Exploring Berlin on a Budget: Affordable Activities and Exciting Gems

Introduction

Berlin is an exciting and electric cultural hub that has a little bit of everything. The German capital has some of the best urban parks, historical museums, sporting events, outdoor art murals, and an unmatched nightlife. Read more about what to do in Berlin on a budget!

This guide will give you an insider’s scoop on the best things to do in Berlin. If you want to learn about practical information like where to stay, time needed, or how to get around, I urge you to read Berlin: The Ultimate Travel Guide (COMING SOON). Berlin is an affordable city compared to the rest of Western Europe, making it an ideal budget travel destination.

My time in Berlin on a Budget

I spent about 2 months in Berlin, getting an immersive experience. I spent most of my time in the neighborhoods of Prenzlauerberg, Neukolln, Kreuzberg, and Frierichshain. It is such a huge city that it is easy to find a new experience every day. Most of my free time in Berlin was spent checking out museums, walking around Berlin’s unmatched urban parks, grabbing drinks with friends, and walking almost everywhere.

If you picture yourself spending your time in Berlin doing similar activities, I urge you to read further!

What to in Berlin on a Budget

Berlin is far from short of things to do, as the city hosts something for everyone. The following list is based on some of the best budget friendly things to do in the German capital!

Visit one of Berlin’s many cheap (or free) museums

Berlin is home to some of the best museums in the world. If you like history, you can check out the Pergamon Museum, the Bunker, or the German Resistance Museum. If you are into science, the Humboldt Forum hosts some world-class exhibits from some of the smartest students. Finally, if you enjoy street art, you can check out Urban Nation or the East Side Gallery. Most of these museums and exhibits are free as well!

During my 2 months in Berlin, I visited more than 20 museums. To help you find the best way to spend your time, I filtered my favorite museums and wrote my article on the Best Cheap (and Free) Museums in Berlin.

Hangout in a green Berliner park

The parks in Berlin are abundant and popular. Some of the best times I spent in the city was with a beer at a park while listening to some live music. Berliners love their ping-pong, pilsners, mini football fields, greenery, and gardens. You will find all these things at almost every park you find. Here are some of the best parks to spend an evening in:

Mauer Park is hands down the best park in the city. The park was given the name Mauer, meaning wall in German, because it is a former no-entry zone during the time of the Cold War. Now, it is the most exciting green space with a skate park, grills, benches, and a big hill to watch the sunset from. Every night that I visited there was a drum circle or some other live music.

On Sundays, Mauer Park hosts one of the largest flee markets in the city, where you can buy almost anything you need. Because of how popular it has become, it is not the cheapest flee market in the city, but it is worth checking out regardless.

Treptower Park is a fun place to hang out along the Spree River. Here, you will find a nice riverside walkway, nice benches, and a large grass field to play sports in. During warmer months, vendors line up along the water offering coffee, beer, food, and more. It is, however, a little bit more expensive than we would like. The Soviet War Memorial is also located in the southeastern part of the field.

Tempelhofer Feld is a former airport located just south of the Neukolln neighborhood in Berlin. When the airport officially closed in 2008, it quickly became a place for outdoor recreation and some of the largest music festivals. The former airfield makes an ideal location for sports like windsurfing, biking, running, and kite flying. It is an ideal place to go on a walk and get away from the city that surrounds it.

Groβer Tiergarten is a forested park that is an ideal park to take a break in whenever you are doing the traditional Berlin site sightseeing. This is because it is situated between the Victory Column and the Brandenburger Tor. Some monuments that you will find scattered throughout the park are the Friedrich Wilhelm III monument, the Beethoven-Haydn-Mozart Memorial, the Löwengruppe sculpture, and another Soviet War Memorial.

One lesser-known park in Berlin that is worth a shout is the Volkspark Friedrichshain (also known as Groβer Bunkerberg). The park sits on a hill of a former Nazi anti-aircraft site, but the building was destroyed after the war. The hill springs out of a generally flat Berlin landscape, so it provides some unexpectedly great views. I recommend taking a nice walk up the spiraling trail!

Go on a hike up to Teufelsberg

Teufelsberg is a unique attraction that is located in the Forst Grunwald, neighboring the Charlottenburg neighborhood. Teufelsburg actually means “devil’s mountain” in German. It is not an official mountain, because it is not naturally made. After WWII, Berlin needed somewhere to put all of the rubble of the fallen buildings, so they designated it to be away from the center of the city. This created a hill that became a strategic location for the United States to set up an elevated radio station.

In the 1950s, the massive center was built and used during the Cold War. When the wall fell, there was no use for the building and the technology was outdated at this point. Street artists quickly took over the structure, just as they did throughout the city as a symbol of a new age of peace and love. Teufelsberg today has some of the best murals in the city. Since the building is elevated on top of an artificial mountain, it also makes for the best views of Berlin and the surrounding forest.

It is now privately owned, so unfortunately there is a steep €8 entrance price. But, it seems worth it as they continually are renovating the old building and hire artists. I spent nearly 2 hours here! Pack lunch and chill for a bit at the top of the building!

As remote as it may see, Teufelsberg is actually well-connected to the rest of the city. You can take the S3, S5, or S9 to Heerstrasse Station, then walk about 30 minutes through the neighborhood and up the hill. However, once you are close, you will see a big white tower. The park surrounding the hill has many trails that lead to the top.

Take a personal walking tour through Berlin’s famous monuments

It is a requirement to at least see all of the traditional touristy spots in Berlin. Some of these locations include: Brandenburger Tor, the European Jewish Memorial, and the Reichstag.

After walking this tour far too many times, I found the most efficient route that will allow you to hit all the “must-sees” in Berlin. Read about it in my recent blog post! (COMING SOON)

Take a day trip to Potsdam

Potsdam is a historical and picturesque city just south east of Berlin. Thankfully due to its proximity to the city, Berlin’s public transportation system extends out to Potsdam, making it an ideal location for a day trip.

I recommend starting your day on Brandenburger Straβe and heading east towards the mini Brandenburger Gate of Potsdam. Walk past the gate and spend the rest of your day walking through Schlosspark Sanssouci. Here, you will find beautiful gardens, old buildings, and a few monuments. Overall, you can easily spend an entire day walking around Potsdam taking in all the sights.

Walk the Streetart & Myth mural trail in Kreuzberg

The Streetart & Myth Mural Trail is in the famous neighborhood in Berlin called Kreuzberg. This neighborhood was a cheap alternative place to live compared to the other West Berlin neighborhoods in the times of the Berlin Wall. Because of this, it became a known artistic district.

There are 12 murals officially added to the mural trail, but along the way, you will see street art on almost every corner. To get a free personal tour of the trail, download the “ABOUT BERLIN” app and find the tour with the Streetart & Myth Mural Trail in Berlin.

Go out for the night in Berlin

Berlin is the best city in the world for nightlife. The famous club scene is what drives people to the city, but I am not here to tell you how to get into one of the famous exclusive clubs. Rather, this is a guide to the best bars, dance bars, and nighttime entertainment in Berlin. Thankfully, the city is quite affordable when it comes to grabbing drinks, but it is all dependent on the neighborhood you are in.

I recommend reading the list of my favorite places to drink in Berlin while being budget cautious. (COMING SOON)

Conclusion

Berlin is an exciting and affordable location that has something for everyone. With a rich history, diverse culture, immense art scene, and unbeatable nightlife, the German capital is a traveler’s dream. You can visit one of Berlin’s countless museums, and chill parks, or even take a day trip to Potsdam. There are countless things to do in Berlin on a budget, making the city a true traveler’s gem!