Where to Live in Berlin: The City’s 10 Best Neighborhoods for 2025
Coming up: food, drink, world-class nightlife, housing hacks, 10 varied neighborhoods, museums for all ages, unexpected events and attractions, and everything you need to know about where to live in Berlin.
For many reasons, Berlin is one of the most moved-to cities on the planet. Super multicultural, around 23% of the city’s residents are non-natives—and around 170 different nationalities live here.
Reasons for moving to Germany’s capital include:
- A very diverse food scene
- Some of the best nightlife on the planet
- With an average age of 42.5 years, it’s a very young city
- Lots of art and culture, with over 170 museums, and many more galleries
- It’s budget-friendly, and cheaper than most other western-European capitals
- World-class public services, with great healthcare, schools, and public facilities
- Excellent cycling infrastructure—it’s one of the world’s most cycle-friendly cities
- Endless things to do—you could spend the rest of your life here without getting bored
- Lots of parks and outdoor areas—around one third of Berlin is made up of green space
- It’s HUGELY tolerant and welcoming—here, you can be whoever and whatever you want
But which are the best neighborhoods in Berlin? And which are the best neighborhoods to live in Berlin? Here’s more:
Understanding Berlin's Neighborhoods: A Quick Recap
Berlin is made up of 12 different districts—and some of these districts are divided further into smaller little neighborhoods of their own.
The Spree River runs right through the center of the city. So as you’ve probably worked out, some districts lie north of the river, some lie south of the river, and some lie across both sides.
Like in any other major developed city, all these different neighborhoods have vastly different vibes. Some are best for students, some are best for families, some are packed with great big green areas, and some are brimming with nightlife.
So, in this guide, good ol’ Homelike have unpacked the best of them. We’ve covered the following 10 neighborhoods:
- Mitte: young professionals and short-term living in the center of the center
- Kreuzberg: underground nightlife, lots of hipsters, and a hyper-arty vibe
- Neukölln: more hipsters, with a multicultural makeup, and some low(ish) prices
- Wedding: central, family-friendly, sometimes affordable, and surprisingly quiet
- Prenzlauer Berg: Berlin’s best and most well-known family-friendly neighborhood
- Tempelhof: centered around a huge park; a compromise between central and suburban
- Friedrichshain: the famous home of Berghain, but also bustling and upmarket
- Lichtenberg: multicultural and affordable; a good choice for budgeting young people
- Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf: vast and varied, and actually two districts
- Schöneberg: one of the city’s most classy areas; popular with young professionals
Today, Homelike are bringing you all the information you need to know on the 10 best neighborhoods in Berlin.
Oh, and for those of you struggling to find a place to live (because we know that’ll be lots of you!), we’ve also brought you some handy hacks and useful top tips. On we go!
1. Mitte
Best for: feeling like a tourist, and befriending digital nomads
The very heart of Berlin, the word “mitte” translates to “center”… so you don’t need our help to work out where it is.
Here, you’ll find lots of the city’s most famous sights and attractions, including:
- The world-famous 12-columned Brandenburg Gate
- Many art galleries and museums (including the iconic Museum Island)
- The 2,710 columns making up the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
- The Spy Museum, featuring espionage, interaction, and some Bond memorabilia
- The massive Tiergarten park (home to a zoo, a rose garden, and many waterside walks)
Other highlights include diverse architecture, lots of town squares, many busy green spaces, a huge number of tourists, and endless places to eat, drink, and party.
Mitte is very popular with young professionals who have big budgets—and want to really feel like they’re living in the heart of a city.
It’s also a good choice for digital nomads, who want access to cafes, coworking spaces, and lots of events and new friends. If that’s you, top coworking spaces in Mitte include:
- Machwerk: one of the city’s most popular and social coworking spaces, it offers lots of events, a sunny courtyard, and some kooky open-plan spaces. Based over 345 square meters, it also offers a cafe, a coffee machine, and a trendy vibe. Because Machwerk is right in the center of Mitte, it attracts LOTS of tourists and short-term stayers.
- WeWork: not the most exciting place on the planet—but because this massive chain is one of the world’s best-known coworking names, it’s reliable and trusty. So you can expect top-class staff and equipment.
- Comuna: one of the neighborhood’s least-central options, Comuna offers cute and cozy work rooms, long-term residents, and very low prices.
In short, Mitte is one of the best neighborhoods in Berlin for people who are staying short-term and want to hunker down and get some work done.
It’s also a good choice for families with a big budget, who want easy access to all the best parts of the city, and to fill their days with fun. Although it’s a busy district, it’s not as nightlife-heavy as some other parts of central Berlin—especially if you head to the northwestern stretches of the neighborhood.
2. Kreuzberg
Best for: underground events, late-night parties, and hanging with hipsters
If you want to be surrounded by edgy folks and even-edgier events, Kreuzberg is your #1 choice.
Bordering on infamous, Kreuzberg is one of the most fun-serving action-packed neighborhoods on the planet. When you think of Berlin and think of hipsters, this is the area you’re imagining.
Highlights include street art, nightlife, many cyclists, canalside events and bars, tucked-away attractions, lots of post-graduation young people, artists’ studios, and endless summer events and festivals.
In short, if you want to prioritize partying and playing, Kreuzberg is one of the best neighborhoods to live in Berlin.
You’ll also find a huge number of cafes and brunch spots here, a multicultural population, and a very diverse food scene. For street-food-style eats and treats, head to the much-loved Markthalle Neun (while you’ll also find hyper-casual Vietnamese and Indian meals and morsels very close to the market).
Broadly speaking, most Kreuzberg residents are singles or couples, aged 25-35. You won’t find many families, or older people, or even tourists here. When most young hip newcomers come to Berlin, Kreuzberg is where they head. That means 2 things:
- High prices. Like any other post-gentrified hipster hub, prices here are higher than in most other districts.
- It’s VERY difficult to find a place to live—here, the potential tenants vastly outnumber the potential homes.
For reason #2, many people choose the time-saving option of moving into one of our homes. The furnished apartments in Berlin listed on Homelike are homely and comfy, ready to move into today, and fully-furnished and fully-equipped. And because you can book on our site right now, you don’t need to compete with other potential tenants.
Another note on apartments: Berlin has a housing shortage… and Kreuzberg in particular has a major lack of options. So if you see a low-price apartment that seems too good to be true, it’s probably a scam—and scams are becoming relatively common in Berlin. Watch out!
3. Neukölln
Best for: hip fun, an underground atmosphere, and making multicultural buddies
Another of the best neighborhoods in Berlin for hipsters.
Bordering Kreuzberg, Neukölln is pretty similar to its nearby neighbor… except not so expensive, not so well-known, and a little more grimy and densely-populated.
Here, you get lots of arty folks, many young people, endless underground nightlife venues, a load of independent stores and thrift shops, and lots of pop-up events (especially in summer).
Because there aren’t many ‘attractions’ here (well, apart from the flower-filled lakeside Britzer Garten), you’ll find very few tourists in Neukölln. Instead, you get a big multicultural population—with many Turkish restaurants and hummus joints, and a very popular Turkish market.
Neukölln is also a good choice for digital nomads—here, you’re central enough to be close to all the fun stuff, but peripheral enough to find laptop-friendly cafes that aren’t perpetually packed with tourists. Cafes like Katie’s Blue Cat and Ketori Coffee are trendy, cozy and comfy, and happy for you to use your laptop for an hour or two.
From top to bottom, the hefty Neukölln spans for around 12 km (7.5 miles). So it’s very big, very diverse, and offers various types of life.
So, a top tip: if you want the busier parts of Neukölln, stay in the northern stretches of the district. But if you want to combine Neukölln vibes with a quieter life, head to the south—here, you’re close to lots of green spaces, you’re right beside Berlin’s airport, and you can take easy day trips to close-by towns, villages, and lakes. This southern stretch is an ideal choice for families and regular travelers.
4. Wedding
Best for: living a quiet(er) life in the center
Okay, Wedding (as many Berliners know) isn’t the most exciting district in the world.
But it’s nowhere near as boring as some locals pretend to think—and for the right type of people, it’s still one of the best neighborhoods to live in Berlin.
The most northwestern pocket of the wider Mitte district, Wedding is an ideal choice for people who want to live centrally, but without being surrounded by tourists, bustle, or lots of nightlife.
A very green district, it’s home to both Volkspark Rehberge and Schillerpark. In them, you’ll find woods, playgrounds, a paddling pool, lakes, sports fields, and even a toboggan run. You’ll also find Plötzensee, an urban lake with swimming, boat rentals, and a little-but-popular beach.
The neighborhood is also home to lots of useful amenities—like supermarkets, gyms, and medical facilities. The large Charité Mittelallee hospital sits inside the neighborhood, while there are some pretty good international schools nearby.
And because it’s one of the most affordable parts of Mitte, it’s a good choice for living centrally without spending too much money.
Broadly speaking, this is one of Berlin’s best neighborhoods for families. But if you’re young and want fun, you won’t find too much appeal here.
5. Prenzlauer Berg
Best for: families with money
Part of the larger district of Pankow, leafy Prenzlauer Berg is green, serene, peaceful, and popular. Safe, cozy, and full of nice houses, this is one of the city’s most sought-after neighborhoods.
The northeastern part of what most people consider to be the very-central part of Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg is also one of Berlin’s most kid-friendly districts.
The excellent Berlin Bilingual School sits just on the outskirts of the district, while you’re also very close to the international schools of Mitte. Also bordering the neighborhood is the super-popular Volkspark Friedrichshain, home to ponds, a swimming pool, lots of play parks, many pretty fountains, and even an outdoor cinema. Many people reckon this is Berlin’s best park.
Other Prenzlauer Berg perks include kids’ stores, child-friendly cafes, family-friendly restaurants, and some great attractions for children. Some of the most popular picks include the huge Zeiss Major Planetarium, the unique and interactive MACHmit! Museum for Children, the event-packed Kulturbrauerei, and the fairytale-themed Märchenbrunnen fountain.
Overall, Prenzlauer Berg is our #1 pick for families.
But it’s also one of the best neighborhoods in Berlin for young professionals with a big budget—here, you’re close to all the fun of Mitte, Kreuzberg and Neukölln, while also living a quieter life in a very upmarket and trendy district.
6. Tempelhof
Best for: families who want to live in green space
Lying west of Neukölln and south of Kreuzberg, Tempelhof directly borders both districts.
Around one-third of the neighborhood is made up of the massive Tempelhofer Feld, which gives the district its name. Once an airport, it’s now the city’s biggest open space. Popular with picnickers, walkers, and cyclists, it hosts many events, concerts, and tours.
Otherwise, there’s not a huge amount to ‘do’ here. But you’ll find plenty of cafes and restaurants, and many large homes. And because you’re close to lots of the city’s busier and better-known districts, you’re never far from the action.
Overall, one of the best neighborhoods to live in Berlin for those who like peace, quiet, and green spaces.
7. Friedrichshain
Best for: young professionals who want a good compromise between hip hangouts and upmarket living
Bordering both Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain is sort of like a strange combo of both. Some pockets of the neighborhood are modern, trendy, family-friendly and upmarket; while others are hip, a little grimy, and very very bohemian.
Tourist attractions here include:
- The endlessly-interactive Computer Games Museum
- The big Volkspark Friedrichshain, which we’ve already mentioned
- The East Side Gallery: lots of graffiti on a part of the old Berlin Wall
- Boxhagener Platz: a small green square with a Saturday food market, a Sunday flea market, and other occasional events
Friedrichshain is also one of the city’s best neighborhoods for nightlife. Yep, it’s famously home to the hyper-iconic Berghain—but other popular options include the small and grungy Carlotta Bar, tucked-away Golden Gate, riverside beach club YAAM, and RAW-Gelände (a clustered collection of small and intimate clubs and events spaces, many of them housed in former factories).
Other perks of the neighborhood include independent business, many flea markets and thrift stores, and sunny riverside bars and cafes. And in the south side of the neighborhood, you’ll find many offices—ideal for getting a job.
In short, if you want to work hard and play hard, Friedrichshain is one of the best neighborhoods to live in Berlin. Yep, it’s an expensive place to call home, but it’s totally worth the prices.
Because of all these perks, the neighborhood is becoming one of the city’s boom districts… and many people are currently keen to move here. So, an important note: because Friedrichshain is so popular, it can be hard to find a home in the neighborhood.
But not with Homelike! We have many homes across Berlin, including in Friedrichshain. All of our places are cozy, comfy, homely, fully-furnished, and ready to move into today. So you don’t need to negotiate with landlords, you don’t need to wait in line with other would-be tenants, and you don’t need to buy any furniture (weird fact: many German rentals don’t even have kitchens!).
8. Lichtenberg
Best for: saving money without living on the suburbs
An underrated option, Lichtenberg lies close to some parts of Kreuzberg. One of eastern Berlin’s largest districts, it has a huge Vietnamese population, a multicultural vibe, and some pretty low prices.
If you want to live centrally (and enjoy lots of nightlife) without spending too much money, Lichtenberg is one of the best neighborhoods to live in Berlin.
A large neighborhood bordering both Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain to the east, Lichtenberg measures around 15 km (9.5 miles) north to south. Highlights here include the StasiMuseum (housed in the original headquarters of East Germany’s secret police), a big sheep-filled agricultural park, and the The Dong Xuan Center (a bunch of halls with Vietnamese restaurants, stores, people, and street-food stalls).
Overall, it’s a clean and quiet district with lots of trees and lifelong locals. And the northeastern part of the neighborhood is close to lots of green spaces, including forests, meadows, and the popular-with-families Holland Park (featuring animals, slides, and play areas).
Generally speaking, the western part of the district is mainly home to couples and young professionals who want to be beside Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain without living inside all the action—while the rest of the neighborhood is home to older people, families, and long-term natives and non-natives.
… and the northern and southern stretches of the district attract people who want to combine easy outdoor day trips with all the amenities of a major city.
Because it has a big community vibe, it’s also one of the city’s most friendly and welcoming districts. Overall, if you want to really feel like a local, Lichtenberg is a good choice.
9. Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Best for: people who need to be based in Berlin… but don’t want to feel like they’re living in Berlin
Actually made up of two neighboring districts (AND some other separate areas stretching west of both neighborhoods), Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is another huge area.
Basically the entire western chunk of outskirt Berlin, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf feels very different to the rest of the city. A well-known hangout for English-speaking expats with a fair chunk of money, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is classy, quiet, and calm, and full of boulevards and boutiques.
You can also expect big family homes, elegant townhouses, upmarket cafes and restaurants, and lots of fashionable folk.
In short, it’s the very opposite of archetypal edgy Berlin—and is typically home to families, older people, and classy couples (and not the happening hipsters you find in the more famous parts of the city). In many ways, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf feels a little more similar to Bavaria than most people expect.
… and despite its relatively peripheral location, it’s still very well-connected to the rest of the city.
Other highlights include:
- The narrow Volkspark Wilmersdorf—great for walks, and home to a Harry-Potter-themed play park
- The massive Grunewald forest, with lots of trails for mountain biking and hiking
- Many on-the-outskirts lakes (some of them swimmable!)
- The huge baroque Charlottenburg Palace, one of Germany’s most elegant days out
- Olympiastadion Berlin, which hosts all the home games of football club Hertha BSC, along with summer concerts and events
- Urban Nation art museum, home to urban contemporary art, photography, graffiti, and more unique and unusual exhibits
- The Bavarian Quarter, a fancy small rectangular-shaped district with some excellent old-school eateries (finding real German food can be tough in Berlin, but not here)
Overall, if you’re looking for quiet and safe, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is one of the best neighborhoods in Berlin. But if you want to experience the typical Berlin vibes, we don’t recommend living here (especially given that most of the edgy neighborhoods lie just east of the center… and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is west of the center).
10. Schöneberg
Best for: young professionals who want a combo of upmarket living and some centrality
Sitting south of Mitte and west of both Kreuzberg and Tempelhof, Schöneberg is central enough to feel like real Berlin, and peripheral enough to have an identity of its own.
In some ways, it’s quite similar to Friedrichshain—it’s close to lots of the gritty archetypal Berlin fun, but the district itself is pretty classy and upmarket. But it also has a vague town-like vibe, with a welcoming community atmosphere.
Highlights here include lots of Turkish stores and grocers, along with a bunch of Middle-Eastern eats. Some of the area’s best restaurants include Meyan Mediterranean (specializing in hyper-authentic mezze), Malakeh Restaurant (for big plates in a comfy laid-back setting), and Aspendos Restaurant (ideal for a fast unpretentious meal).
But it’s not all Middle-Eastern stuff—you’ll also find plenty of other food from around the planet, in addition to traditional German fayre at wooden-tabled Raststätte Gnadenbrot, relaxed tavern-style Heuberger, and upmarket-but-traditional April & Lenzig—and there’s much more local feasting at the neighboring Bavarian Quarter (yep, Schöneberg lies just east of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf).
Schöneberg is also known for being the city’s LGBTQIA+ epicenter, featuring many pride flags, a bunch of queer-owned cafes and bars, and lots of famous nightlife venues. Much of this nightlife is centered around a concentrated cluster of bars in the neighborhood’s northwest pocket, and highlights include Dreizehn (and unpretentious place with a piano), the not-quite-a-bar-not-quite-a-club Heile Welt, and speakeasy-style Pussycat.
The neighborhood is also one of the best neighborhoods to live in Berlin for remote workers, with many coworking spaces and work-friendly cafes. Two top picks include Engelnest Coworking (a colorful community space with a big emphasis on events and making friends), and Cafe Bilderbuch (a casual spot with big plates, sofas, books, and a welcoming vibe).
Best neighborhoods to live in Berlin: final thoughts
And that’s us done! They’re the 10 best neighborhoods to live in Berlin.
To sum up, your best options are:
- For families: Prenzlauer Berg, Wedding, or Tempelhof
- For young people: Kreuzberg or Neukölln
- For young professionals: Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, or Schöneberg
- For people who like to party: Kreuzberg or Neukölln
- For digital nomads: Mitte or Neukölln
As we’ve covered, you might struggle to find an apartment in Berlin (no matter which neighborhood you choose!). People are moving to the city every day, so you have a huge amount of competition. This means lots of bureaucracy, lots of waiting, and highly-inflated prices. And even if you do find a place, there’s a very big chance it’ll be completely unfurnished (and won’t even have a kitchen!).
So, to avoid all the hassle, do what many other newcomers do: move into one of our serviced apartments or serviced flats here at Homelike. They’re all comfy and cozy, fully-furnished, and ready to move into today. So you don’t need to do any negotiating, you don’t need to buy any basics, and you don’t need to organize any internet or utilities. Easy!
For more on living in Berlin, get yourself over to our guides on:
- Everything you need to know for expats in Berlin
- Everything you need to know for moving to Berlin
- How to find a job in Germany
Thanks for reading, thanks for visiting Homelike, and enjoy your new Berlin life!
Finding apartments in Berlin that meet your requirements
Finding an apartment in Berlin is fairly easy if you know what to look for. We’ve prepared a detailed guide with tips on things you need to know about renting in Berlin. If you’re ready to take the plunge, here are some apartments that you might like.
