Event venues in Berlin

When to Visit Berlin

There's no way to sugarcoat it. Berlin is not at full cheer in the winter. It gets dark as early as 4 pm, it rains a lot, and it's cold. It does snow most years, however, which does brighten things up quite nicely.

That being said, we don't advise against going to Berlin in the winter. It's a season to get great deals on flights and hotels. So if you can shake off the winter blues, you're golden!

And let's not forget, the Berliners do Christmas with admirable panache. The markets are internationally renowned as being some of the best in the world, as is the Glühwein you need to try while you're there.

On New Year's Eve, the festive atmosphere takes a turn to the crazy side. Celebrations include using firecrackers and bottle rockets as projectiles!

With such fun promised over the festive season, however, hotels can fill up quite quickly. It is unlikely you will find bargains at this time either.

After the celebrations have become memories, there's still fun to be had though. Towards the end of January, there's Berlin Fashion Week, and the International Green Week.

February hosts the Berlinale Film Festival. This is a big event in the calendar of film geeks and movie industry members, so expect competition for good hotel deals again.

For a tough city, Berlin reveals its whimsical side in spring. Here's the thing though, you never can tell exactly when spring will come. As the Germans saying goes, April der Macht was er will: April does what it wants. So if you're a gambler, take a punt on an April visit. You might get sunburnt during a picnic; you might get caught in hailstones or snow.

The best time to visit Berlin is anytime from May through October. During these months, you'll enjoy lunch, beers, and coffee on Berlin's many outdoor terraces. It's in these months you can get to know the city with a leisurely stroll.

Temperatures average out at around 19°C to 23°C. As you might have picked up, flights and accommodation are at their most expensive at these times. Tough luck, but oh so worth it!

The summer lasts from June until the end of August. This is when the city is at its best. Temperatures can reach up to 30ºC, and, oddly enough, it happens to be the wettest season as well. The streets and atmosphere are still electric all the same.

Where to Stay in Berlin

Now, a lot of you may know, Paris is a big city. Berlin is five times bigger, geographically speaking. Not only is it a big old girl, but it’s also complicated in its layout.

Most cities have a defined centre that spreads out to various suburbs. Berlin boasts multiple ‘mini-centres’, scattering its most prized sights and attractions throughout the city.

What makes it more complicated is that the city was divided by a very famous wall from 1961 to 1989. But thankfully, it has long since gone.

All this means that the city has some very distinct areas and neighbourhoods. Whichever one you choose to stay in will affect how your experience plays out.

Mitte

The best strategic location to get to the ‘must-see’ attractions has to be Mitte. Mitte aptly translates to Middle; it’s Berlin’s central area if you had to pinpoint one.

There are several significant areas like Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz, Unter den Linden, and the Nikolaiviertel where you’ll see big hitters like Brandenburger Tor, the Reichstag, and the TV Tower.

Throughout Mitte, you have a splendid blend of shops, cafes, restaurants, and clubs that are popular with both tourists and trendy Berliners alike.

Friedrichshain

Friedrichshain is an East Berlin neighbourhood that has been somewhat rejuvenated since the city was reunified.

What was once the play area of squatters, punks, and grungers, is now an urban retreat for art lovers, creative souls, and… well, we’ll say it, Hipsters. It’s not quite earned the moniker of ‘gentrified’. But it’s getting there.

There is a commercialised area with major venues like the East Side Gallery, the Mercedes Benz Area, and an ever-growing number of hotels and restaurants.

Despite all this, the nightlife still maintains its edge. This is where you’ll find the world-famous club Berghain and many others all alive and well in the Raw Gelände complex.

Kreuzberg

Kreuzberg is a diverse and lively feature of the city. There is a very well coveted and attended nightlife scene here. The exhausting amount of cool bars and nightclubs are open later than you’ll ever need them to be!

This area has historically been the home of Berlin’s alternative countercultures, and it still plays that role today. It’s also one of the most multicultural areas in the city, home to many Turkish and Middle Eastern immigrants.

Prenzlauer Berg

Prenzlauer Berg was once the archetypal bohemian hangout. In today’s Berlin, you’ll see people from all spectrums of society and clear influences of hipster culture.

You’ll find it just north of Mitte. It’s a pleasant place to be and is undoubtedly gentrified. Visitors fall in love with the cobbled streets, a healthy amount of trees, and many squares.

There are enough trendy coffee shops, unique restaurants, and indie boutiques to keep you occupied for a lifetime.

There are little to no tourist attractions, so if you wish to experience the city like a local, this place might be for you.

Charlottenburg/ West Berlin

Charlottenburg, usually known as West Berlin/City West, is the more upscale part of the city. Its most famous street, Ku’damn, is credited with having Berlin’s most prestigious shops and fanciest restaurants.

Kantstrasse runs parallel to Ku’damm and is popular for its multicultural cafes and restaurants. It is particularly famous for having the city’s best Asian food venues.

The Bahnhof Zoo area has engaged in a recent big-scale redevelopment, which has only cemented West Berlin’s reputation as the classiest place to be. It’s seen a high intake of chic hotels and trendy shopping malls, too.

Getting Around Berlin

The U-Bhan is what you would probably understand as an underground railway with ten lines. There are more than 170 stations in total. Trains start running at 4 AM and usually stop around 1 AM. However, this doesn’t concern Fridays or Saturdays when they run through the night at 15-minute intervals. To decipher which way the train is going, see the last stop’s name on the line. It’s headed that way.

The S-Bahn covers more ground than its underground colleague. These are the trains you’re after to reach the suburbs and areas outside of the city.

The bus network is extensive, with 150 different routes. Fifty-four lines run well into the early house. Regular service for the rest is from 4.30 AM to 1 AM the following morning.

They’re easy to figure out. Just enter at the front entrance, and depart at the middle of the back entrance. You can only buy singles on the bus. There is a wider variety of tickets available if you purchase them from the machines at stations.

If you’re on the eastern side of the city, the tram will prove handy. There are 21 different lines, with five of them running through the night. Recently though, the lines have started to spread into the west side of the city. The main tram station is at Hackescher Markt. You can buy tickets there, on the tram themselves, or at U-Bahn stations.

Berlin is a bike-friendly city, with more than 650km of dedicated bike paths. So it’s less intimidating and most importantly, safe, for the uninitiated. Cycling is a good way of commuting, or as a way of exploring the city’s neighbourhoods.

You can also take your bike on public transport. With designated trams, U-Bahn and S-Bahn carriages having space, and night buses from Sunday to Thursday having bike areas. You will need a separate ticket for your bike, though. It’s called a Fahrradkarte costing €1.90.

What to Eat in Berlin

How many dishes can gloat about having their own museum? Not many. It’s a very niche market in the museum world. But Currywurst is one of the rare meals that gets the special treatment.

It’s a food Berlin that is intensely proud of. More often than not, local cuisine is acknowledged as a collective achievement. But what makes it even more special is that we know who invented it!

Herta Heuer invented Currywurst in 1949 using ingredients she got from British soldiers. The three main ingredients at play are ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and curry powder.

Spätzle is a treasure for vegetarian Berliners. Or anyone with functioning taste buds for that matter. This German-style pasta comes from the Swabian area originally. The dough is a mix of flour, eggs, salt, and a dash of fizzy water. It’s finished with a mountain of quality cheese. Et voila.

Germany's most well-travelled dish is, of course, Schnitzel. Classically, Schnitzel is thinly sliced veal dressed in flour, egg and bread crumbs then deep-fried until golden brown.

As our friends in Berlin are awfully ingenuitive, you see Schnitzel in all sorts of guises these days; pork, chicken, imitation meat, and so on. The only constant is a side of fried potatoes.

Germany is the sausage capital of the world. And Bratwurst is king of the capital. It’s served and eaten simply too. Grill the Bratwurst for a few minutes on each side, and it’s cooked. All you need is a bun, some ketchup and mustard. And there you have it.

Not to cause a disturbance, but Apfelstrudel, despite its folklore status, is not from Germany. Austria, their friendly neighbour, invented it. Apfelstrudel translates to ‘apple whirlpool’ in Middle High German, which is a pretty cool name if we’re honest.

It’s a thin pastry, delicate and flaky to the touch. Inside is a combination of cooking apples, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and breadcrumbs. But that’s not the whole tale. A generous dollop of vanilla ice cream on top is an integral part of the story.

The Döner Kebab is hands down the most popular fast food in Berlin. We hate to give commands, but you have to try it. You will think you have them in your home countries, but not like this. It’s a fast-food derived from Turkish immigrants that became popularised in the 1960s.

Königsberger Klopse is Germany’s version of everybody’s favourite - the meatball. Taking their name from the Prussian city of origin, they are a Berlin favourite. Typically, they come in three different renditions: ground veal, beef, and pork.

What makes them unique is that they’re cooked in a broth. And what makes them really special is the signature sauce. It’s a creamy fixture with distinct essences of capers and lemon.

We couldn’t wrap up our overly long food section without mentioning one more thing. The beer. Germany has strict purity laws, so the quality of the beer is high by government demand. Classics like Berliner, Augustiner, and Franziskaner need to be tried for starters. After that, trust your bartender.

Wrapping up

We could go on and on about Berlin. But we don’t have to, because you get the picture: it’s great.

It’s always been at the cutting edge of culture, and probably always will be. It satisfies business people, tourists, students, and residents time and time again.

We are always discovering new and amazing event venues in this city. So if you would like to talk to us about dream events Berlin, we’d love to hear from you!