Any trip, which involves traveling to a new city like Berlin in Germany is always exciting and very enlightening. But, walking in a crowded city where there are lots of places of interest culturally, can at times be very challenging. That is where the Berlin Card comes in handy. It is in this context that in this article, the question of whether a Berlin Card is actually a good idea to buy for tourists will be analysed. Let’s dive in!
What is the Berlin Card?
Berlin card which is also known as Berlin welcome card offers tourists bargain on a number of attractions, museums and means of transport within berlin. This covers you for free entry into over 50 attractions including the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island and the Berlin Wall Memorial among others.
The Characteristics of the Berlin Card
- Cost Savings: Indeed, one of the major advantages discussed for the Berlin Card has to do with financial savings. You can have free access to the different attractions and as a result you do not even need to bother buying individual tickets. In addition, the card offers the discounts of different interesting tours and cultural performances, restaurants …and so on, it again brings the more added values to the visit.
- Convenient Public Transportation: The other benefit of the Berlin Card is that it entitles the holder to free unlimited travel on all means of public transport in Berlin. You can go on a bus, tram or train at any instance and in any location without stressing over purchasing new tickets to use in a new area or a new tourist destination.
- Skip-the-Line Privileges: As everyone knows, it is most always possible to spend hours in a line especially when they visit these areas during summer. Berlin Card lets you actually cut through the long queues and reach most of the attractions at a faster pace.
Considerations when Deciding:
- Length of Stay: Unfortunately, Berlin Card cannot boast of a definite positive value for money if your stay is less than three days. It can either as an open ticket with validity for two, three, four, five or six days. If your plans are frequent visits to the attractions and museums then it can be more cost effective to go forward and get a card for a longer time period.
- Sightseeing Preferences: Consider the sightseeing choices and what you will be interested in. If you have a preference for history, art, or culture, the Berlin Card is full of attractions for over 90 museums and galleries as well as historical monuments. Still, if you are not quite intrigued by such options, it would not be wise to spend your money there.
- Travel Itinerary: Check your travel plan and decide whether you fit in the attractions that are covered by Berlin Card. This card for instance entitles one free access to many famous attractions, however, few of the famous landmark attractions may not admit cardholders. Before move on, we have to search for compatibility of the attractions on the list with your chosen place.
Price and Cost Analysis
The price of the Berlin Card depends on how long the pass is valid for, or how many zones the pass is valid in. As of 2021, here’s a breakdown of the prices:
Duration Price (EUR)
2 Days 22
3 Days 28
4 Days 32
5 Days 36
6 Days 38
In regards to the cost calculate the price of the admission fees of the attractions that you will be visiting and then consider whether it will benefit you to obtain the card. Please note that the card also includes public transport, so see the cost of a normal ticket per day during your stay.
Conclusion
So, is the Berlin Card good? It also depends with the circumstances and the kind of travelling you will be undertaking. If you are inclined to travel to several tourist landmarks, galleries, and use the local means of transport frequently, you can win and save money with the help of Berlin Card. However, if a particular tourist has strict interest plans and a clear schedule of visits that does not coincide with the included attractions, for him, it will be more profitable to buy individual tickets.
Finally, thoroughly assess which activities are planned, what are sightseeing objectives, and how long a visit to Berlin will be. The best way that one can put into consideration that will help him/her make a wise decision of whether to invest in the Berlin Card or not is to weigh his/her factors that would enhance his/her experience while in Berlin and those that would result to his/her losses in terms of the time that is too valuable to waste, time that one could have spent carrying out useful activities instead of waiting in long queues which will be taken care of by the Berlin Card
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