Best Time to Visit Berlin

By Christine Bartsch; Updated June 08, 2017

Top times to travel when Berlin is on your bucket list

Best Time to Visit Berlin

What first comes to mind when you think of Berlin? The Holocaust. WWII. The Wall. Tourist who come to explore the monuments and museums of Berlin’s most notorious era find an eclectic city that’s a rich mix of German traditions, modern multiculturalism, edgy nightlife and an expansive history. As a city overflowing with sights and alive with activity year-round, there’s no bad time to visit Berlin – every season in the city has its own unique appeal.

Springtime in Berlin

With more than 2,500 public parks and gardens, Berlin is a sea of green that blooms to life with color each spring. With daytime temperatures warming to the mid-40s in March up to the high-60s in May, tourists and locals alike forgo public transportation to traverse Berlin on foot or by bicycle. The not-quite-hot temperatures of this season mean you’ll experience shorter lines and fewer crowds at the city’s top tourist attractions.

Berlin is a city with a festival for every season, and spring is no exception. Museum Day, the International Garden Exhibition and the MaerzMusik festivals are all held during springtime along with dozens of others as Berlin’s season of outdoor celebrations begins.

A Berlin Summer

June, July and August are Berlin’s hottest months in more ways than one. The city averages temperatures in the low-70s throughout the summer months, and this pleasant weather is a major reason why tourists flock to the city during summer. Summer is also Berlin’s wettest season, with a bit of rain at least 20 days each month, but that doesn’t deter the city’s outdoor life.

Go dancing or take in a film under the sun or stars at Berlin’s many outdoor clubs and cinemas. While you can’t swim in the Spree River, you can swim on it at Badeschiff – a barge-turned-swimming pool that floats on the river. Summer is packed with quirky outdoor events and festivals to attend, both intimate and epic, including the Carnival of Cultures and the Berlin International Beer Festival.

Autumn in Berlin

As summer wanes, so does the city’s busy season as many tourists head back home. Luckily, warm weather lingers on into September, with temperatures still clinging to the high-60s to low-70s. Temperatures fall sharply later in Autumn, with October and November averaging in the 40s. Berlin’s green parks become a riot of fiery hues as the city’s more than 440,000 trees change color.

Autumn’s evenings are colorful too as Berlin stages its annual Festival of Lights with all of the city’s most famous landmarks illuminated like kaleidoscopes. This season also plays hosts to Berlin’s iconic Oktoberfest where visitors feast on pretzels, pork knuckles and draught beer in a traditional Bavarian-style beer tent.

A Berlin Winter

Berlin’s sea of green parks and streets becomes frosty white as winter rolls in. Come prepared to bundle up if you visit in winter as daytime high temperatures in December and January average in the low 40s, dipping down into the low-30s come February. Berlin’s S-Bahn (above-ground trains) and U-Bahn (underground subway) see an uptick in usage during these months due to weather and that it's another busy tourist season. But don’t expect to find the streets deserted in winter as Berlin bustles with outdoor events even in winter.

Since Germany is the birthplace of the Protestant movement, it comes as no surprise that Christmastime is a major season for the city. Berlin plays host to more than 60 Christmas Markets designed to appeal to all tastes from fairy tale to historic to urban. Beyond the holidays, the winter festival season is packed with film festivals, art festivals and Berlin’s Fashion Week.

About the Author

Christine Bartsch