The Best Way to Do Two Days in Berlin

Learn how to spend 2 days in Berlin. Take a trip to Berlin for the weekend. Explore the best places to see in Berlin for 2 days.

Berlin is a vibrant city and one of our favorite weekend destinations in Europe. Is two days in Berlin enough? 

You could easily spend more time here but Berlin is a great place to travel for a weekend anytime of year. You can cover a lot of ground on a Berlin 2 day itinerary. 

For example, visit in winter and explore all the fantastic photo opportunities at the Berlin Christmas Markets while enjoying the best food and drink in Berlin. 

Read on for specific recommendations on how to spend 2 days in Berlin on a weekend city break in Germany.

2 Days in Berlin: Day 1 Things to Do

Walk Charlottenburg

The Charlottenburg neighborhood in Berlin has a great vibe. Walking through the back roads of Charlottenburg, we saw some interesting architecture. Leysieffer Chocolaterie was a welcome stop given my sweet tooth. Walking down Kurfürstendamm we spotted a polar bear greeted shoppers at a local art gallery. Berliner Kaffeerösterei satisfied our need for caffeine, sugar, and ambiance.

Schöneberg Weekend Market

We found the out-of-the-way weekend market on Winterplatz in Schöneberg. Some of the buildings nearby were futuristic and intriguing. Others were more traditional. It was definitely worth investing a couple hours to walk there through some of Berlin's less touristed streets and to explore the market itself.

The Jüdisches Museum in Kreuzberg

We took the train from Schöneberg to Kreuzberg to make a stop at the Jüdisches Museum (Jewish Museum) in Berlin. We exited the train station and were greeted by all manner of colorful graffiti. The museum was designed by Libeskind and combines both classic and avant-garde architectural elements.  I actually found the museum to be more sterile than I expected.  Some of the more poignant elements like the Falling Leaves were closed for renovation.

Checkpoint Charlie and Potsdamer Platz

After our visit to the Jüdisches Museum, we walked toward Potsdamer Platz.  Look for vestiges of the Cold War period as you pass Checkpoint Charlie, the border between the American and Russian sectors before the Berlin Wall fell. The Hi-Flyer Die Welt balloon was grounded when we passed due to high winds, but we still stopped to admire the old eastern European automobile icon -- the Trabi. We concluded our walk at Potsdamer Platz.  Once a no-man's land in the demilitarized zone between East and West Berlin, rapid modern growth has taken place since the Berlin Wall came down.  There are plenty of restaurants, cinemas, and other diversions nearby.

Dinner in Prenzlauer Berg

For dinner, we took public transport to Prenzlauer Berg, an up and coming suburb. We made a spontaneous choice to have dinner at Endlos Restaurant based on the posted menu and inviting atmosphere. We sipped a refreshing local Weissbier while waiting for our meal.  We especially enjoyed the wild boar goulash and pork cutlet with cranberries. I liked the festive statue of kegs just down the road from Endlos along the square. I chuckled when I saw a beaten up bicycle.  It definitely seemed like justified karma after our experience earlier in the day.  We'd nearly gotten run over by a small child barreling along the sidewalk on a bicycle in Schöneberg.  Later, someone tried to carry her bicycle onto the escalator in the train station, lost her grip, and nearly knocked us over as the bike rolled backwards.  Safety first, people!  Achtung! We concluded our evening adventure by capturing a snap of jaunty manhole covers featuring Berlin landmarks.

SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: On a different trip to Berlin we got a tip that Metzer Eck is a good value-for-money locals' place in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood. We managed to score the last table outside and were soon sipping away on a glass of beer in the sunshine. It did a good job washing down this hearty German fare. We still had a little time to kill before our flight so ordered a glass of wine to hold the table. Before we knew it, the sun was setting on yet another lovely weekend citybreak from Dublin.

2 Days in Berlin: Day 2 Things to Do

Messe Berlin

We started our day at Messe Berlin, the exhibition grounds in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf neighborhood. Messe Berlin is near a lake that looks a bit out of place in the city but was a tranquil getaway spot for locals taking a stroll or jog. We admired the Funkturm in the distance which looks an awful lot like the Eiffel Tower in Paris. We walked along the Spree River and stopped at a lovely beer garden to relax.

Berlin Mitte

We finished off our adventures in Berlin with a walk through Mitte.  Mitte is the business district and City Center of Berlin and tends to be a bit quiet on the weekend. We passed historical staples like the Brandenburg Gate. We had intended to tour the dome of the Reichstag but they have an advance ticket purchase policy.  They tend to sell out a couple weeks in advance.  If you want to visit the Reichstag, definitely book early as we were turned away. We walked Unter den Linden from end to end and admired Humboldt University, home of many brilliant scientists throughout history including Albert Einstein and Fritz Haber (for a fascinating read about Haber, check out The Alchemy of Air).

Not far from the Brandenburg Gate, take a somber moment to reflect on thousands of columns erected in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Take a walking tour to see the Topography of Terror and a remaining section of the Berlin Wall. While this history is difficult, we felt this acutely when we visited Auschwitz in Poland, it's important to reflect on the past, remember those who died, and ensure that tragedies like the Holocaust don't happen again.

SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Looking for other short city break destinations to visit in Germany? Have you considered: spending a weekend in Frankfurt (plus discover things to do in Mainz) with day trips to Heidelberg and Speyer?  discovering all the cool things to do in Hamburg, Germany's gritty port city in the north? heading to Bavaria for a 2 day Munich itinerary plus a day trip from Munich to Augsburg. making the most of one day in Dusseldorf? Interested in exploring city break ideas in Central Europe beyond Germany? Have you thought about: spending a fascinating (and delicious!) 2 days in Budapest? heading to Austria and making the most of your city break with an Innsbruck Card or Salzburg Card? visiting one of Poland's vibrant cities? Perhaps you're up for a weekend in Krakow or 48 hours in Warsaw (full of amazing Warsaw food!). If you are looking for something more off-the-beaten track, why not check out things to do in Poznan or Bydgoszcz Poland? Tricity Poland with a focus on Gdansk also makes for a great weekend away. You can even go gnome hunting in Wroclaw! a bracing visit to Brno and Bratislava in winter?

DDR Museum

We popped into the DDR Museum on Berlin's Museum Island to experience a snapshot of life in the former East Berlin.  The exhibits were very hands on and interesting but the space was a bit crowded so we didn't get a chance to see everything.  I was intrigued by the exhibit on the vacation habits of East German citizens.  Apparently, they liked to sunbathe naked as a passive aggressive protest to Soviet control.  There were pictures, videos, and everything! While you're on Museum Island, consider making an additional stop at the Pergamon Museum or the Berlin Cathedral.

Hackescher Markt

We walked from the DDR Museum to Hackescher Markt and had a coffee at A.M.T. The neighborhood is simply lovely with shops and restaurants nestled under the train tracks. Hackesche Höfe is located nearby and is a series of interconnected courtyards lined with shops and eateries. We stopped at a nondescript Bäckerei along Auguststraße for a large powdered, plum filled doughnut.  Yum!

Dada Falafel

We finally arrived at our targeted destination -- Dada Falafel.  Rumored to be the best in the city, we decided to seek out this economical spot for a quick bite. The food did not disappoint.  The falafel plate came with three types of sauces including two that were pretty darn spicy (double yum!)

SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Berlin Day Out Near Alexanderplatz If you have more than 2 days in Berlin, take the time to explore the area around Alexanderplatz. This is what we did when we only had time to spare for a day trip in Berlin before flying home from Berlin Airport after a weekend in Prague, Dresden, and Leipzig. Make sure to keep an eye out for the iconic and futuristic looking World Clock in the square. We took a short walk in the neighborhood and passed the Rotes Rathaus, Berlin's town hall. It's actually free and open to the public so we had a look inside. Vaulted ceilings and classic sculptures looked down on us. The stained glass windows contained crests representing different neighborhoods in Berlin. Next up we headed to the quaint neighborhood of Nikolaiviertel.  We could see the iconic church spire in the distance. We went in for a closer look and then stopped to admire some of the local shops and restaurants nestled in the area. We arrived on the banks of the Spree River where a number of beer gardens were opening up for the evening. We settled in at Brauhaus Georgbraeu under the shade of a giant umbrella. A nice cold beer really hit the spot. It was doubly good paired with a real German pretzel.

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