Best Berlin Neighborhoods

Museums, monuments, contemporary art galleries, markets and nightlife. Every district and neighbourhood in Berlin tells a story and offers something special that makes the German capital a fascinating city with plenty to explore at any time of the year.

I had to start this list by talking about Mitte or Berlin-Mitte, which is the most important and populated district of the city rather than a neighbourhood in itself, where you will find the historic centre and some of the most interesting sights to explore. So if you're in Berlin and you're looking for tours and excursions available in the city, this area is a must.

A historic place that during the Cold War belonged to the GDR, and after German reunification it occupied different spaces, until it reached the organisation it has today. If you want to explore this area, I recommend a tourist bus tour, which will take you to the most outstanding places. A perfect plan, especially if you're only in Berlin for a few days.

In 2001 a reorganisation of Berlin's districts was made, and some neighbourhoods became districts of the city, while others were regrouped as was the case of Mitte, Wedding and Tiergarten.

As there is so much to see in Mitte, I'll tell you here about two places that I consider a must-see.

Reichstag

The German parliament building is well worth a visit, and the main attraction is its glass dome, which aims to represent the opening up and political transformation of Germany after the Second World War.

If you decide to go up to the dome you can take a 20-minute guided tour, where you will learn facts about the building and its surroundings. Audio guides are available in eleven languages, adapted for children and people with disabilities. I recommend the rooftop restaurant, located east of the dome, open daily until midnight.

Useful information:

• Price: admission is free, but you must register in advance.
• Opening hours: daily from 9.00 am to 9.45 pm. Access every 15 minutes.
• Address: Platz der Republik 1, 11011 Berlin.

Museum Island

In Mitte you will also find this space which houses a collection of some of the most important museums in Europe. Don't miss the opportunity to book your tickets to visit this Unesco World Heritage Site.

Some of the museums you can visit here are the Old Museum, the Bode Museum, the Old National Gallery and the Pergamon Museum.

Useful information:

• Price: Depending on the museum you want to visit, tickets cost between €6 and €12.
• Opening hours: Most museums are open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. You can check the opening hours of the museum you want to visit on the official website of the island.
• Address: Am Lustgarten, 10117 Berlin.

Another of the most visited areas of the city by tourists arriving in the German capital. In this district of the city you will find the huge park with the same name and where the Berlin Zoo-Garden is located, which is well worth a visit, especially if you are visiting the city with small children.

Here you will also find Potsdamer Platz, considered the cosmopolitan centre of Berlin. I recommend you don't miss the food truck area, a trend that is taking over this space so you can enjoy a variety of street food. This area is open from 11:30 to 18:00 every day.

Some recommended places in the neighbourhood

• Victory Column.
• Tiergarten Park.
• Bauhaus Archive.

Located in the district of Berlin-Mitte, this neighbourhood is not so well known by tourists, but it has had a remarkable growth that is worth appreciating. Rental prices here are cheaper than in other parts of the city and the atmosphere is quieter. It's a great place to stay when visiting Berlin.

In Wedding you'll also find street markets, public parks and galleries, as many emerging artists have chosen this area of the city as their home base.

Some recommended places in the neighbourhood

• Plötzensee Park, which has a natural lake.
• Leopoldplatz, farmers' market.
• Palace of Justice.

If you are looking for more than just Berlin 's best museums, this neighbourhood offers an alternative view of the city. Also known as the Turkish quarter, due to the large number of immigrants living in the area, Kreuzberg has plenty to explore, including nightlife, fast food and cheap food stalls, shops and a highly recommended weekend flea market.

Once the punk scene of West Berlin, Kreuzberg was a place of resistance and rebellion, which today stands as a hip, alternative neighbourhood where many creative companies and digital media have their offices. Along Paul-Lincke-Ufer Street you'll find more upscale dining options such as the pizzeria Zola and the Mexican restaurant La Lucha.

Some recommended places in the neighbourhood

• Jewish Museum
• Bergmannstraße, where you'll find numerous shops, bars and restaurants.
• National Monument in Viktoriapark, a panoramic viewpoint of the city and dedicated to the victory in the Napoleonic Wars.

If you ask around Berlin for the trendiest neighbourhood, you'll probably be advised to visit Neukölln, located in the south-western part of the German capital and not far from the city centre. It's a former working-class neighbourhood that is often confused with Kreuzberg because of the large Turkish, Lebanese and Kurdish community that lives here.

Here you will feel a multicultural and artistic atmosphere. Many bars, cafes, independent art galleries and vintage shops make it a neighbourhood that shows the young and modern face of Berlin.

Some recommended places in the neighbourhood

• Turkish market.
• Körnerpark.
• Schillermarkt.

Every neighbourhood in Berlin has a history and a personality that makes it fascinating and Friedrichshain is no exception. Also known as F'hain, it is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district and is described by the German term Szeneviertel, which means trendy or trendy.

You'll find an underground scene here, and it's one of the neighbourhoods that currently attracts young families, students and artists. One of its attractions is undoubtedly the East Side Gallery, which stretches for about 1.3 km long, and where you can see an old piece of what was once the Berlin Wall, which has been intervened by numerous artists and has undergone several restorations throughout its history.

Some recommended places in the neighbourhood

• Friedrichshain Volkspark Friedrichshain.
• Oberbaumbrücke Bridge.
• RAW Berlin, a former Prussian industrial railway complex now used for weekend flea markets, concerts, street art and much more.

Known as Berlin's Jewish quarter, in Scheunenviertel you will find a lot of tradition and history with memorials to the victims of the Holocaust, and at the same time modernity, in an area that today is a meeting point for young people and tourists for its wide range of entertainment.

I recommend starting your tour at the Hackescher Markt, a large square with numerous restaurants, terraces and beer gardens. There is also the Hackesche Höfe, a complex of courtyards, small streets and buildings with avant-garde architecture, perfect if you want to enjoy an afternoon of shopping in one of its shops or have a drink in its numerous bars and cafés.

Some recommended places to visit in the district

• Anne Frank Centre.
• Old Jewish Cemetery.
• New Synagogue.
• Monbijou Park

One of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the city and home to wealthy families. Located in the west of Berlin, you'll find art galleries, hotels and luxury boutiques. Although it has a chic and exclusive image that may not appeal to some travellers, this neighbourhood is also home to must-see places with a lot of history.

Some recommended places to visit in the district

• Charlottenburg Palace, a place worth a visit if you are an admirer of architecture.
• Lietzensee Park.
• Museum of Photography.
• Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

A bohemian, family-friendly and counter-cultural neighbourhood that will greet you with numerous organic markets, healthy cafés and plenty of baby prams. A place in the city that went from being a refuge for young professionals unhappy with the situation in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, to become one of the most populated neighbourhoods in the capital and where young families decide to settle. The neighbourhood is very well connected by public transport and has many tourist attractions that you can enjoy, if you are looking to get a perspective of the eclectic and modern Berlin.

Some recommended places in the district

• Kulturbrauerei Museum.
• Planetarium.
• Friedhof Schönhause Cemetery.

The main area of Berlin's gay community, in Schöneberg you'll find a great atmosphere if you're looking to party and enjoy a stroll among terraces and bars. It is located between the lively district of Kreuzberg and the exclusive area that makes up the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.Hauptstrasse and Postdamer Strasse are its main streets and is also known as the Bavarian Quarter, where people like Iggy Pop, Billy Wilder and Albert Einstein himself lived.

Some recommended places in the neighbourhood

• Winterfeld Market.
• Rudolph-Wilde-Park.
• KaDeWe

Getting around Berlin

Train, metro, taxi, bicycle, you have several options for getting around the city, depending on where you want to go and, of course, how much time you have. If you're visiting Berlin in summer, for example, it's a good idea to use the city's public transport to avoid long walks in the sun.

If you travel to Berlin in early spring, however, you can enjoy pleasant walks and even book a bicycle tour of the city.

Accommodation in Berlin

You will need to consider the places you want to see and the length of time you will be in the city in order to choose accommodation that is as central as possible. Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport, located 40 kilometres south of the capital, is connected to the city centre by public transport lines.

In Berlin you have several transfer options between the airport and the city, so it will not be difficult for you to make a connection to the city centre or to the area of your hotel.

The Wedding area is known for its cheap Airbnb and hostelaccommodation. While other travellers look for more exclusive areas such as Potsdamer Platz, the city's most important financial and commercial district, where you'll find numerous hotels.

Berlin Welcome Card and Berlin Pass

Finally, I recommend you to check these two options to enjoy your stay in Berlin in a practical way, and with which you can save time and money.

The Berlin Pass is a tourist pass that, for a fixed cost, offers you, among other things, free entry to more than 50 museums in the city.

The Berlin Welcome Card is also a tourist card that offers different alternatives according to the number of days you are going to visit the city, which saves you money and allows you to make the most of its benefits during your stay.