Housing and Transport in Berlin

Have you just landed in Berlin and now looking for an apartment in Berlin?

Of course you can crash at your best friends place but in Germany there is a saying that cheese and guests “go bad” after 3 days.

So don’t overburden the well-known German hospitality and get yourself your own place to stay.

And make sure that you know which neighbourhoods in Berlin you would prefer to live in future, as you will spend most of your time in your own “Kiez”.

How to find a place to live in Berlin

Finding a flat in Berlin got more complicated in recent years, but it is still way easier than in other German cities like Munich or Frankfurt.

Also the prices are also still fine, even though the rents in Berlin go up in a higher pace than anywhere else.

Depending on where you want to live you can still find good bargains.

For the small  budget you can try to find a place in a WG (meaning living with others, mostly students) or get a place on the ground floor (usually cheaper as well).

But if you plan to settle down you should try to find a place to stay in Berlin on your own.

Buying Furniture

Next on the list is to get your place decorated.

Of course you can also rent an apartment that already comes with furniture, but this will turn out very expensive in the long run.

Better buy your own furniture, as there are many options in Germany.

Buying furniture online is becoming increasingly popular.

You safe yourself a lot of time and stress. If you are not used to buy everything online yet then IKEA is a very good place to go.

Cheap and easy to build furniture and the best part is that they offer great food in their gigantic shops.

Public Transport in Berlin

Most new Berliners don’t own a car and are therefore very much depending on public transport.

But luckily Berlin’s public transport system is very large and, except in very cold winters, very reliable.

Especially during rush hours public transport will save you lots of time and nerves compared to driving yourself.

Also Berlin unfortunately has not enough dedicated spaces just for bicycles, which makes cycling not one of the best ways to get to work.

Unless of course you love the thrill of constantly being yelled at by stressed car drivers.

Carsharing Berlin

Whenever you need a car you might want to consider using some of the carsharing companies like DriveNow or Car2go.

They offer the advantage of driving yourself without the hassle of owning your own car.

Also these companies have contracts that let their customers park without needing to get a parking ticket.