Berlin Holidays

Berlin: where the beer flows like art and the walls talk back. Come for the history, stay for the party!

Highlights of your holidays to Berlin 2026 and 2027

• Brandenburg Gate - The 1791 landmark on Pariser Platz where Berlin celebrated reunification, free to visit day or night.

• The Reichstag dome - Walk the spiral ramp inside the glass dome on top of the German parliament, free when you register ahead.

• Museum Island - Five world-class museums on one island in the Spree, together a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• The Berlin Wall - An original stretch and watchtower at the Bernauer Strasse memorial, and 1.3km of murals at the East Side Gallery.

• The TV Tower - The 368m tower at Alexanderplatz, with a viewing deck 203m up and a revolving restaurant above it.

• Memorial to the Jews of Europe - A field of concrete stelae you walk through beside the Brandenburg Gate, and one of the most moving places in the city.

Good to Know for your Berlin holidays

• ☀️ Weather: Summers are warm, with highs of 22 to 25°C from June to August, perfect for beer gardens and lake swims. Winters are cold, with highs around 3°C, which is exactly when the Christmas markets come into their own.

• 💶 Money: Berlin uses the euro, and eating out won't break the bank. A pint is around €4 to €5.50 in a bar and a casual meal around €15.

• 🐾 Fun fact: Berlin Zoo is Germany's oldest zoo and home to the country's only giant pandas, including twins Leni and Lotti.

A city break in Berlin is perfect for you if...

• You want a city break where you've got fascinating history and amazing nights out in one place

• You'd swap a sunbed for a beer garden, a lake swim and a currywurst.

• You want trips to Berlin that mix world-class museums with street art and rooftop bars.

• You like your nights out late, and we mean properly late.

• You want a Berlin weekend break that's half culture, half party.

What are the best sights to see in Berlin?

Berlin city breaks are packed with more cool spots than Oktoberfest's packed with pretzels, and we've bratwurst-ed our way through 'em all to bring you the absolute wurst - we mean...best. Prost to that! (That's cheers in German, FYI.)

• Brandenburg Gate - If Berlin had a middle name, it'd be Brandenburg. This old-school gate is where all the heavy history went down, and now it's selfie central. Plus, it looks pretty epic when it's all lit up at night.

• East Side Gallery - A 1.3km stretch of the Berlin Wall turned into an open-air gallery by artists from around the world. It's free, it's outdoors, and it's got more colours than your auntie's tie-dye phase.

• Reichstag Building - It's got a glass dome on top that's practically screaming for you to take a peek. Entry's free, but you need to register online before you go. The view's a stunner, too, and politics was never this Instagrammable.

• Tiergarten - Berlin's answer to Central Park, but with a German twist. It's huge and green, and Café am Neuen See by the lake is a prime spot for a beer garden break.

• Museum Island - It's an island...full of museums. Five of them, to be exact (the Pergamonmuseum is closed for renovation). Packed with ancient treasures that'll make you feel like Indiana Jones, minus the boulder chase thank goodness.

What are the top hotels in Berlin?

Berlin is a city of neighbourhoods, so where you sleep shapes the whole trip. Every hotel below can be booked as one of our Berlin holiday packages with flights included, or browse all our Berlin hotels.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Which hotels are best for a family holiday in Berlin?

• Adina Apartment Hackescher Markt. Apartments with full kitchens, up to two bedrooms that sleep the whole family, a few steps from the Hackesche Höfe.

• Louisa's Place. A historic building on the Ku'damm where every room and suite has its own kitchen, with family rooms and a spa pool for the end of the day.

• Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz. Family rooms, a kids' playroom and bikes to borrow, right on Potsdamer Platz.

💑 Which hotels are best for couples on a Berlin city break?

• Hotel am Steinplatz. Now Roomers Berlin Steinplatz, a design hotel in Charlottenburg with a rooftop spa and the Manon brasserie downstairs.

• Casa Camper Berlin. A Mitte boutique with a penthouse lounge, a rooftop snack bar and a sauna for lazy mornings.

• 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin. Jungle rooms with hammocks overlooking the zoo, and the Monkey Bar upstairs for sunset drinks.

✨ What are the best luxury hotels for Berlin weekend breaks?

• Adlon Kempinski Berlin. Berlin's most famous address, facing the Brandenburg Gate, with the Michelin-starred Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer and a spa.

• Hotel de Rome. A former bank headquarters on Bebelplatz, with a 20-metre pool in the old bank vault and a rooftop terrace.

• SO/ Berlin Das Stue. Built as the Danish Embassy, on the edge of the Tiergarten a few steps from the zoo, with a 14-metre pool and a spa.

🎉 Which hotels are best for a group's Berlin short break?

• nhow Berlin. A music hotel on the Spree in Friedrichshain, with its own recording studios and guitars delivered to your room.

• Locke at East Side Gallery. Studios and suites with kitchens by the East Side Gallery, so everyone can spread out before a night in Friedrichshain.

• Michelberger. A laid-back favourite on Warschauer Strasse, with rooms sized for everyone from solo travellers to families.

👉 All hotels in Berlin

Berlin neighbourhoods: Where should you stay?

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Where should families stay in Berlin?

Prenzlauer Berg | The family-friendly one

Once the bohemian heart of East Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg has grown up a bit. These days it's all tree-lined streets, brunch spots, playgrounds and young families pushing prams. Still charming and full of gorgeous old buildings, but with a calmer, more polished feel. Perfect if you want character without chaos.

💑 Where should couples stay on a Berlin city break?

Mitte | The historic heart

This is where all the big-hitters live: Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, the lot. It's touristy, sure, but there's a reason for that. If it's your first time in Berlin and you want to tick off the landmarks without spending half your holiday on the U-Bahn, Mitte's your spot, with grand old buildings, swanky restaurants and that "we're in the capital" energy.

Ku'damm & City West | The classic

Before the Wall came down, this was West Berlin's answer to the Champs-Élysées. It's still got that old-school glamour, with department stores like KaDeWe, the zoo, fancy cafés and hotels that feel properly grand. Less hipster, more heritage, and great for shopping.

🎉 Where should groups stay in Berlin?

Friedrichshain | The cool one

If Berlin had a personality test, Friedrichshain would score 100% on "effortlessly cool". This is where you'll find the East Side Gallery, the bars of Simon-Dach-Strasse and enough street art to fill a gallery. It's younger, edgier and stays up later than most of the city. Kreuzberg, just over the river, is the other big night-out district.

Berlin nightlife

Let's be honest — Berlin's nightlife scene is legendary. This is the city that basically invented techno, where clubs don't really get going until 2am and some don't close until Monday. Whether you're a die-hard raver or just fancy a few drinks in a cool bar, Berlin delivers.

The club scene: Berlin's clubs are world-famous, and not just because they stay open for days. Venues like Tresor, Watergate, and the infamous KitKatClub have been drawing electronic music lovers for decades. Door policies can be... selective (no stag dos, no groups of lads, no phones on the dancefloor), but that's part of the mystique. Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg are ground zero for the scene.

Something more chilled: Not everyone wants to queue at 4am in the cold. Berlin's got brilliant cocktail bars (try Buck and Breck if you can find it — no sign, just a doorbell), rooftop spots with views over the city, and enough craft beer halls to keep you busy for a week. The Simon-Dach-Straße strip in Friedrichshain is perfect for bar-hopping without the intensity.

Beer gardens: When the weather's good, Berliners head outside. Tiergarten's Café am Neuen See is a proper classic — think fairy lights, lake views, and a cold Pilsner as the sun goes down. Prater Garten in Prenzlauer Berg is the city's oldest beer garden and still absolutely heaving on summer evenings.

Live music: From jazz clubs to indie venues to the Berlin Philharmonic (if you're feeling fancy), there's live music every night of the week. Check out SO36 in Kreuzberg for punk and alternative, or Quasimodo for jazz.

🚂 Day trips from Berlin

Berlin's brilliant, but sometimes you need a breather from all that history and techno. These are all doable in a day and give you a completely different side of Germany.

🏰 Potsdam & Sanssouci Palace | 40 mins by train

Just hop on the S-Bahn and you're in Frederick the Great's backyard. Sanssouci Palace is basically the German Versailles — all ornate rococo, terraced gardens, and "I can't believe one bloke lived here" energy. The surrounding park is massive and gorgeous, perfect for a wander. The town itself is pretty swish too.

🕯️ Sachsenhausen Memorial | 45 mins by train

A sobering but important visit. This former concentration camp is now a memorial and museum, and it's an incredibly moving experience. Free to enter, and there are excellent audio guides available. Not one for the kids, but essential if you're interested in understanding Germany's history.

🛶 The Spreewald | 1 hour by train

Fancy something completely different? The Spreewald is a UNESCO biosphere reserve full of canals, forests, and traditional Sorbian villages. Hire a kayak or take a punt boat through the waterways, eat pickled gherkins (it's a thing, trust us), and pretend you're in a completely different country.

🏊 Lake swimming | Various

Berliners are obsessed with their lakes, and in summer the city empties out to beaches at Wannsee, Müggelsee, and dozens of smaller spots. Pack a picnic, rent a paddleboard, and do as the locals do. It's one of the best free things about a Berlin summer.

Local Lingo

German's the language, and you'll get by in English in most hotels, bars and restaurants. But Berliners have their own way of talking, and a couple of local words go a long way.

• Hallo, HAH-loh, Hello

• Danke, DAHN-kuh, Thank you

• Bitte, BIT-tuh, Please / You're welcome

• Ein Bier, bitte, ine BEER BIT-tuh, A beer, please

• Die Rechnung, bitte, dee RECK-noong BIT-tuh, The bill, please

• Prost!, PROHST, Cheers!

• Icke, ICK-uh, Me (pure Berlin, where everyone else in Germany says "ich")

• Wat?, VAT, What? (Berlin's version of "was")

• Schrippe, SHRIP-uh, A Berlin bread roll (ask for one at the bakery)

Cheap Berlin holidays and city breaks

Cheap city breaks to Berlin are easier than you'd think, because flights aren't expensive and many of the city's best bits cost nothing at all. You can walk through the Brandenburg Gate, stroll the East Side Gallery and climb the Reichstag dome for free (just register online before you go).

Eating well costs little too: a currywurst or a döner is a few euros, and a sit-down meal is around €15. Which hotels are cheapest for your dates will vary by avaliability, so do check for your dates but these are some of our favourite hotels in Berlin that always offer great value and are within easy reach of the sights:

• Hampton by Hilton Berlin City West. Breakfast included, in City West close to the Ku'damm.

• Holiday Inn Express Berlin Alexanderplatz. Breakfast included, with Alexanderplatz and the TV Tower on the doorstep.

• Titanic Comfort Mitte. A smart base near Spittelmarkt with a lounge bar open round the clock, and one of our best-value Berlin hotels.

Berlin Holidays 2026 and 2027 - Travel Guide

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best things to do on a family holiday in Berlin?

• Berlin Zoo and Aquarium: Germany's oldest zoo, in City West, with the freshly refurbished aquarium next door for sharks and crocodiles.

• Deutsches Technikmuseum: Planes, steam locomotives and hands-on experiments in Kreuzberg. It's closed on Mondays, so plan around that.

• LEGOLAND Discovery Centre: An indoor MINILAND of Berlin landmarks built from LEGO bricks, plus a 4D cinema. A safe bet for a rainy day.

• Tiergarten and Kinderbad Monbijou: Room to run in the Tiergarten all year, and in summer the Monbijou children's pool in Mitte for a splash.

💑 What are the best things to do on a Berlin city break for couples?

• Spree cruise at sunset: Boats glide past Museum Island and the government quarter as the city lights come on.

• Rooftop drinks: SOLAR's sky bar looks out over the whole city, and Klunkerkranich on its Neukölln rooftop is at its best in summer (weekends only in winter).

• Liquidrom: A thermal spa where you float to underwater music, with Sound Sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

• Hackesche Höfe and Hamburger Bahnhof: Eight linked courtyards of boutiques and cafés, then contemporary art in a former railway station.

🎉 What are the best things to do on a Berlin weekend break with friends?

• Trabi Safari: Take the wheel of a Trabant, East Germany's famous little car, in a convoy past the big sights.

• Guided bike tour: Cover the Wall, the Reichstag and Checkpoint Charlie in an afternoon without wearing out your legs.

• Escape rooms and bunker tours: Team games and Cold War history, both easy to book for a group.

• Bar crawl in Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg: Simon-Dach-Strasse and Oranienstrasse are lined with bars, so the route organises itself.

🍴 Where should foodies eat on Berlin short breaks?

• Markthalle Neun: A restored market hall in Kreuzberg, with Street Food Thursday every week from 5pm to 10pm.

• CODA: A dessert-only tasting menu with two Michelin stars.

• Nobelhart & Schmutzig: One Michelin star for hyper-local cooking that only uses produce from the region.

• Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap: The famous veggie kebab has moved across Mehringdamm into a proper shop, and the queue followed it.

• Currywurst: Curry 36 on Mehringdamm and Konnopke's, under the U-Bahn tracks at Eberswalder Strasse since 1930, are the classics.

More European City Break Destinations

• Munich - Beer halls, the English Garden and Oktoberfest, Bavaria at its most Bavarian.

• Hamburg - Germany's port city, home to Miniatur Wunderland, the Elbphilharmonie and the Reeperbahn.

• Cologne - The Cathedral's twin spires, Kölsch in traditional brewhouses and some of Germany's best Christmas markets.

• Prague - A fairy-tale Old Town, the Charles Bridge and castle grounds you can wander for free.

• Copenhagen - Nyhavn's coloured houses, Tivoli Gardens and swimming in the harbour.