A plan for Berlin

The city of Berlin is co-extensive with the Land of Berlin, one of the 16 federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has a population of 3.8 million (2019) (and a million more in suburbs like Potsdam across the state line in Brandenburg).

Berlin is and has been far less dominant as the capital of Germany than London, Paris or Madrid are in their respective countries, because of the federal nature of Germany and because the havoc war and partition wreaked on the city. In many ways, West Berlin was in some ways forgotten by West Germany, given that it was located as an enclave inside of the DDR, and would be immediately lost if hostilities were to break out between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Due to the collapse of the DDR, the main power centres of Germany remained the main power centers of West Germany, with money and power centred on the industrial and financial centres in West Germany. Following reunification, Berlin’s importance has grown steadily, leading to an intensified struggle for political control in the capital during the twenty-first century.

Merely a backwater town in the early 18th century, Berlin grew to be one of the most important and biggest cities in the world by the 1920s. The heart of old Prussia and a focal point of the Cold War, it lost much of its importance and historic architecture as a result of World War II and German partition.

Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media and science. Its economy is based on high-tech firms and the service sector, a diverse range of creative industries, research facilities, and media corporations. Significant sectors also include IT, biotechnology, construction and electronics.

With the world's oldest large-scale movie studio complex in nearby Babelsberg, Berlin is an increasingly popular location for international film productions.

Climate

Berlin features a moderately continental climate with mild, pleasant summers and cold, overcast winters. Rain is evenly distributed throughout the year, meaning light showers or thunderstorms can occur during any month.

Individual listings can be found in Berlin's district articles

Berlin has numerous attractions dating from its turbulent history and in part owing to the fact that it was a "double capital" for 40 years. While the upkeep of some is an ongoing headache for the treasurer, they are a delight to visitors and many locals alike. Much of the city was destroyed in World War II, so Berlin is a rather modern city and does not have as much historic architecture as most other European capitals. What it instead has is some of the finest examples of contemporary architecture from the second half of the 20th century onwards.

Museums

Berlin has a vast array of museums. By far most of them are covered in the Mitte district guide, which, among others, covers the 1 Museumsinsel (an island on the Spree covered with historic museums) and the 2 Kulturforum (a collection of contemporary cultural institutions). You will also find a good deal of museums in the old heart of West Berlin and Steglitz-Zehlendorf area of the city, but there are larger or smaller museums in almost every district. There are museums covering everything, from art through Berlin's and Germany's history to various branches of technology and science.

Most museums charge admission for people 18 years of age or older - usually €6 to €14. Discounts (usually 50%) are available for students and disabled people with identification. Children and young people can often come in free, but do check the age restrictions in particular museums. A nice offer for museum addicts is the three-day Museums Pass for €29 (concessions: €14.50) (January 2023), which grants entrance to all the regular exhibitions of the approximately 30 state-run museums and public foundations.

Individual listings can be found in Berlin's district articles

Pick up a copy of Exberliner, the English-language paper targeting expats and guests of Berlin to find out what's on, when and where. It provides good quality journalism and up-to-date listings. If you understand German, the activity planners for the city, zitty and tip, are available at every kiosk. LGBT+/Queer themed magazine and guide Siegessäule is also one of the most prominent of its kind internationally. Be prepared to choose among a huge number of options.

Explore

Go on a tour of Berlin. The Mitte and surrounding districts are sufficiently compact to allow a number of excellent walking tours through its history-filled streets. You'll see amazing things you would otherwise miss. Details are usually available from the reception desks of hostels and hotels.

1 Berlin Tour by public bus line 100 and 200. The 100 and 200 bus lines are just ordinary bus lines, but they pass by many of Berlin's famous landmarks. Both run every 5–10 minutes between S+U-station Zoologischer Garten and S+U-station Alexanderplatz. All BVG tickets are accepted. €4.00 single or €11.20 day ticket. (updated Apr 2026)

Original Berlin Walks. English speaking public tour operator since 1993. They offer daily half-day walking tours of the centre as well as tours focusing on WW2, the Berlin Wall, Potsdam and others. €20 per adult.

Stern und Kreisschiffahrt. By far the biggest boat company in Berlin. They offer tours on most lakes.

Berlin Bootsverleih. Offers the largest variety of rental boats that you can drive yourself. Houseboats and large party boats can also be rented here.

Segway Tour Berlin. 1-3 hours. Offers different Segway Sightseeing Tours in Berlin. Start near Brandenburger Tor, for small groups up to 10 people. €45-€85. (updated Apr 2026)

Ticket B. Showing the city of Berlin on hand-picked architectural routes. Led by architects in German, English, French, Italian or Spanish. Tours from the water, on land or in a helicopter are offered. They arrange your special tour on contemporary architecture in Berlin with many exclusive visits to the interiors of buildings.

Private Tours of Berlin. Offers private, customised tours through Berlin, led by local historians.

Individual listings can be found in Berlin's district articles

Lovers of street food rejoice! Berlin has an incredibly wide variety of different styles and tastes at very affordable prices (for European wallets, that is). You can find superb food in small stalls tucked away under the tracks of elevated U-Bahn stretches for well under €5.

A staple in Berlin is currywurst for around €3 (April 2022). It's a bratwurst covered in ketchup and curry powder. You can find them all over Berlin by street vendors. It's a must try when in Berlin. Two renowned currywurst stands are "Konnopke's Imbiss" below Eberswalder Straße U-Bahn station on line 2 and "Curry 36" opposite the Mehringdamm U-Bahn station in Kreuzberg (only two stops south of Checkpoint Charlie). Both of these offer far friendlier service than many of Berlin's more upmarket eateries.

Another famous thing to eat in Berlin is döner for around €6 (April 2023), a flat bread filled with lamb or chicken meat and vegetables, available at many Turkish stands.

Berlin may seem like carnivore heaven, but vegetarians and vegans can eat quite well. Berliners are generally environmentally conscious, and that extends to their food; most of the inner neighbourhoods have a handful of good healthy vegetarian or vegan restaurants using local ingredients, though they tend to be more expensive than the ubiquitous kebab and sausage stands. If you're a vegetarian on a limited budget, many kebab restaurants have a good selection of roasted vegetables and salads, and you can usually get falafels (fried chickpea balls, suitable for vegans) and halloumi (a type of dense cheese) in place of meat.

Eating out in Berlin is incredibly inexpensive compared to any other Western European capital or other German cities. The city is multicultural and many cultures' cuisines are represented here somewhere, although they are often modified to suit German tastes.

Individual listings can be found in Berlin's district articles

A word of warning: Berlin's famous laissez-faire attitude is perhaps most evident in its approach to indoor smoking. Although smoking is prohibited in all but the smallest bars, you should assume that everywhere you go out, if no food is being served, will be quite smoky. This is also the case at clubs and large concert venues. If you have any medical issues, then you should be prepared, and either change your plans or bring a well-fitting mask. If not sure, call the venue and ask.

Clubs

The club scene in Berlin is one of the biggest and most progressive in Europe. Even though there are some 200 clubs in the city, it's sometimes difficult to find the right club for you since the best ones are a bit off the beaten track and most bouncers will keep bigger tourist groups out. If you want to go clubbing, you will almost always have to pay an entrance fee. While admission to clubs was considered cheap for many years after the fall of the Berlin Wall compared to other German and European cities, the cover charge is €20 and more in the 2020s (usually no drink included).

The main clubbing districts are in the east: Mitte (around Alexanderplatz and Köpenicker Straße), Friedrichshain (the "techno strip" along the Spree river), and Kreuzberg (around Schlesisches Tor). In once legendary Prenzlauer Berg almost all clubs have disappeared due to gentrification since the 2000s, while it still has many trendy bars and cafés. A few mainstream clubs are also located in Charlottenburg and at Potsdamer Platz. Techno is still the biggest sound in Berlin, with lots of progressive DJs and live acts around. But there are also many clubs playing '60s beat, alternative rock and of course mainstream music. Clubbing days are Thursday, Friday and especially Saturday, but some clubs are open every day of the week. On weekends partying in Berlin starts between 22:00 and midnight and peaks around 02:00 or 03:00 in many clubs. Berlin is known for its long parties, some going on until Sunday evening, a few also until Monday evening. In regard to electronic music, you can check Resident Advisor for the best parties before you go out.

Pedestrians should be careful not to walk in the designated bike lanes.

By public transport

As Berlin is a major metropolis with pretty decent public transit, you should take buses, trains and trams whenever possible as those cover most of the city and are often the fastest way to get to places. The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) list all their fares on their website. Consult their Berlin route planner (in English) to get excellent maps and schedules for the U-Bahn, buses, S-Bahn local trains (RB and RE) and trams, or to print your personal journey planner. The route planner can also calculate the fastest door-to-door route for your destination for any given day and hour. However, the route planner assumes a rather slow walking speed. It might suggest taking a bus or tram for a single stop where healthy adults would be faster walking. The planner will let you pick between three walking speeds, but even the fastest walking speed is not terribly fast if you have no luggage. While BVG doesn't run S-Bahn or local trains, they are covered by the website and can be used with the same tickets.

BVG's customer service, ☏ +49 30 19449. If you don't know how to get somewhere, or how to get home at night, BVG's customer service number. Most U-Bahn and some S-Bahn stations have call points from which you can contact customer service directly. Some BVG buses and tram lines run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Tickets

The public transport system in Berlin (U-, S-Bahn, bus, tram, regional rail) uses a common ticket system based on zones (zone A, B and C). You are unlikely to go beyond zone A and B, except on trips to Potsdam or to the airport (BER). The border between zones A and B is the S-Bahn Ring (see below). Zone C includes trips to and within Potsdam.

The following tickets can be used for single journeys:

Single Ticket. The standard single journey ticket. It is valid for any travel within two hours of validation, in a single direction, within the appropriate fare zones. There is no limit to transfers, but return journeys are not allowed. Price: Berlin AB €4.00 (reduced €2.50); Berlin ABC €5.00 (reduced €3.50). (updated Apr 2026)

Berlin might be a safe place, but it is a huge city, and as such has some not-so-well maintained areas. No specific rules apply with the exception of public transportation and tourist areas where pickpockets are a problem. Watch your bags during rush hours, at larger train stations (with the central and Warschauer stations being notoriously sketchy at night).

The police in Berlin are competent, not corrupt; therefore, if you try to bribe them you are likely to spend at least a night behind bars to check your background. They are generally helpful to tourists. Most of the officers are able to speak English, so don't hesitate to approach them if you are frightened or lost. Police are generally more relaxed than in more conservative places like Munich and do not necessarily engage in a "zero tolerance" policy. In general police will focus on crime and traffic safety rather than petty misdemeanors or drunken tourists unless things get out of hand.

The nationwide emergency numbers are

Medical emergencies and fires, ☏ 112.

Police emergency number, ☏ 110.

Since the 1980s, there have been localised riots on Labour Day (May 1). In general they take place in Kreuzberg around Oranienstraße/Mariannenplatz. Nowadays they usually start the night before May 1, especially in the Mauerpark (Prenzlauer Berg), at Boxhagener Platz and in Rigaer Str. (Friedrichshain) and start again in the evening of May 1 in Kreuzberg and in the mentioned areas. The violent riots have become rather small since 2005 due to the engagement of the citizens who celebrate the Labour Day with a nice "myfest" in Kreuzberg and well-planned police efforts. It is still better to stay out of these areas from 20:00 until sunrise. Vehicles should not be parked in these areas as this is asking for damage!

Racially-motivated violence is rare but the risk is higher on the outskirts of East Berlin. It is recommended for non-white tourists to be attentive in areas such as Lichtenberg, Hellersdorf, Marzahn, Treptow and Köpenick in the evening/night especially if alone.