With more than 800 years of history and being one of the greenest capitals in Europe, Berlin is one of the most beloved destinations for travelers. However, as it’s always the case with metropolises, many interesting facts about Berlin remain unknown. The city is really full of fun facts and hidden stories, and knowing them beforehand will give perspective to your stay. Therefore, in this article, I will share 10 Berlin facts that will provide you with an insight into Berlin’s history, accompanied by some of my photos.
Moreover, and since you will see plenty of locations around the German capital, I will also include some of the best hotels to stay in the city after every fact about Berlin. Berlin is huge, and choosing a convenient hotel will help you enjoy your visit. Since Berlin is a must destination for budget travelers, all the choices below are made with moderate prices in mind, i.e., from 50 to 100 euros per night for a double room. The prices might vary depending on the season.
So, let’s start now with the 10 interesting facts about Berlin.
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10 interesting facts about Berlin (& where to stay)
Berlin has more museums than rainy days
No matter which time of the year you’ll visit Berlin, there’s always a chance to encounter rainy days. According to statistics, Berlin has an average of 106 rainy days per year. That said, approximately one out of three days per year might be rainy. Of course, the rainy days are mainly a thing of winter or early spring, but this doesn’t mean you can’t expect some rain if you visit Berlin during summer.
On the brighter side of life, Berlin is home to more than 170 museums, and the number is still rising. The city has plenty of world-famous museums and art institutions, making it one of the best places to see art in Europe. Among the most famous ones are the Pergamon Museum, the Neue Nationalgalerie, and the Jewish Museum. Therefore, even if you’re not the biggest museumgoer, you can consider them during the rainy days of your stay.
The best hotel chain in Berlin: Motel One
The Motel One chain is one of my favorites. I’ve stayed in several Motel One hotels around Germany, and they are always a bargain. The rooms are clean, and their locations are prime. Whenever a friend asks me what’s the best accommodation option in Berlin, I always tell them to check the Motel Ones first. There are several of them around Berlin, but here I’ll point you to the most central ones: the Motel One Upper West in the former West Berlin, the Motel One in Mitte, and the Motel One at Potsdamer Platz.
Berlin is nine times bigger than Paris
While Berlin has all the elements of a busy metropolis, most of the time, it feels relatively quiet. The main reason is that Berlin occupies a much larger territory than the capital of France. Specifically, Berlin occupies 891.7 square kilometers while Paris is “just” 105.4 sq. km. The comparison here is between the historical centers of the two cities and not their metropolitan areas.
Now, add on top that Berlin’s population density is much smaller than the one in Paris, and you’ll get an idea why Berlin often feels quiet and empty. The population density of Berlin is 4,000 inhabitants per square kilometer, while for Paris, the number is 21,000.
A budget hostel in downtown Berlin: A&O
If you are on a tight budget while visiting Berlin and don’t mind sleeping in a dormitory, the A&O hostels will probably be your best option. They also have single and double rooms, but they will be pricier. I stayed in a couple of them through the years, and they really have the basics, hence the low price. You can check here the A&O in Mitte and here the A&O at Hauptbahnhof, the central train station of Berlin.
The bridges of Berlin are way more than the ones in Venice
Berlin has more bridges than Venice. In fact, there are more than 1,700 bridges in Berlin, in comparison to the approximately 400 that Venice has. While the Italian city has several world-known bridges, Berlin also has some famous ones like the Oberbaumbrücke or the Admiralbrücke. As for the oldest bridge in Berlin, that’s the Jungfernbrücke. It was built in 1798, and it’s really well preserved.
A budget boutique hotel in Berlin: Adelante Boutique Hotel
Just a short walk from Hackesher Markt and the lively area around Torstrasse, Adelante is a 4-star boutique hotel at Mitte’s heart. The rooms are elegant, and they have underfloor heating. That’s definitely one of the most budget options for a boutique hotel that you’ll find in Berlin. Check the Adelante Boutique hotel here.
A thousand places to buy cheap beer at night: Meet the Berlin Späti
The Spätis are small stores that you can find all around Berlin and stay open all night long. The Spätis flourished in East Germany, where they helped late-night workers to buy the groceries they couldn’t buy during the day. However, the city embraced the concept of Spätis, and nowadays, there are more than 1,000 of them around the city.
Today, the Spätis serve as meeting points for Berliners, and people hang out in front of their doors. The beer is much cheaper than in bars, and it’s a very local way to hang out in Berlin. A classic Berlin quote states that you never become a Berliner if you don’t spend the whole night drinking beers outside a Späti.
The best place to stay in Berlin for some Späti-life: Hüttenpalast
This is one of the most original options for your stay in Berlin. Hüttenpalast is located in Berlin’s Kreuzkölln district between Kreuzberg and Neukölln. What makes Hüttenpalast unique is its rooms: retro-style caravans and cabins are located within an indoor camping site, inside two old factory halls. See the Hüttenpalast here.
The East Side Gallery is the world’s longest open-air gallery
After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the biggest part of the Wall was demolished. However, there’s still an intact piece of the Wall that you can still visit. And that’s where the famous East Side Gallery is located.
Back in 1990, 118 artists from 21 countries arrived in Berlin with one goal in mind: to paint the remnants of the Berlin Wall. The artists filled up the Wall with 105 artworks. Most of them are dedicated to freedom, and the murals cover 1,3 km. A fun fact about the East Side Gallery is that almost every painting faces the former East Berlin. As for the most famous mural, well, that’s definitely the Fraternal Kiss, depicting Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker kissing on the lips.
The open-air gallery runs next to the river Spree, and on sunny days, you’ll see loads of Berliners hanging out there. Apparently, one of the best things to do in Berlin is grab a beer (or a Club Mate) and blend in with the locals.
Where to stay close to East Side Gallery of Berlin: Meininger Hotel
That’s probably one of the best budget hotels you can find facing the East Side Gallery. The rooms are modern and clean, and there’s also an on-site bar and a gaming area. See the prices for Meininger Hotel here.
There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Berlin -and three operas
UNESCO awards World Heritage Sites to places with a significant history and contribution to humanity. With these things in mind, UNESCO named three sites in Berlin. While the two of them are world-famous, there’s also one lesser-known.
The Museum Island is probably the most famous one: that’s the area where Berlin’s top museums are, in the city’s heart. The second one is Potsdam’s Palace and gardens, a location of stunning beauty. Finally, the less famous one and one of the hidden Berlin facts is the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates, which consists of great examples of 1920s’ modernism architecture –see more about the estates here.
But apart from the three UNESCO sites, Berlin is also home to three opera houses. These are:
- Staatsoper Unter den Linden, which opened in 1742 as Königliche Hofoper.
- Deutsche Oper Berlin, datick back to 1912.
- Komische Oper Berlin (Comical Opera Berlin), opened in 1892.
All three of them have a total capacity of more than 4,400 spectators. Make sure to check out their schedules; they offer high-quality productions and performances.
The best budget hotel for Opera lovers in Berlin: Generator Mitte
If you prefer to save money for your stay and you’d rather spend them on opera tickets, the Generator Mitte sounds like a great option. It’s just a few hundred meters away from the Staatsoper in the famous Unter den Linden. The rooms at Generator are clean, but the furniture is basic. A great, simple option in the city’s heart. See the Generator Mitte here.
The TV-Tower of Berlin is Germany’s tallest building
While there are plenty of skyscrapers in Germany, the country’s tallest building is in Berlin. The TV-Tower (German: Fernsehturm) is one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. It’s 368 meters tall (1207 ft), and you can see it probably from anywhere in Berlin. Its location is next to the famous Alexanderplatz.
Apart from being the location of radio and television stations, the Television Tower of Berlin is also home to an observation viewpoint and a rotating restaurant. On clear days, the views from the tower’s top are stunning, and it’s definitely one of the unique things to do when in Berlin.
And an extra fun fact about Berlin’s TV-Tower: On clear days, the sun shines straight on the tower’s dome. For whatever reason, the reflection seems to form a Christian cross. Since Berliners are always fond of nicknames, they call it the “Pope’s Revenge” (German: Rache des Papstes). The origins of the bizarre nickname are probably connected to the removal of crosses from East Berlin churches during the Wall era.
Where to stay close to the TV-Tower: Holiday Inn Berlin Alexanderplatz
The Holiday Inn Express in Berlin, Alexanderplatz, is in the Mitte district and very close to the hip Prenzlauer Berg. The hotel offers an on-site bar, a 24-hour reception, and free WiFi. Breakfast is also included in the price. Check the Holiday Inn here.
Napoleon and the city of Berlin
Napoleon’s connection to Berlin isn’t that surprising. However, a fun fact about Berlin is strongly connected to his presence. One of the oldest pubs in Europe is in Berlin. Its name is Zur letzten Instanz, and it has stood in the same place since 1621. In this 400-year-old pub, Napoleon once stopped as a guest -and you can still have dinner today.
Napoleon actually stole the statue standing on top of the Brandenburg Gate. He took it back to France in 1806, and this was an act of high symbolism. By stealing the so-called Quadriga, Napoleon somehow declared his victory against Prussia in the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt. However, the Quadriga’s French period was short-lived: it was brought back to Berlin after the European allies’ victory against Napoleon in 1814.
The best accommodation close to the Brandenburg Gate: Albrechtshof
Well, it’s pretty hard to stay straight to Brandenburg Gate without having to splurge. However, the Albrechtshof Hotel is just a few hundred meters away, and it’s a decent option for your Berlin vacation. That’s an old-fashioned 3-stars hotel close to the Friedrichstrasse station. The rooms are cozy, and the hotel regularly donates some of its profits to charities. See the Albrechtshof here.
The public transport of Berlin and a dog’s head: odd facts about Berlin
The Berlin Subway (including S-Bahns and U-Bahns) is lengthier than the ones in Paris and London. With an actual length of 473 km is one of the most extensive public transport networks in Europe. If you add more than 130 km of tram and bus lines, you have the full picture of an impressive infrastructure that makes it an easy choice to leave the car at your garage. The network has so many routes per day that an interesting fact about Berlin says that the public transport of Berlin travels the equivalent distance of 8.7 times around the Earth daily.
One of the network’s lines is the Ringbahn. That’s a circular railway (lines S41 and S42) that goes around the city center, both clockwise and counterclockwise. Almost half a million passengers use the Ringbahn daily, and the Berliners refer to it as the Hundekopf or dog’s head. The reason is that if you see the route on a map, it really seems like a dog’s head –see the Hundekopf here.
Where to stay close to the Berlin Ringbahn: Hotel Brandies
The Ringbahn runs around the city, however, there’s a spot that might be tempting for some visitors. The Hotel Brandies is very close to the main exhibition center of Berlin, making it an ideal option if you are attending one of the countless exhibitions in Berlin. The hotel offers large rooms with Art Nouveau details, and it’s just a few minutes away from the Ringbahn. See Hotel Brandies here.
Bonus: Everything you need about traveling by train in Germany.
Are you a Berliner or a donut?
Of course, the citizen of Berlin is called a Berliner. However, the so-called Berliner is also one of the local delicacies. This is actually a donut filled in with marmalade. Some variations of the typical Berliner replaced the jam with chocolate or even champagne.
One of Berlin’s most famous urban legends is about the donut and JFK. When Kennedy visited Berlin on June 26, 1963, he addressed the West Berlin public, stating “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner) to showcase his connection to the city. According to even reputable publications, the city’s population was amused and supposedly translated the statement to “I am a Berlin donut.” However, JFK was not wrong: leaving the article ein/a out of the sentence would minor impact the meaning.
By using the article, Kennedy actually emphasized his connection to Berlin during the Cold War. As far as I know, that’s just an urban legend, and never JFK’s speech really raised any eyebrows or made people wonder about donuts.
Stay close to where JFK’s speech took place: Hotel Schöneberg
JFK addressed the Berliners at the Rudolph Wilde Platz. One of the closest options to the square is the Hotel Schöneberg. A tad old-fashioned (exactly like the area around it), the hotel is close to public transport and has a friendly atmosphere. See here the Hotel Schöneberg.
And that’s it with the 10 interesting Berlin facts. For more information about Berlin, please check my other articles below.
More about Berlin: The ultimate travel guide to Berlin, Berlin street photography, Berlinale guide
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Last Updated on January 29, 2022 by George Pavlopoulos