Our article Berlin in the rain reveals a variety of bad weather activities for Berlin.
You have arrived in the German capital and now of all times the rain is pouring down on you? That is quite annoying! But don’t worry.
Even in the rain, there are many interesting things to do in Berlin. With spontaneous rethinking, you can make the most of the rainy day and spend entertaining hours in the dry (or even in the wet) that will fly by.
To help you shape your rainy day in Berlin, we've divided this article into two categories. Let's start with activities for during the day. Then let's move on to our suggestions for the evening.
Let's go!
Berlin in the Rain: Activities for the Day
1. Visit a Museum
Forget about the rain and just do what most people do when it’s raining. Visit a museum, or even multiple museums. Berlin's Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest museum ensemble in the world. Chances are you were going to come here anyway. No less than five museums dedicated to art and history will prepare you for an informative and educational day without a second of boredom.
Nearby is the Humboldt Forum, which expands the offer of the Museum Island. Meanwhile, the most visited museum in Berlin is the Topography of Terror. It deals with the horror of the Nazi dictatorship.
- Check out our article 30 Best Museums in Berlin for more suggestions for a museum visit.
2. Shop til you drop!
How can you be bothered by bad weather when you hardly notice it? This is how you will feel if you go to one of the big shopping malls, for example the famous Kaufhaus des Westens, better known as KaDeWe, near the Kurfürstendamm. The selection ranges from luxury brands, to affordable fashion, to delicious delicacies on the famous gourmet floor on the 6th floor.
Bikini Haus at Breitscheidplatz is not far away and stands for shopping of the new generation. Germany's first concept mall awaits you with flagship stores, original boutiques and Kantini, the food market. Two other hip addresses are located on Friedrichstraße: Galeries Lafayette, with the famous gourmet department Lafayette with French delicacies, and the department store Quartier 206 with its impressive cosmopolitan architecture.
- Read our Berlin Shopping Guide
3. Spend Time in a cozy Café
A nice coffee chat with family or friends in a cute Berlin café quickly makes you forget the rainy weather outside. The legendary Café Kranzler on Kurfürstendamm, opened in 1932, is the perfect place to go. Even though it is now operated as a branch of Berlin's upscale coffee house "The Barn," the café's exterior with its rotunda and red and white awning still exudes its former charm.
- More: 15 good cafés in Berlin
4. Relax in an Indoor Pool
Swap the rain outside for the much more enjoyable wet inside! If you are in Berlin with your own car, you can visit Tropical Islands just outside the city. The largest tropical vacation world in Europe is just an hour's drive from Berlin. Here, you can spend your day according to your liking in a tropical world with palm trees, a lagoon, a waterfall and a tropical rainforest.
Too far away? Well then, check out the Wellenbad am Spreewaldplatz, right next to Görlitzer Park in Kreuzberg. In addition to plenty of waves, the recreational pool offers a water slide, massage jets, sauna and wellness services.
- For more locations, please visit the website of the Berliner Bäder.
5. Take a Break from Everyday Life
Is there anything more relaxing than spending time in a sauna or hammam, in the comforting warmth of a day spa, while it's raining outside? Don't be fooled by the simple entrance area of the VabaliSpa near the main train station. Behind it is a 20,000-square-foot luxury wellness oasis with a pool area, saunas, and massage and treatment rooms.
Nine saunas, a large rooftop pool, whirlpools, massages, treatments and fitness rooms on 9,000 sq. ft. welcome you to the Day Spa David Lloyd Meridian in Spandau. Float on the surface of a solution of water and salt and enjoy wellness areas at Liquidrom and Float Berlin. Or you can relax in an oriental hamam, such as Sultan Hamam or the hamam at the Frauenenzentrum Schokoladenfabrik, which caters to the well-being of exclusively female clientele.
6. Enjoy Time with Animals
There are two large aquariums in Berlin that invite you to linger for hours while it pours outside. Aquarium Berlin, which borders the Zoological Garden to the south, is the largest show aquarium in Europe and is considered one of the world’s most species-rich facilities of its kind. In addition to sea animals, which are of course the undisputed stars, you can also discover reptiles, insects and amphibians.
At AquaDom& SEA LIFE in Berlin Mitte, you can discover over 5,000 animals of the underwater world in 35 true-to-life tanks. The AquaDom is the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world and is home to around 1,500 fish from almost 100 different species. Its motto is "From the sources of the Spree River to the depths of the Atlantic". You are invited to experience an exciting journey through the different waters of our world.
7. Meet Evil Villains and International World Stars
The rain still hasn't stopped? In that case, stay dry and visit two very popular Berlin attractions that are less than two kilometers away from each other and are sure to bring you great fun.
At Berlin Dungeon in the Mitte district, you will experience eerily dark Berlin stories from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, performed by professional actors. Be welcomed by the court jester and take a trip back in time through Berlin's past with historical settings and amazing special effects.
Want a selfie with pop icon Michael Jackson? Or would you prefer one with soccer idol Messi? At Madame Tussauds Berlin, national and international stars from film and sports, big names from politics, science and art, as well as Berlin personalities from 100 years of city history pose with you.
8. Have Fun with Indoor Activities
A good alternative to have fun despite rainy weather is to be physically active. We have picked out five indoor activities for you from the practically endless range on offer:
- Windobona: Inside a 4.3-meter-wide, 17-meter-high glassed-in flight chamber, your dream of flying comes true.
- Wellenwerk Berlin: Surfing in the middle of Berlin at water temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius. Pack a towel, bathing shoes, swimwear and shower gel. You can get a wetsuit and a surfboard on site.
- Magic Mountain: A vertical adventure world on 2500 square meters with various climbing courses and bouldering walls.
- MyJump: Trampoline jumping to your heart's desire.
- Underground Lasertag: Land hits in Germany's largest underground lasergame arena.
9. Immerse yourself in Virtual Worlds
Leave the real world of rainy Berlin behind for a while and experience new worlds. With TimeRide, you can take a trip back in time to the divided Berlin of the 1980s and experience the past firsthand at the stations Checkpoint Charlie," "View Through the Wall," "The Contemporary Witnesses" and "The Virtual Reality Ride."
Exit VR offers a mixture of exit game and virtual reality adventure. You have to solve different puzzles in the fight against time. The challenges include the future or escaping from an ancient pyramid. At VR Nation Berlin, you will experience - with sensors on your hands, feet, upper body and head - the dangers of your adventure as if it were reality. Wind and temperature changes add to the perfection of the illusion.
10. Try out Escape Rooms
Escape rooms have enjoyed great popularity in recent years. Small and large groups try to escape from a closed room by solving tricky tasks. We have picked out three from the endless offerings for you.
- Smartroom Berlin: Clever minds are needed here! No matter which mission you choose, you'll have to solve tricky puzzles.
- Make a Break: It's all about Berlin here! Tear down the Berlin Wall, catch the boss of the Berlin drug mafia or save the city from a zombie attack.
- Labyrintoom: Escape Games for Adrenaline Junkies. You need imagination and intuition in the "Labyrinth Cabinets".
11. Discover Berlin in Miniature
Discover rain-free Berlin in miniature. With over 100 historic buildings and more than 6,000 residents, Little BIG City has brought the history of Berlin's last 750 years to life in great detail. 30 beamers, 15 holograms, countless projections, mechanical movements and modern light and sound effects make the historical locations come to life. Take part in seven eras of Berlin history interactively in the miniature city in the base building of the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz.
12. Get close to the Stars
Even if you can't see the sky because of some rain clouds, it's worth visiting one of the three planetariums in Berlin. Under the large domes you are very close to the stars even during the day and despite cloud cover.
Experience classical astronomy as well as modern astrophysics at the Archenhold Observatory, the Planetarium am Insulaner with Wilhelm Foerster Observatory or the Zeiss Planetarium.
- More information about the three institutions can be found on the joint website.
Berlin in the Rain: Activities for the Night
13. Go to the Theater
When talking about classical theater, the top addresses in Berlin are the Deutsches Theater in Friedrich-Wilhelm-Stadt, the Berliner Ensemble within easy reach, the Volksbühne Berlin near Alexanderplatz, and the Maxim Gorki Theater not far from the boulevard Unter den Linden.
The Komödie am Kurfürstendamm offers high-quality entertainment theater. In addition, the number of small and large theaters in Berlin is almost endless. We are sure you will find your favorite, and you will be forgetting about the rain.
- Here you will find a selection of theater locations in Berlin.
- Read more: The theater program for Berlin with tickets.
14. Experience Great Cinema
The classic rainy-weather activity par excellence: go to the movies and see the latest blockbuster! Berlin has 91 cinemas with 266 screens; more than anywhere else in Germany.
The Zoo Palast near the Kurfürstendamm is a cinema with a history of over 100 years. With a capacity of 1650 people, one of the two listed movie theaters is the largest in the city. The large-capacity cinema International in Karl-Marx-Allee dates back to GDR times. The multiplex CinemaxX cinema on Potsdamer Platz is popular with younger moviegoers.
- Read more: The current cinema program for Berlin
- Here you will find a selection of cinema locations in Berlin.
15. Go to a Concert
Pop, rock, blues, R&B, hip hop live? When it comes to concerts, the city boasts countless options. The most important venues include the Mercedes-Benz Arena at the East Side Gallery, the Velodrom opposite, the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Pankow, the Columbiahalle near the Bergmannkiez and the Tempodrom at the Anhalter-Bahnhof.
- You can find the current concert program for Berlin with tickets here.
- Here is a selection of venues for concerts in Berlin.
16. Spend an Evening with Classical Music
Would you like to see the Magic Flute at the Deutsche Oper in Charlottenburg? Or would you rather enjoy a classical concert by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the Kulturforum? The Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt is also a hip address for classical music. Dress to impress and let your ears be treated to delightful sounds while the rain pours outside.
- For a selection of classical music venues in Berlin, click here.
- Read more: The current classical music program for Berlin with tickets.
17. See a Musical/Variety/Revue
It can rain outside as much as it wants to, when you are listening to a musical classic like Cats or watching the Berlin musical Ku'damm 56, enjoying a colorful Varieté program or being enchanted by a revue. At that point, it doesn't matter at all!
The most famous theaters for these great shows are the Theater des Westens near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The oldest musical venue in Berlin also impresses with its magnificent architecture. The same goes for the Friedrichstadt Palast, the largest revue theater in Europe on Friedrichstraße. Another very popular alternative is the Tipi am Kanzleramt, Europe's largest stationary tent stage in the Tiergarten.
- Here is a selection of musical theater locations in Berlin.
- More: The musical program for Berlin with tickets.
18. Simply Laugh
Cabaret and comedy in Berlin? Of course, and especially on a rainy day! The Wühlmäuse are at the top of the list of the best. The big names of the German satire and comedy scene perform in the house that Didi Hallervorden has been running since 1960.
The Stachelschweine have been around since 1949, and the Quatsch Comedy Club is well-known from German television.
- Here is a selection of cabaret and comedy venues in Berlin.
- More: The cabaret and comedy program for Berlin with tickets.
19. Join in the Excitement at a Sporting Event
Berlin is not only professional and first-class in soccer, but also in basketball, handball, volleyball and ice hockey. Apart from soccer, the games are played in indoor arenas, which is why you would be protected from rain. During a soccer match, you won't get wet either, because the ranks are completely roofed. However, winter temperatures in the stadiums would deprive you of the pleasure.
The "old lady" Hertha BSC plays its Bundesliga home games in the Olympiastadion Berlin. For the "Eisernen" you have to drive out to Köpenick. Alba Berlin plays basketball in the Bundesliga and invites you to the Mercedes Benz Arena. The Eisbären Berlin play host in the First German Ice Hockey League. The first-class Füchse Berlin play handball in the Max-Schmeling-Halle. There, the Berlin Recycling Volleys also offer top sports, namely volleyball.
In addition, there are national championships and international league games in these and many other sports.
- Here is the current sports program for Berlin with tickets.
20. Gamble in the Spielbank Berlin
Play the "classic game" with French roulette, blackjack and poker or the slot machines. Berlin has four casinos at Potsdamer Platz, the TV Tower, Ku'damm and Spandau.
And if you should win, you can call a taxi if it is still raining after the gambling fun. But be careful! Many a famous personality has lost all their money gambling. Just think of the world-famous Russian writer Dostoyevsky, who lost a lot of money in the casino and ruined himself financially. Play carefully, make small bets, the loss of which you can get over.
- The current opening hours and information about the dress code can be found on the official website.
21. Dive into Berlin's Nightlife
And if you don't want to do anything at all, but want to comfortably drink a cold beer or a tasty cocktail in a pub or bar and later dance until dawn in a hip club and then look out to see if it has finally stopped raining, the options for night owls are limitless.
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