People are always asking me what to do in Berlin, and even if I’ve posted a hundred million times on my favorite places, restaurants and things to do in Berlin, there’s always more to say. Whether you think
Berlin is Europe’s most hip city or not, there’s no denying the city’s special place in the world today. Berlin isn’t described as “poor buy sexy” without reason.
Though it’s the political center of Germany, Berlin is arguably the cultural hub of the country—and increasingly of the European continent. With major businesses moving to town and people flocking to the city from around the world, Berlin is one of the most unique and interesting places in Europe today.
Berlin for Beginners
Get an updated list of the best things to do in Berlin here.
And that’s why I want to share some of the most unique experiences and things to do in this historical city. Berlin isn’t meant to be seen, it’s meant to be experienced.

35 unique things to do in Berlin
*Note* Some of these places are now closed, see an updated list of things to do here.
1. Eat döner kebab—preferably after 4am unless you actually want to remember the experience
2. Have a currywurst—but don’t expect to fall in love
3. Dine in a (cheap) Vietnamese restaurant
5. Rent an apartment, learn German & stay a while
6. Drink a beer outside a spaeti—it’s what all the cool kids do
7. Work for a startup company
8. Start your own startup company
9. Have sex in a bar or club (whether it’s the bathroom or the dance floor)
10. Dance in an u-bahn station
11. Have a picnic in the park (park with the best atmosphere: Görli; with the best picnic spots: Tempelhof)
12. Enjoy a lazy afternoon at a coffee shop
13. Walk along the river Spree
14. Bargain for used Polaroid cameras and other knick-knacks at a flea market (flohmarkt)
15. Ride a bicycle
16. Visit the Holocaust memorial—don’t forget the gay one!
17. See the sunrise (it’s considered cheating if you have to wake up for it)
18. Learn some Berlin history at one of the 170 museums
19. Get caffeinated with a Club Mate
20. Take photos of some graffiti
21. Have a typical Berlin brunch (or an atypical one)
22. Visit an independent artist gallery (there are many)
23. Get lost in Berlin’s greenest park: Tiergarten
24. Eat great middle-eastern cuisine & other cheap eats
25. See the Brandenburg Gate, TV tower and Berliner Dom
26. Go for a swim in a pool inside a river
27. Shop! Friedrichstrasse, Ku’damm and indie boutiques in Kreuzberg, F’hain & P’berg
28. Buy a luke-warm samosa from the man who goes around all the hip bars every night
29. Give away your recyclable glass bottles to the bottle collectors in Friedrichshain & Kreuzberg
30. Lose yourself inside Berlin’s surrealist bar experience
31. Leave the city for day trips to the weird Tropical Islands, pretty Potsdam or swimmable Wannsee
32. View Berlin from above at either the TV tower (Fernsehturm) or Berliner Dom
33. See Berlin in miniature at the Loxx museum
34. Hang out on one of Berlin’s bridges (my favorites here)
35. Take a rooftop tour of the Reichstag parliament building
Berlin travel resources for short visits
Want the best local Berlin tips and ideas for things to do during your stay? Use these Berlin blogs when planning your visit:
Have a suggestion for one of the best things to do in Berlin or a helpful resource for Europe’s coolest city? Add it below in the comments and I’ll try to include it in this guide!
The list may be long but I will definitely be doing these when I set foot on Berlin.
Thanks Adam :)
Keep safe and Happy Travels
Hope you find it useful for your trip. There are so many things to do here you could spend a lot of time exploring the city and still discover more to see and do!
jajaja #9 been there done that!!! Ahh I miss Berlin. It’s still one of my favorite cities I’ve visted so far and I hate that you have been there so long. I hate it cus I get a bit jealous of all the cool things you are seeing/doing that I missed. Great list though!!!
Aww Jaime – Berlin will still be here and it’ll be just as exciting in the next years as it is now. You can always come back for a visit!
I’ve been totally plotting a six-month to one year stay in Berlin for 2013…and yeah, this basically confirms it. Hahahaha. Awesome!
Candice, I think you’d really like Berlin – there are so many amazing things happening here and it’s NEVER boring!
#9 hmm… looks like you’re having fun in Berlin! :)
But seriously, I so want to go! It must be such a beautiful city…
Great list. I loved Berlin, including many things I tried that are on this list.
I might add try a diesel (cola and beer mix) and ride a bier (beer) bike (like a bar on wheels!).
Super fun list! Captures the feel of the city, especially with having drinks outside a spaeti, picnicking in a park, hanging out on a bridge, riding bikes. All very simple things, but they are some of my favorite in this city.
Great list there Adam! I would also recommend subscribing to Sugarhigh: http://www.sugarhigh.de — they curate some very interesting events happening around Berlin.
Ack!! How did I forget SugarHigh? Thanks for the reminder!
This is a great list Adam and thanks for including a link to my Tiergarten post. As a fellow chocoholic I was surprised you didn’t include seeing Berlin’s most famous landmarks in chocolate at Fassbender & Rausch. And I know it’s a bit overrun these days but would have to include a visit to the former NSA Listening Station at Teufelsberg.
You get Samosa’s in Berlin?? I thought they are our native food found only in India!!!
Is it similar in taste?
Ahh, the samosas in Berlin really aren’t that special —and don’t compare to those in India—but it’s fun and still pretty cool that they’re readily available here.
I have only done a few of these things as I was in Berlin just 36 hours so I think I need to return. However I loved riding a bike around Berlin. It made the city seem so much more manageable. And currywurst? It might just be a glorified hotdog with ketchup but definitely something you must eat while in Berlin. Love how you include the twitter handles too of those who know Berlin. That will be very helpful to anyone going to Berlin.
Hi Adam, Thanks for your Carnival of Europe blog submission, join us when it goes live on 3rd Sept.
anything in berlin these 5 days?
thanks!
Hey Adam! This list is fantassstic… I’m visiting Berlin this May for 10 days and I hope I can at least accomplish half of these unique things to do…
Anyway, I will be staying with my best friend, who is an American completed her graduate program in Bremen, then moved to Berlin at the beginning of this year. She now lives in a cozy apartment in Neukolln. During the day when she’s at work, I will be exploring the city on my own.
Is there a sightseeing bus? Kind of like those hop on-hop off services? Also, are there any LGBT people you know there who would be willing to show me around some fun spots during the day or at nighttime? It would totally enrich my overall experience if I can experience Berlin’s LGBT culture through a German local or an LGBT American who knows what’s up lol!
The gay holocaust memorial is a mandatory visit for me. I also heard of Schwules Museum in Berlin — but the website said they’re moving on May 18?? And I couldn’t really navigate through the rest of the site as it’s all in German. Do you know much about this museum? Is it worth checking out? Before May 18??
Oh and I’m 27 years old and am from California…thanks! :)
Hi Arash!
Thanks for the comment. Yes, there are definitely sightseeing buses and hop-on-hop-off ones. I took one with my parents a few summers ago. Personally I prefer the “free” walking tour.
As for meeting LGBT in Berlin, there’s a bi-weekly Couchsurfing meetup for queer travelers & locals. Check the “Queer Berlin” group on CS for the dates, or they’re on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/qu33r.berlin.meeting
There’s also a new “Queer Tours Berlin” – haven’t taken it myself but I think it’d be fun: https://www.facebook.com/qtberlin
And the Schwules Museum is very small! Don’t know much about them moving, I’ll have to look into that myself!
Thanks azizam! I will definitely check out all the resources. Can’t wait :)
Hi Rachel, what is your contact info? Would love to submit as well!
Hi Rachel, what is your contact info? Would love to submit as well!
DJ
Oh I love Berlin! I would love to rent an apartment and stay for a little while! a few days in Berlin is just not enough
Berlin is definitely one of Europe’s hippest destinations – there’s so much to see and do, and even walking the streets is heaps of fun! I’d also add to the list drinking a bottle of Mezzo Mix – a soft-drink mixture of coke and fanta
Hah! Good idea to add the Mezzo Mix… It’s also possible to get beer mixed with syrups… or beer mixed with sodas… gross!
[…] Germany Adam Groffman presents 35 unique things to do in Berlin posted at Travels of Adam, saying, “Looking for some of the best things to do on your visit […]
I would love to rent an apartment. Then, I’ll try to walk almost all day and to go to their best and not-to-be-missed landmarks in the city. Any suggestions?
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to go to Berlin and considering going for 5 nights either before my exams (December) or after (February). Just worried the cold will ruin it for me. I remember going to Amsterdam last year and it was freezing!
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to go to Berlin and considering going for 5 nights either before my exams (December) or after (February). Just worried the cold will ruin it for me. I remember going to Amsterdam last year and it was freezing!
[…] check out expat Adam’s Things to Do in Berlin and Simon’s journey to nearby Potsdam Sanssouci Park: A Photo Tour. Tweet reddit_url […]
Great list! And thanks for the mention matey. überlin <3s you!!!!
Cool list! I’ve danced in some interesting places, including public squares, but never inside a subway station. #10 then would get on my list! Also #20 – Berlin always comes to mind when I think of graffiti.
I’d have to add visiting the abandoned DDR amusement park Spreewald, swimming at Badeschiff (especically in winter) and eating/drinking at Katteschmaus – but there’s plenty more too. And I second the idea of using a bike to get around – rent a City Bike, Berlin is a paradise for cycling.
Hi Andy – thanks for the suggestions! Most of these are already on the list but I’ll try the place you recommend for German food!
Amazing list, Adam! I will definitely have a closer look at it next year when visiting Berlin :)
Yep – this list is quite good if I must say so myself. You’ll love Berlin!!
[…] besides all the amazing things to do in Berlin, I find the city to be quite livable—mostly during the summer, but winters aren’t terrible […]
[…] out this guide on things to do in Berlin, or tours with Queer Tours […]
Great List! We’ve yet to explore much of Europe and Berlin is firmly on our list. 170 museums, wow, that’s a lot of culture!
I am really looking forward to checking some of these out next week when I get to Berlin for the first time. Particularly the surrealist bar and the street art!
Seriously, the labyrinth is one of the coolest things to do in Berlin. Enjoy :-)
Great post and fantastic suggestions! I would add to go see an opera at one of the 3 opera houses. I miss going to Wannsee for the day and Berlin’s parks. :)
I’m FINALLYgoing to Berlin and I knew exactly where to come for advice on what to do. I might just print this out and carry it around with me. Can’t wait!:)
Glad to hear you’re coming to visit Berlin soon! Tweet me for any additional tips :)