How to spend 5 days in Berlin, Germany | Itinerary and local recommendations
Berlin is effortlessly cool - its energy is raw, its history is deep, and its culture is ever-evolving. The more you uncover, the more you can appreciate and embrace its energy - from vibrant street art to understated venues, lush parks, and legendary nightlife.
While you can visit Berlin’s iconic landmarks in 2-3 days, this 5-day itinerary gives you the chance to experience the city like a local. From historical sights and street food to bike-friendly adventures, beer gardens, and techno clubs, this guide covers the best things to do in Berlin, whether you're a first-time visitor or returning for more.
View of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
I found 5 days was just enough time to its diverse neighbourhoods (Berlin is quite spread out), dive into its history, and experience some of its renowned nightlife. It also gave me time to embrace their park culture and include a day trip to swim in a nearby lake.
Quick itinerary summary
Day 1: Exploring Central Berlin and its history
Day 2: Ride around East Berlin (parks, local eats and beer gardens)
Day 3: West & North Berlin Adventures
Day 4: Day trip to nature - Berlin’s best lakes
Day 5: More parks, markets, nightlife and culture
5 day Berlin itinerary (with recommendations from a local)
If you’re going during the warmer months and enjoy being in parks, appreciating Berliner food & culture and techno music then this itinerary is for you.
Berlin has also done a great job of sharing their history and has a lot of great museums (that are also free!).
Some notes:
The best way to get around Berlin is by walking, biking/e-scootering and public transport.
This itinerary is flexible based on the day of the week as some events only happen on certain days (park parties, flea markets, nightlife).
We were fortunate to have a local friend take us around Berlin and show us his favourite spots, so we skipped museums in favour of exploring different neighbourhoods.
Day 1: Exploring Central Berlin & its history
Morning
Start your time in here by joining a Berlin walking tour covering key historical sites (Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie) to learn more about the city’s history.
While I don’t do this for every city I go to, it was definitely worth it for Berlin since it has such a complicated past, and I had always wanted to learn more about the history of the Berlin Wall.
We did a 3 hour tour with Walkative called Welcome to Berlin! and our guide was informative and entertaining. While these are technically free, it’s customary to give a tip to your guide at the end.
Afternoon
Use this time in the afternoon to explore Mitte (central area). Things to do in Mitte:
Visit a free museum (ask your guide for recommendations)
Chill in the nearby Tiergarten park
Visit the roof terrace and dome of the German Bundestag.
For spectacular views of Berlin and its parlimentary and government district, you can visit the roof terrace and dome of the German Bundestag. Admission is free, however advance registration is required which can be done online or in person at the service centre run by the Visitors’ Service near the Reichstag Building, next to the Berlin Pavilion on the south side of Scheidemannstraße.
Fun fact: East Berlin also has a different traffic man signal to West Berlin! It’s called Ampelmann - and there is a whole store dedicated to it which is worth checking out if you’re a nerd like me: AMPELMANN.
Evening
Sample some of Berlin’s best street food - like Döner kebabs or currywurst (sausages with curry sauce and curry powder) which is a personal favourite for me!
Watching swans and ducks during sunset at Landwehrkanalufer.
Day 2: Ride around East Berlin (parks, local eats and beer gardens)
Morning
Rent a bike or e-scooter (we used Lime) and explore super bike-friendly East Berlin.
Notes:
While Berlin is well connected by the U-Bahn and S-Bahn (underground and suburban train services), the more interesting and pleasant way to explore Berlin is via its bike lanes.
Bike lanes here are clearly marked with signage, dedicated traffic lights and turning lanes so you’ll feel safe as there are plenty of others riding bikes or on e-scooters and it’s easy to follow the directions on Google Maps.
We got a LimePass which is a minute bundle that worked out to be much cheaper than single rides. You can sign up using my referral link to get free ride credits as well:
You can head to East Side Gallery to admire the murals along this section of the Berlin Wall, which you’ll hear about on your walking tour on day 1.
A mural from East Side Gallery
For lunch, stop at the original Burgermeister at Schlesisches Tor, which is a burger restaurant that’s in a converted train station toilet block - don’t worry, they follow food safety regulations and it tastes great! There are a few tables and benches here, or you can takeaway to a nearby park.
Afternoon & Evening
Head to Birgit which is a eclectic beer garden with an amusement park theme, complete with a carousel for decor.
After this, you can grab some snacks and drinks from a Späti (German word for convenience store) and head to one of the many parks in this area.
Riding scooters down the airstrip at Tempelhof - it’s so surreal that this is possible.
My top pick for the best park in Berlin is Tempelhofer Feld (or Tempelhof for short), which is a former airport where you can run, walk or cruise down the old airstrip!
There’s lots of grassy areas where people bring picnic rugs and speakers to chill, and the park is open until 10:30pm/11pm over summer so it’s a great spot to relax until sunset.
You can also visit nearby Landwehrkanalufer for a great spot by the water for sunset inclusive of duck watching, buskers and people watching at Admiralbrücke bridge.
If you’re looking for something more for your evening, check out Space Meduza which is a funky bar with an outer space theme and the artwork and decor to match. Note: It gets super crowded on weekends!
Day 3: West & North Berlin Adventures
Morning
Rent a bike or e-scooter again and head towards West Berlin.
You can go via the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) and through Tiergarten Park into Charlottenburg - and here you can really feel the contrast between East and West Berlin.
What I noticed the most was the prevalance of consumerism - the commercial shops felt more like any other big city with lots of brands and fast food chains, and the road felt much less friendly for bikers given that we were on the main road with cars rather than dedicated bike lanes.
To be honest after seeing this I was glad we weren’t staying in West Berlin - and I would recommend to anyone visiting to stay in East Berlin instead as it’s more culturally interesting.
Afternoon
After exploring West Berlin, ride north to Prater Garden - Berlin’s oldest beer garden, which has been running since 1837!
Prater Biergarten lies beneath some large chestnut trees in a sunny courtyard with traditional tables and benches, and serves house-made Berliner cuisine and beers & wine. There was no need to book, and there’s a bike parking area just outside as well.
We ordered a beer each and a delicious serving of chicken and sides and relaxed after riding around all morning - and if I had more stomach space I definitely would’ve gotten a pretzel! We also saw lots of locals playing card games, and we had a great afternoon soaking in the sun after we enjoyed our food and drinks.
There are also plenty of other beer gardens in Berlin if you’re in another part of town.
Evening
For sunset, head to nearby Deck5 Rooftop Beach Bar which is a cute spot for sunset, complete with sand, sun loungers and city views! Sunset in Berlin is around 10pm during the summer - something we definitely made the most of.
If you happen to be here on a Tuesday, I would highly recommend making your last stop of the day at Humboldthain Club to as part of experiencing Berlin’s techno scene.
They host a techno + table tennis night, where you can borrow a paddle to play ping pong with other partygoers and dance to techno music at the same time!
It’s definitely more lowkey than some of the other famous techno clubs in Berlin and much easier to get into. I would recommend getting there earlier rather than later as we got there around 10:30pm waited about an hour to get in - fortunately there is a Späti right outside so you can have drinks in line, and it was definitely worth the wait for the experience.
Day 4: Day trip to nature - Berlin’s best lakes
Pack your day bag and a towel as it’s time to head to Teufelssee for a nature escape near Berlin!
For today, head out to buy some food & drinks for a picnic lunch, and take the S-Bahn to Grunewald station. From here it’s a leisurely 2.5km walk to Teufelssee, which is the name of the swimming lake.
Our journey started in East Berlin and took around 30 minutes on the S7 train, before we walked for 30 minutes through the lovely shaded parklands to the lake.
Once here, we joined the locals picnicing on the grassy area and took a refreshing dip in the lake. There’s also a floating platform in the centre where you can sunbathe or rest before swimming back.
Our summer lake day was one of my favourite experiences in Berlin as it felt very local, was a short day trip and it fit our criteria of being able to have a dip on a hot summer’s day, a small luxury when you’re inland.
The walking path from Grunewald to Teufelssee - you can also cycle down here instead of walking.
Day 5: More parks, markets, nightlife and culture
For the final day in this itinerary, I’ve included some unique things to do in Berlin that only happen on certain days of the week which I found out about through word of mouth.
Go to a park party (Fridays & Saturdays)
I had no idea this was a thing until I visited Berlin, and our friend said he was going to bring some speakers and DJ in the park with some friends and asked if we wanted to come. We ended up somewhere in Volkspark Hasenheide as the sun was setting and set up our speakers, little lights and picnic rug by some trees, and honestly this was the best introduction to Berlin we could’ve asked for.
We met so many people, and a lot of people would pass by and vibe with us for a while as they were looking for their friends in other groups but hadn’t found them in the park yet. While I think it’s cool to go to a techno club, this was an equally interesting experience - and you can also do this when you visit Berlin by going to Volkspark Hasenheide or Tempelhof and following the sound of the music.
Visit Mauerpark for the flea market and open-air karaoke (Sundays)
Another great option is to visit Mauerpark on Sundays for open-air karaoke and the flea market - something that we didn’t get to do as we had left by then but I’ve heard incredible things about!
Mauerpark is located up north.
Experience Berlin’s renowned techno scene
A lot of people visit Berlin just to experience their techno scene - especially on a weekend! Some of the most popular include:
Berghain
Kit Kat (they also run a bachata social on Monday nights)
Sisyphos - we were recommended this as it’s more of a day club vibe.
Looking for other destinations in Europe? I have more travel guides, reflections and other great stories to share!
This post contains affiliate and referral links where I may earn affiliate income or referral bonuses at no extra cost to readers. Your support helps me continue providing valuable content.
