Is the Berlin Welcome Card worth it?
Credit: Berlin Welcome Card
If you are reading this you must be wondering:
Is the Berlin Welcome Card worth it when I visit Berlin, Germany?
One of my best pieces of advice for self-guided travelers to Europe (or any metropolitan place, really) is to check and see if they offer a city card. City cards are typically short-term cards that allow tourists to travel and visit key attractions at a discount or free. In a similar vein, I strongly recommend looking into museum passes in cities like Paris or London if you want to maximize your tour experience.
What is the Berlin Welcome Card?
The Berlin Welcome Card is the city tourist card that offers free metro transportation as well as discounts or even free admission to local sites within and around Berlin, Germany. Note, you can purchase the option without the public transportation but I believe the included transportation is the biggest draw to the card.
Pros:
Includes public transportation including Berlin Airport**
Valid per calendar day (vs. 24 hours) so you can fully maximize your experience
Affordable starting at 11.90€ a day with discounts for multiple days and group tickets of 2 or more
Cons:
Offers discounts to museums and sights but not free admission
**In order to have transportation to/from Berlin (BER) Airport, you need to purchase the Berlin Welcome Card option with tariff zone ABC
Tip: Make a list of the activities that you want to do in a certain city including transportation costs. Compare the expenses of those activities with the card. If the cost is lower with the card, then the card is a good deal.
The Math:
Realistically, you would want to have at least two days with the card, unless you are a museum fiend and can go to all of the museums and attractions in one day. For this example, let’s say you choose to go only one day to the museums.
Because we were also using the card as our primary source of transportation, we purchased a 72-hour card.
| Activity | With Card - Classic | Without Card |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin WelcomeCard - 72 hours | ||
| Transportation (3 days) | ||
| Computer Game Museum | ||
| German Spy Museum | ||
| Sanssouci Palace (Potsdam) | ||
| Total |
Note on Museum Island
Museum Island admission is €19 and includes entrance to all five museums. Realistically, you wouldn’t be able to visit all five in one day. If you have any interest in spending more time visiting at least two museums and especially over a multi-day period, then it is worth getting the Berlin WelcomeCard + Museum Island for €57.
The Verdict: Is the Berlin Welcome Card worth it?
You will save a few bucks if you use the Berlin Welcome Card but it is also super dependent on which activities you choose to do. So while the savings are not substantial, the ability to have transportation and discounts on activities we were already going to go to was super valuable.
Scenario A: You spread out visiting Museum Island out over two days: get the +Museum Island card
Scenario B: You do not visit Museum Island at all during your trip: get the Classic card
I say, if you are looking to try out enough activities to make the card with your time, go for it! If you want to have a less rigid schedule and itinerary, skip it!