How to spend a weekend in Berlin on a budget

I recently returned from a long weekend in Berlin, and I can now understand why it’s one of the most popular places to visit in Europe. This vibrant city has so much history, and it’s surprisingly affordable! It's easily one of my favourite destinations for a reasonably priced European city break.

This was my first time visiting Germany, and I went with three of my friends from University. We managed to squeeze a lot into 2.5 days, and I thought I’d share my experience for anyone looking for tips on how to spend a weekend in Berlin on a budget. I’ll be including all the important things you should know, including where we stayed, things to do and where to eat. 

Flights + airport parking

Berlin has two airports; Schönefeld in the southeast, and Tegel in the northwest. I booked my flights with Ryanair, flying from Manchester to Schönefeld. I'd originally planned on flying from Birmingham (my nearest airport) but it worked out much cheaper to go from Manchester, even after taking into account parking and petrol.

I paid just under £82 for my return flight, which included a 10kg carry-on bag. If I’d been able to fit all my belongings into a small backpack then it would have been even cheaper. It's safe to say I'm not a fan of Ryanair's baggage policy (so strict!)

Parking at Manchester Airport is notoriously expensive, but I managed to find a reasonable deal through Purple Parking for around £28. 

Total cost = £110

Where we stayed

Accommodation seemed to be expensive for the dates we wanted to visit at the end of February. Eventually, we came across The Circus Hostel in Mitte, which had excellent reviews. I really enjoyed our stay here, and couldn't recommend it enough. It was so clean, and the location was perfect. They even have a microbrewery on-site, with a bar serving craft beer. Not to mention a David Hasselhoff Museum in the basement! 

Four beds in a 4-person dorm cost us €110 (£92 at the current exchange rate) per person for 3 nights. 

How to get around Berlin

Berlin is HUGE, and public transport is one of the cheapest and most reliable ways to get around. The main modes of transport are the U-Bahn (underground), S-Bahn (overground), trams and buses. It can take a while to get your head around it, and I’d recommend reading a few guides before you go. My best tip is to type your location and destination into Google Maps then it will show you which lines you need to take. 

Berlin is split into various districts (A, B + C) and you need to ensure the ticket you’re buying covers the area you’re travelling to. A single trip ticket from Schönefeld airport to our hostel in Mitte cost €3.60.

If you’re travelling within the inner city, a single trip ticket within zones A and B cost €2.90. We used public transport a lot during our trip, so we bought day passes which cost €9.60. You can purchase tickets from the machines at the station, or onboard the trams. Just make sure you stamp your ticket to validate it before you travel.

If you’re planning on doing any of the paid attractions in Berlin (such as the TV Tower) then it might be worth considering the Berlin Welcome Card. This gives you unlimited travel on public transport, plus up to 50% discount on certain attractions. 

Total amount spent on public transport: £26.40 per person

Things to do in Berlin

Take part in a FREE walking tour

We started our first morning with a Free Walking Tour through Sandemans New Europe. The tour lasts approximately 3 hours and you see so many sights, including: 

• Brandenburg Gate
• The site of Hitler’s bunker
• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
• Former HQ of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) during WWII
• Checkpoint Charlie
• Gendarmenmarkt and the Berlin concert hall
• Part of the Berlin Wall that is still standing today
• Bebelplatz and the Book burning memorial

You can obviously visit these locations by yourself, but I feel like you learn so much more when you’re with a local guide. You don’t pay anything upfront, but you are expected to tip your guide at the end based on how much you think the tour was worth. 

I also wanted to mention the Topography of Terror, which is an indoor and outdoor museum located at the former site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters. It’s a 5 to 10-minute walk from Checkpoint Charlie and free to visit. The permanent exhibition explains how the Nazis rose to power and executed their reign of terror from 1933 to 1945. It also covers the post-war period. We did this on our second day and found it really interesting.

Visit the Reichstag Dome

You may recognise the Reichstag building as the current home of the German parliament. I highly recommend booking tickets to go up to the top of the Reichstag Dome. This is completely free, however, it’s essential to book in advance (-> Click here to register). Because the Reichstag is a government building, airport-style security is in operation, and you’re also required to show your passports before you’re allowed in. The views from the dome and roof terrace are fantastic. We visited at 4pm as the sun was starting to set, and the lighting was beautiful.

Walk along the East Side Gallery

On the opposite side of Berlin is the East Side Gallery. Once it was the Berlin Wall, now it’s the longest open-air gallery in the world. It officially opened in 1990 and has over 100 murals, some of which are instantly recognisable. The most famous painting is arguably My God, Help Me To Survive This Deadly Love by Dmitri Vrubel, which shows a kiss between Erich Honecker and Leonid Brezhnev. This was the one spot where there were large crowds when we visited at 12pm on a Saturday.

One of the murals which stood out to me was Curriculum Vitae by Susanne Kunjappu Jellinek. It shows all the years that the Berlin Wall stood. The painted roses stand for each person who died trying to escape from East Germany to the West.

Explore Museum Island and Berlin Cathedral

Another sight which is well worth seeing is the Berlin Cathedral. Even if you just pause for a few minutes to admire the architecture. You can pay to go up to the top of the dome, but we didn’t bother as we'd already been to the Reichstag Dome the day before.

Nearby is Museum Island, home to five world-renowned museums. We didn’t have time to go inside any of them, but it’s a pretty area to walk around. I'd love to explore that area more if I ever return to Berlin.

Total amount spent on things to do: £0 (not including the tip we gave to the guide on our walking tour)

Where to eat...

Let’s take a moment to talk about how amazing the food is in Berlin. There are so many options available, whatever your budget. I’m a vegetarian, but I was visiting Berlin with three meat-eaters, and we wanted to try and find restaurants that we would all enjoy. 

Here are a few places I would recommend:

• Shiso Burger (Mitte District). We ate here on our first night and it was one of the best meals we had all weekend. A burger, side of fries and a drink costs you less than €15. 
• PHO Noodlebar (locations in Mitte, Kreuzberg, and Charlottenburg). Delicious Vietnamese food and really reasonably priced, with most of the main meals costing less than €10. I’d also recommend ordering a “Hugo” cocktail if you’ve never tried one before. So refreshing! 
• Berliner Republik (Mitte District, 5-minutes from Friedrichstraße station). Serves traditional German food. This was recommended to us by the guide on our walking tour. There are more meat options than vegetarian, however, I had the vegetable boulette and it was delicious. It wasn’t the cheapest meal we had (around €15-20 per person for a meal and a drink), but the portions were huge and kept us full for hours. 
• Curry 61 (Mitte) for currywust. They even do a vegan option made from tofu! This popular German dish is a sausage seasoned with curry powder and ketchup, often served with fries. Tasty and good value at around €5 per portion. Curry at the Wall (near Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror) also serves vegan currywurst, but we didn't try that one.

There are also plenty of bakeries dotted around the city where you can grab a pastry and a hot drink for breakfast.

... and drink!

My final recommendation for somewhere to go for evening drinks is Hofbräu Wirtshaus, which is located not far from Alexanderplatz. This is a Bavarian-style tavern, with long wooden benches and live music. The atmosphere was buzzing, and the beer went down a treat. They also accept advance bookings if you want to guarantee a table. 

Total spent on food and drink: approximately £120 (including alcohol - but bear in mind I'm not a huge drinker! I averaged 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per night).

Summary

Hopefully, this guide will have shown you how Berlin is a really affordable city to visit in Europe. The whole weekend, including flights, accommodation, and spending money while there, cost approximately £348.40 per person in total. Totally reasonable for a 2.5-day city break.

Have you ever been to Berlin?

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