the city to choose from I can recommend the walkative welcome to Berlin tour.
9. Take a boat tour
As well as walking tours there are also boat tours. The rivers spree and Havel flow through Berlin which means there are a lot of waterways and canals. Various boat tours are available and these are great way to relax and give you an opporunity to see the city from a different view point. These boat trips start at around 20 Euros.
10 Go shopping
There are also lots of opportunities to go shopping in Berlin from little individual boutiques to the shopping malls. Berlin has lots of shopping opportunities, such as the Alexanderplatz area combine shopping and sightseeing. Or how about a visit to the mall of Berlin with over 300 shops
For more about Germany check out my German travel guide and coming soon my Hamburg guide
Budgeting For Berlin
Accommodation
Hostel prices – Dorms cost 15-27 Euros per night while private rooms for two cost around 45-70 Euros per night. Free Wi-Fi and lockers are usually standard in all hostels in Berlin. Most hostels also offer free coffee/tea and have a kitchen and lots also have a bar on site. Apart from a few exceptions most hostel in Berlin don’t offer free breakfast. However lots offer a buffet breakfast for around 6 Euros
Lots of hostels also offer bike rentals for 10-15 Euros per day and some offer free walking tours.
Budget hotel prices – Budget hotels cost between 45-65 Euros per night. Free Wi-Fi, flat-screen tvs. Some are shared bathrooms but most have private bathrooms, free breakfast is not normally provided. Many hotels offer a breakfast buffet for 8-12 Euros.
Mid range hotel prices– Mid range hotels cost 65-110 Euros per night and usually Wifi, flat screens and private bathroom comes as standard. Breakfast is usually available at extra cost of 8-12 Euros
Airbnb – Airbnb’s are another good option and are available all over Berlin with a private room costing around 35-50 Euros per night with apartments starting around 80-110 Euros per night. In winter they can be as lows as 50-70 per night.
Booking.comFood and Drink
Food – Food in Berlin is like in the rest of Germany is cheap but tasty and filling. Eating out in Berlin is also affordable and you can get a nice take away meal for around 5 Euros such as Pizzas and Asian food. Sit down meals in budget Asian restaurants are around 7-10 Euros for lunch. Fast food such as McDonalds costs around 10 Euros for a combo meal
Dinner for two in budget restaurant will cost 35 -40 Euros for two. A meal at higher-end restaurant will cost around 20-22 Euros for entrees, steak is around 25 Euros
Drinks – Expect to pay around 4- 5 Euros in a bar for a pint of beer and about 5.50 Euros for a glass of wine. A cocktail will set you back 8-11 Euros with a cappuccino costing 3-4 Euros.
Groceries = If you are going to cook for yourself you can get a weeks worth of groceries for around 50 Euros. This will get basics like milk, bread, eggs, pasta, vegetables and some meat. Cheapest places to buy Groceries are Aldi, Lidl, Netto and Penny. Don’t forget to bring your own bags.
Getting Around Berlin
Berlin is a huge city but it has an extensive public transport system to help you get around even to outer lying areas. This includes buses, subways (u-bahn), trains (s-bahn), buses and trams to help you get around. There are three fare zones AB, BC, and ABC.
Single Tickets
A single ticket is valid for one person and a two-hour journey through the city. It is important to note that this is a one-way ticket. This means that round trips and return journeys are not included – for such purposes a new ticket must be purchased. Fare zone AB costs 3.50 Euros, BC Zone 4 Euros and ABC Zone cost 4.40 Euros. A short trip ticket is also available and costs €2,40. and is valid for three stops on the S-Bahn or subway. Change of train is also permitted, or six stops on buses and trams. A change of bus or tram is not permitted.
24 hour tickets are also available for 9.90 Euros for AB zones, 10.40 Euros for BC zone and ABC zone 11.40 euros.
Small group and weekly tickets are also available for full details have a look at the official Berlin page here for more information,
Tickets can be bought on platforms of u-bahn and s-bahn stations from multilingual ticket machines. They can also be purchased from drivers on board buses. On trams there are machine onboard to purchase tickets. You can also buy them on the BVG app
Validating Your Ticket
Its important to validate you tickets by stamping them at the yellow or red boxes located on S-Bahn and U-Bahn platforms or on the machines inside buses or trams. Tickets that are not stamped are not valid it also must be done at the start of the first journey for multiday or day tickets. If your ticket is inspected by staff and is not valid you will need to pay 60 Euros no exceptions are made and you also must show ID or police will be contacted.
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Berlin is a great city with so much to see and do with excellent travel links. If you liked my Berlin travel guide check out my other guides Luxembourg and Hamburg.
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