Summer in Berlin

Have you decided to visit Berlin during the summer? It is by far the best time to explore this beautiful city that intertwines history and the innovations of the modern world.   

Why visit Berlin during the Summer?

Below are a few reasons:

• The mild temperatures during the summer make the city a great place to explore. Berlin experiences average high temperatures in the low to mid 70F during the summer, while the average lows are in the 60s. It is a major bicyclist and walking city. 

• The days are long. The sun rises around 5am and sets around 9pm – meaning that there are approximately 16 hours of daylight in Berlin during the summer.

• Restaurants and cafes have their outside terraces and patios open – and everyone takes advantage of this. It is very unlikely to see someone sitting inside on a nice summer day.

Sundays in Berlin

If your visit to Berlin includes a Sunday, then you will notice that all retail stores and shopping areas are closed. The only places open on Sundays are restaurants, cafes, and specific supermarkets and pharmacies. So you think you’re out of options? Think again! 

Berlin One-Day Sunday Itinerary

Below is a one-day itinerary of a few things to do on a Sunday in Berlin during the summer:

1. Start off the day at the Berlin Zoo. Strolling through the zoo during the AM hours is a nice way to spend the morning. There aren’t as many crowds so you can walk around at leisure without having to push through people to see the animals. I recommend spending approximately 2-3 hours here.

      2.  After the zoo, it is time for some lunch! Head to the Spreegold restaurant at the Bikini Berlin mall. Bikini Berlin is concept mall with unique boutiques, flagship stores and restaurants and is about a 10 minute walk from the Zoo. Go up to the top floor where you will find a rooftop terrace overlooking the surrounding area. The food here is delicious and they have amazing smoothies and juices, but make sure you leave some room for what’s next…

       3.  Done with lunch? Have some room for coffee and cake? Head to Berliner Kaffeerösterei for some tasty cake and coffee. The café is about a 10-15 minute walk from SpreeGold. Take the time to peruse their coffee menu because it is extensive. The café has an outside seating area which is nice to people watch as it is about half a block from the busy Kurfürstendamm avenue (known as “Ku’Damm”). Ku’Damm is one of the most popular and distinguished shopping avenues in the heart of the western city center.

      4. After a good lunch and a quick pick-me-up, it is time to hop on the U-Bahn (metro/subway) and make your way too see Berlin by boat! Take the U-Bahn from U Uhlandstr. (Berlin) to Friedrichstraße (this will take you from West to East Berlin). Once you are at Friedrichstraße, walk towards the river and jump on one of the boat tours. There are a number of operators, so pick one based on preference – amount of time, live or recorded tour guides, routes, etc.

      5. After sightseeing on the boat tour, depending on how much time and energy you still have, I recommend heading to the Nineties Berlin pop-up exhibition. It is a multi-media exhibition and it will be open to the public until January 31, 2020. 

The Nineties Berlin exhibition is meant to provide a glimpse of how Berlin has changed from the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 to early 2000s. The exhibit includes filmed testimony, music, pictures and video footage covering topics that include city life, politics, music and art. If you’d like more information on the exhibit, see this link for a New York Times article.

We walked to the exhibition from the boat tour.  It is a very pleasant walk along with Spree river and takes about 30-40 minutes.

     6.  After the exhibit, you can head to Alexanderplatz (about a 5-10 minute walk) for a quick dinner. Or, if you’re still up for it, another option is to grab dinner and a movie at the Sony Center (you can walk, take U-Bahn or grab a taxi). The Sony Center includes a movie theater where you can watch movies in English, and the area has many restaurants. This is also where you can catch a movie premier or a red carpet event, if you’re lucky! 

I hope that you enjoy your time in Berlin. It is a city that has so much to offer!

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out!

Safe Travels,

Patrycja