Berlin: practical tips
1 h route5 stopsBest: All yearUpdated July 2026
Berlin runs on a handful of unwritten rules that throw newcomers, and nearly all of them concern the clock and money: retail doesn’t open on Sunday, there are bars and bakeries that still prefer cash, and transport works on trust but with plain-clothes inspectors.
None of it is serious if you know in advance. What ruins an afternoon is landing on a Sunday having bought nothing and discovering the nearest supermarket is inside a railway station.
The route, stop by stop
5 STOPS- 01
Sunday, closed
The Ladenschlussgesetz keeps retail closed on Sundays and holidays across Germany, with very few exceptions a year. It isn’t a matter of district or season: supermarkets, clothes, electronics, all shut. Museums, restaurants, cafés and cinemas open. There are two ways out: the supermarkets inside the big stations, the Hauptbahnhof above all, and the neighbourhood Spätis, which sell drinks and basics until very late. Buying on Saturday what you’ll need is the local habit.
- 02
Cash, which here hasn’t died
Germany leans on cash more than almost any country in western Europe, and although cards are accepted more and more, there are still neighbourhood bars, bakeries, currywurst stalls and even the odd restaurant that take only cash or demand a minimum.
The sign “nur Bar” means exactly that.
On top of that, many shops accept the local debit card (Girocard) but not international credit cards. Carrying some cash saves the walk to a cash machine halfway through dinner.
- 03
Transport and the ticket you stamp
The network combines metro (U-Bahn), suburban rail (S-Bahn), trams (only in the east, a legacy of the division) and buses, all on the same zonal ticket. At weekends the metro and suburban trains run all night, on weekdays there are night buses.
There are no barriers anywhere: you buy the ticket, validate it in the yellow or red machine on the platform and board.
Inspectors are in plain clothes, get on mid-journey and are frequent. Travelling unvalidated, or with an AB ticket heading for the airport, is expensive.
- 04
The Ampelmännchen and other eastern legacies
The little figure on eastern traffic lights, with his hat and purposeful stride, was designed in 1961 in the GDR.
After reunification he was to be replaced by the western one and there was a public campaign to save him: today he has spread even into parts of the west and has souvenir shops of his own. He’s one of very few eastern things that won reunification.
There are more traces if you look: the trams run almost only in the east, the housing changes style on either side of where the wall stood, and a double line of cobbles marks its course across the ground for half the city. Following it is a very good way to walk.
- 05
Mobile data
Coverage is good, including much of the metro. Landing connected has one very specific use here: buying the ABC ticket in the BVG or VBB app before leaving the terminal, without fighting a machine, and checking which line leaves first. And because Berlin is enormous: nine times the area of Paris, with the interesting places spread across distant districts. Getting around here without a map and timetables on your phone means a lot of time lost on platforms.
Frequently asked
Can you pay by card in Berlin?
Increasingly, but not always. Germany still uses a lot of cash and there are bars, bakeries and stalls that take only cash or ask for a minimum. Some shops accept the German debit card but not international credit cards. It’s worth carrying some cash.
Do museums open on Sundays in Berlin?
Yes. What closes on Sundays across Germany is retail: supermarkets and shops. Museums, restaurants, cafés and cinemas open as normal, and the neighbourhood Spätis and the supermarkets in the big stations cover the basics.
Do you need a visa for Germany?
It depends on your passport and the rules change, so check the official source before travelling. Germany is in the European Union and the Schengen area, so arriving from another Schengen country there is no border check.