How to spend a long weekend in Berlin: An Ultimate 3 day guide to Germany’s capital

A long weekend in Berlin

My first visit to Germany, and what an impression it made. Berlin is super cool, inclusive, and quirky. I feel it gave Bristol mixed with London vibes, and yet completely unique in its own right and totally different from anywhere I have visited. We spent a very busy 3 days in the city and there was so much to see and do. Read on for the ultimate guide to a long weekend in Berlin!

Getting around Berlin

We stayed in Hotel ROMY which was across the road from Berlin Hauptbhanhof (Hbf), the main central station. This made it an ideal location and centre base for our long weekend in Berlin!

As you probably know, our trips abroad consist of walking everywhere (it’s only three 20 minute walks right…). I think this is a fab way to take in the whole atmosphere of a place and to get your bearings (although I am terrible with directions!). We walked over 20,000 steps each day, but Berlin is a BIG city. With an excellent and timely transport system, it makes travelling around the city super easy. It gives you the freedom of visiting so many more sites and neighbourhoods so I would definitely recommend!

Berlin’s Public Transport

The transport network consists of the S-Bahn (the overground trains such as the ones that run to and from the airport- as of 2020, there is now only one airport: Berlin Brandenburg); the U-Bahn (the underground metro); trams; buses; and ferries. Before you board, make sure you buy your ticket from the ticket machine. You can select your language and then see your options.

The city is split into three transport zones: A, B, and C. The airport is in zone C, so for this journey you will need an ABC ticket which costs €4 for a single. Or you can buy a 24-hour ABC ticket, which costs €10.70, and you can use it on any of the above transport. This is totally worth it as just three journeys and you have got yourself a better deal! Once you have paid for your ticket and taken it from the machine, head to a small yellow box dotted around the platform to get it time and date stamped before boarding. Your single journey (120 mins) or 24 hours for the 24hour ticket starts from the time stamped! We used the U-Bhan constantly and managed to navigate it easily using google maps to see what U-number and route we should take.

Where we ate: Berlin, the Vegan Capital of Europe?

Before our trip we had heard that Berlin was the ‘Vegan Capital’ of Europe. This was very exciting as we have struggled a little in the past on our travels with finding places to eat! Even in our short time in the city, I couldn’t agree more with the label. I’ve never seen so much choice of vegan food in one place. Every cuisine you can think of and very affordable too (danke!).

Our favourite neighbourhood was Friedrichshain and we ended up spending both our evenings in Berlin here. The neighbourhood has a super cool chilled vibe, especially around Boxhagener Platz and Simon-Dach-Straße. This area was full of unique plant-based cafes and restaurants, fun pubs and bars. We ate at ‘Yoyo Food Worldwide’, which was a very quirky canteen style restaurant with an extensive menu of adapted traditional German food. We tried the vegan currywurst, vegan ‘chicken’ schnitzel and some German beer. The next night we went to ‘1990 Vegan Living’; a Vietnamese tapas style restaurant. It was amazing. Especially the Thit Bung (crispy soy strips) and 90’s Vings (marinated seitan on a sugarcane)- would recommend! It’s worth noting that both of these places only accepted cash (there are plenty of ATMs around if needed, but unfortunately they did charge even with Monzo!).

We got lots of great veggie-friendly recommendations from our friend including ‘Brammibal’s Donuts’ which has a huge selection of vegan donuts and cute café vibes inside. This might have been the only time we actually sat down during our second day so was a very welcome (and tasty) break!

Things to do in Berlin

We had a fantastic long weekend in Berlin and packed soo much in our three days! Read on for our recommendations of things to see and do in this energetic city:

The Reichstag Building

The Reichstag is the parliamentary building for the government and holds a lot of history. A visit to the glass dome is FREE! You just need to register/book your visit in advance. Tickets sell out, so as soon as you can (we booked our visit a couple of weeks in advance) pick a date and time online. A confirmation will then be sent to your email.

Arrive at least 15 minutes before your time slot. You will need to show your confirmation letter (printed out or a screenshot on your phone), present your passport or full driving license, and go through security similar to an airport. Then, you will get herded like sheep from one section to the next and eventually up to the glass dome.

You can collect your free audio guide. I super recommend this as it gave lots of interesting information about the Reichstag as well as the sights you can see from the dome. Around the bottom of the dome, there is an interesting timeline of the politics of Germany and how this intersects with the Reichstag (I personally found very interesting but know it might not be for everyone!). You can also go on the roof terrace outside to see the views.

Free, allow 1-1.5 hours if you would like to listen to audio and read info.

Brandenburg Gate

A must-see in your long weekend in Berlin intinerary. The most iconic architecture and symbol of Berlin and of Germany. During the cold war, the sandstone archway represented a symbol of division, but today it’s a national symbol of unity and peace. It’s a big hotspot for getting that ‘iconic Berlin’ snap! Unfortunately for us, the entire structure was covered with scaffolding (as it seemed that everything was on our visit- typical!). So, we had to be clever with our angles and managed to get some photos from the back of the gate 😀

The Holocaust Memorial

Close to the Brandenburg gate, is the Holocaust Memorial. This is formed of 2711 concrete blocks of differing heights in recognition and as a memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. It is a place of remembrance and significance due to the history it represents. Both the Holocaust Memorial and Museum are free to visit.

Unter Del Linden

From Brandenburg Gate, head down the famous Unter Del Linden towards the Berlin Cathedral and Museum Island and see the impressive Architecture along the way. Stop at Gendarmarkt square, one of the main venues of the Christmas markets, and other events throughout the year. Berlin’s equivalent to Paris’ Champs-Élysées.

Museums

There are soooo many museums to choose from and unless you are in the city for a long time, it is impossible to visit them all. If like us you just have a long weekend in Berlin, I would recommend choosing 2-3 museums to visit in total. While the histories and stories of the city are super important to learn about, it can feel quite heavy. Unfortunately, the Pergamonmuseum we wanted to visit is now closed for refurbishment until 2027 and some sections closed until 2037! So, we decided on the DDR museum, the Jewish Museum, and the Topography of Terror exhibition (more on this later).

The DDR museum is all about life in East Germany during the cold war. Although serious, it is one of the most fun and interactive museums I have been to. Visitors can sit in a Trabi car and also explore a typical East Berlin family flat. Entry was €13.50 per adult, and €8 for a concession. Allow a couple of hours at least!

The Jewish Museum (Jüdische Museum Berlin) uses art and architecture to create a space for reflection and make you feel a certain way. It did take a while to get used to the layout and it is much bigger than you think and goes through the entire history of Judaism. The core exhibition (the part we visited) is free, but remember to still collect your free ticket from the front desk. Note that bags also need to be checked into the cloakroom. You could easily spend hours here, but we probably spent 1.5-2 hours.

Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) and Museumsincel (Museum Island)

Many of the museums are on the Museumsincel (Museum Island). As mentioned above, we did not end up going into any of the museums on the Island. However, the island itself is still worth an explore for some stunning views of the river spree with the Berliner Dom and architecture of the museums in the background. Museum Island also hosts some cool flea markets.

The Berlin Cathedral is magnificent. It’s something we wished we managed as it is supposed to be amazing! Entry is €7, but make sure you check timings as last entry is often 45 minutes before it closes (which was 3pm on the Saturday we were there). Don’t make our mistake and look at opening times in advance for your long weekend in Berlin!

Tiergarten

A beautiful parkland with meandering cycle and pedestrian paths. I believe this would be a nice setting for a walk any time of the year, but I feel so lucky to have seen the Tiergarten in Autumn with the stunning orangey-yellow leaves. On our last day we took our pastries to the Tiergarten and enjoyed breakfast before walking toward the Victory Column (see below!). A blissful way to spend the early morning!  

Victory Column

The victory column stands proudly in the centre of the Tiergarten and looks pretty spectacular! It costs €4 (or €3 with a student ID card) CASH to go inside. There is a small museum on the ground level. We didn’t have a lot of time to stop and read the information, but we marvelled at the models of landmarks around the world including big ben and empire state building. However, this is not what we were there for… Head up the 285 steps of the narrow winding stairway (there are seats along the way, phew!) for spectacular views over Berlin. My absolute favourite view of the city during our long weekend in Berlin! The autumnal colours made this even more stunning.

€4 euros cash, opens 9:30am everyday, allow 1 hour

East Side Gallery and Oberbaumbrucke Bridge

We caught the U-Bahn to Warschauer Straße and walked towards the start of the longest remaining part of the Berlin wall. This famously has been painted with murals, and is named the East Side Gallery. We stopped and admired the Oberbaumbrucke bridge before taking in the East Side Gallery. It stretches for 1.3km and got a little crowded in sections as everyone was trying to take photos of the more well known pieces of art. It is well worth a visit.

Checkpoint Charlie

Visit Checkpoint Charlie to see where the famous crossing between East Berlin and West Berlin stood. Take some photos and pop into a café nearby and people watch. A little warning that there were a few people around trying to get money for an official photo and others who were trying to get you to sign fake forms. Nevertheless, it’s an important part of Berlin’s history. You can see the famous photo of the West Berlin and East Berlin tanks facing each other at the boarder along with lots of other information, maps, and photographs at the free outdoor exhibitions in the area.

Topography of Terror

Close to Checkpoint Charlie, the Topography of Terror is an outside (but undercover) exhibition and timeline of WW2. Parallel to a remaining part of the Berlin wall, the installation covers a lot of important topics and contains newspaper articles and photographs. There is also a free museum next to it.

Nickolaiviertal

This felt like more of a secret find, the Montmartre of Berlin! A cute and small area of cobbled streets and pastel buildings in the East of the city. A very instagramable spot! Adorned with a few cafés, gift shops, and restaurants, the peaceful setting was a welcoming break from the bustling city!

Alexander Platz and the TV tower

This is the centre and main shopping quarter of Berlin, along with an outdoor square that is used for Christmas Markets/Biergartens. You can see the famous TV tower which is the highest point in Berlin! It seemed quite expensive at €24.50. As we saw the 360 views from the victory tower and Reichstag, we did not go in. However, it could be cool, especially as it has a restaurant and bar at the top! Other things of note at Alexander Platz are the small trampolines that are built into the tarmac, and the green tiled Alexander Platz U-Bahn station which makes you feel as though you are right in the middle of a Wes Anderson film!

Kaiser Wilheim Church and Charlottenburg

We walked from the Victory Column to the Kaiser Wilheim church along the picturesque Landwehr Kanal (okay google took us the wrong way but this detour was lovely!). We walked along the edge of the Berlin zoo to Kaiser Wilheim Church in the Charlottenburg neighbourhood. In WW2, the church was bombed and partially destroyed and now stands alongside a modern church building. This acts as a memorial for peace and reconciliation. It recognises the people of Berlin’s determination to rebuild the city after the WW2.

Visit other neighbourhoods

There are so many sites in the central part of Berlin (Mitte) so it would be easy just to stay quite central. However each neighbourhood seems to have its own identity and gives the real edgy and unique flavour of the city. I’m aware we only had a long weekend in Berlin so perhaps our judgement is premature, but our favourite neighbourhood we visited was Friedrichshain, where we ate dinner both nights. Every lamppost, door, restaurant bathroom was plastered in stickers and posters celebrating diversity and inclusivity, and was very LGBTQIA+ friendly. We also visited Kruezberg which is the party/club area, and Charlottenburg which seemed a bit quieter and good for shopping.

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Thanks so much for reading 😊 Have an amazing long weekend in Berlin!!

B