Is Berlin worth visiting? My honest review

Is Berlin worth visiting? This is a question I have been asked many times by friends and readers. I have been proud to call Berlin my home and base for the last 9 years but have been visiting the city since 2012. Lot has changed since I first visited Berlin. It is no longer ‘Poor and Sexy’ as the mayor once proudly proclaimed. Rents have trebled. Cost of dining out has become expensive but that is a trend across Europe with the rising costs of energy, food production. Still, if you know where to go, there is still a bit of that old Berlin magic where you can find beers for as little as €1 or find streetfood places where you can eat well for as little as €5. Plus, some of the best things to do in this city are still free. Plus, Berlin is still sexy and has in my opinion, the best nightlife in the world. Even after all these years, I’m still discovering new places. So, here’s why Berlin is worth visiting, in 2026.

Berlin has one of the most democratic drinking cultures in Europe

No matter wherever I travel in the world, I miss Berlin’s bar culture. Name a city in Western Europe where you can do drinking across multiple areas for less than €10? Berlin’s bar scene is incredibly diverse – on a typical evening you would start with a €1 sterni from the neighbourhood Späti, proceed to a classic bar, and then prop up the bar at a classic Kneipe where the same family has been pulling pints for over a century.

Spätis are the cornerstone of Berlin’s 24/7 nightlife scene, where strangers meet and become friends. This is where the Friday night starts with a wegbier, a €1 Sternburg beer to go, ( In fact there is a Spati to the left of Schonhause Apotheke on Danziger Strasse that has Sterni for €0.70 ) and where the party often ends. Späti culture is one of the reasons why Berlin still is one of the cheapest nights out in Europe.

Kneipes, meanwhile, are like a time travel capsule to a different era – the photos on the wall, the sense that this room has absorbed a hundred years of conversation and smoke. The word Kneipe comes from the German word “kneipen”, which means to pinch or squeeze, a nod to how these tightly packed places were filled with working class, hardworking people, poets, artists and lowlifes, all gathered together for one purpose: to drink cheap beer and talk till the cows come home. Checkout my guide to best bars in Berlin.

Is Berlin cheap or expensive?

Is Berlin cheap or expensive? From the cost of a night stay in a hostel to a cost of a beer in Berlin to the price of a public transport ticket, I summarise it in this guide on how much does it cost to visit Berlin

Berlin is still one of Europe’s most affordable capitals for food

curry 61 currywurst berlin — Currywurst at Curry 61!

Currywurst stands, Turkish kofteci sandwiches, the best Banh Mi, falafel rolls with peanut sauce – Berlin has an incredible streetfood culture. My favourite is Sahara Imbiss, a Sudanese takeaway that’s been one of my favourite Berlin cheap eats since 2010: fresh falafel, halloumi, kofta, chicken or fohl beans, all topped up with their signature peanut sauce, for €4 a steal. Given the city is home to the biggest Turkish community outside Turkey, don’t leave without trying a legendary Doner Kebab or köfteci sandwich either. Checkout my full guide to the best cheap eats in Berlin.

Best things in life in free and Berlin has a ton of free experiences

Just like my other favourite city in Germany, Hamburg, the thing I love about Berlin is how accessible and open it is to everyone – irrespective of your colour, race or economic means, this city has something for everyone. Some of the best Berlin attractions like the Brandenburg Gate, Mauerpark and the East Side Gallery are free.

Tempelhofer Feld

My favourite place to take friends visiting Berlin is this former airfield turned public park. This is THE place to watch sunset in Berlin plus the airfield track is an amazing place to cycle, rollerblade or even windsurf, or you can have a barbecue or just picnic with friends. In the summer, every evening here feels like a mini festival. Do not miss this place.

The Brandenburg Gate

Berlin in the 18th century had 18 gates to the city and now the only gate that stands is the Brandenburg Gate. Once a symbol of a divided city, the Brandenburg Gate is now the iconic symbol of Berlin and of reunified Germany. It’s worth hanging around the elegant Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate to just observing the flow of tourists and also colourful characters that seem to congregate here.

The East Side Gallery

The longest stretch of the Berlin Wall that still remains. In 1990 the city commissioned 105 different artists from around the world to create murals along the wall in celebration of freedom and the reunification of Germany, essentially turning the wall into an outdoor art gallery.

Tip: If you are keen to learn more about what life was like behind the wall, I highly recommend a visit to the very moving and haunting Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial) in Prenzlauer Berg. A memorial to the victims of the Berlin Wall, this stretches for 1.4km along Bernauer Strasse, along the actual course of the Wall. This is probably the best place to learn how all the elements of the hated barrier and the death strip fit together, how the border fortifications were enlarged and perfected over time, and what impact they had on the daily lives of people on both sides.

The Holocaust Memorial

After Brandenburg Gate if you continue to your left and you’ll find yourself in front of the Holocaust Memorial, another moving and symbolic architectural gem of Berlin. The memorial’s 2,711 concrete slabs or “stelae” of the memorial are arranged in a grid pattern and varying in height from 0.2 to 4.8 m help create a confusing, disorientating and claustrophobic ambience which was the creator, Peter Eisenman’s intention. The memorial is one of those places that you have to experience yourself to fully realize it’s meaning.

Mauerpark

One of the largest and most famous flea markets, every Sunday from 7am to 5pm, with associated outdoor karaoke in an amphitheatre where brave souls can belt out their favourite tunes in front of a large crowd from 3pm.

And the one thing not to do in Berlin: visit Checkpoint Charlie. It’s the most overrated tourist attraction in the city – the building has been moved to another site, the Berlin Wall has been torn down, and even the sign you see is not the original. Had it been left in place with 100 metres of wall on either side, it would have been a better look back at history. Checkout my full guide : 33 free things to do in Berlin.

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Limited time in Berlin? Focus on one neighbourhood

Each of Berlin’s neighborhoods has its own history and character. Given how huge Berlin is, if your time is limited, I would recommend focussing on one hood. Mitte is a good start. You have the best of Berlin in one area, from the Reichstag, to Museum Island, the iconic TV Tower, the sprawling magnificent Tiergarten park and the ugly but pretty Potsdamer Platz.

Walking up Unter den Linden takes you past the Neue Wache, with its iconic Mother and Son sculpture, and into Lustgarten, a green oasis that’s been through many reincarnations – from a site for political demonstrations during the Weimar Republic to a venue for Hitler’s mass rallies, to its happy current form. For those keen to learn more about what life was like behind the Wall, the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer, stretching 1.4km along Bernauer Strasse along the actual course of the Wall, is probably the best place to learn how all the elements of the hated barrier and the death strip fit together. Full guide: free walking tour of Berlin Mitte and also my self guided free walking tour of Berlin Wedding

Berlin is one of Europe’s greenest cities

Despite being a busy, dense metropolis, Berlin is one of Europe’s greenest cities. Treptower Park is a treasure trove of many unusual interesting places, each with their own history, dominated by the monumental Soviet War Memorial, the largest Soviet memorial outside Russia. Further out, the Gardens of the World in Marzahn really transport you to a different world, thanks to ten very different gardens drawing inspiration from countries and cultures across the world – my favourite is the Oriental Garden, constructed over two years according to the principles of the Qu’ran’s Surah, where for a few moments you could be in Granada, Seville or Marrakech. Full guide: Berlin outdoor activities.

The perfect day trip from Berlin

On the doorstep of Berlin you have the beautiful area of Brandenburg. Just a 40 minute ride from the chaotic and bustling Berlin, stepping into Potsdam feels like entering a different universe. Often visited as a popular day trip, I quickly discovered that spending a day does not do the place justice. Potsdam was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990, covering more than 2,064 hectares and containing 150 buildings built between 1730 and 1916, an astounding complex of palaces and parks that were the envy of royalty across the world. Frederick the Great built Sanssouci Palace here to escape the bustling German capital, and named it Sanssouci, meaning “without worry”. Full guide: best things to do in Potsdam.

Getting around is easy, once you know the system

Berlin’s public transport system is extensive, user-friendly and reasonably reliable. It’s also not that expensive given its size, especially compared with other large European cities like London or Paris. Once you know how to use it, there are several legal ways to spend less: picking the cheaper Kurzstrecke (€2.80) over a full-fare Langstrecke ticket (€4.00), sharing a Kleingruppe day pass across a group, saving with a 4-ticket bundle, or switching to the Deutschlandticket at €63 a month if you’re staying two weeks or more. Full guide: how to legally hack the Berlin public transport system.

So, is Berlin worth visiting?

Even after 14 years, there is never a dull moment here. It has so many rich and complex layers of history, one of the most accessible and affordable bar and food scenes in Europe, a huge amount to do for free, and it’s greener than most people expect. Come with more time than you think you need.

Is Berlin worth visiting? My honest review

Berlin has one of the most democratic drinking cultures in Europe

Is Berlin cheap or expensive?

Berlin is still one of Europe’s most affordable capitals for food