Everything You Need to Know about Berlin Mitte
Mitte is one of Berlin’s most famous neighborhoods. Welcoming, multicultural, trendy and exciting, it’s a brilliant place to visit—and an even better place to live.
The name ‘Mitte’ translates to ‘center,’ so (as you’ve probably guessed), the neighborhood is plonked right in the heart of the city. Because of that, Mitte is like a miniature Berlin, with great nightlife, a diverse population, loads of historic sites, and endless things to see and do.
For some people, Mitte is Berlin. And in lots of ways, it’s hard to argue.
Because it’s such a sprawling zone, there’s plenty to know about the neighborhood—so in this succinct little guide, we’ve covered everything you need to know about Mitte. If you didn’t want to spend some time in the neighborhood already, you will soon!
Up first, we’ve brought you the best things to do…
1. Things to Do in Mitte
- Brandenburg Gate: Probably the most famous tourist attraction in Berlin, Brandenburg Gate is a massive icon. Okay, let’s be honest, it’s only a giant walk-through monument, but you can’t visit Berlin without seeing it.
- Wander around Museum Island: This might sound like a place from a fairytale, but we haven’t made it up. A UNESCO location packed with museums, artworks, and other places to visit, it’s separated from the rest of the city by a river and a canal.
- Visit other historic sites: From the Holocaust Memorial to the Berlin Wall Memorial, Mitte is stuffed with history and heritage. The neighbourhood is a fantastic insight into Berlin’s past, present, future and people.
- Enjoy other districts: In Mitte, you’re right beside other excellent districts, which you should (obviously!) also explore. Some of our favorites are the hipsterville of Kreuzberg, elegant and upmarket Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, and leafy, laid-back Pankow.
- Party hard: Berlin’s nightlife is iconic. And we’ll cover this in more detail soon, but if you’re not staying up late, you’re not staying in Berlin. Lots of Berlin’s non-stop nightlife hotspots are in and around Mitte.
- Wander: Walk around, do some shopping, enjoy the architecture, and stumble upon the sites. Like most city center neighborhoods, Mitte is best explored on foot.
- Go green: Mitte is home to a surprising number of great green spaces. The biggest, oldest (and maybe best) park in the entirety of central Berlin is Großer Tiergarten, which you’ll find in the southwestern part of Mitte.
And that’s just the start! Aside from all that great stuff, there’s also lots more to do. Coming up, we’ve briefly covered the art, music and food scenes in Mitte, along with what it’s like to live there.
2. The Art Scene in Mitte
As you probably already know, Berlin is one of the artiest cities on the planet. Known as a hipster haven, the city has a seemingly-endless number of galleries, edgy events, and eclectic street art. And lots of the highlights are found in Mitte.
If you want to explore the art in Mitte, check out these galleries:
- Alte Nationalgalerie: The old national gallery of Berlin, and the biggest art gallery in the city, this place focuses on Romanticism, Impressionism, and work from 19th-century Europe. It houses stuff from Friedrich, Cézanne, Renoir and other hefty names.
- Galerie Nue: As you’ve probably guessed from the name, this place is home to some of the best hyper-modern art in Berlin. For unique and unusual, head here.
- Hamburger Bahnhof: Here, there’s lots more contemporary art. One of the biggest contemporary collections in the world, it’s all housed in the imposing confines of an old railway station.
Other good galleries in Mitte include the New National Gallery (more modern art), the Gallery of Steel Figures (weird but fun), and House on Lützowplatz (where they even offer lectures!).
MItte also has lots of great museums. Some of the best are the Neues Museum (with exhibits from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages), Mitte Museum (where you can learn about the history and heritage of Berlin and its people), and the Bode Museum (with a massive variety of sculptures, coins, art, medals and more).
If you like street art, Berlin is absolutely brimming with. It sprawls across the length and breadth of the city, but you can find some of the best stuff in Mitte. The best area is Haus Schwarzenberg—it’s probably the most famous street art area in Berlin.
3. The Music Scene in Mitte
Like all of Berlin, Mitte has a huge number of music venues, bars and clubs. For years, the city has been one of the best musical hangouts in Europe, and some of the best spots are in Mitte.
If you’re looking for live music, head to B-Flat (for excellent jazz and a relaxed vibe), Bohannan (for soul, funk, reggae, soul, rap and disco) and Shokoladen (DJ sets, karaoke and other live events in a refurbished chocolate factory).
Some of the best clubs include:
- Tresor: Tresor is sort of in Mitte, sort of in Kreuzberg. But no matter which neighborhood it’s in, some people reckon Tresor is the best club in the city. Once a power plant, now a murky techno club, this place is archetypal anything-goes Berlin.
- House of Weekend: With late-night parties, a rooftop garden and international DJs, this is a surprisingly classy hangout.
- Golden Gate: One of the grittiest venues in Mitte, Golden Gate is housed in a former bike store. If you want to feel like you’re at an illegal rave without actually breaking the law, head here.
For good bars, check out Z-Bar (for alternative entertainment and unusual events), Strandbar (a lovely beach bar hangout right on the edge of the river), and Café Cinema (an intimate and edgy icon brimming with graffiti and hipsters).
4. The Food Scene in Mitte
Most people don’t see Germany as a foodie destination. But most people are wrong. No matter what you might have heard, Berlin is home to a huge variety of food—it’s not all sausages, bread and beer.
And some of Berlin’s best food is found in Mitte. In the neighborhood, you get Vietnamese stuff, Turkish food, Israeli cuisine, traditional fayre, ethnic oddities and plenty more. Some of the best restaurants in Mitte include:
- Lebensmittel Mitte: A local favorite specializing in hearty German specialities, Lebensmittel serves up hefty portions of Spätzle, Maultaschen, Schnitzel and more.
- District Mot: Here, you can go to Vietnam without going to Vietnam. Both the food and the atmosphere are really authentic, with seafood, noodle soups, big smiles and more.
- Salamat: Some of the best Arabic food in Berlin, Salamat offers large, affordable portions of Northern Iraqi cuisine in a rustic, laid-back setting. It’s no frills and all flavor.
If you’re looking for cheap but authentic eats, check out Dolores Mitte, Hasty Pastry, and any of the currywurst stalls you’ll find dotted around the neighborhood.
The best Mitte currywurst, according to sausage-mad locals, is found at the appropriately-named Curry Mitte. But wander anywhere in Mitte (or anywhere in Berlin!), and you’ll always find servings of sliced-up sauce-heavy sausage.
For good coffees and brunches, some of the best cafes in Mitte include:
- Father Carpenter: Trendy, rustic and tucked away, Father Carpenter is all the bohemian Berlin clichés rolled into one venue and served with lots of hollandaise. It’s one of the most popular cafes in Berlin.
- Ben Rahim: Similarly hip, Ben Rahim specializes in Turkish coffee. If you like endlessly deliberating over which beans you want, you’ll love Ben Rahim.
- KAFFEEMITTE: A little more laid-back than the two cafes above, KAFFEEMITTE is a simple spot, with concrete walls and wooden benches. It’s popular with remote workers.
One of the best things about Mitte’s cafes is that the neighborhood is home to lots of freelancers and remote workers—so there are plenty of work-friendly cafes where you can plonk yourself down with your laptop and a coffee. But if coworking spaces are more your thing, Mitte has loads of those too. Some of the best are Ahoy, Factory Berlin and Mindspace.
If you want to live in a place where you can comfortably and conveniently work remotely, Mitte is perfect!
5.Living in Mitte
If you’re moving to Berlin short-term, Mitte is a logical choice. Right in the center of the city, you get to enjoy all the stuff Berlin is famous for, you’re close to lots more foreigners and expats, and you’re within walking distance of other excellent neighborhoods.
Coming up, more detail on rental costs, how and where to find an apartment, and all the best things about living in Mitte.
What is it like living in Mitte?
It’s brilliant!
The stuff we’ve given you above is just the beginning. People say you could spend years in Berlin without getting bored—but in truth, you could probably spend years in Mitte alone without getting bored.
For short-term stays, it’s usually the best possible Berlin district to live in. It’s an excellent compromise between classy, bohemian, traditional, multicultural, unique and accessible—it’s like someone took all of Berlin’s best bits and squashed them into one small area.
And if you’re moving with kids, it’s a surprisingly great place to live—Mitte isn’t all hipsters, nightlife and laptop-clutching short-term tourists. In and around the neighborhood, there are lots of great conveniences, green spaces, large houses and excellent international schools.
Because of that, Mitte is a great pick for lots of people. In the neighborhood, you find tourists, families, hipsters, couples, solo travelers, young professionals, expats, and everyone in between. And even better, it’s a massively multicultural zone. According to some research, Mitte is the most multicultural neighborhood in Berlin—54% of the district’s residents are “people with a migration background.” So no matter who you are, where you’re from, and what your plans are, Mitte can be a brilliant place to call home.
The only potential hitch is this: it’s one of the pricier Berlin districts (as you’d probably expect from a neighborhood called ‘center’). That said, Berlin, for a big western European capital city, is more affordable than you might expect.
What Is the Average Rent in Mitte?
According to Numbeo, here’s what you’ll usually pay for rent in Berlin for completely unfurnished properties:
- One-bedroom apartment in the city center: 947€
- One-bedroom apartment outside of the city center: 670€
- Three-bedroom apartment in the city center: 1,885€
- Three-bedroom apartment outside of the city center: 1,264€
Mitte is usually a little more expensive than the above, as it’s right in the center of the city, and it’s a relatively upmarket district.
If you want to live somewhere with slightly cheaper rents, but also in the center of the city, consider Kreuzberg. And if you want even cheaper than that, look outside the city center.
How Do I Find an Apartment in Mitte?
Before we begin, here’s a warning: finding an apartment in Berlin can be hard. There are less apartments than there are apartment-hunters, meaning that the rental market is sometimes ridiculously competitive. And that’s especially the case in Mitte.
If you want to find an apartment in the traditional way, you typically need to attend endless house viewings, tolerate picky landlords, and pay inflated prices.
Some of the best places to find properties are Facebook (the old classic!), Immobilien Scout, Immowelt and WG Gesucht. Craigslist is an option, but it’s not very popular.
The easiest thing to do, especially if you’re only gonna be around for a short few months (or less!) is to get a serviced apartment or a serviced flat in Mitte.
If you get one, you don’t need to attend endless viewings, deal with landlords, or pay a deposit, so there’s no stress or panic. Instead, you simply settle into your new life fuss-free.
Here at Homelike, we have lots of excellent and affordable furnished flats and apartments in Mitte (and in other parts of Berlin!). With us, you can make a speedy, stress-free move to Berlin (read more about moving to Berlin), with no problems, no time wasting, and no endless househunting. All of our apartments are affordable, beautiful, and perfect for short stays—and they’re all ready to move into right away!
We have also put together a comprehensive guide about finding accommodation in Berlin.
