How to get out and about in Berlin Public transport in Berlin

For first-time cyclists, Mitte is a great option, offering easy access to bike-friendly paths along the Spree River and Tiergarten Park. Friedrichshain is also ideal, with numerous bike paths and proximity to the East Side Gallery and Treptower Park. Both districts are centrally located, making it easy to explore Berlin by bike while staying close to key attractions. If you’re visiting Berlin for nightlife, Friedrichshain should be on your radar.

Hamburger Bahnhof Museum

Ticket checks are fairly common, albeit random, and the fine is high for fare-skippers. Berlin has an extensive and well-developed network of public transport that includes underground and light-rail trains as well as Traveling around Berlin buses and trams. Whether you’re looking to explore the city center or the outer districts, you can get there easily, comfortably and safely by using public transportation.

• Occasionally someone will get on the train and make a speech to the rest of the passengers.
• You’ll experience some tourist crowds at the markets, but otherwise the museums and tourist attractions should be fairly open.
• Most people think of a divided and then reunited Germany, as Berlin was split into East and West Berlin until 1989.
• Whether you’re looking to explore the city center or the outer districts, you can get there easily, comfortably and safely by using public transportation.
• On a short visit, I would recommend choosing a location strategically based on what you want to see and do in Berlin.
• Many of the attractions are in Mitte or easily connected to Mitte by Berlin’s public transport, so you should stay somewhere in that region.

Out and about in Berlin

The Pergamon Museum, which houses an impressive collection of artifacts of the ancient world, is Berlin’s most prominent cultural and tourist attraction. Of particular note is Museum Island — a small island in the Spree river that’s home to multiple museums. We suggest checking out our Berlin Price Guide for a more in-depth cost breakdown to help you better budget your trip. Especially useful in eastern Berlin, the S-Bahn covers long distances faster than the U-Bahn and is a more efficient means of getting to outlying areas. The Ringbahn, which circles central Berlin, was the final piece of the S-Bahn system to be renovated, though there are still disruptions here and there.

Trust me, walking all around it will leave you feeling haggard so it’s good to balance your transit options. It’s €29 and includes free admission to 30+ museums over the course of 3 days. When you exit the airport you will see signs pointing down a long covered walkway toward the train station. During Nick’s last European tour we had a few days to spend visiting Berlin in between his shows.

You’ll still find plenty of late-night bars and cafés but much of the club-scene has moved elsewhere. People joke that Prenzlauer Berg is where the hip kids from Kreuzberg go to have kids. This museum does a great in-depth job of capturing over 1,500 years of German history from its origins to the end of the Cold War. This is the site where the Nazis planned a majority of their crimes between 1933 and 1945. The buildings were destroyed at the end of the war but were rebuilt as a museum documenting Nazi crimes.

December is one of the best times to go but it does get very crowded. Otherwise, the rest of the winter is pretty devoid of tourists and prices are a lot cheaper. There are a handful of tram lines around Berlin’s central neighborhoods, but they’re not as fast or efficient as the trains. The seat of the German Parliament is one of Berlin’s most historic landmarks. It has a clear dome (to promote “transparency” in the government) and draws some of the biggest crowds in Berlin.

While you’ll find popular German dishes (schnitzel, eisbein etc) in most restaurants, there are a few food items Berlin is especially known for that you might want to check out. It is true that Berliners rarely use private transportation to move around the city. However, hailing a taxi or ordering a ride with an app is safer late at night and after a couple of drinks. Fortunately, apps like UBER, Sixt, FREENOW or Bolt offer their services all over the city, and even tend to be slightly cheaper than the traditional taxi cabs. Car sharing companies are very popular among locals – almost everywhere within the city limits you can use an app to rent a car in seconds.