Berlin is totally easy and very tourist friendly. Most signs (in tourist attractions, bus stations, train stations, shopping centers etc) are bilingual or multilingual (minimum English, often available in French, Spanish, Italian, Polish etc as well). Anyone under the age of 30 will speak English very well and most between the ages of 30-45 will speak some English. The only people you would struggle with are the older ones 45+ who grew up in an era when English was not an important part of the education system, particularly those who grew up in communist East Germany - Russian was the compulsory second language and most were not allowed to learn English at all as it was the language of the enemy. So yeah, I have encountered people like old bus drivers over the age of 45 with whom I simply had to speak German as they spoke zero English - but I imagine in such a case, you could simply ask the nearest young German person nearby to help translate and they are mostly friendly. I had to ask for directions to my hotel (they booked me into a small hotel v near where I had to work, but it was in the middle of nowhere, you get the idea - I'm sure you've done business trips like that). I asked one young person and immediately two others joined in with their phones and they all spoke fluent English - and this was in a small station, in the middle of nowhere quite late at night.
Berlin has a BRILLIANT public transport system - get a day ticket (7 euros i think) and it will give you unlimited travel on all public transport all day.
How easy is it to travel in Berlin for travellers with 0 German skills?
ReplyDeleteBerlin is totally easy and very tourist friendly. Most signs (in tourist attractions, bus stations, train stations, shopping centers etc) are bilingual or multilingual (minimum English, often available in French, Spanish, Italian, Polish etc as well). Anyone under the age of 30 will speak English very well and most between the ages of 30-45 will speak some English. The only people you would struggle with are the older ones 45+ who grew up in an era when English was not an important part of the education system, particularly those who grew up in communist East Germany - Russian was the compulsory second language and most were not allowed to learn English at all as it was the language of the enemy. So yeah, I have encountered people like old bus drivers over the age of 45 with whom I simply had to speak German as they spoke zero English - but I imagine in such a case, you could simply ask the nearest young German person nearby to help translate and they are mostly friendly. I had to ask for directions to my hotel (they booked me into a small hotel v near where I had to work, but it was in the middle of nowhere, you get the idea - I'm sure you've done business trips like that). I asked one young person and immediately two others joined in with their phones and they all spoke fluent English - and this was in a small station, in the middle of nowhere quite late at night.
DeleteBerlin has a BRILLIANT public transport system - get a day ticket (7 euros i think) and it will give you unlimited travel on all public transport all day.