No trip to Berlin is complete without taking a photo at one of the iconic Photoautomats. Scattered throughout the city, these analog photo booths are the brainchild of two friends who decided to restore old, out-of-use photo cabins they found across Europe and give them a new life in Berlin. With around 35 booths in key locations – outside bars, nightclubs, museums and busy areas – they’re recognisable by their big red letters and are available for use at any time of day or night.
In the era of smartphones and selfies, these analog portraits offer a nostalgic trip to the past, providing a physical photo you can actually hold. Once inside the vintage booth, you draw the little curtain, adjust the seat, drop in 3€, and strike a pose. Then another, and another, and another. Four flashes later, your photo shoot is complete. Now, all you have to do is wait the five minutes it takes for the photo to develop. Once ready, the machine spits it out, still wet from the developing chemicals – your one-of-a-kind Berlin souvenir.
These photo strips can be found in nearly every home in Berlin, hanging on walls, pinned to fridges, or glued to mirrors. It’s become almost a tradition, with people using them to immortalize birthday celebrations, wild nights out with friends, visits from family, or just because – moments of your Berlin life, forever captured in black and white.
Find your way with 215 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
"PalaisPopulaire" in Berlin hosts the art collection of Deutsche Bank, often in cooperation with intern. museums. Check out the "I like Mondays" tours.
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"Maxim Gorki Theater" in Berlin is one of a kind. It's the smallest one but its plays are always thoughtful and I love eating leisurely at the cafeteria...
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"Shakespeare and Sons Bookstore" in Berlin is one of my favorites for Sunday morning. I love their jazz music and Jewish pastries, such as the Rugelach...
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"Rises Delicacies" is a homey Greek restaurant in Berlin that gives you the sensation that you're in Greece sharing a table w/ a family! Amazing moussaka.
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"Neuzwei Vintage Store" is a very refreshing escape from ordinary second-hand vintage shops in Berlin-Neukölln. It's like a small, unobtrusive boutique...
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"Bikini Berlin" is not your typical mall. Looking over the Zoo and the memorial church, with just some carefully chosen shops, it's in the right direction.
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The decorated "Mosaic Seats" in Berlin's Neukölln are located in a beautiful residential area. I like coming to rest my feet here if I'm in the area...
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"Geist im Glas" Berlin really is the best of both worlds: a bar at night and a fabulous brunch place on the weekends! I always ask about the new cocktails.
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Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Berlin is full with "Tree Stumps with Faces"! It's a great specimen of street art, and there are more than 500 in the neighborhood!
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"Andraschko" in Berlin and their 'Wiener Kaffeehaus Mischung' Espresso blend is the roastery/shop that actually made me like coffee in the first place...
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"Kranoldplatz Market": a small market in Berlin. What I love about it, apart from the potato stall, is the flatbread and cream cheese for a quick lunch!
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215 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
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