7 Best Free Things to Do in Berlin

Berlin isn't as affordable as it used to be. In the last decade, prices have risen and the German capital is no longer known as a haven of affordability. The good news is that there are a legion of fun free things to do all over the German capital. Here are seven super-fun things to do in Berlin that won't a cent.

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David Hasselhof Museum

Located in the basement of the Circus Hostel in Mitte, the museum is not easy to find. But that's part of its charm. It's elusive, like the subject of the museum itself. Take in the info on Herr Hasselhof – some of it is questionable – and journey back to the "Nightrider" and "Baywatch" days. One thing the exhibition doesn't shed any light on: how is it that the German nation zealously embraced The Hoff as a legitimate pop star? Some questions just can't be answered.

Weinbergsweg 1A

Eastside Gallery

The longest stretch of what exists of the Berlin Wall, the East Side Gallery is an amusing stroll along 101 concrete slabs that are bedecked with memorable artwork, some of which have become iconic (Honicker and Brezhnev making out, for example).

Mühlen Strasse 3-100

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Set next to the Brandenburg Gate, this is one of the best-designed memorials you'll experience. Created by American architect Peter Eisenman, the 200,000-square-foot outdoor space is made up of 2,711 concrete blocks, set in a grid form and on a slightly undulating landscape. Visitors are encouraged to walk through the space, among the slabs of different heights. There's a feeling one gets of uncertainty, unease, confusion, and a nagging fear – kind of like being Jewish in Europe in the 1930s.

Cora Berliner Strasse 1

Outdoor Karaoke in Mauerpark

Every Sunday afternoon, the mic goes on and the pop tunes blast from the karaoke machine speakers. It's that time again! The legendary Mauerpark karaoke. Plant yourself on the hillside with hundreds of others as you cheer on (and sometimes laugh at) ordinary people trying to sing their way through Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" or the latest ubiquitous pop song.

Reichstag Dome

Get a great view of Berlin from atop the Reichstag, Germany's parliament building. Register on the Bundestag website, show up at your allotted time, and then you'll be whisked up to the top via elevator. The glass dome and its double helix walkways were designed by famed architect Sir Norman Foster. Foster also put some windows on the roof to look down at the legislators, an implicit symbol of and a statement about the transparency of government. Except the windows are somewhat frosted, so it's more like the semi-transparency of government, which seems about right.

Platz der Republik 1

Tempelhof Airport

No one really likes hanging around airports. Unless, of course, that airport has been converted into a park and happens to be smack in the center of the city. Meet Tempelhofer Feld, as it's called in the local parlance. The home of the history-making Berlin Airlift in 1948-49, Tempelhof permanently closed in 2008. Berlin voters had a choice: either turn this swath of land into housing developments or just keep it as it is. They chose the latter and today you can wander down the runway, check out weird art installations, or have a picnic.

Tempelhofer Damm and Columbia Damm

Topography of Terrors

This always-free, text-heavy, and fascinating exhibit takes the visitor through the beginnings to the demise of the Nazi regime. It's not the most pleasant way to spend a few hours but intriguing and necessary to learn how a government evolved into authoritarian rulers, started a world war, and murdered millions of innocent people for political and racial reasons. The exhibition is on the site of the gestapo headquarters.

Niederkirchner Strasse 8