CIEE Gap Year in Berlin, Germany: German Language & Culture Recently Updated

A gap year in Berlin is the ideal balance of structure and independence—an opportunity for growth, discovery, and preparation for your future.

Berlin is a place where every street tells a story—where past and present intertwine, underground scenes thrive, and new ideas take shape daily. On your gap year, you’ll absorb the language and energy of this electric capital, gaining fluency while exploring its dynamic neighborhoods, global food culture, and unmistakable spirit of reinvention.

Spend 15–20 hours of intensive language classes each week at GLS, a premier language institute, and make fast friendships with fellow gap year abroad travelers.  Afternoons and weekends are yours for exploring—bike through the gorgeous greenery of Tiergarten, visit world-class museums on Museum Island, or discover Berlin’s young and vibrant neighborhoods like Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg.  

Living with a welcoming host family, you’ll experience life as a local, practicing German daily and getting all the best insider tips on how to live like a true Berliner.

Interested in starting college abroad with a CIEE First Year Abroad program instead? Learn more here! Or check out our summer, semester, or academic year programs for high schoolers.