Berlin is a multifaceted city due to its popularity in art, nightlife, history, and more! The city has a dynamic flow, creativity all around the city, and an unstoppable spirit. Berlin is the biggest city in Germany and the country’s capital city. The town became a top destination for especially young travelers so the students. Creators like artists, writers, dancers also prefer Berlin over many other cities. Low rent prices can be the reason behind the attraction. Let’s power up Berlin’s reputation with on-budget places and activities.
Here is our guide for you to explore Berlin on a budget!
Food & Drinks
Berlin is a budget-friendly city to eat and drink with kebabs, wursts, and pizzas. The prices are low, and various spots serve delicious food on the street. Most meals include meat. The wurst (sausage) is one of the most known foods in the city, and they have nearly 1500 kinds of wurst.
Tasting cultural foods are crucial for staying on a budget in Berlin. Turkish, Indian, Vietnamese, and Thai restaurants are the cheapest options for a sit-down meal. You can enjoy Thai food in the summertime in PreuĂźen Park (Thai Park). Thai locals cook delicious and affordable Thai food in the park, and they create a food market for a temporary time. Drinks like beer or wine averagely cost about 3.50 EUR-4.50 EUR at any bar.
Tips for on a budget food & drinks
- Explore the street foods of Berlin. Berlin has a diverse and vast street food culture. Also, the variety makes the prices low. There are fast-food stalls on every street in Berlin, so you can quickly access them and enjoy the delicious food.
- Consider grabbing a beer from a supermarket to save time and money. While you explore the streets of Berlin, you can enjoy your beer.
- That may sound weird, but you should definitely bring a water bottle to save money. Tap water is safe to drink in Berlin. You can reduce your plastic consumption and travel sustainably 🙂
- Bring your student ID card to restaurants because there could be discounts on purchasing meals and drinks even if they don’t mention it.
1-Curry 36
Curry 36 is a perfect place for those who want to try wursts. Bockwurst, krakauers, a variety of other sausages, and proletariat Berlin specialties like fried burgers and bouletten (meatballs/patties) are available in addition to the currywurst. You can either take it home or eat it all at one of the outdoor stand-up tables.
- Mehringdamm 36, Kreuzberg, no telephone, www.curry36.de. Mon-Sun 9am-5pm.
2-Azzam Restaurant
Azzam Restaurant serves Lebanese-style delicious middle eastern food. The menu is rich, and the prices are surprisingly inexpensive. The average costs for all foods on the menu are under €5. The restaurant is a popular location, so you may consider going out at mealtimes. They have a cozy, amiable atmosphere when it’s not crowded. The critical info that we have to say is that rumors say they have the best falafel in the town 🙂
- Restaurant Azzam, Sonnenallee 54 (Neukölln)
3-Mustafa’s GemĂĽse Kebab
This place is not a restaurant; they have a food stand on the street. The popularity of Mustafa’s GemĂĽse Kebab comes from their different style of kebab. They do not serve known Berlin kebab; instead, they use chicken with roasted veggies and fill it with a delightful mix of potatoes, salad, cheese, and sauce. They also have vegetarian options.
Their appetizing food creates a lengthy line on the street, and definitely, it will be worth your time. Do not forget Mustafa’s GemĂĽse Kebab is a to-go spot, so you have to eat the food on the street.
- Mustafa’s GemĂĽse Kebab, Mehringdamm 32 (Kreuzberg)
4-Maroush Lebanese Food
Maroush Lebanese Food serves Lebanese cuisine that is both tasty and affordable. Great falafel sandwiches with lettuce and tahini, packed with freshly cooked falafel balls. Chicken and French fries abound in chicken shawarma sandwiches.
- Maroush, Adalbertstrasse 98, Kreuzberg.
5-Pazzi X Pizza Authentic Italian Pizza
The restaurant makes tasty and cheap pizzas in the city. That is a hard combo to find in Berlin. They sell the pizzas by the slice, but their portion is very satisfying if you are starving. Prices are averagely €2.50-€3.00, but extra ingredients increase the costs.
- Pazzi X Pizza, Herrfurthstr. 8 (Neukölln)
Accommodation
Berlin has lots of tourist attractions, especially in the spring and summer seasons. Detailed and prepared accommodation plans are crucial in these terms. Travelers mainly have 3 options; hostels, hotels, and locals 🙂
Budget hotels averagely cost between 60-75 EUR per night. These hotels offer basics like a private bathroom, TV, Wi-Fi but breakfast is not usually included. 3-star hotels will be the most suitable option for mid-range budgets.
Hostels are nearly the same as hotels, but you can find an average room for 40-50 EUR per night. If you are comfortable sharing your room with other people, there are dorms (4-8 beds) cost between 17-25 EUR per night and dorms with 10 or more beds that cost 13-18 EUR per night.
Use the platforms that assist you in finding a local in the city to decrease your travel expenditures while also receiving some local insight into the city. You can find a host for a relatively low price or even for free!
Transportation
Transportation can be one of the most significant sources of expense if you don’t prepare your route in detail.
By bus and S-/U-Bahn, you may quickly and comfortably discover Berlin’s tourist attractions. The M100, M200, and M300 bus lines, which run from Alexanderplatz to Bahnhof Zoo, pass through the most popular tourist destinations. The M100 bus route goes past the north side of the Tiergarten via the Reichstag, Bellevue Palace, and the Siegessäule (Victory Column).
Purchase a transportation pass – A day ticket with unlimited travel in the city is 8.80 EUR, and a week pass costs 36 EUR, which is less than paying per ride. If you plan to see a majority of the town, your tickets can be used on the railway, tram, and bus systems, saving you a lot of money.
Additionally, bike tours are trendy in Berlin. Visitors can enjoy the attractive views of Berlin in a budget-friendly and eco-friendly way.
Tip!
Get the Berlin Welcome Card! The Berlin Welcome Card allows you to get discounts over 200 spots, free entry to paid museums (not all of them), and most importantly, free transportation opportunities in the city. If you have a busy schedule for your Berlin trip, it is definitely worth buying.
There is also a premium card that includes the hop-on, hop-off bus trip, and boat cruise are among the 31 attractions for free in town. Both cards can be used for a period of 2 to 6 days. The basic card costs $26 for 48 hours, the premium card costs $99 for the same amount of time. You can learn more about the Berlin Welcome Card from their website.
Cultural Activities
1-Holocaust Memorial
It is a mausoleum in Berlin, Germany’s capital, devoted to the Jews who perished during the Holocaust.
The mausoleum, which was designed by US architect Peter Eisenman and UK engineering firm Buro Happold, comprises 2,711 concrete blocks that cover an area of 19,000 square meters. Because they are monolith masses rising vertically, these reinforced concrete blocks are also known as steles.
A page of the Talmud, which contains religious literature such as Jewish civil law, ceremonial laws, and tales, can be found on the stele masses. According to Peter Eisenman, the mausoleum’s designer, the goal is to create a distressing and perplexing environment; consequently, these designs represent the detachment of a supposedly regular system from mankind.
Address: Cora-Berliner-StraĂźe 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
2-Reichstag
The Reichstag, a historical landmark in Berlin, houses the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament. It provides a beautiful glass dome that is well worth seeing. The building’s design has high Renaissance and classicism influences. At the same time, the building’s architecture is extremely environmentally friendly. It is possible to see the glass dome, but you must make a reservation in advance; otherwise, it will be hard to get a spot. The Reichstag dome provides a panoramic perspective of Berlin. It is significant since it is the German Empire’s first parliament.
There are two ways to spend time in the building. The first is to gaze out at the spectacular glass dome in Berlin, and the second is to join the 1.5-hour tour available and learn about the building’s history and parliamentary function.
We can say that the Reichstag protects the title of the most visited parliament building in the world, with it being free.
3-Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears)
Tränenpalast was a former border crossing point between East and West Berlin that operated from 1962 to 1989 at Berlin Friedrichstraße station. It has a meaningful side because people traveling to West Germany from East Germany could say goodbye to relatives who were held in East Germany in Tränenpalast. It has been converted into a museum featuring exhibits on Berlin during the Cold War and the German reunification process.
Address: Reichstagufer 17, 10117 Berlin, Germany
4-Berliner Unterwelten-Museum
An underground museum that sheds light on the city’s metro history, with the bunkers of World War II in the foreground. With a visit to the Berliner Unterwelten-Museum, embark on an exciting discovery journey beneath the city’s streets. Learn more about the city’s hidden history. The four-story museum will teach you everything you need to know about the capital’s extensive underground facilities.
Fun-to-do Activities
1-Berghain & Panorama Bar
Last but not least, you have to visit Berghain & Panorama Bar. It is like a techno temple in Berlin. This is actually an abandoned factory. It’s pretty big inside, there are 2 party places, and the music doesn’t mix with each other. Due to the ban on photography, they have the cameras turned off with stickers at the entrance. The music doesn’t stop all over the weekend, even some people say the best time for the entrance is Sunday morning! The place has one of the best sound systems in the world.
2-Circus Hostel Brewing
Circus Hostel is a unique place with its excellent tasty craft beer. The hostel has its own microbrewery where they create their own craft brews. You can enjoy beers on average 3-4 EUR. You can look at their menu for more information. They have a cozy and cute atmosphere. Also, Hasselhoff Museum is near the hostel, so you can easily access the museum.
3-Markthalle Kreuzberg
Berliners adore their Sunday brunch, and this market is definitely worth visiting. You may enjoy a broad selection of cuisine alternatives at the Markthalle in Kreuzberg. They also have myriad snacks with the huge snack market, so Markthalle Kreuzberg is a popular place for children too.
4-Mauerpark’s Market
The Mauerpark flea market is well-known. Hip Berliners and foreigners commonly use it as a Sunday afternoon activity. Toys and vinyl, clothing, musical instruments, and bicycles are generally sold by private sellers at the flea market. In addition, the Mauerpark flea market offers a big furniture tent where intrepid shoppers may discover great gems. Mauerpark is surrounded by a lot of inviting eateries.
5-Take a Free Walking Tour
There are new tour themes like daily walking tours of the city’s principal attractions. For the ones who have more specific interests, they also offer excursions around numerous historical themes (Nazism, Jewish history, etc.) for a lower price. For those curious on the arty side of Berlin, there are plenty of Alternative Berlin Tours.
6-East Side Gallery
The East Side Gallery is a representation of freedom. It is a 1.3-kilometer section of the Berlin Wall. In 1990, on the east side of the Berlin Wall, the gallery had 105 artworks by artists worldwide. It is one of the world’s most extensive and longest-running open-air galleries. The images on this page represent a time for change and dreams, a more free future worldwide.