Berlin and Germany Observations

A lot has changed in Germany over the years, and not often for the better.

As for tourists in Berlin, there are many - 6.1 million in the first 6 months of 2024, an increase of 6.5% over 2023. Probably a lot of Europeans among them, people who may look a lot like German nationals in the eyes of the casual tourist. For most of us, it's probably hard to know who's a tourist and who isn't just through casual observation.

I'm glad that you are enjoying Berlin despite the issue with the Euronet ATM. Euronet ATMs are notorious for having terrible exchange rates. Once I found that out, I have avoided them. Next time you need to use an ATM, I suggest using an ATM which is affiliated with a local bank.

Sparkasse is a good one.

Tourists know about Berlin. It might not be like the jump in Italy or Barcelona. However, As Russ said, tourism is up. I think part of why it might appear as though there are less tourists is because Berlin is sprawling and there is a lot to see and do. So, not only is it spread out, there is a lot to do and so it is less concentrated.

One of the most common recommendations on here is to use an ATM inside of a bank, preferably when they are open. Never use the ones that are in stores, on street corners, or in restaurants. At the airport, only use Deutsche Bank ATMs.

Sorry you had such a bad experience. In the summer especially, tracks get repaired and this makes all the trains get backed up. They are really bad in Hessen and other states too.

There have been a lot of discussions about cash in Germany. Some people go their whole vacation here without needing it, but I am always surprised. At least the WC would need coins. Farmers markets want cash. Small restaurants want cash. The credit card companies charge too much for small transactions here and people living here use their debit cards, not CC. There are no transaction fees with an EC card.

Two days ago I was trying to go Friederich Strasse. I had to take an alternate and complicated route because there was a tree across the tracks. OK, I get it, I turn off the power, bring in a crew with a saw and cut it up, two hours...right?
Later that day trying to return to Ost Bahnhof from near Haupt Banhoff, I could not find a direct train. Why? Tree across the tracks. That same tree was still disrupting service over 7 hours later. It made the news!
Things are not as they once were here in Berlin. It's still a fine place to be, but good luck with the trains and finding a German restaurant.

I made my fourth trip to Berlin this past May. Things are definitiely changing.

It was crowded. Many places still wanted cash but much less than in the past. Still plenty of Currywurst stands but there now seems to be an abundance of other cuisines from around the world.

And most of all, the efficiency one could count on in the past seems to be on life support.

That's interesting as I was in Berlin 2 years ago and didn't use cash at all. In fact, I didn't use cash anywhere through Germany (and I was there for 4 weeks) except to get a cappuccino on a KD river cruise.

Mardee, you didn't see cash because you have sufficient means so as to avoid the neighborhoods where cash is used.

A little bit of a joke, but a little bit not. We did some strolling through neighborhoods away from the Mitte, and the further we got from Mitte, the grittier they got -- and the more likely the street vendors were to require cash euros.

I won't say crap in regards to the trains but it is no doubt pretty taxing at times. I bring cash to use in Berlin, especially in restaurants where there is a choice between cash and card.

On needing cash to purchase: if you buy stamps in the Post Office, eg, the 95 cent one need for postcards , only cash is accepted as payment or the EuroCard. Signs there indicated no Visa or MC. Since I get the Markenset I always have 10 and 20 Euro bills on me

RE: foreign tourists ...they tend to congregate in certain areas in Mitte. If you want to eliminate chances of seeing foreign tourists, Americans and others, do your visiting in eastern Berlin, ie, Ostkreuz, Jannowitzbrücke, Warschau Strasse., Ostbahnhof, Karlshorst.

Ride the S-Bahn laterally , ie S-3 from west to east, basically from Spandau to Eckner.....very revealing sociologically and culturally

I do not know if some facts are welcome in this kind of thread?

Since they might be useful for a few travelers I recommend to read this article of German Federal Bank about "Payment behaviour in Germany in 2023".

Disruption of card and e-wallet payment in sight: the European Central Bank is working on "Digital Euro", a digital twin of the Euro currency.

btw: seen from the other side of the table the issue of visitors which do not have Euro cash is relatively small. Most Berlin tourists for example are from Germany: in first half of 2024 the statistics show 146.214 US and 188.307 UK visitors compared to 3.158.996 domestic visitors (source).

Mardee, you didn't see cash because you have sufficient means so as to avoid the neighborhoods where cash is used.

A little bit of a joke, but a little bit not. We did some strolling through neighborhoods away from the Mitte, and the further we got from Mitte, the grittier they got -- and the more likely the street vendors were to require cash euros.

I don't know about that. I was in some pretty small towns that are not very touristed, as I was doing some research on my family history there, and still didn't have any problems. But I did forget to mention that I needed cash for a B&N in the small town I stayed in. So yes, I did use more cash than I originally said. And I should also mention that a couple of small Bäckereien in that town had signs saying they only accepted cash. But overall, I didn't have any problems using my cards.

douglas,
I concur, Germany has changed.
We visited Bavaria last month prior to a Danube river cruise and had two trains cancelled and almost missed meeting for our cruise. Also, some of our trains were late by several minutes, which never happened when we lived in Germany from 87 to 91.

Another item that bothers me, Germany once seemed spotless with little trash or graffiti. Now you see more trash and lots of graffiti.

There were many things I noticed but the one that stands out the most is how much is now ungemäht.
The parks and streets look very different as a result.

If you want go to a grocery store (small) that refuses credit card payment, go to the Spätis. I saw several of them in Berlin from Charlottenburg to beyond Ostbahnhof. Some will display out front the "Cash Only" sign.