Berlin is one of the most commonly visited cities in Europe and the largest and most populous city in Germany. It’s famous for its architecture, museums, sport venues and cultural events. If you’d like to see them too, you may be wondering just how safe Berlin is. Today, we’ll take a look at exactly that.
Is Berlin safe?
Berlin is considered a fairly safe city. Most inhabitants are friendly towards tourists and people who come to Berlin for work. You may find many surveillance cameras scattered throughout the city and policemen occasionally strolling the streets, patrolling around. Of course, just like in literally every other city, you’ll still have to watch out for the regular suspects.
Dangers
The typical issue is pickpockets – crowded areas in Berlin are very, very common, especially in the high season, so there are plenty of places where thieves may easily make use of the hectic atmosphere. Scammers also infiltrate pubs and various venues and try to make use of distractions to get an upper hand on you. Again, this is stuff you’d have to watch out for in any large city with a lot of tourists – with demand comes supply. There are also areas of the city which are less safe than others, with bordering neighbourhoods in particular being more dangerous in terms of petty crimes. If you want to stick to the safest areas, you can trust the historic centre (Berlin Mitte), Prenzlauer Berg and Charlottenburg.
You may have heard of the issue of terrorism in Berlin – this is likely the result of the infamous 2016 attack on a Christmas market, where an Islamist attacker rode through the market in a truck, killing dozens. There was also a similar car attack in June of 2022. Though these cases did occur among others and they are tragic, the likelihood of such an occurrence is not large in Berlin. It’s an understandable fear, though it’s largely recency bias – the actual danger lies mostly in thieves and scams.
Lastly, if you fancy trying Berlin’s nightlife, we’d recommend being careful – both in regards to your drink and in general. Drink spiking is sadly also not uncommon and you may find pickpockets in clubs too, trying to make use of the dishevelled state everyone is in.
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