Last updated on 09/17/2026
Your running shoes are still in the box and the yoga mat is leaning against the wall, rolled up. Making New Year's resolutions in Berlin is easy, sticking to them until spring is the hard part. What helps is a fixed place, a fixed time and people who expect to see you. Berlin has more of these than you might think: a free running club that sets off in Mitte every Tuesday evening, pottery studios with wheels for complete beginners, meditation courses in small groups and an adult education centre in every district. More exercise, a new hobby, less screen time: for the most common resolutions there is a real address in the city where they get easier. But which ones actually help you keep going?
For this list we compared courses and prices and looked at how easy it is to get started without any experience. In Schöneberg's Goltzkiez, Studio32 teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking with techniques from the professional kitchen of the team behind Bonvivant. In Friedrichshain, Spielwiese has been Berlin's first board game library with its own café since 2006, made for evenings spent rolling dice instead of scrolling. And if you want to spend more time outdoors, take the cable car over the Gärten der Welt in Marzahn. Which resolution will you tackle next?
Ellen Mehrhoff-Roddewig
My own resolutions last longest when there is a fixed date in my calendar. So when choosing these places I focused on how easy it is to start: can I join without experience and without signing up for a whole year? Are there trial classes, free sessions or fair single-visit prices? And can I get there easily by train after work? The result is ten places from Charlottenburg to Marzahn where a resolution has a real chance of turning into a habit.
The KRAFT Runners meet every Tuesday at 7 PM at KORNER, Linienstraße 106 in Mitte, for a joint interval training. Running along is free and possible without prior registration, regardless of whether you have a beginner's pace or competitive experience.
Mindful Life Berlin, located at Gleimstraße 19 near Mauerpark, has been offering Yoga, Pilates, Functional Fitness, and Boxing in Prenzlauer Berg since 2017. A trial class costs 10 Euros, and multi-class passes are valid for both yoga and fitness classes.
Studio32 at Goltzstraße 32 in Schöneberg offers vegetarian and vegan cooking classes, cocktail workshops, and wine tastings. Cooking classes start from 119 Euros per person, and a second location on Kottbusser Damm in Kreuzberg will be added starting November 2024.
Daily Meditation Berlin at Schinkestraße 9 in Neukölln teaches beginners to meditate independently in four 90-minute sessions. The course costs 296 Euros, after which refresher courses and weekly group meditations are free.
Spielwiese at Kopernikusstraße 24 in Friedrichshain has been a game library, game store, and café in one since 2006. On Mondays, the entire game evening costs 5 Euros per person; on Fridays and Saturdays, it's 4 Euros for the first hour.
Mikku Ceramics, located at Oderberger Straße 3 in Prenzlauer Berg, has been offering pottery courses for wheel throwing and hand-building since 2014. The beginner's wheel throwing session costs 85 Euros, including clay, glaze, and firing.
The Berlin Environmental Calendar by the Berlin Nature Conservation Foundation collects daily updated events related to nature and environment, from herb walks to bat observations. Usage is free, and many of the offers are also free of charge.
Each Berlin district has its own adult education center; the VHS City West is located on Pestalozzistraße in Charlottenburg. The program ranges from languages to computer courses, health, and art; one lesson unit costs 3 Euros, reduced 1.50 Euros.
The Gardens of the World in Marzahn feature over 20 country and theme gardens, including Chinese, Japanese, and Balinese gardens. The cable car runs over the Kienberg; a day ticket costs 9 Euros in summer, and 12.90 Euros with the cable car.
The German Museum of Technology at Gleisdreieck in Kreuzberg showcases steam locomotives, airplanes, ships, and historical computers on the grounds of the former Anhalter freight station. Admission is free for those under 18, and for everyone on Fridays from 13:00.
