6 Free iPhone Apps for Exploring Berlin
When you’re packing for a trip, what are the most important things you always do a final check to see that you have? Your passport, tickets and smartphone probably. And if you’re anything like me, you likely use your smartphone for all kinds of things related to travel such as storing boarding passes, using offline maps, looking up places to eat, checking travel info and making notes of places to visit.
If you’re planning a trip to Berlin, then there are a few free apps you should definitely consider downloading to make the most of your time in the city. Here are 6 free iPhone apps for exploring Berlin.
1. For booking accommodation: Airbnb
Not a Berlin-focused app per se, but Airbnb is still one of the best ways to find good-value accommodation and quirky local experiences across Berlin. I’ve stayed in some fantastic Airbnb rentals in Berlin over the years. One honest caveat: Berlin has strict rules on short-term holiday lets. Stick to listings that show a registration number, and read the reviews carefully. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, do check out my guide to the best budget places to stay in Berlin.
2. For Getting Around
BVG Fahrinfo
If you’re using public transport in Berlin, the official BVG app is still your best bet. Enter your start and end points, or just use your current location, and it shows you live connections by S-Bahn, U-Bahn, bus or tram. It takes delays into account and adjusts accordingly. You can now buy your ticket in the app too, so there’s no more queuing at the machine. It also shows bikes, scooters and car sharing nearby, and you can track your train live on the map. Set up a delay alert and it will tell you if anything changes on your route.
Budget tip: the Deutschlandticket
If you’re in Berlin for a week or more, look at the Deutschlandticket. It’s a monthly subscription that covers all local and regional transport across Germany, including day trips to Potsdam or the Brandenburg lakes. You can cancel it after a month. Currently, it costs €63 a month and you can buy it via the BVG app or Deutsche Bahn app but remember to cancel it straightaway as it is a monthly subscription.
3. For bikes and scooters: Jelbi
Also run by BVG, Jelbi combines public transport with rental bikes, e-scooters and car sharing in one app. It’s handy for the last stretch of a journey, or for a slow cycle along the canal when the weather is kind. Berlin is flat and very bikeable. Just watch out for tram tracks.
4. For local tips: Going Local Berlin
This free app from visitBerlin now offers more than 700 insider tips covering places to see, eat and explore across all 12 of Berlin’s districts. Its real strength is getting you out of Mitte and into the outer districts: Little Venice in Spandau, a hidden theatre in Köpenick, a local workshop in Pankow. You can browse by district, by map or by keyword, save favourites, and use the maps offline. It’s perfect for slow travellers and anyone on their second or third trip to the city.
5. For the Berlin Wall: The Berlin Wall
Wondering if you’re standing in the former East or West? This free app overlays the route of the Wall on a modern map so you can find out instantly. It marks checkpoints, escape routes, remaining traces of the Wall and memorials, each with text, photos and audio. It also suggests tours along the former border and gives you the nearest public transport. It’s a joint project by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, Deutschlandradio and a Potsdam history institute, so the content is fab.
Worth adding: MauAR
This augmented reality app lets you point your phone camera at the street and see the Wall rise up where it once stood. It comes to life on one of the few remaining stretches of the wall on Bernauer Straße.
6. For street art: Berlin ArtWalk
Berlin is full of wonderful street art, but some of it is hard to find if you don’t know where to look. Berlin ArtWalk maps murals and graffiti across the city and offers self-guided walks. It also helpfully marks public toilets and water fountains along the way. It’s a newer independent app, so treat it as a starting point and keep your eyes open. The best pieces often aren’t on any map.
7. For events: Rausgegangen
Ask Helmut, my old favourite, now points to Rausgegangen, which has become the go-to app for what’s on in Berlin. It lists concerts, exhibitions, readings, theatre, club nights and some wonderfully odd one-offs. You can save events, follow venues, and enter ticket raffles. Look out for its own secret gigs too..
And 1 Bonus App!
And 1 bonus app: Organic Maps
This one isn’t Berlin-specific, but it’s one of the best free offline maps I’ve used. It’s built on OpenStreetMap, has no ads, and downloads the whole of Berlin in seconds. It shows everything from U-Bahn stations and parks to cafés, ATMs and public toilets. It’s great if your data runs out or you’re wandering somewhere without signal. Google Maps also lets you save offline areas if you’d rather stick with what you know.
