Best Time to Visit Berlin

Spring and early summer: the sweet spot

April is the first month that feels properly mild, and it's also one of the driest. Parks like Tiergarten and Tempelhofer Feld (the old airfield turned public park) fill up with people the moment the sun appears. By May and June, days are long and warm, with highs from 19°C to 24°C. Beer gardens open, and the Spree riverbank is full of people.

Rain still shows up on about 11 days a month in May and June, but it's usually a short shower. Carry on with your plans. Want a city break with lots of walking? This is your window.

Events add to the mood. The Karneval der Kulturen, a street parade in Kreuzberg, usually lands around Pentecost in late spring. Christopher Street Day, Berlin's big Pride parade, is in July. The Long Night of Museums happens in late summer and winter, and it's a fun way to see several places in one evening.

July and August: warm, and a bit wetter

July is the warmest month, and also the wettest, with 82 mm of rain on 13 days. That sounds gloomy, but rain often comes as a sudden storm and then clears. Evenings stay light late, so you can swim at Strandbad Wannsee or float on a canal boat after dinner.

Summer is high season. German school holidays bring more visitors, though Berlin never feels as packed as Munich or Paris. If you hate crowds, aim for the quieter neighbourhoods like Prenzlauer Berg or Neukölln rather than Brandenburg Gate.

September and October: the calm return

September is a favourite. It's still pleasant at 21°C, with only 8 rainy days. The Berlin Marathon, a fast, flat race, runs in late September, so hotels get busier that weekend. The Festival of Lights in October lights up landmarks, though by then the weather is cooler and greyer.

By October, highs fall to 15°C and the sun fades to about 3 hours a day. It's good for museums on Museum Island and for long café afternoons.

November to March: dark, damp, and cheap

Winter is the low season. Days are short, skies are grey, and January has only about 1.7 hours of sun a day. Highs hover around freezing. It can feel heavy, and you'll want to plan around indoor stops like the Pergamon area, the Berlinale film festival in February, and the clubs, which keep going all night.

December has a bright side: the Christmas markets at Gendarmenmarkt and Charlottenburg Palace. Travelling on a budget? Winter flights and rooms are usually the cheapest, as long as you don't mind a coat and early dusk.