How to make friends in Berlin as an expat: Vereine, language tandems and Tempelhofer Feld

30 October 2026 · 4 min read · By the I Am Mate team

Berlin is creative, international and easy to arrive in, but friendships with locals can take time and the winters are long. Where people in Berlin actually meet (sports clubs, language tandems, German courses, volunteering), the best things to do alone, and a first-month plan.

Berlin is one of Europe's most international cities, and it's easy to arrive in: you can live for months in English, find an expat event most nights and feel at home in a café in Neukölln or Prenzlauer Berg. But many people find that friendships, especially with Berliners, take longer than expected. Germans often keep a clear line between acquaintances and friends, the expat crowd changes constantly, and from roughly November to February the days are short and grey.

The good news is that Berlin rewards commitment. This guide covers where people actually meet, the best things to do alone and a first-month plan.

Why Berlin can feel lonely

• Slow-burning friendships. Germans are often reserved at first but very loyal once you're friends.
• The expat bubble. Easy to join, but people come and go, so it's hard to build something lasting.
• Dark winters. Short days and cold months make it easy to stay in.

Where people in Berlin actually meet

Join a Verein

In Germany, much of social life happens in a Verein, a registered club for a sport or hobby: football, rowing, running, hiking, choirs, chess, gardening. Members train together every week and often go for a drink afterwards. Membership fees are usually low, and joining one is the most German way to make German friends.

German courses and language tandems

Berlin's Volkshochschulen (adult education centres) run affordable German courses in every district, where you'll sit with the same people for months. A language tandem, where you swap an hour of your language for an hour of German, is another great way to meet locals one to one.

Run clubs and outdoor sport

Run clubs meet in Tiergarten, Volkspark Friedrichshain and on Tempelhofer Feld, and in summer Berliners swim, picnic and play sport by the lakes. Running stores and cafés host free weekly group runs.

Volunteering

Berliner Tafel, founded in 1993 as Germany's first Tafel (food rescue charity), needs regular volunteers, as do community gardens, animal shelters and refugee support groups.

Libraries

Berlin's public libraries (the VÖBB network) run free events, reading groups and language cafés, and are good places to meet people learning German too.

Great things to do alone in Berlin

• Walk or cycle across Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport turned huge public park.
• Visit Museum Island, five world-class museums on an island in the Spree.
• Walk the East Side Gallery, the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, covered in murals.
• Go to Mauerpark on a Sunday for the flea market and, in summer, the open-air karaoke.
• Follow the Landwehrkanal through Kreuzberg and stop at a café by the water.
• Swim in a lake like Schlachtensee in summer, a short S-Bahn ride from the centre.

A first-month plan for Berlin

• Week 1: Register your address (the Anmeldung), get a library card and find your Kiez café.
• Week 2: Try a group run and one language tandem or language café.
• Week 3: Join a Verein or sign up for a Volkshochschule German course or a weekly volunteer shift.
• Week 4: Make one specific invite, ideally with a date: Germans plan ahead, so "next Saturday at 3, Tempelhof, picnic?" works far better than "let's hang out sometime".

Chat while you settle in

Every I Am Mate character chats in your language, so you can rehearse German small talk before your first Verein evening: just write in German and they'll reply in German. Chloe, a London-based AI flight attendant, is great for planning cheap trips around Europe, and Ella, an AI architect in Copenhagen, loves Northern European design (see Ella's small-spaces guide for making an Altbau flat cosy). They're AI characters, not real people, and they're there to help you get out and meet people. The general method is in our new city friends guide.

If it gets heavy

Dark winters can affect mood. If you feel low for weeks, see a doctor (Hausarzt). If you're struggling or thinking about hurting yourself, call the free, anonymous TelefonSeelsorge on 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222, any time. In an emergency, call 112.

Frequently asked questions

Is it hard to make friends in Berlin?

Meeting people is easy; turning them into close friends can take longer, especially with Germans. Joining a Verein, a German course or a regular volunteer shift helps a lot.

Do I need to speak German to make friends in Berlin?

You can get by in English, but learning German opens up friendships with locals and makes everyday life much easier. A language tandem is a fun way to start.

What is a Verein?

A registered club, usually for a sport or hobby. Members meet regularly, pay a small fee and often socialise together. It's one of the main ways Germans make friends as adults.

What are free things to do alone in Berlin?

Tempelhofer Feld, the East Side Gallery, Mauerpark, Tiergarten, the Landwehrkanal and the lakes in summer.