Berlin Info – a Berlin City guide

Berlin Shopping Guide

Where to shop? What to buy?

• Flea Markets

  Looking for the Berlin Flea Market experience? On this page I have compiled a list of different more or less typical Berlin Flea Markets together with some tips, background information, opening hours and addresses. Happy Shopping! Flea Market at Mauerpark Parallel to the already popular Mauerpark, every Sunday one of the most popular Flea Markets […]

• Sunday Shopping

  After the German “Ladenschlussgesetz” (‘business hours law’) it is normally not allowed to open regular shops on Sundays. So basically shops all across Germany are closed on Sundays. But of course for every rule there are exceptions – and this makes it very well possible to go shopping on Sundays. At least on some Sundays […]

Berlin Blockade and Airlift – Facts and Figures

The Berlin Airlift (german: Berliner Luftbrücke / ‘Berlin air bridge’) was organized by the Western Allies, British and U.S. America in particular, to support and supplly West Berlin with food and goods during the soviet Berlin Blockade 1948/1949.

The Berlin Wall (1961 – 1989)

What was the Berlin Wall? Where was the Berlin Wall? Why was the Berlin Wall built?

The Fall of the Berlin Wall 1989

A page is dedicated to the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Internet in Berlin – Going Online

• Free WiFi Hotspots in Berlin

  Free Wifi Hotspots are probably the most convenient way of going online in Berlin. And the good news is: there is even a fair number of free WiFi Hotspots available – at least in the inner city areas. First of all many cafes and also some restaurants are offering free internet access for their customers. […]

Berlin Airports: Schönefeld

The one Berlin Airport, that is actually not in Berlin

Berlin by Bike

Getting around the city on two wheels.

Winter in Berlin: the sledding hills

Berlin may be flat – but there are some hills you can go to ride your sledge in the winter time

Tipping in Berlin

Where to tip? What to Tip? How much to tip?

The Berlin Bear – The Coat of Arms of Berlin

The official Coat of arms of the City is the Bear – but it's also everybody's darling

Drinking in Public

Yes, it's okay – as long as you do try to behave…

Eating in Public

Yes, it's okay – as long as you do try to behave…

Berlin Weather

What to expect from spring / summer / autumn winter weather conditions…

• Berlin Weather Cams

  Live weather cam at Loeser & Wolff-Haus / 40 seconds slowly moving / panning panorama view to Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Platz, Sony-Center, Tiergarten / Siegessäule and Reichstag www.wetter.com/wettercom-live/berlin/533fc1a98cd83/

Summer in Berlin

Berlin Lakes – lakes in and around Berlin

Go for a swim – or just hang by the beach on one of the many lakes

Berlin electricity: power plugs, voltage, sockets, plugs

When traveling abroad, you almost always have to think about the local electricity / the power situation: What is the voltage in Germany? What do the plugs look like? Do I need a power plug adapter and/or a power converter? What travel adapter will work?

Berlin maps: street maps, transport map, historical maps, …

A list of different resources and services featuring various Berlin maps: historic maps, interactive maps etc.

Berlin Healthcare

A view on the German health care system

Berlin Movie Theaters

Where and how to find films / screenings in English and/or original version

Public Holidays / Bank Holidays in Berlin

• New Year’s Eve / New Year’s Day

  Spending New Year’s Eve in Berlin can be a bit difficult – or at least ‘demanding’. There are some Berlin traditions and rituals that are probably a bit different from other cities’ traditions and rituals – so you better be prepared if you are planning to be in Berlin around the turn of the year. […]

• Easter in Berlin: The Easter Weekend 2024

  Are you planning to stay in Berlin over the Easter Weekend? Great. There are just a few things you probably should probably know about Easter in Berlin. First the dates: 28. March 2024 – Holy Thursday (Gründonnerstag) 29. March 2024 – Good Friday (Karfreitag) 31. March 2024 – Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag) 1. April 2024 – […]

• Berlin First of May / Walpurgis Night

  Once a year it’s the First of May – and the night before it’s Walpurgis Night. And just like in many German and European communities both days are celebrated in Berlin. However – you might have heard already that Walpurgis Night and especially the First of May have a bit their own ‘rituals’ and ‘traditions’ […]

Berlin Heating Systems

Gas heating? Coal heating? central heating? Here's a view what kind of heating system you'll probably find in your apartment – and how to operate it.

• Gas Heating and Hot Water

  Since Berlin has quite a well organized gas net, Gas Heating is probably still the most common heating system in Berlin apartments. this may sound a bit thrilling for some readers, but In general the gas heaters are basically quite easy to operate. These white boxes you will either find in your kitchen or in […]

Learning German in Berlin

Planning to stay? Want to communicate with the locals? Pick up some German!

Berlin Water: Tap Water = Drinking Water

Water from the tap and what you should know about it (yes, it most certainly is drinkable!)

Self-Service Laundry – Berlin laundromats

A (growing) list of self-service laundry facilities

Money Exchange: Cash and Currency Tips for Berlin

Came here with a handful of dollars? Here's your Euros…

Public Screening a.k.a Public Viewing

Watching a soccer game / football match in public, in a bar, at an organized event

Berlin TAXI 101 – taking a cab in Berlin

Taking a cab – how to take a Taxi in Berlin – a short guide with some basic facts and figures on Berlin Taxi fares, tipping, etc.

Berlin Accommodation

• Holiday Apartments (short term)

  If you’re looking for a holiday apartment / short term rental apartment, there is a number of both private and commercial apartments on offer. So if you’re visiting Berlin only for a couple of days, chances are you can actually stay in an ‘original Berlin apartment’ – or an ‘almost original Berlin apartment’. There has […]

• Rental Apartments (long term)

  In case you are actually moving to Berlin or at least planning to stay a little longer than just a couple of days, you may want to consider looking for an apartment to rent. Most Berlin apartments are rental apartments. Even though buying an apartment has become more and more popular over the recent years, […]

• Hotels

  Berlin has a virtually endless number of hotels of all kinds and categories. From the classic cozy family owned Hotel in some side street of Charlottenburg to the top top class 5 Star Hotels in the City Centre – there should be something for everybody. I would love to have a closer look at all […]

• 5 Star Hotels

  Since I’m not able to cover all Berlin Hotels, I will try to have a closer look at a few of them. On this page I will list Berlin’s 5 star hotels, since that list is still quite manageable. I must admit I have never actually stayed at any of these hotels – neither am […]

• The Berlin Airbnb Law “Zweckentfremdungsverbot”

  It has been ‘celebrated’ by many – it has been in international news and media: Berlin now has a special law called Zweckentfremdungsverbot to “fight Airbnb”. It’s also known as the Berlin Airbnb Law – or even “Anti-Airbnb Law”. This is at least how the law is perceived by many. But is the Berlin Airbnb […]

Berlin by Car

• Berlin Car Parking 101

  Visiting Berlin by car? Wondering where to park your car? If you travel to Berlin by car, you probably sooner or later ask yourself “Where can I park my car? And how much does it cost?”. On this page I’ll try to give some answers to these questions. First things first: there are actually still […]

• Parking Ticket Vending Machine explained

  At first sight a Berlin parking ticket vending machine might look a bit confusing. Many fragments of information on how to use the machine – but everything is only written in german. Of course. But all in all it’s not that complicated – here I’ll try to explain the very basics of how to use […]

• How to read German Parking Signs

  On this page I will try to explain the meaning of the different signs attached to typical German parking signs you will find all across Germany – and all over Berlin. I’ll start with a rather complex combination of different signs that you may find in any typical average Berlin street. I must admit it […]

• Berlin emission zone – the environmental badge

  Since 2008 the inner city area of Berlin is a so called emission zone or environmental zone. This means you have to have a valid environmental badge (the round green stickers almost all Berlin cars have) for your vehicle (Umweltplakette) to enter this environmental zone – otherwise you may face consequences and get a ticket. How to […]

• Berlin Car Rental – Hire a Car in Berlin

  Let’s face it: Germany is not only famous for its Beer, but also for its cars: German Car Brands, the German Autobahn, the German Car Culture. Some German Car Brands are world famous – and probably among the most famous brands: Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi. And the German Autobahn is probably also internationally well […]

• The Trabi / Trabant – a Two Stroke Car from East Germany

  The Trabant – or Trabi – used to be basically the car of East Germany (German Democratic Republic GDR). True, there were also other cars on the streets by manufacturers like Volkswagen, Volvo, Skoda – and there was even another East German car manufacturer: Wartburg. But with over 3 Million units sold over the years, […]

Public Transport

• Public Transport Ticket Prices

  Every few months new prices for public transport tickets are introduced by the Berlin transport operator BVG. I’ll try to keep track of the current ticket prices – but it’s an ongoing project. So please don’t take the prices listed below for granted. Instead I’m basically basically just offering an overview over the most popular, […]

• The Berlin Tram Grid

  Berlin used to have a very well organized network of street cars – trams – or German: ‘Strassenbahn’. After the war – or actually after Berlin was split in two by the Berlin Wall, West-Berlin closed all Tram lines one after another, following the example of other European cities – giving way to supposedly more […]

Berlin Food

• Currywurst – a Berlin dish

  The Currywurst is quite a traditional Berlin fast food dish. It has been around since 1949 and currently over a million sausages are sold and eaten per week in Berlin only. It basically consists of a steamed and then fried pork sausage which is then cut into slices – and then covered with a special, […]

• Döner Kebab

  The Döner Kebab – or just ‘Döner’ – or just ‘Kebab’ – is a very popular Berlin fast food dish – and it has been basically since the early 70ies. In most inner city neighborhoods you will probably always find a Kebab booth nearby – no matter where you are. And chances are that it’s […]

• Grilling / Barbecue BBQ

  While the concept of having a Barbecue is well known in Berlin, the more common / popular way of preparing food outdoors is probably Grilling. During the summer months you can basically buy grilling devices and grilling utensils at many Supermarkets. But also some late shops and even gas stations usually have at least the […]

• Spargel – Asparagus

  Berlin is kind of lucky to be situated more or less right in the middle of one of Germany’s largest Asparagus areas. The Brandenburg soil is perfect for growing the healthy and tasty, yet a bit strange vegetable. So it’s not really a surprise that during Asparagus’ high season you will find Spargel probably in […]

Trash and Recycling

• TV-Sets, Computers, Electronics, Batteries, etc.

  Maybe you’re visiting Berlin for a longer time period – or maybe you even moved here for good? Anyways – this ‘trash section’ is probably only of interest, if you have your own apartment, equipped with electric and electronic devices of various kinds. And then some fine day one of those electronic devices breaks down […]

• Biodegradable Waste / Organic Waste

  Whether you’re aware of it or not – but some part of your regular domestic waste is actually biodegradable waste. And in Berlin biodegradable waste basically stands for power, energy and carbon dioxide reduction. So you are kind of expected to separate your biodegradable / organic waste from the rest and place it in special trash […]

• Paper and Cardboard recycling

  Usually one of the trash boxes in a typical Berlin backyard is reserved for paper and cardboard recycling. And usually it is either a blue bin or a blue lidded bin – but sometimes it’s also just plain black and the only indicators are the sticker saying “Altpapier / Kartonagen” as you can see in […]

• Packaging waste, plastic, wrapping, other recyclable material

  First things first: although bottles are technically packaging, most plastic bottles and beer bottles are not meant to go in any bin, but ought to be returned to the shop. Other packaging made of glass like wine bottles and marmalade jars are meant to go in special glass bins or glass containers you’ll find either […]

• Recycling glass and bottles in Berlin

  Sooner or later you will find yourself with an empty bottle in your hand. What next? Some apartment buildings have their very own glass recycling facilities – but most of the old houses don’t. Instead people are expected to bring empty bottles and jars etc. to glass recycling boxes and containers that are located in […]

• Returnable Bottles / Deposit Bottles

  In Germany the recycling system grew and changed over the years and decades – and people grew with it. Some details and aspects may not be so obvious to understand for people that are confronted with the German recycling system for the first time. But basically I suppose it’s not that difficult to understand the […]

• Donating Clothes, Shoes, Books, DVDs etc.

  There are several ways to get rid old, used or just unwanted clothes, books, movie dvds and the like –  donating clothes and other things is probably one of the most useful ways. In Berlin there is a number of different institutions that are taking donations – here is q short overview: Oxfam Oxfam is […]

• scrap metal dealers

  Do you need to get rid of metal – by the kilo? And do you even want some money for your old metal parts? Great. Just contact a scrap metal dealer and exchange your trash for some cash. But don’t expect to get rich that way – usually scrap metal dealers only pay a few […]

• Christmas Trees

  In January the streets and side walks of Berlin can be blocked by Christmas trees. This is not part of a weird Swedish tradition (“KNUT”), but the official and correct way how to get rid of old Christmas trees. Berlin’s trash and recycling service BSR will occasionally come along and pick all those trees up. […]

also:

• David Bowie’s Berlin Years

  And then there is also the Bowie Berlin. At least since David Bowie shared an apartment with Iggy Pop in Berlin Hauptstrasse for a couple of years in the late Seventies, there is a strong connection between the city od Berlin and David Bowie. In Bowie biographies the time is also referred to as The […]