Berlin has about 3.8 million residents spread across an area eight times the size of Paris, so the city never feels crammed the way other capitals do. That space is the whole point here: leafy canals in Kreuzberg, the vast Tiergarten in the middle, courtyard bars you would walk straight past if a local did not tip you off. The headline sights are all covered too, with honest advice on timing so you are not stuck in a queue when you could be sitting in a Neukölln beer garden instead.
How to use this guide: the tabs at the top move you between itineraries, places to see, restaurants, hotels, experiences and day trips. On any tab, open the map for a much clearer picture of how Berlin fits together, from Mitte and Museum Island out to the canals of Kreuzberg and the parks in the east. On your phone, tap Get the App (or add this page to your home screen) so the whole guide is one tap away. Short on time? Jump to the ⚡ Quick Facts below.
This complete Berlin travel guide covers getting around by U-Bahn and S-Bahn, the cheapest way to travel, transfers from Berlin Brandenburg Airport, when to visit the Reichstag dome and Museum Island so you actually get in, where to eat beyond the tourist strip, the best day trips out of the city, and the money-saving tips most visitors learn too late. Whether you are here for the history, the nightlife, or a slow weekend of coffee and flea markets, bookmark this page before you book your flight.
Berlin is the capital of Germany, set on the flat plains of the northeast where the rivers Spree and Havel meet, with roughly 3.8 million people across twelve boroughs. It is a young, green, spread-out city: about a third of it is parks, forest, lakes and waterways, and the scars and landmarks of the twentieth century sit in plain sight, from the Brandenburg Gate to the surviving stretches of the Berlin Wall. German is the language, though English will get you a long way in most cafes and bars.
Whether you have a long weekend or a full week, the sections below cover how to get around, which neighbourhood to base yourself in, where to eat like a resident rather than a visitor, and how to see the big historic sights without losing half your trip to lines.
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