Culture shock is common to tourist in foreign land and if you are not well versed on how the local people behave, you will feel extremely out of place and alone that you might end up thinking of going back to your homeland. Before you decide about anything because of the cultural indifferences, you should at least know a thing or two about the cultural behavior of the people so that you can avoid being embarrassed of what you did. Respecting the local culture will make you more comfortable and enjoy your stay.
- If you are used to greeting other people with a smile, avoid doing so while you are in Berlin. Though this can be pretty difficult with people who love to smile, you should at least know that most of the locals are brought up by the previous generations that smiling is a superficial gesture. When you are met with local people wearing stern or cold faces, not very welcoming and sometimes have impassive service in restaurants and shops, just learn to accept that this is how they normally behave every day. Just think that you are not the only one given the sour look. Everyone is.
- Tipping is common Berlin and it is customary for tourists to do so when dining out in restaurants. The servers are given fixed salaries so the usual thing to do is just round up the tip based on the total bill. If you have higher bill, the higher your tip goes to them. To be extra safe, just give them ten percent of the total bill in proper restaurants.
- Women in Berlin are expected to be self-sufficient or being strong and independent. When you buy them drinks or meals would give them the impression of being macho. Generally the women in this place will insist on splitting the total bill but this culture is very much a habit amongst German. Servers at Berlin will ask you whether you wish to pay the bill together or separately.
When in Berlin, get ready to learn everything new. The locals are known throughout the world as being haughty and lecturing know-it-alls. Although this kind of attitude can be quite annoying for other foreigners, know that they are not trying to be over the top nor are they trying to be indifferent. If you feel down because you were just lectured about what they see you were doing wrong, just take it that they are concerned for you.