Trips to major and very expensive cities can actually be quite affordable. If you know what to do and plan ahead where to go, you can save big on your trip to Berlin. There are many affordable places and activities in this city, and there are many more that are completely free! So here are a few tips on how to have a wonderful, but inexpensive time on your tour to Eastern Europe.
1. Sleeping on a Budget in Berlin is Not a Problem
Sleeping cheap in Berlin is a piece of Berliner. You can choose between Airbnb, hostels, or budget hotels. A one-minute google search will provide you with numerous options in each of these categories, all over of the city. We recommend looking for a place away from the center, the main streets, and the tourist spots as these are more expensive. Besides, Germany’s public transport will get you anywhere quickly.
2. Special Cards Only for Tourists
Speaking of public transport, you’ll get a special treatment in this wonderfully organized, tourist-friendly city. Save big with a tourist or a travel card. You can choose one of many BVG transit passes, which include discounts for two hundred tourist attractions and free entry to all Museum Island museums! Another option is purchasing one of the Berlin Welcome Cards that also cover all public transportation, come with a free city map, and offer discounts or free entry to selected museums, eateries, tours, and attractions.
3. The Best Kind of Bus Tour
Sightseeing tours are expensive, and you can’t investigate the sites and sights that catch your eye while driving by them. However, purchase one of those wonderful travel cards and investigate away! Exit the bus when you see something amazing, look around, take fantastic photos, have a snack, and continue your tour on another bus with the same ticket. If you want to see famous landmarks, no problem! The double-decker busses of lines 100 and 200 will take you to some amazing attractions, such as the embassy quarter, the Berlin Cathedral, Unter den Linden, Brandenburg Gate, Tiergarten, Potsdamer Platz, etc.
4. Cheap and Free Places to Visit & Things to Do
Start your day by getting a public transportation pass, and go sightseeing and museum-touring for free. Check out the cinemas near you, as they might offer excellent discounts on certain days. Take a walk down the streets of the famous Kreuzberg, visit their many shops, have a relaxing cup of coffee, eat delicious pastries, and check out the amazing street art and graffiti. Follow that with a walk along the Landwehrkanal. Berlin is one of Europe’s greenest cities, so have a picnic with affordable wine or beer in one of its parks, such as Viktoriapark, Gleisdreieck Park, or Tempelhofer Park, and see the famous Fairy-tale Fountain in Volkspark Friedrichshain. Eighteen percent of Berlin’s surface are forests, and we recommend seeing the gorgeous Grunewald and Spandauer. You might even see wild boars and deer.
At the Friedrichswerder Friedhof II cemetery, you can see many 18th and 19th-century impressive mausoleums and graves with their remarkable headstones and statues, and you’ll see numerous Art Nouveau graves at the cemetery at Hallesches Tor, including the graves of Mendelssohn, Brahms, and E.T.A Hoffmann.
5. Drink and Eat on the Go
While taking a stroll through Berlin, make sure to try the finger-licking, cheap food. In bakeries across the city, you’ll find all sorts of yummy pastries and sandwiches. You must try Rumkugeln – chocolate rum balls, and Quarkbällchen – deep-fried sweet dough. There are countless eaters offering delicious inexpensive meals, like currywurst, falafel, döner, pizza, Turkish specialties, Asian dishes, etc. Also, the locals love having a beer on the go, or while chatting in the park, or relaxing along the canal, so give this tradition a try as well.
6. Choose Your Shops Carefully
Very carefully. You’ll notice that in most cities, the closer a shop is to the center or to the tourists streets/spots, the more expensive it is. The prices will differ even in the shops of the same chain. It’s better to go a couple of streets away from the center and buy your groceries there. Luckily, food prices in Berlin are some of the lowest in Europe, and the discount grocery stores here are the best places to shop. They might be small, but they have everything you need and much more.
7. Or Choose to Shop at a Local Market
Shop at local markets and get a taste of authentic Berlin life. While some markets in Berlin might be too expensive for budget travelers, they all offer a myriad of fresh produce. Here you’ll also find numerous fantastic food stands where you can buy your meal for just a couple of euros. You might want to visit the Winterfeldt Market on Winterfeldtplatz in Schöneberg, or the Turkish Market and the indoor Marheinike Markthalle in Kreuzberg. Make sure to check the opening hours though, as some markets are not open every day.
