The Top 5 Sports & Events in Berlin

Home of the Berlin Philharmonic and widely regarded as one of the finest concert halls in the world, both acoustically and architecturally. Hans Scharoun's 1963 tent-like building places the orchestra at the centre surrounded by tiered vineyard seating — there is no bad seat in the house. Caveat: tickets for headline BPO concerts sell out months in advance; book the moment the season drops or check the day-of standing-room release.

Home of 1. FC Union Berlin, this compact 22,000-capacity ground in the forests of Köpenick is one of the most atmospheric football stadiums in Germany — three sides are standing terraces and the noise is extraordinary. Union's rise from third division cult club to Bundesliga and European football is one of the great stories in German football, and the fan culture here is fiercely authentic. Caveat: it is a genuine trek from central Berlin (45+ minutes by S-Bahn), and tickets for big matches sell out fast through the club's own allocation system.

An open-air amphitheatre carved into a forested hillside near the Olympiastadion, seating 22,000 on terraced stone steps — one of the most beautiful concert settings in Europe. The Berlin Philharmonic's annual open-air concert here is a beloved summer ritual, and rock and pop acts fill it through the warm months. Caveat: bring a cushion (the stone seats are brutal after an hour), dress in layers, and check weather obsessively — shows rarely cancel but you will get rained on.

Berlin's most iconic stadium, built for the 1936 Olympics and still breathtaking in scale and architecture. Home to Hertha BSC and a regular host of Champions League finals, major concerts, and the DFB-Pokal final. The guided tour of the historic grounds is genuinely worth it even on non-match days. Caveat: Hertha's turbulent recent seasons mean the atmosphere can feel flat for league games — go for a cup match or big concert instead.

A striking Dominique Perrault-designed indoor arena from 1997, built around a sunken cycling track and seating up to 12,000 for concerts and events. It hosts the prestigious Berliner Sechstagerennen (Six Day Race) cycling event every January — a uniquely Berlin spectacle of elite track cycling, live music, and late-night revelry all under one roof. Caveat: the cycling event is the main reason to come; as a general concert venue it plays second fiddle to the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Berlin's premier indoor arena seating up to 17,000, home to Alba Berlin basketball and the Eisbären Berlin ice hockey club, and the city's go-to room for major touring acts from Taylor Swift to Rammstein. The sightlines are excellent from almost every seat and the production values for big shows are top-tier. Caveat: corporate atmosphere and steep concession prices can feel impersonal — arrive early to grab food outside on the East Side Gallery stretch instead.