Some say Berlin is depressing. Some say Berlin is ugly. Is this true? I always loved Berlin every time I visited. But is Berlin overrated?
Now that I lived here for a few cold, bleak months, I’ve started to rethink my love for Berlin. Here’s why:
Dear Berlin…
I hate to say this, but I feel I must be honest. I think I’ve outgrown you.
What?!
During my ‘round the world tour, Berlin was hands down one of my favorite cities. It was in the top two for sure – so much so that I returned there in 2008 to possibly look for work and live. I only stayed for a few weeks and then I caved to the pull of being on the road and still wanted to explore more places while I could.
I recently returned again for an entire month to live, work, and hang out. I got to live with my friend Sherry Ott in a cool apartment and get to know the city more. While I know one month barely scratches the surface, I did learn…I’m kind of over Berlin. Is Berlin overrated? Possibly. Is Berlin depressing? It definitely can be especially when it’s cold and gray for long stretches of time.
Say it ain’t so!
How a person feels about a place is entirely subjective, so be gentle on me here before get all up in my grill about how awesome Berlin is. I totally agree, to an extent, and, well, then…I don’t.
What I like about Berlin
Berlin’s Energy
There is an undeniable, palpable energy to the city of Berlin. At times, it’s comparable to that of New York City. It’s young. It’s growing fast. There’s a feeling in the air – a growing, progressive, a do-anything-we-want buzz.
Berlin is Cheap
Berlin is still one of the cheapest cities in Europe. Prices have been going up a bit, but rents and eating out are so cheap compared to Chicago, New York, Paris and London. You can eat a döner kebab for three Euros. You can eat a simple, yet good dinner out for 10 Euros and beer is just €2-3. It’s wonderful.
And goes hand in hand with the energy here. It’s because of the low prices that so many artists and young people CAN come to Berlin. And you can rent affordable furnished apartments with places like Go with Oh or HouseTrip. Because it’s so affordable, it gives many the time and chance to try to create something and fail or succeed.
The Food of Berlin
As you can see in my Berlin restaurants and food post, the grub here is great. Varied, international, cheap and abundant, I would never grow weary of the food in this city.
Everything from falafel, bratwurst, and Thai curry to Turkish kebabs, Mexican tacos, and great breads and bakeries, is available and cheap. This may be the thing that keeps me hanging on to you, Berlin.
What I Don’t Like about Berlin
Berlin is Ugly
Gasp! No she didn’t. Yes, I did.
There ARE some cool, pretty parts; I love some of the surviving architecture of some side streets of Prenzlauer Berg or Kreuzberg and I even like some of the modern (sometimes controversial) architecture of Potsdamer Platz, the dome on the Reichstag, and some of the government buildings.
I love the green band in Tiergarten, the so-close forest of Grünewald, and other parks sprinkled throughout the city. But overall, I find the city stark, ‘blocky’, scruffy-looking (thanks to all the graffiti), and dismal. I know, graffiti can be art and some of it is, but it’s everywhere and on nearly every building. I just find this messy and distracting. I personally wouldn’t want to live in a building that’s been tagged with a bunch of scrawls on the front. It’s just too much for me. Fine, call me a square or conservative. Maybe I’m not hip or cool anymore or I’m getting old, but aesthetics of where I live are important to me and what I see in my neighborhood does shape my mood.
Berlin is Depressing
There are also the rows and rows of utterly depressing Soviet concrete block apartment buildings. Not to mention the stark, hugeness of Karl Marx Allee. Yes, some of the buildings are cool, but so big and vast that to me they are just cold.
It Doesn’t Feel Like Europe
Poor Berlin. It’s been bombed and bulldozed beyond recognition. The old-world, medieval, cobblestone charm that I love so much about Europe, is lacking. I found a few pockets that gave me this feel, but overall I couldn’t find it. It sucks and it’s not Berlin’s fault that this happened, but it did.
Berlin’s Weather
I was here in March and it seemed to be grey and snowing nearly every single, freaking day so I am sure this had an affect on my outlook of my once-favorite city. It snowed this winter in Berlin more than it had in decades. This made it quite tough for me to stroll and wander like I envisioned or hop on my bike to explore different streets and neighborhoods all day long.
The gray skies, wind whipping in my face, and cold temps just made me want to take refuge indoors at our cozy and warm apartment.
Maybe we can get back together…someday
But, okay, I still kinda like you. I’m torn really. I am sure, I must return once again and give Berlin a fourth chance, because in this case, the third time was not a charm. But Berlin is fickle and changes so fast, who knows how I will feel in a couple years? She may just pull me back in.
Do you agree or disagree? Tell me why I’m wrong and a big jerk. Let me hear it in the comments below!
Disclosure: During my entire time in Berlin, I was a guest of Go with Oh and Oh-Berlin. As always, my writing and opinions are my own.
Berlin: Weissensee Jewish Cemetery
Breakups are sad. I must admit I’m a little concerned about going back to Vienna for this reason. It’s tied with Paris for my favorite European city so far (outside of the amazing Cork, Ireland, which is just awesome, of course). I am concerned that if I go back, I won’t like it as much.
I think you’ll get pulled back in — just a hunch. I guess I can see why you’d say that Berlin is ugly — ugly in a sexy kind of way, I think. 🙂 I won’t give you a hard time about Berlin. I’ve only been there twice for very short periods — and loved it! I’d love to have a chance like you did to live there for a month. Then I’d report back and let you know if the third time was not the charm for me, too.
My line of work involves photographing and filming cities. I’ve covered most European cities and Berlin was my favourite to photograph for all the reasons you liked it. At no point during my stay did I ever consider living there though. Rural Italy gives me that feeling.
I feel exactly the same. I love Berlin because of its vibrance but I could never live there. Even in the summer it feels so grey and depressing.
I absolutely agree with everything. Berlin, in comparison to other European capital cities, is so cheap, especially the food and transport, but it’s the ugliest place I’ve ever been to . It looks dull and depressing in winter…
I know how you feel about Berlin. It can be very ugly and quite dirty in places. The standard of living is quite low compared to where I live in the south, Munich. I was in Berlin at the weekend, and it was lovely, though. 🙂
I’ve been to Germany but not Berlin. However, I have heard a lot of good things about it. It’s good to read the other side. I can imagine after being bombed and rebuilt that the city doesn’t have the same old European feel. But I do agree with you about the graffiti thing. It would make a city less appealing for me.
You cant be wrong about an opinion.
There are places I’ve been that i was meh about. I got verbally slapped when I mentioned feeling that way to others. but it is what it is.
Fascinating. I so love it when I read something honest about a place. I haven’t been to Berlin, but wanted to so much when I was in my teens and 20s, imagining the arty, tense, living-on-the-edge world of Christopher Isherwood, that I am now scared to go, because I know that that world is long gone. Truthfully, I was done with Germany as a whole, years ago. I might be totally unfair there, since it’s so long since I was there, and I know I’ve changed myself and that my perspective would be different now. I was there a few times when I was young.
I went to Berlin wondering if I could live there ( I live in Barcelona ) and the answer, after a week, was no. For many of the reasons you mentioned. However, I agree, lots of good international eats; I wish we had more of that in Barcelona.
I’m with you on Berlin. I haven’t spent much time there and while I like it, I don’t love it and definitely couldn’t live there. I think I would love it if I was 20 and really into partying, and being hip, but I’m none of those things anymore.
Whisper it… we never really liked Berlin either. Perhaps because we’re not young anymore, but basically agree with the reasons you gave for not liking it. We’ve been there before and after the wall fell. At least, before the fall, there was the frisson of being in a place that’s not quite kosher west. Now, they’re all too in hurry to be more “swinging west” than the West. Berlin is cheap for a reason…..
Berlin is Berlin is Berlin is Berlin. And yes, I love that it’s one of the ugliest cities in the world, and I love that no other city is like Berlin. But I also hate winter in Berlin oh so much 😀
Berlin is fugly! I moved here for work and regret it dearly…
I lived there recently for less than 1.5 years. I had been there a few times before starting 6-7 years ago and since then I think it has changed for the worse. Despite the graffiti, the city has been gentrified to death and the rents are no longer cheap. That is long over unless you know someone who can hook you up. I did appreciate the vibrancy but in general I think Berlin’s former glory as the most happening city in Europe is long gone. Now everything there, especially anything related to the arts, seems so forced and pretentious and all the “hipness” seemed so imaginary.
Thanks for your comment Lynnette. It’s sad to hear, but I guess sort of a natural progression of things? NYC is still great, but VERY gentrified and with big box stores and a squeaky-clean Times Square…definitely no longer edgy.
The rise and fall in the popularity of Berlin has been a few years behind Brooklyn’s same rise and fall and what attracted people to Brooklyn in the US is the same that attracted people to Berlin. The grit is fun for a bit when it’s also cheap, but it gets tiresome, especially when you’re paying a fortune. Berlin is still cheap if you’re German and can get a rent controlled place, it’s just rapidly becoming expensive for everyone else since the demand for private residences has skyrocketed. It’s still nowhere near NYC and Brooklyn in cost, but the salaries are lower and job market is weaker.
There isn’t a new Berlin yet, and may not be. There are now several equally cool cities in the US, Austin, Portland, LA, Brooklyn, Oakland, so it’s entirely possible for the same effect to happen in Europe. Attention is moving to central and Eastern Europe now, but nowhere is standing out as a clear winner. That may be good because so many people flocking to one area really ruins what made it a draw in the first place and turns it into an increasingly unaffordable tourist attraction. The fun of living there is also ruined because you end up feeling like and being seen as one of so many flocking to the latest hotspot. It’s probably better a city is able to grow in a more balanced way.
Berlin is ugly. For the most part. Thats hardly a revelation. So is New York. Berlin is in the sweetspot for the reasons you outlined in your first part. Americans must have recognized much of 80s New York in 2000s Berlin – the gun violence. No wonder they touted it the coolest city in the world with the pull they have on public opinion.
It depends what you are into. If you want a money is no concern, its todays LA, New York or equivalent in Russia and Asia. As far as cities go, which are named in the same vein as Petersburg, New York, Paris London, Berlin is as of now, the only one that meets all the necessary criteria and is affordable. And as long as it remains sufficiently ugly prises wont spike too fast.
So true about NYC. I always thought and heard that Berlin was the NYC of the 1980s. I did love how affordable Berlin was compared to other big cities.
Berlin is over. The former vibrant underground vibe is long gone. Everyone looks the same, the city is becoming less and less diverse and interesting. No one can afford an apartment except rich foreigners. And don’t get me started on the intolerant, passive-aggressive locals…
Agree on that, after living here almost 4 years. It was already booming (obviously) when I landed in 2014, but it has changed so much… now rent prices are crazy. “Everyone looks the same” that’s so sadly true… And don’t get me started on the grey and depressive winter…
The good old days of cheap Berlin are gone.
Good post. Been living there for 2 years now. I cannot wait to leave in a few months. Sad to say, but it still is a destroyed city, with a lot, a lot, of destroyed people.