11 Things I HATE about Living in Berlin 

The German Rent Control law has been in force since 2015. If you have signed a lease since then, check at conny.de/en whether you can reduce your rent. Tenants save ~304 euros per month on average✌

No wonder Duolingo teach us late to train and fighting bureaucracy as soon as we can form sentences in German.

"I hope I didn't offend anyone, and if I did, I don't care. Goodbye."

I moved to Berlin in 2022 after watching your videos, after 1 year, I can say this is the most accurate video on the Internet

huge respect for being straight forward, to the point, no BS, just plain truth :D

As a Berlin resident, I can say that the golden age of Berlin is long gone. Berlin was attractive in contrast to other cities because it was primarily cheaper than other cities and it was super easy to get a good apartment. Between 2000 and 2014 I moved 5 times, it was so easy to find an affordable apartment, I was even unemployed at that time but I always got an apartment. Also the cultural offers were better like clubs etc.. And with the authorities you didn't even have to make an appointment, you could just go there and get things done. Ok, Berlin has always been dirty but that never bothered me. I do not understand why today people still want to live in Berlin the golden days are long gone.

I'm in Los Angeles, and everything you complained about seems like a giant upgrade.

Coming from Greece, the weather situation is definitely the hardest to bear. The winters here are BRUTAL and soul-crashing. In the summer it's lovely, but I usually go back home so I miss much of it.

I lived in Berlin for 10 years and will never forget the soul-crushing winters and the ever-present grey.

I didn't move here *only* because of your RU-vid channel, but it was a big reason why I did. And, I brought my wife, 2 kids, and 2 dogs (picking up their poop !) with me.

The dating subject deserves its own video

You really nailed the situation. One easily goes mad with ambulances, everything is dirty and moving out is a mad thing to do. Still, summer in Berlin, Telegram delivery of goods and party+freedom always available is too good :D

I arrived in Berlin 2003 and left in 2012. Seems I caught the city in better / easier times. Mind you, even then it was dirty and stinky. What changed it was the flood of people that the likes of EasyJet brought in on the weekends after 2008. That's when it started with the broken glass, long queues, dealers everywhere and insane rent. Berlin became a victim of its popularity.

Hearing about your town hall makes me glad that i live in a country where you register online when you move.

Hey I’m currently in Berlin for the first time from the UK and in spite of everything you have mentioned, there are no regrets. Will definitely be coming back! Your videoed have been a big help, thank you soo much for all your content!

Well done! Berlin is indeed noticeably dirtier than other major German cities, but it's all about relative context and where you originated from. For example if you're coming from a third world country (such as England), you won't perceive Berlin as particularly dirty. Similarly, if you've spent 10 years in the Cultural Cesspool (USA) eating their rubber bread, you won't be complaining much about the average German bakery in Berlin : )

From Bucharest, visiting Berlin at least twice a year in the last 7 years. It has changed a lot, got a lot dirtier and homelesness and drug addiction are heart wrenching for me. Brought me to tears last May while walking round central Berlin. Id never swich Bucharest for that, though cheap and ugly, yet sunny and warm hearted. My surprise in your vid is about the fine from the city hall though the system makes it impossible for you to be fair, that sounds a lot like Bucharest and I must say im sad to hear it s happening in Germany. It s quite a struggle for a quality life here, yet Germany knows or at least knew what that is. Don t give up the fight! 💪💪💪👻👻👻😎😎😎

Complaining about weather, international student here in London holding my tea in every rain day))

This video made me cry. My sister has lived there since the late 70s and never complains. I guess you get used to it all.

I have become a knopper addict because of your previous video. Kaufland put a sale on it yesterday and I bought so much of it. Now I can't stop eating them.

Finally! I have waited for this video since I subscribed to your channel... 5 years ago. After a while I stopped giving a damn and accepted it all, like a true Berliner.

I never experienced the honeymoon phase. The winter was way milder than I expected (my cousins in other parts of Germany have it way worse) and Berlin is way cleaner than my country. :/ But the apartment issue (which really should get seriously regulated), all the bureaucracy, the lack of public toilets, and the bad service even as soon as the airport are such a pain. Now, the clothing is so funny to me, since as a Latin American I've always liked to be colorful. I've gotten so many stares bc I own pastel yellow pants. But there are some colorful Berliners around...sometimes.

A tipp for the people who are trying to get an appointment at the Bürgeramt: Any Bürgeramt will do, it doesn't have to be in the same district as you live! :)

I agree with everything, confirm it and support it. You just forgot to mention the water full of "Kalk". It tastes (and it shouldn't), makes the skin itch and leave stains on everything.

To be fair, the weather situation applies to whole central Europe. This spring has been especially horrible, I only remember a few rain free days in March and April

Finally an honest video about Berlin😂 But so far can forgive it everything for its freedom and uniqueness

I swear I'm not paid by these people, but I used conny for my current apartment and they lowered my rent by 130 euros. They were very helpful and professional during the whole process and the landlords simply accepted to lower the rent to the legal amount. I definitely recommend them 😁

When I visited Berlin for language course my initial reaction was "It looks like my home city, just bigger and with a little bit more of money" (not in positive way)

I am so happy living in Frankfurt Oder. We dont have any of the problems you mentioned. And whenever I want I can go to Berlin. It takes just an hour. It also takes me an hour to go to the lake, forest and other wonderful places of nature. Moreover my apartment on the 12th floor with an amazing view of all the town costs only 250euro.

14:15 "German villages have amazing bakerys" Meanwhile shows stockphoto from a Dutch bakery

Berlinian born and raised here speaking. Can definitely agree with most of the points with some caveats. 1. Yes, the garbage issue is extremely frustrating. I have now twice on my way to work crossed paths with very well fed rats and peoples' "someone else will eventually pick it up" attitude is absolutely enraging. I guess it's also another expression of the rampant idea that 'freedom' essentially means narcissism that bit us so hard during the pandemic. 2. The rents are a no-brainer. I actually don't live inside the city anymore since I was a kid so that I have at least some chance to save up money. It's insanity. 3. ... which actually means I never really had to deal with Berlin town hall appointments. So yay me! 4. The service... yeah. It depends on where you go to, bouncing back and forth between indifference and "actively making you feel like you are a pest". Amusingly, the worst service I ever got was at a real bakery, getting berated for not bringing my own bag and a few days later getting berated for not handing it over quickly enough. 5. My workplace is right next to a police station and live somewhat close to a fire department. I thought the sirens repeatedly interrupting you speaking were mostly from that... 6. Somewhat confused about the clothes thing. Why... would it bother anyone how others dress? Sounds like not being your business. 7. Yeah, the "piss spots" are dreadful and I also am very confused why the city government seems downright ignorant to the increasing homelessness problem, making underfunded charities being the only ones who give a shit. There seriously need to be some bold steps in that regard, which in turn would much increase the overall appearance of the city when there is a smaller threat of having to see some homeless guy's dick waving around in the dead of winter... 8. Well, I'm neither cool nor attractive enough for Berlin's nightlife and frankly never cared for it in the first place, so I can't make any judgements on that. 9. As others in the comments have already stated, you still can find good bakeries if you look for them. The service will still be horrendous, but they are there. But of course they are indeed a dying breed with all the competition of Backshops, supermarkets and people having to penny pinch... which in turn makes them only even more expensive because they need to raise prices to break even. 10. Honestly the only thing I have to disagree with as a winter person, since to me it's the other way around. I like it when it's cold and rainy because then you can at least be productive. What I hate is the global warming related issue that on one hand I haven't seen a real winter with real snow that lasts for more than a couple of hours since I was a child. On the other hand there are the increasingly harsh summers where you melt and then cook in your own juices, unable to get anything done... no, that's just disgusting. 11. Ugh... well, another one where I think I can't really say much to it given that I never dated, much less ever was in a relationship. I however do think that... these observations here are more indicative of him hanging out with the 'radical' party people crowd, therefore... all the sex I guess. I do wonder whether there is an intersection of observations though. Because back when I was at university and talked with girls, the topic inevitably at some point came to their super sweet long-time boyfriends since High School. Which gave me the distinct impression that there simply are no female singles anywhere, something that somewhat coincides with his impression that the most you can hope for is polyamory. But yeah, dating sucks.

i was raised in Berlin and we moved for some years out. when i lived in Frankfurt, it annoyed me, how clean the streets was... felt like nobody is "living" there or like an hospital... now i am back again and it feels like home 🥰 but i also think its very important to take your trash with you and leave every place clean.

I was born in Berlin. I must say, you hit it well. We Berliners´ are just grumpy. And yes, grumpy: The Berliners' attempt to be friendlier to fellow human beings failed because we don't care about fellow human beings we'll never meet again anyway. Well, charming or nice is better for others. But because we are grumpy anyway, we don't care. Your info on the bread: There is still good bread at reasonable price , just have a look. And: We are very hardworking people who love bread very much. If we can not get a good one, we just bake it ourselves. No big deal. And finally: I am not a friend of drinking in public. But it attracts a lot of tourists, and we owe a lot of money to them. It's not the people who live here who make the trash. And Berlin doesn't like to clean up other people's mess. It's because we are grumpy and don't care about others :)

You nailed it. You can add some more points as parents of kids.

I don't mind the winter weather in November, December, and January, it's kind of expected. What bothers me is not having a proper spring weather until the end of May. I think March and April are really terrible. I have just sent your video to two friends in two different countries, it's really spot on and thank you for it. The sirens are annoying, that's true, but the emergency service is really fast and efficient (from my experience) so I always try to think about it if I get annoyed.

I was in Berlin in May, this year. Two things I noticed and even spoke about it when I was there- The lack of public toilets and the sirens. I live in Sydney Australia. I hear sirens from time to time at home but in Berlin it was a strangely common experience.

Everything is true. Born and raised here. The bread situation and the whether is the hardest part for me right now. Been to the high price hipster bakery and paid 7 Euros for a bread..😂

I come from Montevideo Uruguay. In some regards quite similar to Berlin (hippie and alternative city full of graffities and dog poop), but something that was surprising to me is that you barely see apartment buildings been constructed. In Montevideo you see a new building been constructed each 3 or 4 streets. Here you have entire neighbourhoods with no constructions whatsoever. And the height limit seems also very low. Knowing the nightmare of German bureaucracy I suppose it might be very difficult for a private company to get a new construction permit. It seems that the only construction going on is from the government: museums and railroads. And no... you wont fix it by freezing prices by law.. any basic economic book will tell you that that is a bad idea.

I like the honesty with which you made your video. I visited Berlin in 2007 and loved it (for most parts)😅

Wow! Amazing video. I really enjoyed that. I am living in Prague and it is very hard to find the affordable flat as well.

Lol, I moved from Moscow to Berlin and was struck with how many sunny days there are, even in winter. In Moscow there is no sun for maybe 4-5 months straight it’s strange but it is so(

I understand your perspective, and the things you pointed out really suck, but as many of the bad things that exist in Berlin also exist where I live, and the city I live in doesn't have any of the good things Berlin has, then I'd rather live there. Thanks for talking about them! Your videos on what life is really like in Berlin are always super useful and of course very entertaining. 🖤

If you think Buergeramt appointments fill up within minutes. You should see the appointments for German embassy in Bangalore. It happens in seconds! 🤣

Thanks for the interesting video!!! It would be great to see reviews of other cities too! ❤

Wow, cool and very useful advertising integration! Loved this video bro!

I plan on flying into Berlin & spending my first day there as part of a group travel program. As an actor, my biggest fascination with the city was it’s influence on the arts (film & theatre) during the Weimar Era. To me, I couldn’t be in a better place than seeing a production of Bertolt Brecht’s “Die Dreigroschenoper” or a late night screening of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” with a local beer and curry wurst. BTW: I genuinely recommend a video about either of those men (or both). For the performing arts is more than simply a mirror held up to reality; but a tool for which to shape it.

This definitely crushed my soul about Berlin. I have a job interview coming up there, but I live in Leipzig and hope I can work a lot from home. Love Berlin, but a lot of those negative points you mentioned, definitely bother me as well.

Registering a new address in Berlin is so 1990 😁 Here in Norway, you only need to go online to the website, and type in your new adress. And the winters...well I'm from Norway. And renting a appartment is still cheaper than here. The rent control is good. I wish we also had it. I think the rent is a problem in any capital and major cities.

Winters are gray, but summers are awsome!

The distance in Berlin is ......huge. When you see on map you think it's quite near, but when you take a bike and start to drive it's the end of the world (You will never go there).

I lived in Berlin for almost three years. Finding a flat and work wasn't the problem really, I guess I was lucky.... the appointment for registering was quickly arranged as well. The dirt is everywhere, true, the "politeness" of Berliners is famous/ infamous, the clubbing I don't know as I don't care. Using your bike is good, the bike lanes on the street are in good condition, the bike lanes on the pavement less so, so it depends a bit on where you go. Ulrich supermarket at Zoo is great as it is open Sundays (I recommend the early hours, from noon it will be packed). Living is okay in Berlin for normal people - but not, if you like me, are crazy and have one unusual hobby: AMATEUR THEATRE!!! It's not possible to live in Berlin and participate in normal amateur theatre. Either you find a club that sounds interesting, then they want horrendous membership fees (and we are talking here like up to 20 € per month - the German average is 30 - 40 € a year!!!) - or you don't find a club at all. I found one which was more like a let's-do-stuff-together-and-also-act-from-time-to-time-club for 60 € a year. And maybe one play every 18 months. That is not good for someone who wants a role twice a year preferably. So I made a decision: I left my decent job and moved back to Hamburg because here I can act as much as I like as there is an active amateur theatre scene in Hamburg. I can act in High German, in Low German AND in English, comedies, plays, children's Christmas pantomimes.... So it was a decision I haven't regretted. If you don't care for amateur theatre, go and try out living in Berlin, you will probably like it.

That reminds me, i have an appointment at the town hall on wednesday for renewing my Personalausweis.

Gut platziertes Placement Bre. Schön wieder mehr Videos von dir zu sehen.

Half the stuff you mentioned about Berlin reminded me of the capital in my country(and not the good parts)...but like you said...I think this is just typical of all capital cities. I was okay with dealing most of these but then the last one had me like "Oh c'mon!" Regardless still an awesome city. Your videos inspired me to visit it and I hope to do so again in summer this year :)

Having moved here from Brazil I definitely feel the hard weather 🥶 but you won't really know what "dirty" and "smelly" looks like until you visit Sao Paulo, so my perception of Berlin is that it smells rather good, at least if you stay away from the major pee spots 😅 the queues are obviously horrible, but I try to stay away from Berghain and Sisyphos and go early (about 30 min before opening time) to smaller parties (which are already pretty big when compared with parties outside of Berlin)

Awesome funny Video you did. ❤😂 That's perfectly on point. I'm definitely with you with all arguments you told and I'm not even living there. Nice greetings from Brandenburg - keep going

Great video! Thank you for the honest depiction. I have a soft spot for Berlin that predates the fall of the wall. As a teenager when I visited Berlin (mainly West Berlin) during the 80s, it was a fascinating place which appeared more modern, clean and orderly than my own country (France), people also seemed more open and friendly (at least in my own experience), and wayyyyy more open-minded than anywhere else in Europe that I knew (France, the UK, Italy, Spain and Switzerland namely). There was an intense sense of freedom and urge to enjoy life in the air, rendered all the more striking by the fact that it really was an island of freedom, with the constant reminder of its very real boundaries made visible at any given moment not only because of the wall presence but particularly because of the ubiquitous TV tower popping up at every corner of the central districts. A bewildering sensation at the time. Saying that, I would really really love for you to make a video with Mark Reeder and/or discuss his B-Movie that is the tale of that particular oddly magical era. In my humble opinion, the contemporary fascination for Berlin actually draws from that era by way of the techno era that followed (but took its roots there) and hasn't ended. In short, rather than what it offers now, Berlin attracts because of its charged "cool" heritage... much like New York or Paris, in different ways, but unlike newly popular destinations like Lisbon, Seoul or Singapore. I'd love your opinion on this. Love your videos, by the way!

That's actually how the trees in Berlin look right now? Wow, I moved to Lake Constance and everything here is already so green. In Munich, where I grew up, it seems to still be all bone trees and almost no grren. Really makes a difference.

I can't wait to visit Berlin in winter this year.

The amount of rubbish really was a shock to me and one of my biggest pet peeves about Europe is the lack of public toilets. It's so difficult walking around all day as a tourist, especially in summer when you drink a lot, and you can't find a toilet or you have to pay. I guess that is one good thing about here in Australia- free public toilets. Although our rents are going crazy too. I wish we had a service like this Conny. I love Europe and I look forward to visiting Berlin again one day.

I live in England, I find it user friendly and easy to live here. Barely any bureaucracy in my experience. However, just as dirty if not worse.

Regarding dating, I think it's better if you move with an established partner there. But looking for one (especially if you're monogamous)... will crush your soul as he properly said it, and also will leave you emotionally traumatized. I talked to several foreign women about it and all of them agree.

The pee-issue is not only in Berlin but in Germany, in some cities the smell is very noticeable. It's pretty common that in public parks there are portable toilet boxes, but they are so dirty and stinky that you really prefer to pee outdoors and take the risk to pay a fine. I always try to use paid toilets, which are usually clean and worth paying for, but there are not always ones nearby 😕 Make use of any opportunity in a bar, a museum or a municipal office if you have to deal with the burden of bureaucracy 😬

Wait a few hours for something? I never did it in my life. If I see somewhere queue longer than 20 minutes,, I just go somewhere else and often to do something totaly different comparing to plans. If I save time I am always glad to change my plans.

Hello. Bucharest has very nice places and it’s very cool for night life party and museums. It’s very crowded and polluted but it still has it’s positive attributes.

I have been in Berlin for 5 months and I really love it BUT this video hits home! I have just exited the Honeymoon phase....

I love the cut scenes you do to deliver "the feeling" especially the one about winter sucks your soul 😂

Me who lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada I think the weather in Berlin is great lol but that's one of the colder cities in one of the coldest countries

I love your videos! 🐻🇩🇪 I’ve lived in Berlin for over six years and started to feel like I hate the city now and wanna move away but it’s still somehow the only city I wanna live in at this very moment. Now you perfectly described it as an ‘ended honeymoon phase that turned into love-hate relationship’, 100% that! 😅

OMG gang bangs! thats disgusting, please tell me where these happen so I can avoid those places.

Very helpful video again! I could have never imagined such things about Berlin! You're a rare human being in Berlin!

I am a native berliner, as are my parents and grandparents and I can tell you whats the problem with berlin. Everything inside the Ring (inner circle) has nothing to do with berlin anymore. It is a foreigner made vegan, techno paradise. If you want to experience the real berlin you have to move out of the Ring (I dont mean the suburbes, but just outside the inner circle). There you still have lots of bakeries which bake themselves, it is cleaner, it doesn't smell like pee, you get quicker appointments at the bürgeramt, the rents are more reasonable (but still to high). And also real berliner do not only want crazy relationships and one night stands.

Nice honest video

I stood in line for damn 2 hours just to find out it wasnt Berghain 😅

As a native Berliner I live outside of the city center. Sometimes I think I live another city 😅 It’s so different where I live. Not dirty at all , very quiet, green and lovely. I like the busy center but I wouldn’t like to live there. Downside is that public transportation is not that great where I live. The bakery issue is true !!! Good bakeries vanished from Berlin years ago. There are few that still bake their own bread and cake. But they are hard to find. The big bakery franchises are mostly awful. They can’t even bake a decent Streuselschnecke oder Pfannkuchen. It’s a shame.

Great Video! When are you running for Mayor? It sounded like you might have something planned 🤪

OMG ich wusste gar nicht, was ich alles hasse an Berlin, du hast es nochmal in mir hervorgeholt :D wohne mitten in Friedrichshain und kann einfach nur unterschreiben in jedem Punkt

Very well done! But Berlin is still my favorite city and I will always stay here, no matter what. The problems of the city are my problems, we will fix it together.

There is also GEMA. I used to work in piano bars in Los Angeles, but that can not exist in Berlin because one must "pre-register" every song with GEMA, and it is so complicated. I once had to pay a fine for playing my OWN songs without clearing them with GEMA! Still, I do not regret moving here and it is much better than Los Angeles. Good video!

maaaan, you're so right, thanks for the video and giving me a few moment to reflect :)

The Bread Situation is the dealbreaker for me. Sorry Berlin

Ich finde das betrifft das nicht nur Berlin, sondern alle größeren Städte. Ich werde nie verstehen, was Leute daran finden, zusammengepfercht in Städten zu wohnen. Für mich überwiegen die Nachteile bei weitem.

Great video I wanted to move to Berlin after visiting in 2018 but seem harder every year financially. Hopefully things turn for better next few years. That service seems great tho

Yeah that's why I don't like living in major cities but also not in rural areas. Suburbs are the best.

"just make sure not to catch many...." Me: feelings? "....STDs." Me: oh yeah that too, that is more important actually. 😅 My sweet innocent friend wanted to get over a German guy she went out with. She told me that we should go to Berlin together, after enticing her of the fun times i have every time i visit the city. She said she wants to enjoy it too and hopefully find another German guy who will fall in love with her. "it will be romantic" she said. I laughed at her and told her, "my sweet darling, we will go to Berlin to have fun, not to get your heart and soul crushed ok?" 😂 Oh but I do love Berlin! altho Berlin loving you back is not apparent most of the time haha

I have been in Berlin a month ago with a friend. I am a "Club culture" lover, I love to know everything about historical clubs and it is not a problem to me to demonstrate to a bouncer how much I would love to enter in a club like Berghain or Tresor. Anyway, I have been rejected by bouncers after 3-4 hours of queue, after being silent for all of the time, after have dressed fully black or in general as I would usually not dress, after studying (just for passion, not for need) the history of the club and the djing style of the one who is playing that night. A part of them looked me in the eyes and said to me just "I am sorry", showing me the way to go home with their hand. I love the History of Berlin, I know how much Techno is important to you berliners, but I think that bouncers do not do enough to choose who deserves to enter or not.

Reminds me my homecity St-Petersburg. That’s why I left it to tropical island in far East

The bread thing reminded me a lot about the breakfast at the hotel I stayed in Berlin. I thought it was only the hotel serving bad bread :)

The throwing old mattresses in the streets situation,I hate it,I thought it only happened in my city,I never imagined it would happen in Berlin!But at least here rents aren't that crazy👀

"The weather in Berlin is awful" Stockholm: "Hold my insipid Swedish beer"

We just visited Berlin last week and saw you recording this video (we are the group at 10:59) and just now RU-vid recommended me this video, what are the chances!! hahahah. It was quite shocking for us to see so many bottle caps and crystal bottles everywhere, but I mostly blamed it on public drinking being legal there. Most of the other problems, like dirtiness, apartment rent prices or bureaucracy are very similar in my country. Cheers from Spain!!!

as someone who was born in Berlin thats all so true i got used to it but i flee the city every winter at least for a month

I can’t wait for you to become the next mayor and fix the bad smell in Berlin

I'm from Russia, service in Berlin is awful, really. But people are very friendly, they smile almost always. And I began to smile too😂.

I was just there on my first visit, and we were amazed at how CLEAN the city was (Mitte area).

Its so funny to see you in so many places wich I see weekly, I think I even saw you at the U5 some time ago

I mentioned to a friend that I was thinking about moving to Germany. She said it's great...as long as you like rainy weather and grumpy people. 🤣

Hahaha I’ve been here 1 year now and I totally feel this already . So on point!

Man, I live in Toronto and I don't believe the winters in Berlin can be as cold as we have it here.

7:47 As a South American I got used to that because when the law becomes absurdly strict (either because the state is predatory and the law is simply an excuse to generate fines) that is when you are seeing corruption of the treasury.... the state is forces you to commit fraud... bad for business.....