Sampling Berlin for free can be a rewarding experience, both financially and culturally. And whether you are cash strapped or not, when you come visiting the capital, there are plenty of places to sample the best of Berlin, without having to reach into your wallet.
The Reichstag Tour
Norman Foster’s glass tea cozy atop the Reichstag offers not only an architectural highlight from the outside – it also gives you a fantastic way to get your bearings in the city for free. A complementary audio guide can accompany you as you wind your way around the dome, offering a super interesting perspective on some of Berlin’s major sites. Make sure you book ahead to avoid long waiting times.
Pack a Picnic for Tempelhof
Tempelhof is one of those Berlin familiarities that elsewhere are a complete rarity: a free to use space that happens to be steeped in history. The former airfield and airport (a masterclass in Albert Speer’s Nazi era grandiosity) is now a park, where rollerblading, dogs, grills and yoga all take place in it’s sprawling vicinity. Pack a picnic and take a walk down the runway, where the Rosinenbombers once kept West Berlin away from the brink of Cold War starvation with candy.
Bearpit Karaoke
As soon as the weather starts to get fine, Berliners emerge from their fleecy confines and head out on the streets at any given opportunity. Case in point is the Sunday karaoke at Mauerpark, where, on every Sunday you’ll find locals and tourists living out their stage dreams in this outdoor amphitheater. Next door, you’ll find the Mauerpark Flea Market – another great way to wile away the hours on a Sunday rooting around old junk, handmade treasures and everything else in between.
Freebie front row seats
A regular fixture, most Tuesdays at 1pm, the doors of the Berliner Philharmonie open up to receive an eclectic crowd of culture vultures, who get treated to a lunchtime concerton the house. It’s a fantastic way to take in the angles of the Philharmonie, and listen to up and coming Berlin music students playing classics of all sounds.
For those in the mood for Opera, a recent addition to the freebie scene is the excellent Opera on Tap, which takes opera away from it’s classical confines and out into interesting spaces and places within the city. Be sure to check their site for the next concert, which also happens to be completely free.
Birthday Treats
Berlin also happens to be a city that will reward you handsomely for paying it a visit on your birthday. Check out the Liquidrom, Tropical Islands and the Berlin Dungeon for just a few spots that will let you sneak in for free when it’s your birthday.
Photo: Liquidrom
Photo: Tempelhof
Photo: Reichtag