Berlin, Germany: Where Nothing Starts on Time and Everyone Has an Opinion About It

Welcome to the German capital, a city that looked at the national reputation for efficiency and said, "Nein danke." Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany, home to 3.7 million people, more than any other city within the EU's city limits. It's a global capital of culture, politics, media, and science. It's also a place where "I'll be there at 8" means "I'll be there when the vibes align."

The Airport That Taught the World the Word "Delay"

You cannot write about Berlin without paying respects to its most famous construction project. Berlin Brandenburg Airport was meant to open in 2011, but finally opened in 2020, nearly a decade late and billions over budget. The savings account that funded it must have been the same one Berliners use to save for rent.

The numbers are a thing of beauty. It opened on 31 October 2020, nine years late, at roughly three times the original budget: about €7 billion overall against an initial €2.4 billion. (The roast cards floated a €10 billion figure. Even the lower official number is plenty to cry about.) The smoke extraction system problems were found weeks before the planned 2012 opening and the system had to be fundamentally redesigned while construction continued. That is the architectural equivalent of building the house first and asking about the stairs later.

In fairness, the thing works now. BER handled about 23 million passengers in 2024. It's now the third busiest airport in Germany, after Frankfurt and Munich. Redemption arcs are possible, even in Brandenburg.

Punk Rock Retirement Home: Berlin's Alternative Culture, Now With a Mortgage

Berliners will tell you, loudly and unprompted, that their city is the beating heart of counterculture. This is technically true if the heart is 52, works at the post office, and wears Dr. Martens with the uniform. The squats have become lofts, the techno clubs have become "experiences," and the guy complaining about tourists is selling them a €15 beer in Kreuzberg.

And yet, the politics are anything but sleepy. So the punk spirit lives on, at least at the ballot box, where it can be properly stamped and filed in triplicate.

The city also keeps its cultural cred in the more traditional sense. Even Berlin's renovation projects have a sense of timing: six years for a crypt, because the dead aren't in a hurry either.

Currywurst: The Tourist Trap Locals Won't Admit They Love

Let's talk food. Currywurst is sausage, ketchup, and curry powder, which Berlin somehow sold to the world as a cuisine. You'll find it on practically every corner, and Berliners will insist that famous spots like Konnopke's and Curry 36 are only for visitors. The real move, they say, is to visit whatever mediocre imbiss is closest to you. This is a philosophy of dining best described as "convenience, but make it a personality."

It's still delicious, of course. That's the infuriating part. Order it with fries, eat it standing up, and complain about the price like a local. Bonus points if you mention it used to cost a euro.

So, Should You Visit Berlin, Germany?

Absolutely. Berlin is the center of a metropolitan region of about 6 million people, and it hosts everything from world-class sport to world-class sulking. The Olympiastadion, for example, hosts the DFB-Pokal final every year. And every September the city turns its streets into a racetrack for the Berlin Marathon, where Tigst Assefa won the women's race in 2023 in 2:11:53, proving that at least someone in Berlin is reliably on time.

A few practical tips for your trip:

• Arrive by plane: BER is about 18 km southeast of the center, and it consolidated Tegel and Schönefeld into a single hub. Leave extra time anyway. Old habits.
• Don't expect anything to start on time: Embrace it. Order another drink.

Berlin is chaotic, contradictory, overpriced in all the wrong places, and impossible not to love. Think we were too nice? See the full roast on RoastMyTown.com.