Best Berlin Neighborhoods

Museums, monuments, contemporary art galleries, markets and nightlife. Every district and neighborhood 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 talking about Mitte or Berlin-Mitte, which more than a neighborhood itself, is the most important and populated district of the city, where you will find the historic center and some of the most interesting tourist spots to explore. So if you are in Berlin and looking for tours and excursions available in the city, this area will be a must.

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

In 2001 there was a reorganization of the districts of Berlin, and some neighborhoods became districts of the city, while others were regrouped as was the case of Mitte, Wedding and Tiergarten.

As there is a lot to see in Mitte, I will tell you here about two places that I consider a must.

Reichstag

The visit to the German parliament building is well worth it, and the great attraction is its glass dome, which seeks to represent the opening and political transformation of Germany after World War II.

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.
• 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 is also located this space that houses a set of some of the most important museums in Europe. Do not 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, Bode Museum, 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 areas of the city very visited by the tourists who come to the German capital. In this district of the city you will find the huge park that bears the same name and in which is located the Berlin zoological garden, which is very worthwhile, especially if you visit the city with small children.

Here you will also find the Potsdamer Platz, considered the cosmopolitan center of Berlin. I recommend you not to miss the food trucks area, a trend that takes this space so you can enjoy its varied offer of street food. This area is open from 11:30 am to 6:00 pm, every day.

Some recommended places in the neighborhood

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

Located in the district of Berlin-Mitte, it is not a neighborhood so well known by tourists, but it has had an outstanding growth that is worth appreciating. Here the prices of the rents are cheaper with respect to other neighborhoods of the city and you can feel a calmer atmosphere. Ideal to have it as a lodging option in your visit to Berlin.

In Wedding you will also find street markets, public parks and galleries, as many emerging artists have chosen this area of the city to settle.

Some recommended places in the neighborhood

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

If in Berlin you are looking for more than the best museums in Berlin, this neighborhood offers an alternative view of the city. Also known as the Turkish quarter, due to the large number of immigrants living in the area, in Kreuzberg you will find a lot to explore, between nightlife, fast food stalls and cheap food, stores and a highly recommended weekend flea market.

In the past Kreuzberg was the punk scene of West Berlin, a place of resistance and rebellion, which today stands as an alternative and modern neighborhood, where many creative companies and digital media have their offices. On Paul-Lincke-Ufer street you will find more exclusive dining options such as Zola pizzeria and Mexican restaurant La Lucha.

Some recommended places in the neighborhood

• Jewish Museum
• Bergmannstraße, where you will find numerous stores, 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 in Berlin which is the trendiest neighborhood, you will surely be recommended to visit Neukölln, located in the southwestern part of the German capital and not far from the center. It is a former working-class neighborhood 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 stores make it a neighborhood that shows the young and modern face of Berlin.

Some recommended places in the neighborhood

• Turkish market.
• Körnerpark.
• Schillermarkt.

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

And here you will find an underground scene, being one of the neighborhoods that currently attracts young families, students and artists. Undoubtedly one of its attractions is to walk through the East Side Gallery, which extends for about 1.3 km long, and where you can see an old piece of what was the Berlin Wall, which has been intervened by numerous artists and with several restorations throughout its history.

Some recommended places in the neighborhood

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

Known as the Jewish quarter of Berlin, 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 in 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 stores or have a drink in its many bars and cafes.

Some recommended places in the neighborhood

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

One of the most exclusive neighborhoods of the city and place of residence of families with high economic income. Located in the west of Berlin, you will find art galleries, hotels and luxury boutiques. Although it has this chic and exclusive image that is not attractive to some travelers, in this neighborhood you will also find essential places with a lot of history.

Some recommended places 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, familiar and countercultural neighborhood that will welcome you with numerous organic markets, cafes with healthy proposals and many baby carriages. A place in the city that went from being a refuge for young professionals dissatisfied with the situation of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, to become one of the most populated neighborhoods of the capital and where young families decide to settle. The neighborhood is very well connected by public transport and has many tourist attractions that you can enjoy if you are looking for a perspective of the eclectic and modern Berlin.

Some recommended places in the neighborhood

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

Main area of the gay community in Berlin, in Schöneberg you will find a propitious atmosphere if you are looking to party and enjoy a tour among terraces and bars. It is located between the lively neighborhood 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 neighborhood

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

How to move in Berlin

Train, subway, cab, bicycle, you have several options to move around the city, depending on where you want to go, and of course, how much time you have. If you visit Berlin in summer, for example, it will be 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, you will be able to enjoy pleasant walks and even book a bike tour around the city.

Accommodation in Berlin

You will have to take into account the places you want to visit and the time you will be in the city to choose an accommodation as centrally located as possible. Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport is located 40 kilometers south of the capital and is connected to the city center 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 center or to the area of your hotel.

The Wedding area is known for its cheap prices for accommodations such as Airbnb and hostels. While other travelers look for more exclusive areas such as Potsdamer Platz, the most important financial and commercial district of the city where you will 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 entrance to more than 50 museums in the city.

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