With over 3.5 million inhabitants, Berlin is one of the biggest cities in Europe. Besides heavy traffic and a very well-thought-out public transport system, that means that there is a lot to do here. The reasons why you should visit Berlin will quickly become clear if you keep reading. This is my three-day, off-the-beaten-path Berlin itinerary for solo travellers.

Note: this post will be something between ‘what I did in Berlin’ and ‘what you should do in Berlin’. That being said, if I recommend a hostel, a restaurant, a café or an activity, it’s because I enjoyed it there. But it’s also because that’s what I did. Feel free to use this Berlin itinerary as a starting point and make your own travel itinerary according to your wants and needs.

I was in Berlin in February 2019, from Monday until Friday. However, I didn’t really get to do any things worth mentioning on Monday or on Friday because of my flight times. For that reason, I’m only including three full days in this itinerary.

This 3-day Berlin itinerary will give you a good idea of what to do in Berlin and what you can expect on a trip to the German capital.

General tips for your first solo trip to Berlin

• Get a Berlin WelcomeCard (purchase online and print it at home). This will give you unlimited access to public transport (U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses). Order online and print your ticket. Show it to the bus driver upon boarding and show it to Kontrolleurs (who may be dressed in ordinary clothes) when they ask for your ticket on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn or tram.

• If you’re flying into and from Schönefeld Airport (SXF), get a WelcomeCard for zone ABC. If you’re using Tegel Airport (TXL), you only need zone AB.

• Talk to people. As on any solo trip, you don’t want to be isolated from the world around you. German people are really friendly and accepting towards foreigners – even though the tone of their language might suggest otherwise.

• If you’re a student, bring your student ID. You can get discounts on several attractions (including many museums and guided tours) if you can prove that you’re a student.

A three-day solo Berlin itinerary – off the beaten track

Day 1: the Berlin essentials

Visiting Berlin off-the-beaten-path doesn’t mean that you can’t visit popular tourist attractions. It just means that you don’t want to spend your entire trip looking at them.

If you’re like me, you’re not fundamentally against popular attractions. You don’t stay away from the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Dam Square in Amsterdam just because many people visit them. After all, there’s a reason why tourist attractions are so popular.

So, since these attractions are still appealing, even when thousands of people lay eyes upon them every day, we’re going to cram the most important sights of Berlin into one day.

Day 1: Morning

After settling into Berlin, you’re going to check out a guided tour of Berlin during the wars of the 20th century.

• Leave your hostel (I stayed at Generator Berlin Mitte) and have breakfast at House of Small Wonder.

• Walk to Oranienburger Straße Station and take the S2 train bound for S Bernau Bhf. Get off at Gesundbrunnen Station. Walk to Berliner Unterwelten e.V.

• Join a guided tour of the underground world of Berlin during the World Wars and the Cold War. Check the times on their website and plan accordingly. (I was here on a Tuesday and I joined Tour 3. Would highly recommend this one!)

• Find a place to have lunch. If you’re not looking for gastronomical options, the mall near Gesundbrunnen Station (called Gesundbrunnen Center) has a KFC, a McDonald’s, a Subway and some non-chain restaurants.

Day 1: Afternoon

Now it’s time for the bare Berlin essentials. DDR Museum, Bebelplatz, Gendarmenmarkt, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Brandenburger Tor and Reichstag Building. It’s going to be a busy afternoon.

Note: I didn’t include Checkpoint Charlie in this day (or anywhere else in this Berlin itinerary) because I personally believe it’s not worth a visit. It’s become too much of a tourist trap recently and it’s supposedly really underwhelming.

• Get back to Gesundbrunnen Station and take the U8 train bound for S+U Hermannstraße. Get off at Weinmeisterstraße and walk to the DDR Museum.

• If you’re into history, visit the interactive DDR Museum. If you’re not, skip this step and move on to the next one.

• Walk to Bebelplatz and have a quick look at the impressive university buildings (law faculty) scattered around you.

• Continue walking to Gendarmenmarkt and check out the Französischer Dom, Deutscher Dom and the Berlin Concert Hall.

• Walk to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Walk through the memorial stones and visit the exhibition centre if you’re interested. (I skipped the exhibition). Keep in mind that this is a memorial to people who were murdered – be respectful, don’t make too much noise and don’t run around.

• Walk to Brandenburger Tor and the Reichstag Building. Take some pictures for your Instagram story.

• Head back to your hostel / hotel / Airbnb (get €30 off your first booking!) / Couchsurfing host and freshen up. Take a shower, drink some water, and relax for a bit.

• Grab some typical Berlin food at Die Berliner Republik. I recommend the Flammkuchen – something like pizza, but with thinner dough and different toppings. (This restaurant also has a ‘stock exchange’ system for beer prices. You can really strike a bargain here!)

• Walk or take public transport back to your accommodation. This is a good time to Skype a friend, update your blog (like I am literally doing right now), or just relax and watch some Netflix.

• Don’t go to bed too late, because you’re getting up early tomorrow. 😉

Day 2: abandoned buildings and street art in Berlin

I told you to get up early, right? You’ll see why that is if you just keep reading. But let me tell you: it’ll be worth it.

Day 2: Morning

This morning, your main project is to visit the abandoned children’s hospital Kinderkrankenhaus Weißensee. You might think “But why would I want to visit a place like that?” and the answer is simple. Street art.

Related: Why I decided to visit an abandoned children’s hospital

• Get breakfast at Zeit für Brot. I highly recommend the apple cinnamon bun and the one with white chocolate. Yes, I had both. Yes, I had a food coma after that.

• Take the bus from Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz to Mollstr./Otto-Braun-Str. Station and transfer to the M4 tram bound for Falkenberg. Get off at Buschallee/Hansastraße.

• Take a short walk until you reach Kinderkrankenhaus Weißensee.

• From the main entrance, it might look like you won’t be able to get into the domain, but keep walking along the street until you reach the entrance to an athletic field called ‘Stadion Buschallee’. From the side, you can get into the hospital fields by jumping over a fence (which won’t go smoothly – I’m speaking from experience).

• Explore the abandoned hospital buildings but don’t let curiosity get the upper hand on your personal safety. Stay cautious.

• From Buschallee – Hansastraße, take the M4 tram back to Alexanderplatz and buy lunch at the food court in the Galeria Kaufhof mall.

Related: Food courts in Japanese department stores

Day 2: Afternoon

The next things you should be looking forward to are a free alternative walking tour, guided by locals, and an exhibition about the human body.

• Meet your Alternative Berlin tour guide in front of the Starbucks at Alexanderplatz at 1 pm.

• Based on who is your tour guide, you will see some side of Berlin. My tour was guided by an artist named Ben from New Zealand. His tour was focused on the history of street art and the underground scene in Berlin.

• After your tour finishes, make sure you tip your tour guide, because this is their main job in many cases. I wouldn’t go any lower than €10.

• Make your way back to Alexanderplatz. My tour ended close to Ostbahnhof, so I took an S3 train to Jannowitzbrücke and transferred to the U8 train to Alexanderplatz.

• Climb up the first set of stairs (don’t go inside!) of the Television Tower and get up to the Menschen Museum.

• Check out the Körperwelten (Body Works) exhibition.

• Hang around at Alexanderplatz for a while and watch people interact with each other and with the city.

• Head back to where you came from by taking a U8 train to Jannowitzbrücke and transferring to an S5 train to Warschauer Straße.

• Walk to Seoulkitchen and have dinner there. (I’d recommend the chicken ramen bowl, but you know, take whatever you feel like. You’re a solo traveller, damn it.)

• Get back to your hostel or apartment and chill. Maybe get some beers at the bar or check out an open mic comedy night.

Day 3: More abandoned buildings and street food

The last day of this Berlin itinerary will have you exploring some famous abandoned sites in Berlin, as well as checking out an iconic remainder of the Cold War and an indoor street food market.

Day 3: Morning

• Get breakfast at Grand Bar. If you’re staying in Generator Berlin Mitte, like I was, it’s just across the street. If not, make your way to Oranienburger Straße by S-Bahn. Don’t bother coming here before 9 am, because it won’t be open. Just saying.

• Take the M1 tram from Oranienburger Straße to Friedrichstraße and transfer to the S9 train bound for S Spandau Bhf. Get off at Heerstraße.

• Walk along a street called Teufelsseechaussee until you reach the second car parking on your right. Walk through the parking and follow the path through the forest.

• Hike to the top of Teufelsberg, a man-made hill built with the rubble from destroyed buildings that houses an old U.S. spy station and a Nazi military-technical college. Walk through the abandoned buildings.

• Take the S3 train to Friedrichstraße Station. Find some place to get lunch (on this day, my lunch was two granola bars I brought from home).

Day 3: Afternoon

• Transfer to the U6 train bound for U Alt-Mariendorf. Get off at Bhf Paradestraße.

• Walk into Tempelhof Field, Berlin’s old main airport that was closed and turned into a public park in 2008.

• From Bhf Paradestraße, take the U6 train bound for U Alt-Tegel to Hallesches Tor. Transfer to the U1 train bound for S+U Warschauer Straße and get off at the last stop.

• Walk to Urban Spree, a contemporary art gallery (or, as the website describes it, an “artistic space (…) dedicated to urban cultures through exhibitions, artist residencies, DIY workshops, concerts, an art store and a large Biergarten”).

• Go to the supermarket across the street called REWE and buy yourself a Berliner.

• Walk down to the iconic East Side Gallery and admire the art and what it stands for. This is a good time to take some more pictures for your Instagram story.

• By now it’s probably around 4 pm. On your way to the next – and last – attraction of the day, stop at Burgermeister (Schlesisches Tor). This is a burger restaurant located under the train tracks. Don’t worry, it’s nowhere near as dirty as it sounds and I’ve never had a better burger than the one I had here.

• Walk to Markthalle Neun. If all is well, this day is planned on a Thursday, because this indoor food stall market hosts “Street Food Thursday” every week.

• Pick out some food from the many diverse food stalls, sit down and enjoy the great atmosphere.

• Go back to your hostel and do whatever you want to do.

This is the end of my 3-day solo Berlin itinerary. Hopefully, it’s given you some ideas for things to do in Berlin ‘off the beaten track’, because the German capital is more than just Checkpoint Charlie and Brandenburger Tor.

However, a Berlin itinerary is not the only thing I’m giving you in this post. Although you could stop reading right now if you wanted to. I won’t be offended – and I’d likely never find out anyway.

Berlin city trip price breakdown

How expensive is a city trip to Berlin? How long should I save up for this trip?

Luckily for you, I kept track of literally all my expenses while I was in Berlin. So, this is not only a Berlin itinerary, but it also gives you an answer to the question “Is Berlin expensive?”

Honestly, it is quite expensive, but Berlin prices tend to be very similar to any other major western European city.

Note: I used an app called Tripcoin to keep track of my expenses. My flight to Berlin touched down at 2:30 pm on Monday and my flight back home departed in Berlin at 11:05 am.

How much does a city trip to Berlin cost?

This is everything I spent that had anything to do with my trip to Berlin.

• Food (including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks): €129.51
• Travel and transport (including transport to and from the airport, flights and local public transport): €97.78
• Accommodation: €81.00
• Activities (including tips and entrance fees): €38
• Miscellaneous: €11.55

• Total: €357.84

I know this might sound like a lot, but for a 5-day solo city trip to a big city in western Europe, I’d say it could have been a lot worse.

If you want to splurge on a nice hotel and a fancy restaurant, be my guest. If you want to spend as little money as possible, be my guest. The point of travelling solo is that you can do whatever the hell you want to, so I’m not going to sit here and tell you how much money you should spend in Berlin.

I’m just giving you this information so that you can decide for yourself.

There — now you know why Berlin has become one of my favourite cities to spend time alone in Europe.

Have you ever been to Berlin? What did you think of it?

If you haven’t gone to Berlin, would you consider going there? Why (not)?

Thanks for reading!

-S

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