Holiday rentals and lettings in Berlin

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting a holiday letting in Berlin?
• Holiday rentals and lettings in Berlin: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring Berlin: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in Berlin?

• Space for every group: Studios, family flats and garden houses with well-equipped kitchens, balconies and pet-friendly rules, so you can self-cater and settle in like a local.
• Pick your district: Mitte for museums, Kreuzberg for street food, Prenzlauer Berg for cafes, Treptow-Köpenick for lakes and quiet green corners on the city edge.
• Guests rate the extras: Our best-reviewed Berlin lettings score above 9.3+, praised for spotless kitchens, private gardens and quick S-Bahn links into the centre.
• Best time to visit: May to September for lake swimming and beer gardens, December for Christmas markets, and the shoulder months for lower prices.
• Things to do: Brandenburger Tor, Museumsinsel, the East Side Gallery, a bike tour through Tiergarten and a Sunday flea market are the classic five.

Berlin's self-catering choice is wonderfully varied — from compact studios in Marzahn to charming garden houses in Treptow-Köpenick and roomy Altbau flats full of character! City-break travellers often prefer central apartments in Berlin, while a longer stay suits a house with a yard. Couples planning a quick city escape tend to book short breaks in Berlin instead. Most hosts welcome pets and cyclists. Look out for these amenities when you compare properties:

• Full kitchens for cooking after a market run at Markthalle Neun
• Private gardens and terraces in Spandau and Nikolassee
• Fast Wi-Fi and desks, handy on a workation
• Bike storage for riding the canal paths
• Pet-friendly houses close to the lakes

Book early for weekend trips to Berlin, when the best-placed flats go quickly.

What are the best areas to stay in Berlin?

Mitte is the easiest base for a first visit, with Museumsinsel, Brandenburger Tor and the main stations all within walking distance. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests staying in Berlin lettings tend to talk about the same things: a kitchen that works properly, a garden or balcony to sit out on, and a station close enough to reach the centre without planning the day around it. Properties rated 9.3+ are usually praised for straightforward check-in, clean rooms and hosts who share district tips.

Here are our top-rated holiday lettings from the past year:

1. Haus Cürsgen - Blockhaus Jana - 9.6+: A timber holiday house with its own yard in Treptow-Köpenick, close to the forest paths and lakes on Berlin's green south-eastern edge.
2. Apartment Kastanienallee - 9.4+: A calm two-person flat in Berlin Rosenthal, praised for its tidy kitchen and easy tram run into the northern districts.
3. Ferienwohnung im Grünen - 9.3+: A leafy flat for four in Steglitz-Zehlendorf with a garden and long-standing reviews for quiet nights and generous space.

Berlin sits in north-eastern Germany on the rivers Spree and Havel, a flat, green capital of twelve districts ringed by lakes and pine forest.

✈️What is the best way to get to Berlin?

Flying is the quickest option from the UK, with direct routes landing at Berlin Brandenburg in under two hours. Here are the most common ways to get to the city:

• Plane: Direct flights leave London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, as well as Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Bristol, and land at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) in Schönefeld. The airport sits about 25 km south-east of the centre. The FEX airport express and the S9 and S45 S-Bahn lines run to Hauptbahnhof and Ostkreuz in roughly 30 to 45 minutes, and taxis take a similar time outside rush hour.
• Train: Take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels, then an ICE service via Cologne to Berlin Hauptbahnhof, usually around ten to eleven hours in total with one change. An overnight Nightjet from Brussels is an alternative if you would rather sleep through the journey. Hauptbahnhof sits north of the Reichstag, with U-Bahn, tram and S-Bahn links to every district.
• Car: Drive via the Eurotunnel or a Dover ferry, then follow the A2 and A10 motorway ring, roughly 12 hours from Calais. Note that central Berlin is a low-emission zone requiring a green sticker, and street parking is scarce, so choose a letting with a car park.

🥗Where to eat in Berlin?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Katz Orange is the best rated restaurant in Berlin. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest travellers recommend Konnopke's Imbiss in Berlin: it sits under the U-Bahn viaduct in Prenzlauer Berg, serves currywurst from a hatch, and costs a few euros for a proper lunch between museum visits.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

May to September is the sweet spot, when the lakes are warm enough to swim in, beer gardens fill up and daylight stretches past 21:00. December is the other highlight, with Christmas markets on Gendarmenmarkt and around Charlottenburg. For quieter museums and cheaper flights, aim for March, April or October.

Spring

• Best for: Sightseeing on foot and cycling before the summer crowds arrive.
• Weather: Cool mornings around 8°C rising to pleasant afternoons near 18°C by May.
• Atmosphere: Cafe terraces reopen and Tiergarten fills with picnics at the first warm weekend.

Summer

• Best for: Lake swimming, open-air cinema and festivals across the districts.
• Weather: Warm and mostly dry, typically 23°C to 28°C with occasional thunderstorms.
• Atmosphere: Busy and loud in the best way, with long evenings along the canals.

Autumn and winter

• Best for: Museums, galleries and Christmas markets without the summer queues.
• Weather: Crisp autumn days near 12°C, dropping to around 2°C in December and January.
• Atmosphere: Cosy and calm, with mulled wine stalls and early-closing daylight.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Berlin local expert, the host team of Haus Cürsgen - Blockhaus Jana, recommends coming to visit Müggelsee on a weekday morning, when the water is still and the forest paths are empty. From the house you can walk to the shore, hire a rowing boat and be back for lunch, then take the S-Bahn into Mitte for the afternoon. You can read more about local tips on the host team's page.

1. Stand beneath Brandenburger Tor
2. Wander Museumsinsel
3. Cycle the East Side Gallery
4. Picnic in Tiergarten
5. Hunt for bargains at a flea market

1. Stand beneath Brandenburger Tor

   The city's best-known landmark closes the western end of Unter den Linden and works as a natural starting point for a first morning. Walk through the columns, then continue five minutes south to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, or north to the glass dome of the Reichstag, which you can visit free of charge if you register in advance. Come at sunrise if you want photographs without the crowds, and finish with coffee on Pariser Platz.

2. Wander Museumsinsel

   Five museums share one island in the Spree, and a single day pass covers the lot. The Pergamonmuseum holds monumental architecture from the ancient world, while the Neues Museum keeps the bust of Nefertiti behind glass in a quiet upper room. Book a timed slot online, start early, and give yourself a break in the colonnade courtyard. The DDR Museum sits just across the water if you want the other side of Berlin's story.

3. Cycle the East Side Gallery

   The longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall runs for 1.3 km along the Spree in Friedrichshain, painted end to end with murals by artists from around the world. Hire a bike near Ostbahnhof and ride the length in twenty minutes, stopping at the Oberbaumbrücke for the view back towards Kreuzberg. Carry on along the river afterwards to reach the canal-side bars, or turn inland for the galleries around Boxhagener Platz.

4. Picnic in Tiergarten

   Berlin's central park covers 210 hectares of woodland, lawns and slow canals, right between the Reichstag and Zoologischer Garten. Buy bread, cheese and fruit at a neighbourhood market, then find a bench near the Neuer See, where you can hire a rowing boat by the hour. Climb the Siegessäule for a view along the boulevards, and finish the afternoon at the beer garden by the lake, which stays busy until dusk.

5. Hunt for bargains at a flea market

   Sunday is market day across the city. Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg mixes vintage clothing and vinyl with an open-air karaoke session in the amphitheatre, while the stalls at Boxhagener Platz lean towards furniture, books and jewellery. Bring cash, arrive before eleven for the best of the stock, and haggle politely. Nearby bakeries and street food stands make it easy to turn the morning into a long, slow lunch.