See & do
A weekend in Berlin: 48 hours, quiet or loud
Most weekend plans for Berlin are a checklist: Gate, Tower, Museum Island, Checkpoint, and by Sunday evening you still do not know the city. We do it differently and first ask what kind of person you are. Here are two plans for 48 hours, one quiet, one loud, the way we would show Berlin to our own guests.
First: three things that improve any Berlin weekend
- A few neighborhoods instead of all of Berlin. The city is big, and getting between sights eats time. Really experiencing two or three areas beats ticking off ten.
- AB ticket, a day ticket if you travel a lot. For BER you need ABC, see From BER airport into the city and Understanding the BVG.
- Shop on Saturday. Shops are closed on Sundays, more in Sunday in Berlin.
Loud plan
Wall, Mitte, flea market, night
For a first visit, for people who want to see the big stories and go out at night.
Quiet plan
Neighborhood, art, lake, good food
For anyone who already knows Berlin or wants to experience it the way Berliners spend their weekends.
The loud plan
FR Friday evening: arrive in Kreuzberg
Stay in the Wrangelkiez or the Boxhagener Kiez, where the way home is short, more in Where to stay in Berlin. On the first evening a walk across the Oberbaumbrücke between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain and a pub in the neighborhood is enough. Not too late, tomorrow is a long day.
SA Saturday: the big stories
In the morning go to the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße: a stretch of the border strip survives here, the outdoor grounds open daily from 8 am, and admission is free. Then the city tour on a normal ticket: bus 100 from Alexanderplatz along Unter den Linden and past the Brandenburg Gate to Zoo, upstairs in the front row. Get off near the Brandenburg Gate and walk the few steps to the Reichstag. The dome is free, but only with registration with the Bundestag, best online and early, and with photo ID.
In the evening head back to Friedrichshain: bars and restaurants crowd around Boxhagener Platz, and the clubs at the RAW site are a few minutes away.
SO Sunday: flea market and a view
Sleep in, then go to the Mauerpark: there is a flea market on Sundays, and from spring into late autumn strangers sing at Bearpit Karaoke in the amphitheater in the afternoon. If you want it calmer first, browse the Arkonaplatz market a few minutes away, all of it in Sunday in Berlin. To finish, climb the Kreuzberg in Viktoriapark: 66 meters, no ticket, and the city at your feet.
The quiet plan
FR Friday evening: arrive in the west
Stay at Ludwigkirchplatz or around Savignyplatz. The FEX takes you from BER to the main station in 23 minutes, and from there it is not far. Dinner on Kantstraße, where Chinese and Taiwanese kitchens line up side by side, more in Where Berliners actually eat.
SA Saturday: farm, art and neighborhood
Early on take the U3 to Dahlem-Dorf: Domäne Dahlem holds an organic market on Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm, a farm in the middle of the city, more in our 12 places. Then on to the Brücke Museum by the Grunewald, where buses 115 and X10 stop outside: Expressionism without the crowds.
In the afternoon, our neighborhood walk: pain au chocolat on Olivaer Platz, Preußenpark, Rüdesheimer Platz with Sicilian food, and small plates for dinner on Ludwigkirchplatz. Saturday is the best day for it.
SO Sunday: lake and a long breakfast
A long breakfast, then take the S1 to the Schlachtensee: a shore path of about 5.5 kilometers circles the forest lake, for swimming in summer and walking in autumn. If you still have time, head to the flea market at Rathaus Schöneberg, which is also open on Sundays and where people still haggle.
FAQ
Can you mix both plans?
Absolutely. A classic like Bernauer Straße fits into a quiet weekend too, and an evening in Friedrichshain into a calm one. The plans are ideas, not a checklist.
What if it rains?
Then swap the walk for a small museum in the same neighborhood and the lake for a long breakfast. Small museums are more pleasant on rainy days than Museum Island.