Scams to avoid in Berlin: a guide to a worry-free stay

Pickpockets: Alexanderplatz, U-Bahn and S-Bahn

Pickpocketing is concentrated where crowds are dense. Berlin police list among the most exposed places Alexanderplatz, Kottbusser Tor, the Warschauer Straße bridge, Görlitzer Park, Hermannplatz and Hermannstraße. On public transport, Alexanderplatz station, where the U2, U5 and U8 lines meet the S-Bahn, is one of the worst affected; so are packed U2, U8 and S-Bahn trains at rush hour. Thieves often work in groups.

• Keep your phone and wallet in a closed inside pocket or a front pocket.
• Carry your bag closed and in front of you on trains and platforms.
• Do not fall asleep on a train: phones resting on laps disappear quickly.
• Watch out for distraction tactics: a shove at the carriage door, an unfolded map, a hand on your shoulder.

In the evening, the areas around Kottbusser Tor and Görlitzer Park, in the heart of Kreuzberg, are also places where drugs are sold on the street: turn down any offer and keep walking. Stay just as alert around Warschauer Straße, the gateway to the bars and clubs of Friedrichshain.

Public transport: plain-clothes inspectors and a €60 fine

Berlin's U-Bahn has no ticket barriers: you board freely, but checks are frequent and often carried out by plain-clothes staff. Without a valid ticket, you pay the "erhöhtes Beförderungsentgelt", a flat fine of €60, payable within 14 days. The most common trap is not having no ticket, but having an invalid one.

• A paper ticket bought from a machine must be validated before boarding, in the small stamping machines on platforms or in buses; an unvalidated ticket is worthless at a check.
• A ticket bought in the BVG app only becomes valid 60 seconds after purchase: buy it on the platform, not as you step into the train.
• Check the zone: BER airport is in zone C, and an AB ticket is not enough to get there.

Genuine inspectors show their inspection badge unprompted and use an electronic device to record your details. They never ask for cash: on the spot, the fine can only be paid by bank card. Anyone demanding cash is a fake inspector; refuse and report them to the police. Tickets, zones and fares are covered in our guide to public transport in Berlin.

On the street: shell games, fake petitions and fake police officers

The shell game (Hütchenspiel). Mostly in the warmer months, groups set up three cups and a small ball on a piece of cardboard at Alexanderplatz and near Berlin Cathedral. The "winners" you see pocketing banknotes are accomplices, and the game is rigged: you cannot win. While the crowd watches, other members of the group target the onlookers' pockets. Do not play and do not linger in the crowd.

Fake petitions. People, sometimes pretending to be deaf and mute, hold out a clipboard asking for a signature for a disability charity, then for a donation. According to Berlin police, the organisation does not exist, and the clipboard is often used to hide the theft of a phone or wallet left on a table. Sign nothing, do not stop and walk away firmly.

Fake police officers. At tourist sites, fraudsters pose as plain-clothes officers, claim to be looking for counterfeit money or drugs and ask to see your wallet or your card PIN. A real police officer will never ask for your PIN. Ask for their official ID and, if in doubt, call 110 to check.

Checkpoint Charlie: paid photos and souvenirs

The guardhouse at Checkpoint Charlie is a reconstruction: the original hut is kept at the Allied Museum. For years, extras dressed as American soldiers charged for photos there, about €4 each, while pressuring passers-by. If someone in uniform offers you a photo for money, you are under no obligation to pay. The fake visa stamps sold in the nearby shops are souvenirs and nothing more.

Taxis: official fares and arriving at BER

Official taxis have a "Taxi" sign on the roof. The meter is mandatory and fares are set by the state of Berlin.

• In the city: €4.30 flag fall, then €2.80 per kilometre for the first 3 kilometres, €2.60 from the 3rd to the 7th kilometre and €2.10 beyond.
• Short trip ("Kurzstrecke"): €6 for up to 2 km, only if you hail a moving taxi on the street, and you must ask for it at the start.
• Card payment is accepted with no surcharge.
• Booking by phone or app can show a fixed price before the ride.

At BER airport, only take a taxi from the official rank in front of the terminal and turn down drivers who approach you in the hall. For a trip starting at BER, Berlin taxis apply a special fare: €4.30 flag fall, €2.60 per kilometre up to 5 km then €2.00, plus €1.50 for access to the airport rank. The train is still faster and cheaper for getting to the centre: all the details are in our article on Berlin airport (BER).

Accommodation: fake listings and the registration number

Berlin strictly regulates short-term rentals: the law against the misuse of housing (Zweckentfremdungsverbot) has required a permit from the district since 2014 to rent out a whole flat to tourists. Since 1 August 2018, every listing must show a registration number issued by the authorities. Fake listings play on scarcity: copied photos, low prices, a host "abroad" asking for a bank transfer.

• Always pay through the platform, never by direct transfer, money order or gift card.
• Check that a listing for a whole flat shows a registration number.
• An offer far below the prices of the neighbourhood should ring alarm bells.

To choose a neighbourhood and a type of accommodation, see our guide on where to stay in Berlin.

At night: clubs, Berghain and drinks

Berlin clubs have a door policy, and Berghain is the best known for it: being turned away is common and cannot be negotiated. Be wary of anyone promising guaranteed entry for money. In many clubs, including Berghain, photos are banned and your phone camera is covered with a sticker at the entrance; removing it can get you thrown out.

• Bring some cash: some clubs and bars do not take cards, at the cloakroom or at the bar.
• Never leave your drink unattended and turn down an open drink offered by a stranger.
• If you or a friend feel unwell, speak to the staff or the club's awareness team.

Cannabis: what the 2024 law allows

Since 1 April 2024, the German cannabis law (Konsumcannabisgesetz) has allowed adults over 18 to carry 25 grams in public and to consume it. Yet there are no coffee shops or legal stores in Germany: sales remain banned, and cultivation associations are reserved for members who have lived in Germany for at least six months. A tourist therefore has no legal way to buy it, and cannabis offered on the street is illegal and of unknown quality.

• Public consumption is banned near schools, nurseries, playgrounds, youth facilities and public sports grounds.
• It is also banned in pedestrian zones between 7:00 and 20:00, and in the presence of minors.
• In Berlin, these offences carry fines of several hundred euros.
• Other drugs remain illegal. If you feel unwell, call 112.

Bikes and cycle lanes

In Berlin, many cycle lanes run along the pavement, separated from pedestrians only by different paving or a red colour. Visitors walk on them without realising, and cyclists come fast. Stay on the pedestrian side, look before crossing a cycle lane and never stop on one to take a photo.

If you rent a bike, use the cycle lanes, ride on the right, with lights on at night and no phone in your hand. Always lock the frame to a fixed point with a sturdy lock: bike theft is common.

Emergencies, police reports and lost property

Dial 110 for the police and 112 for the fire brigade and medical emergencies; 112 also works from a foreign phone. For non-urgent questions, Berlin police answer on 030 4664-4664, Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 18:00. A report cannot be filed by phone: file it at a police station or online through the Berlin police online station (Internetwache). If your bank card is stolen, block it immediately; if you lose your passport, report it to the police, then contact your embassy.

For an item lost on the U-Bahn, tram or bus, contact the BVG lost property office, Rudolfstraße 1-8, 10245 Berlin (U Warschauer Straße), which also offers an online search; items are kept there for six weeks. For an item lost elsewhere in the city, the central lost property office (Zentrales Fundbüro) is at Platz der Luftbrücke 6, 12101 Berlin (U6 Platz der Luftbrücke).

At night on Fridays and Saturdays, most U-Bahn lines run without a break; on other nights, night buses take over.

Summary table

Prices and fines checked in October 2026.

Further reading

To find out when to pay in cash or by card and how much to tip, read our guide to paying in Berlin. To plan your journeys by day and by night, see our guide to public transport in Berlin, and for arriving by plane, our article on BER airport.