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While plenty of cities in Europe rank high on those “most expensive cities” lists, Germany’s capital Berlin is a bit of a surprise package, where nothing is really as expensive as it should be. Accommodation is reasonably priced compared to other western European capitals, and when I think about some kind of measure like “interesting sights per square mile”, Berlin is right at the top, with history, great museums, all kinds of culture and nightlife and great shopping too all within its boundaries.

Some people might prefer to walk around much of Berlin, since there is something see on nearly every corner, but if you want to pack more in, you can try the Berlin Welcome Card. Like many city tourist cards, it includes a pass to use with all public transport (including Berlin’s great underground train system), plus a voucher booklet that gives you discounted prices for museums and tours, restaurants and bars and even theater visits.

The bonus is that the transport extends to Potsdam, the beautiful palace and grounds about half an hour outside the city of Berlin. You can buy the Berlin Welcome Card for either two or three days, and you have to use it on consecutive days. Depending on your sightseeing interests, you’ll save either more or less money; I’d advise trying to cram a lot of the more distance sights into a couple of days with the card and then spending a few more days enjoying the city on foot from a cheap central hotel.