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TRAVEL2BERLIN
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Discover Berlin Through Our Eyes – Real Tips from Real Travellers
Why Berlin? We've been asked that question countless times.
We’re Helle and Mads – a couple who can’t seem to stay away from Berlin. Whether it's a full holiday or just a long weekend, the city always draws us back. Over the years, we've shared our stories and travel tips with friends and family so often that we decided to put it all together here.
Travel2Berlin is not a typical "top 10 things to do" site.
It’s a personal, experience-based guide to Berlin – packed with local recommendations, hidden gems, and offbeat ideas that go beyond the tourist guidebooks.
If you're planning a trip to Berlin — or just love the city like we do — we hope our stories will inspire you.
🧭 Start exploring the blog, and don’t forget to share your favorite Berlin tips with us!
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Can You Actually Smoke Weed in Berlin Now? The Real Rules for Tourists (2025)
Germany legalized cannabis. Everyone heard about it. Almost nobody understands what it actually means if you're visiting Berlin. We've spent the last year watching international friends arrive in Berlin with the same excited question: "So I can just buy weed legally here now, right? Like Amsterdam?" And then we have to break the news. Germany's cannabis law — affectionately nicknamed "Bubatz Legal" (Bubatz being German slang for a joint) — isn't what most tourists expect. It'
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 21, 20257 min read
Berlin Dupes: Skip These 3 Tourist Traps and Do This Instead in 2025
You know the feeling. You've been scrolling through TikTok, and suddenly everyone's showing off their "dupes" – those cheaper, sometimes-better alternatives to expensive designer stuff. Well, we're bringing that energy to Berlin. Because honestly? Some of the city's most hyped experiences aren't worth your time, your money, or your sanity. We've dug deep into what locals actually do, talked to people who've learned the hard way, and found the experiences that deliver what the
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 18, 20256 min read
Is Teufelsberg Worth the Trip in 2025? A Complete Guide to Berlin's Abandoned Spy Station
There's a moment—about 20 minutes into the uphill walk through the Grunewald forest—when you start questioning your life choices. Your legs are burning, the path keeps climbing, and you're wondering if some Cold War ruins are really worth this effort. Then you crest the hill, and suddenly you're standing in front of five massive radar domes, slowly decaying against the Berlin sky. The sound of wind through broken windows. Graffiti that stretches floor to ceiling, wall to wall
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 15, 20257 min read
Complete Guide to Berlin's Best Murals and Graffiti (2025)
There's a moment we keep coming back to when we think about Berlin's street art scene. Standing in front of Victor Ash's towering Astronaut mural in Kreuzberg at sunset, watching a couple taking selfies, a local walking his dog without even glancing up, and a tour group listening intently to their guide's explanation of Cold War symbolism. Three completely different Berlin experiences happening simultaneously in front of one wall. That's when it clicked for us: Berlin isn't j
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 14, 20258 min read
Haus Schwarzenberg: Berlin's Last Rebellious Courtyard (And Our Favorite Bar)
The first time we stumbled into Haus Schwarzenberg, we almost missed it entirely. We were walking down Rosenthaler Straße, distracted by the polished facades of the Hackesche Höfe, when we noticed a narrow entrance with crumbling brown walls covered in decades of graffiti. No fancy sign. No Instagram-ready welcome. Just a doorway that whispered: if you want the real Berlin, come inside . We've been coming back ever since. While tourists pack into the neighboring Hackesche Höf
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 10, 20257 min read
Hackescher Markt: Where Berlin's History Meets Its Restless Present
Opening Art Nouveau facade of Hackesche Höfe first courtyard with colorful glazed tiles designed by August Endell in 1906 There's a moment when you emerge from the S-Bahn station at Hackescher Markt that feels almost cinematic. The elegant arches of the 1882 railway viaduct frame a square that somehow contains multitudes: tourists snapping photos of Art Nouveau facades, Berliners grabbing coffee before work, street performers setting up for the evening crowd, and—just a few m
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 8, 20258 min read
Berlin Still Has a Pulse: Where to Find the Creative, Weird, and Authentic (Even Now) - Part 2
So we told you the hard story in Part 1—how Berlin's tourism boom transformed neighborhoods, priced out locals, and commercialized authenticity. Now comes the question everyone asks: if all that's changed, why should I even bother visiting? Here's the honest answer: because Berlin still has edges. They're harder to find than they were in 2015, and you have to know where to look. But if you venture past the obvious tourist routes, you'll discover that the creative chaos, the r
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 6, 20256 min read
Christmas Shopping as Experience: Full Days in Berlin's Best Neighborhoods
Shopping is just what you do between the real moments—the coffee that tastes exactly right, the unexpected gallery that changes your perspective, the moment you realize you're actually inside Berlin rather than watching it happen. Here are four full days designed around Christmas shopping, but really about experiencing how the city actually lives while you're hunting for gifts. Day 1: Kreuzberg's Bergmannstraße – From Flea Markets to Underground Art The Idea: Kreuzberg isn't
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 5, 20258 min read
The Tourism Boom That Changed Berlin: A Decade of Growth, Crisis, and Questions
Picture Berlin in 2015. The city feels alive but raw—neighborhoods are still claiming their identities, streets smell like authentic chaos rather than sanitized tourism. Around 12.7 million visitors came that year. It seemed like a lot. But something was about to shift dramatically, and by 2019, Berlin would welcome nearly 14 million visitors annually. Today, we're asking ourselves a harder question: was that growth good for Berlin, or did it just make the city busier while p
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 4, 20256 min read
Christmas Shopping in Berlin: Beyond the Markets and malls
There's something about German Christmas markets that feels both comforting and a little melancholy—the wooden stalls dusted with fake snow, the smell of mulled wine mingling with wood smoke, the soft glow of fairy lights catching the grey December sky. But if you've come to Berlin specifically to find gifts, you'll quickly discover that the real treasure isn't in the mass-produced wooden ornaments and identical gift sets filling every market stall. It's in the neighborhoods
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Dec 3, 20257 min read
Before the Chaos: Building Your Berlin NYE (December 29–31)
You've booked your flight. You've got your accommodation sorted. But here's what most visitors get wrong: New Year's Eve doesn't start at midnight on December 31st. It starts two days earlier, when Berlin shifts into a different energy. The city becomes both quieter and louder simultaneously—quieter because fewer tourists know what to do before NYE hits, louder because locals are already warming up. This is where the real experience begins. DECEMBER 29: THE CALM BEFORE THE PA
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 27, 20258 min read
Tempelhof Field: Berlin's Most Radical Urban Experiment
There's something almost surreal about standing on a runway in the middle of a city. No planes overhead, no security checkpoints—just wind, space, and a six-kilometer stretch of concrete that locals have turned into one of the most democratic public spaces in Europe. Tempelhof Field, the former airport that closed in 2008, is now a 300-hectare park—and what happens here says more about Berlin's values than any guidebook cliche ever could. It's been interesting researching thi
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 24, 20257 min read
January 1st in Berlin: Part 3 – The Timeline & Hidden Gems You'll Actually Find
You've read the first two parts. Now comes the practical stuff: where to actually be at specific times, and what most tourists completely miss. THE STRATEGIC TIMELINE 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM: The Early Bird Window This is when Berlin is genuinely empty. Most tourists are asleep. Locals are still hungover. The city is yours . What to do: Walk. Anywhere. Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Neukölln—pick a neighborhood and just move. No plan needed. You'll see the city differently when there
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 23, 20257 min read
The Real Berlin NYE: Hidden Gems, Local Traditions & Where to Escape the Crowds
You've seen the big party guide. You know the clubs, the restaurants, the rooftops. But here's what most guides don't tell you: New Year's Eve in Berlin isn't really about where you go—it's about understanding the city's chaos, traditions, and the neighborhoods where locals actually celebrate. We spent years watching how Berliners ring in the new year, and it's nothing like the staged parties. This is what you need to know. GERMAN SILVESTER TRADITIONS: What Locals Actually Do
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 22, 20259 min read
January 1st in Berlin: Part 2 – Choose Your Own Adventure
There's no single way to experience January 1st in Berlin. What works for a couple recovering from Silvester is torture for a family with kids. What's perfect for a solo traveler might be boring for backpackers. We've seen all of these. Here's what January 1st actually looks like depending on who you are. IF YOU'RE TRAVELING WITH KIDS: The Indoor Day Let's be honest—January 1st with children in Berlin is a logistical puzzle. Shops are closed. Playgrounds are freezing. Most at
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 19, 20256 min read
January 1st in Berlin: What Locals Actually Do (And What to Skip)
Opening Scene: You wake up on January 1st, hungover from last night's party at the Brandenburg Gate—or relieved you stayed in. The city is eerily quiet. Most shops are closed. Supermarkets are dark. It's 8 AM and you're looking out the hotel window wondering what the hell is actually open in Berlin today. We've been there. So here's what really happens on January 1st in Berlin, what tourists waste time doing, and how to actually enjoy the day like someone who knows the city.
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 17, 20254 min read
Kreuzberg: The Neighborhood That Still Refuses to Apologize
Walk into Kreuzberg and the first thing that hits you is that nobody here is performing for you. Not the graffiti writer repainting the same corner for the tenth time. Not the Turkish family running the döner stand since 1987. Not the squatters still occupying buildings the city has been trying to demolish for four decades. Not the young people who moved here because it was the last place in Berlin where you could still disappear into something real. Kreuzberg doesn't have a
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 14, 20257 min read
Berlin in Your 20s: The Guide I Wish I Had Before My First Trip
Why You Actually Need to Read This (And Not Just Another Generic Travel Guide) Look, I'll be straight with you. When you Google "things to do in Berlin," you'll find the same recycled lists about Brandenburg Gate and Museum Island. Sure, they're fine. But that's not why people your age fall obsessively in love with this city. We've spent countless hours exploring Berlin, talking to locals, getting lost in neighborhoods that don't make the guidebooks, and yes – surviving more
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 10, 20258 min read
The Real Berlin for Backpackers: Skip the Tourist Trail, Keep the Magic
You're sitting in a hostel dorm at 2 AM, devouring a currywurst from a kiosk you found by pure accident, talking to someone from Poland, Canada, and Brazil like you've known them your whole life. That's Berlin for backpackers. Not the Brandenburg Gate selfies—though you'll do those too. It's the feeling that this city belongs to everyone who shows up with an open mind and €20 in their pocket. We've spent weeks understanding what makes Berlin tick for young travelers, and here
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 7, 202511 min read
Ring in 2026 in Berlin: The Complete Guide to New Year's Eve by Age Group
Berlin doesn't do New Year's Eve quietly. Whether you're 22 and chasing sunrise at a techno club, 40 and craving champagne with a view, or somewhere in between, the city transforms on December 31st into a celebration machine with options for genuinely everyone. Here's exactly where to spend your evening based on what actually matters at your stage of life. FOR THE YOUNG & RESTLESS (18–30): All-Night Club Crawls & Pure Adrenaline At this age, New Year's Eve is about energy, pe
Mads Weisbjerg Rasmussen
Nov 6, 20258 min read
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