Is the Berlin Welcome Card worth it?

Berlin in Germany is one of those cities where you can’t just do it all in one trip. There are so many museums, shows, and activities that it can be a bit overwhelming not just when you’re planning, but to your budget too.

Fear not, because if you’re someone who likes to visit a bunch of places and not just wander around outdoors (which is fun in summer but way too cold in winter), the Berlin Welcome Card lets you do just that for a fixed price.

The question is: is the Berlin Welcome Card worth it? Do you actually earn your money back? And what about that other option, the Berlin Pass?

I break it all down for you in this post.

 

The Berlin Welcome Card vs the Berlin Pass

What is the Berlin Welcome Card?

The Berlin Welcome Card offers you a budget-friendly way to enjoy an action-packed trip to Berlin. If you’re the kind of person who loves to cram as many activities and as much sight-seeing as possible into their trip, the Berlin Card will be a godsend to your bank account.

There are three different kinds of Berlin Welcome Card. The first is the standard Berlin Welcome Card, which offers free public transport within a certain zone and up to 50% discount at a range of venues. This includes famous attractions, restaurants, souvenir stores, museums, tours, bike rental, and more. You will also get a city map and guidebook thrown in for good measure.

The second kind of card is the Berlin Welcome Card All-Inclusive. This includes everything that you get with standard card plus some extra goodies. In addition to discounts at over 200 sites, you will also get free admission into over 30 of the cities top attractions.

The third type of Welcome Card is the Museum Island Berlin Welcome Card, which includes all the benefits of the standard welcome card plus free entry to one museum on Museum Island per day. These museums are: Alte Nationalgalerie, Altes Museum, Bode Museum, Neues Museum, and Pergamon Museum.

If you plan your days meticulously and can fit plenty of attractions in each day, the all-inclusive card could save you over 100€ in admission fees.
 

The Berlin Welcome Card benefits: what’s included?

Has this Berlin discount card piqued your interest? Let’s have a closer look at exactly what is included with the Berlin city cardard. I have included regular prices alongside so you can compare and calculate your savings as you go.

For the purposes of brevity, I will focus on the all-inclusive card as it includes everything that the standard card includes, plus a bit extra. If you plan on buying the standard card, just ignore the first section about free entry to attractions.
 

Free Entry to the Following Famous Berlin Attractions

• Alte Nationalgalerie – 10 EUR
• Altes Museum – 10 EUR
• AquaDom & Sea Life Berlin – 19 EUR (30% off with standard card)
• Asisi Panorama THE WALL – 10 EUR
• Berlin City Circle Sightseeing – 24 EUR
• Berlin Dungeon – 22,50 EUR (30% off with standard card)
• Berlin on Bike – 24 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Berlin Television Tower – 16,50 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Bode-Museum – 12 EUR
• C/O Berlin – 10 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• CitySightseeing Potsdam – 17 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Dalí – The Exhibition at Potsdamer Platz – 12,50 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• DDR Museum – 9,50 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Deezer Nextbike Bike Sharing – 5 free rides up to 30 mins, normally max 12 EUR for 24hrs
• Gemäldegalerie – 10 EUR
• German History Museum – 8 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• German Spy Museum – 12 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Hamburger Bahnhof – 14 EUR
• Jewish Museum Berlin – 8 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Little BIG City – 16 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Madame Tussauds Berlin – 25 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Museum Berggruen – 10 EUR
• Museum of Photography – 10 EUR
• Neues Museum – 12 EUR
• Nineties Berlin – 9,80 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Olympic Stadium Visitor Center – 8 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Original Berlin Walks – 14 EUR
• Pergamon Museum – 19 EUR
• Stasimuseum – 6 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• Stern und Kreisschiffahrt – 23 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• The Story of Berlin Museum – 12 EUR (25% off with standard card)
• The Wall Museum – 12,50 EUR (25% off with standard card)

 

Free public transport

Both the standard card and the all-inclusive card offer unlimited travel on Berlin’s fantastic public transport network. You’ll have full access to the buses, trains, and trams in Berlin’s City Center (Zone AB). There is also the option to buy a Welcome Card with a wider scope for travel. For just a few euros extra you can travel freely not just through Berlin’s center, but also Potsdam, the Schönfeld Airport, and the Sachsenhausen Memorial (Zone ABC).

To compare prices, a day ticket without the Welcome Card costs 7 EUR for Zone AB and 7,70 EUR for Zone ABC. This entitles you to unlimited access to all of Berlin’s public transport within the designated zone.

If you are not planning on entering any of Berlin’s attractions and just want to wander around the city (which is also fun) then it is more economical to buy public transport day tickets. However, once you throw a few museums into the mix, the Welcome Card starts to make a difference.

Take note as well that with the all-inclusive card you also get access to the hop-on-hop-off bus tour, which is a fun and easy way to get an overview of the city.
 

Berlin Welcome Card discount list

Berlin Card discounts for restaurants

50% discount

• BATA Bar & Billiards
• Juleps New York Bar & Restaurant
• Supersonico

 

35% Discount

McDonald’s
 

25% Discount

• Aapka – Indian Restaurant
• Alto Bar & Restaurant at Central Station
• Berliner Republik
• BiteMojo
• Brasserie Ganymed
• Brechts Steakhaus
• Coa
• Das Haus der 100 Biere am Ku’damm
• Italofritzen
• Kartoffelkeller
• Knofel
• MacLaren’s Pub
• Marooush
• Nocti Vagus Dark Restaurant & Dark Stage
• Play Off
• Restaurant Haus Berlin (closed until Winter 2019)
• Restaurant & Café Drachenhaus
• Restaurant Meena Kumari
• Restaurant Weiss
• Ristorante Cinque
• Ritter Sport Colourful ChocoWorld
• Sir Hanh’s Old Town Hanoi
• Steakhouse Las Malvinas
• Trattoria Maranello
• Xantener Eck

 

Berlin Welcome Card list of attractions and venues

With 50% discount

• Alba Berlin Basketballteam
• Botanical Garden & Museum
• Me Collectors Room
• Museum of Communication
• Myth of Germania
• Trabi Museum
• Zille Museum

 

With 30-40% discount

• Berlin’s Best Segway Tours – 30% discount
• Berlinische Galerie – 38% discount
• Bike Station Berlin – 33% discount
• Biosphäre Potsdam – 30% discount
• BKA Theater – 30% discount
• BlackBox Kalter Krieg – 30% discount
• Body Worlds Berlin – 30% discount
• Church of Nikolai – 40% discount
• Fußfetifisch Berlin – 33% discount
• Gay Museum – 33% discount
• German Cinematheque – 35% discount
• Hans Otto Theater – 30% discount
• Legoland Discovery Centre – 30% discount
• Märkisches Museum – 40% discount
• Museum of Natural History – 38% discount
• Museum of Technology – 38% discount
• Panoramapunkt – 33% discount
• Street Safari – 33% discount
• The Belvedere of the Pfingstberg – 30% discount
• Tretroller.berlin – 30% discount

 

With 20-29% discount

• 1st GDR Motorcycle Museum in Berlin – 26% discount
• 3D Your Body – 25% discount
• AbenteuerPark Potsdam – 25% discount
• Air Service Berlin Weltballon – 25% discount
• Ampelmann Shops – 25% discount
• Anne Frank Zentrum – 25% discount
• Ansichtssachen – 25% discount
• Art:Berlin – 25% discount
• Audio tours of the City – 25% discount
• Bar Jeder Vernunft – 25% discount
• Base Flying at Alexanderplatz – 25% discount
• Barberini Museum – 25% discount
• Berlin Cathedral – 28% discount
• Berlin Erlbenisse – 25% discount
• Berlin Stores – 25% discount
• Berlin Story Bunker – 25% discount
• Berlin Story Museum – 25% discount
• Berliner Ensemble – 25% discount
• Berliner Kriminal Theater – 25% discount
• Berliner Residence Concerts – 25% discount
• Bikegreen.de – 25% discount
• Blue Man Group – 25% discount
• Boat Tours Potsdam – 25% discount
• BR Volleys – 25% discount
• Bröhan Museum – 25% discount
• BWSG Berlin – 25% discount
• Cabaret Theatre – 25% discount
• Canoe Berlin – 25% discount
• Cat in the Bag – 25% discount
• Chamäleon Theater Berlin – 25% discount
• Charlottenburg – 25% discount
• City Segway Tours – 25% discount
• City Sightseeing Potsdam – 25% discount
• Comedy Tour Berlin – 25% discount
• Computer Games Museum – 25% discount
• Cultour Berlin – 25% discount
• Designer Depot – 25% discount
• Deutsche Oper Berlin – 25% discount
• Deutsches Theater Berlin – 25% discount
• Die Stachelschweine – 25% discount
• Discover Potsdam – 25% discount
• Distel Cabaret Theatre – 25% discount
• E-bike Tours – 25% discount
• EASTSIDESEEING – 25% discount
• Eat Berlin – 25% discount
• Eisbären Berlin (Ice Hockey) – 25% discount
• Elektro-Trabi-Safari – 25% discount
• Escape Game Berlin – 25% discount
• Exclusiv Yachtcharter – 28% discount
• EXTAVIUM Potsdam – 25% discount
• Fabrik Potsdam – 25% discount
• Fat tire Tours – 25% discount
• Filmmuseum Potsdam – 25% discount
• Filmpark Babelsburg – 25% discount
• Foxtrail – 25% discount
• Frau Tonis Parfum – 25% discount
• Free Berling Bike Tours (not free despite the name) – 27% discount
• Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin – 25% discount
• Gardens of the World – 25% discount
• Game Science Centre – 28% discount
• Haus am Waldsee – 28% discount
• Helicopter Flights – 25% discount
• Hertha BSC – 25% discount
• Historical Mill in Park Sanssouci – 26% discount
• Hitler – how could it happen? – 25% discount
• Hurricane Factory Berlin – 25% discount
• Insider Tour – 28% discount
• Kaiser Tour Potsdam City and Palace Tours – 25% discount
• Kollateralschaden – 25% discount
• Komische Oper Berlin – 25% discount
• Konzerthaus Berlin – 25% discount
• Kulinarische Zeitreise – 25% discount
• Kürfurstendamm Theater and Comedy – 25% discount
• KW Institute for Contemporary Art
• Lindt Boutique – 25% discount
• MACHmit! Museum for Kids – 28% discount
• Mike’s Sightseeing Berlin – 25% discount
• Mindways Segway Tours – 25% discount
• Museum of Decorative Arts – 25% discount
• Museum of European Culture – 25% discount
• Museum Fluxus – 26% discount
• Mustang Safari – 25% discount
• Natural History Museum Potsdam – 25% discount
• NIVEA Haus – 25% discount
• Pfefferberg Theater – 25% discount
• Popkornditorei Knalle – 25% discount
• Potsdam Museum – 25% discount
• Potsdam on Pedals – 25% discount
• Quatsch Comedy Club – 25% discount
• Red City Buses Berlin – 25% discount
• Reederei Bruno Winkler – 25% discount
• Reederei Riedel – 25% discount
• Renaissance Theater – 25% discount
• Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg – 25% discount
• Sandemans Walking Tours – 25% discount
• Sanssouci – 20% discount only with all-inclusive card
• Satire Theater Potsdam – 25% discount
• Schaubühne on Lehniner platz – 25% discount
• Schlosspark Theater – 25% discount
• Schönhausen Palace – 25% discount
• Sennheiser Store Berlin – 25% discount
• Staatsballett Berlin – 25% discount
• Staatsoper Under den Linden – 25% discount
• Stadt und Schlösserrundfahrten Tour – 25% discount
• Stage Theater des Westens – 25% discount
• Stars in Concert – 25% discount
• StattReisen Berlin – 25% discount
• Tempelhof Airport – 25% discount
• Theater an der Parkaue – 25% discount
• Tierpark Berlin – 25% discount
• Tipi am Kanzleramt – 25% discount
• Top Tour Sightseeing – 25% discount
• Tours in Hebrew – 25% discount
• Trabi Safari – 25% discount
• Tranxx – 25% discount
• Urban Bike Tours – 25% discount
• Video Bus Tours – 25% discount
• Villa Schöningen – 25% discount
• Vintage Beetle Tour – 25% discount
• Volksbühne – 25% discount
• Waldhochseilgarten Jungfernheide – 25% discount
• Wall Museum – 25% discount
• Wintergarten Varieté – 25% discount
• Zeiss Planetarium – 25% discount
• Zitadelle – 25% discount
• Zoo of Berlin – 25% discount

 

 

Example itinerary with and without the Berlin Welcome Card

So, the above list is exhaustive and looks a bit daunting when it is just sitting there out of context. As you can see there are a lot of discounts on offer and you aren’t going to be able to use all of them in one trip (or in a lifetime unless you live in Berlin or visit every weekend). In this section, I’d like to make the card seem less abstract by pulling it together into a potential itinerary for you.

Your itinerary for a two day trip could look a little something like this:

Day One:

• Morning – Aquadom & Sealife Berlin
• Afternoon – Berlin on Bike
• Evening – Berlin Television Tower

 

Day Two:

• Morning – German Spy Museum
• Afternoon – The Wall Museum
• Evening – Komische Opera House

 

That’s three activities each day, making for a fun-filled but not over-packed weekend break. You will, of course, be able to take public transport between all of the destinations. Now, is the Berlin Card worth it?

Let’s do the maths. If you go all out and buy the all-inclusive Welcome Card your savings will be as follows:

Day one will be completely free and day two will be free apart from the opera ticket, which will be discounted 25%. Tickets are usually around 50 EUR for the opera so discounted will be around 37,50 EUR. So both days will cost 116,50 EUR (79 for the 48h all-inclusive card and 37,50 for the discounted opera ticket).

With the standard Welcome Card the price will be: 43,70 EUR for day one, 55,90 EUR for day two and 20 EUR for the Welcome Card. This totals 119,60 EUR for the weekend.

Without either of the cards, the total will be 59,50 EUR for day one, 74,50 EUR for day two, and 14 EUR for a day travel ticket for each day. This comes to 148 EUR for the weekend.

As you can see, you can save around 31,50 EUR with the all-inclusive card in this situation. And, that doesn’t include discounts you can enjoy if you eat in the restaurants mentioned above (I haven’t included them in the itinerary as everyone will spend different amounts on meals so it is hard to judge what kind of saving you could have).

Of course, this is just a sample itinerary. You could save even more if you plan your days carefully and cover four or even five activities in a day. How much you save is ultimately in your hands once you buy the card.
 

Who is it for?

This entirely depends on what kind of traveler you are. Some people use their vacations to do nothing after working hard all year. In this case the card is not for you. However, there are others that like to pack as much activity into their vacation as possible to combat the monotony of having to go to work every day. If you relate to this then the Welcome Card is definitely for you.

While the card is predominantly aimed at tourists, there is nothing to stop someone living in Berlin from purchasing one. There is something rather charming about being a tourist in your own city for a day or two.

You should also ask yourself if you ever plan on coming back to Berlin. For Europeans, getting to Berlin is easy and the likelihood of a return trip is pretty high. This means you don’t need to cram everything in in one go. If you’re coming from further afield, like the USA or Australia, you might only have one opportunity to experience Berlin. In this case you will probably want to grab yourself a Welcome Card so you can really make the most of your time there.
 

How to choose the best Berlin Welcome Card for you?

Berlin Welcome Card cost?

For the All-Inclusive Berlin Welcome Card and Museum Pass the prices are as follows:

Adult with public transport:

• Berlin Welcome Card 48 hours: 79 EUR
• Berlin Welcome Card 72 hours: 105 EUR
• Berlin Welcome Card 4 days: 125 EUR
• Berlin Welcome Card5 days: 145 EUR
• Berlin Welcome Card 6 days: 165 EUR

 

Adult without public transport:

• 48h: 69 EUR
• 72h: 85 EUR
• 4 days: 99 EUR
• 5 days: 115 EUR
• 6 days: 129 EUR

 

Child:

• 48h: 49 EUR
• 72h: 59 EUR
• 4 days: 65 EUR
• 5 days: 69 EUR
• 6 days: 79 EUR (note that children’s tickets do not include public transport as up to three children may travel for free with an adult)

 

For the standard Berlin Welcome Card the prices are as follows:

Zone AB

• 48h: 20 EUR
• 72h: 29 EUR
• 72h + Museum Island Card: 46 EUR
• 4 days: 34 EUR
• 5 days: 38 EUR
• 6 days: 43 EUR

 

Zone ABC

• 48h: 23 EUR
• 72h: 32 EUR
• 72h + Museum Island Card: 48 EUR
• 4 days: 37 EUR
• 5 days: 42 EUR
• 6 days: 47 EUR

 

How to choose the best Berlin Welcome Card for you

Ultimately, if you want to pack a lot of attractions into your trip, the all-inclusive Welcome Card is the best way to go. If you plan on traveling a lot around the city and seeing a few attractions, then it might be better to opt for the standard Welcome Card.

If you want to get your culture fix but don’t have the budget to splash out on the all-inclusive card, opt for the 72h + Museum Island card. This card allows you to see the city and some of its top attractions without breaking the bank.

Bear in mind that you don’t need to purchase a card for the whole duration of your trip. If you have a week in Berlin, you could purchase the 48h card and spend two days rushing around sightseeing and the rest of your trip chilling and being more leisurely. The choice is yours.
 

Where to buy the Berlin Welcome Card?

Most people will buy the Berlin Welcome Card online. This is the easiest option and it means you won’t waste vacation time trying to buy one once you arrive in Berlin.

However, if you would prefer to purchase your Welcome Card in person, they are available to buy in all of the information centers, big hotels, and public transport stations throughout the city. You can also purchase them at the airport.

Once you have bought your card, you will be given a plastic discount card and a separate public transport ticket. Simply write the date on the back of the plastic card and hand it over whenever you need to pay for something at any of the places listed above. It couldn’t be simpler.
 

Practical tips for getting the most out of your Berlin Welcome Card

The most important thing to do if you want to make the most out of your Berlin Welcome Card is to plan your itinerary meticulously. The card is not cheap, but there is a huge number of discounts on offer. If you are clever, you will use this article and the relevant websites to find out how you can get the best savings and the most enjoyment out of each day.

Another important thing to remember is not to overbuy your ticket. In other words, if you are there for 2 and a half days, opt for the 48h option rather than the 72h option. It is better to have less time with the card than pay for time you can’t use.

After your 48 hours runs out, there are still plenty of things to do in Berlin that are free or cheap regardless of whether you have a Welcome card or not.

Get the Berlin Welcome Card
 

Alternative: the Berlin Pass

Just when you thought you had got your head around the Berlin Welcome Card, it’s time to throw something else into the mix. Now it’s time to take a look at the Berlin Pass, the alternative choice to the Berlin Welcome Card.

We’re going to do a run-through now of everything the Berlin Pass has to offer so you can make up your own mind as to which card best suits your trip.
 

What is the Berlin Pass?

The Berlin City Pass differs from the Welcome Card in that it doesn’t offer any discounts. Instead, it offers completely free entry but to fewer attractions. While the all-inclusive Welcome Card offers discounts to over 200 venues and free entry to about 30+, the Berlin Pass simply offers free entry to around 60 attractions.

So is the Berlin pass worth it?

Well, the pass contains three elements: an attraction pass, a Berlin museum pass, and an optional Berlin travelcard. You also get a free guidebook with your card. The Berlin Pass does not have different duration options like the Welcome Card does.

You have two options with the Berlin Pass: a Berlin 72-hour pass or a 72-hour pass with a travelcard. The 3-day card costs 124 EUR for adults and 92 EUR for children. With a travelcard, the price goes up to 148 EUR for adults and 90 EUR for children.
 

Berlin Pass benefits: what’s included?

Unlike the Welcome Card, there are no discounts to mention here. With the Berlin sightseeing Pass you will get free entry to everything in the list of attractions below. As with last time, I will include the normal price alongside each attraction so you can tot up your savings in your head as go read.
 

Berlin Pass list of museums with free entry

• Alte National Gallery – 10 EUR
• Altes Museum – 10 EUR
• Anne Frank Centre – 5 EUR
• Aquadom & Sea Life – 19 EUR
• Asisi Panorama Berlin – 12 EUR
• Bauhaus Archive – 7 EUR
• Berggruen Museum – 10 EUR
• Berlin Film Museum – 7 EUR
• Berlin Story Museum & Bunker – 6 EUR
• Berlinische Gallery – 10 EUR
• Bode Museum – 10 EUR
• Bröhan Museum – 8 EUR
• Brücke Museum – 5 EUR
• Checkpoint Charlie Museum – 12,50 EUR
• Communication Museum – 4 EUR
• Dahlem Museum – 8 EUR
• DDR Museum – 9,80 EUR
• Düppel Museum Village – 2 EUR
• Egyptian Museum Berlin – 12 EUR
• Gemalde Gallery – 10 EUR
• Georg Kolbe Museum – 5 EUR
• German Technology Museum – 4,50 EUR
• Hamburger Bahnhof – 14 EUR
• Illusions Museum – 12 EUR
• Jewish Museum Berlin – 7 EUR
• Kunstbibliothek – 8 EUR
• Labyrinth Children’s Museum – 4,50 EUR
• MACHmit Children’s Museum – 4,50 EUR
• Madame Tussauds – 25 EUR
• Magicum, Berlin Magic Museum – 12 EUR
• Märkisches Museum – 5 EUR
• Me Collectors Room – 8 EUR
• Medical History Museum – 6 EUR
• Middle Eastern Museum – 12 EUR
• Museum of Decorative Arts – 6 EUR
• Museum of Islamic Art – 12 EUR
• Museum of Photography – 10 EUR
• Museum of Pre-History & Early History – 12 EUR
• Musical Instrument Museum – 6 EUR
• Natural History Museum – 8 EUR
• Neue National Gallery – 10 EUR
• Neues Museum – 12 EUR
• Nineties Berlin – 9,80 EUR
• Pergamon Museum – 12 EUR
• Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection – 10 EUR
• The Wall Museum East Side Gallery – 12,50 EUR

 

Free entry to top attractions

• Berlin Botanical Garden – 6 EUR
• Berlin Dungeon – 22,50 EUR
• Berlin Weltballoon – 25 EUR
• Berliner Dom – 7 EUR
• Church of St. Nicholas – 5 EUR
• Ephraim Palais Berlin – 7 EUR
• Legoland Discovery Centre – 19,50 EUR
• Little Big City Berlin – 16 EUR
• Olympiastadion Berlin – 8 EUR
• Panoramapunkt – 7,50 EUR

 

Free ways to explore the city

• Berlin Bike Tour – 28 EUR
• Berlin River Cruise – 15 EUR
• Berlin Street Art Walking Tour – 14 EUR
• Berlin Walking Tours – 14 EUR
• Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus – 30 EUR
• Queer Berlin Walking Tour – 14 EUR

 

Free Public Transport

You have to option to add a travelcard on to your Berlin Pass, which provides unlimited access on all of the city’s public transport for the duration of your pass in Zone ABC. It even includes transport to and from the Schönefeld Airport.

Note that if you have any children under the age of 5, they will travel free with a Berlin Pass holder.

 

Example itinerary with and without the Berlin Pass

While the list of attractions available with the Berlin City Pass is shorter, the savings on offer are comparable with that of the Berlin Welcome Card. Here is a sample itinerary for a three day trip to Berlin using the Berlin Pass.

Day One:

• Morning – Berlin Weltballoon 25
• Afternoon – Altes Museum 10
• Evening – Berlin River Cruise 15

 

Day Two:

• Morning – Pergamon Museum – 12
• Afternoon – Berlin Dungeon – 22,50
• Evening – Panoramapunkt 7,50

 

Day Three:

• Morning – Berlin Walking Tours 14
• Afternoon – Checkpoint Charlie Museum 12,50
• Evening – Jewish Museum Berlin 7

 

This is a jam-packed itinerary that will show you some of Berlin’s most exciting attractions without leaving you completely exhausted at the end of each day. Plus, there is a healthy balance of culture and exploration thrown in there for good measure.

Without the Berlin Pass, this itinerary would cost you 125,50 EUR on entry to attractions plus another 7 EUR each day for a travelcard. This brings the grand total to 146,50 EUR.

If you choose to purchase the standard Berlin Pass, then the itinerary will be completely free except for travel. This means the total will be 124 EUR for the card and 21 EUR for travel, therefore 145 EUR altogether.

With the Berlin Pass that includes a travelcard, your total will be simply the price of the card, which is 148 EUR.

Based on this itinerary, the Berlin Pass without the travelcard looks like the most economical option. However, if you have to travel to or from the airport on any of those days (not everyone will have to as you may have taken a train or bus to the city) then the price just tips in favor of the Berlin Pass plus travelcard.
 

Is the Berlin city pass worth it for you?

The Berlin Pass, just like the Welcome Card, is for people that want to squeeze as much activity out of the vacation as they possibly can. Three days can allow you to visit loads of Berlin’s attractions if you plan your days carefully and plot an efficient route on the map.

On the flip side, if your plan is to chill out and meander around the city with a bratwurst in hand, then the Berlin Pass is a waste of money. Everyone will have a different motivation for visiting Berlin, so have a think about what you want to get out of the city and let that determine whether or not you buy the Berlin Pass.
 

How to choose the best Berlin Pass for you?

This is quite simple. If you want to walk around the city and think you won’t use public transport very much or will only use it once or twice a day then opt for the pass without a travelcard. On the other hand, if you want to take public transport across the city and plan on visiting Potsdam and the outskirts of the city center (AKA Zone C), or you need to travel to the Schönefeld Airport, then you should opt for the Berlin Pass with a travelcard.
 

Where to buy the Berlin Pass?

You can only buy the Berlin Pass online but you have the option once you have done so to either have it shipped to you anywhere in the world or to collect it from their information desk which you can find at this address:

Little BIG City Berlin (At the foot of TV tower, next to Marien Church)
Panoramastr. 1A, 10178 Berlin
Opening Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
 

Practical tips for getting the most out of your Berlin Pass

The trick to getting the most value out of your Berlin Pass is to plan your days meticulously. Get up early and plan your travel routes so you don’t waste time stressing over Google Maps before you set off. Similarly, pay close attention to opening hours. Some attractions will close as early as 4 whereas others will stay open until 8. Use that to inform your itinerary.

You should also take logistics into account. Berlin is a fairly big city so if there are a few attractions you want to see that are all in the same area then try to cover them all in one go. This will save you time going back and forth.
 

Berlin Welcome Card vs Berlin pass: which one to choose?

Now, for the crux of the entire article. With your Berlin trip looming, it is time to make the decision: which card do you buy, if any at all. Hopefully, my analysis of the two cards above has gone some way towards showing you which card might be for you, but I will do a little summary here to bring all together.

Berlin Pass vs Welcome Card
The Berlin Welcome Card has a few notable advantages. The first is that it has a much wider range of discounts on offer, in addition to the free entry that comes with the all-inclusive and Berlin Museum island pass. The second is that some of these discounts are available at restaurants, which could take the total price of your trip down significantly as you will most likely eat out two, if not three times each day.

The third benefit of the Welcome Card is that you can choose the duration of the card to fit with the duration of your vacation. Berlin is generally thought of as a weekend, city break type of destination. If this is how you plan to visit the city you will probably only have 48 hours there, meaning the 3-day Berlin Pass is too long and won’t be worth the money.

However, the Berlin Pass also has its advantages. While the Berlin Pass’ list of perks is shorter, everything on it is completely free. This means that once you have bought the pass you don’t need to think about admission fees anymore.

Plus, the Berlin Pass gives you free access to a number of walking tours, which are an excellent way of enjoying and exploring the city with an expert on board to teach you all about its history and culture as you go.

Neither of the cards is cheap and the amount you will save by purchasing one is entirely dependent on how much you intend to do with it.

If you are going to Berlin for three days and plan on doing at least three activities each day, purchase the Berlin Pass.

If you are going to Berlin for a weekend break or for a longer period (5/6 days) and you think you will do some activities and will use public transport a lot, purchase the standard Berlin Welcome Card.

Alternatively, go for the 72h+ Museum Island Welcome Card. This gives you access to Berlin’s main five museums and public transport, but is still very reasonably priced and doesn’t put you under pressure to visit a million attractions just to get your money’s worth.

If your plan is the same as above but you think you will do loads of activities the purchase the all-inclusive Berlin Welcome Card.

Finally, if all you want to do is sip a beer in the park and walk along the river then don’t bother with either of the cards.

I hope that sums it all up nicely for you. Enjoy your trip!

Get the Berlin Welcome Card

Get the Berlin Pass
 

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