Emma Mykytyn Berlin Photoautomat machines: where to find the city’s cult photo booths
Berlin is a city where the past is rarely polished away completely. Old buildings are repurposed as clubs, former railway arches become bars and battered analogue photo booths continue to sit on street corners despite almost everyone carrying a camera in their pocket.
Known as Photoautomat machines, Berlin’s vintage booths produce a strip of spontaneous photographs using traditional chemical processing. There are no filters, retakes or opportunities to edit out the person who blinked. You squeeze behind the curtain, wait for the flashes and hope for the best.
The resulting photographs are often grainy, imperfect and slightly chaotic, which is precisely why they make such a brilliant Berlin souvenir.
What is a Berlin Photoautomat?
A Photoautomat is an old-fashioned analogue photo booth, usually recognisable by its chunky metal cabin and large red lettering.
Unlike the modern digital passport-photo machines found in stations and shopping centres, these booths develop the photographs inside the machine using chemicals. Each session produces a single strip containing four small images.
Most of Berlin’s machines take black-and-white photographs, although a small number produce colour pictures. The original booths date from the analogue era and have been restored rather than replaced with modern digital equipment.
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Berlin’s official city website describes the booths as cult attractions rather than ordinary passport-photo machines. Visitors use them to capture nights out, birthdays, friendships and fleeting moments from their trip.
A brief history of Berlin’s Photoautomat machines
Berlin’s modern Photoautomat revival began in the early 2000s. Asger Doenst and Ole Kretschmann began rescuing redundant black-and-white photo booths that were in danger of being scrapped. The machines were restored and returned to service in Berlin, with the company officially established in 2004.
One of the first restored machines appeared at Rosenthaler Platz. More booths gradually followed, appearing beside clubs, galleries, markets and busy neighbourhood streets.
The timing was perfect. Digital photography was becoming dominant, but the slow, unpredictable nature of analogue photography suddenly felt special again.
Instead of taking dozens of pictures and choosing the most flattering one, Photoautomat users received four unrepeatable moments on a physical strip of photographic paper.
Today, the official Photoautomat directory lists more than 30 machines across Berlin, including booths in Mitte, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg, Neukölln, Charlottenburg and Treptow.
How to use a Berlin Photoautomat
Using one of the machines is straightforward, although the experience moves more quickly than many first-time visitors expect.
Step inside the booth and pull the curtain closed. Adjust the seat so that your face is roughly level with the camera, then insert the required payment.
The machine takes four photographs in quick succession. There may not be much warning between each flash, so prepare your poses before inserting the money. After the fourth photograph, step outside and wait while the machine develops the strip.
Development generally takes around five minutes. The machine may clunk, whirr and make noises suggesting it is about to eat your photographs forever, but this is all part of the experience.
The strip usually emerges slightly damp, so hold it carefully by the edges and allow it to dry before putting it into a wallet or bag.
How much does a Berlin Photoautomat cost?
Berlin’s city website currently lists the price as €4 for a strip of four photographs. Prices can change, however, so check the instructions displayed on the individual machine before entering.
Some machines have been updated to accept card payments, but facilities may vary. Carrying a few euro coins remains a sensible backup, especially when visiting one of the outdoor machines late at night.
The best Photoautomat locations in Berlin
Machines are scattered throughout the city, but these locations are particularly easy to include in a Berlin itinerary.
Mauerpark
There are two Photoautomat machines at Eberswalder Strasse 2, beside Mauerpark. One produces horizontal strips, while the other produces traditional vertical strips. Both are listed as being open 24 hours a day.
The booths are particularly convenient when visiting Mauerpark, the Berlin Wall Memorial or the cafés and bars around Prenzlauer Berg.
Nearest station: Eberswalder Strasse, served by the U2.
Queues are possible at weekends, particularly when Mauerpark is busy.
RAW-Gelände and Warschauer Brücke
The RAW-Gelände complex on Revaler Strasse has one of Berlin’s largest concentrations of Photoautomat machines.
Several booths can be found around the site and nearby Warschauer Brücke. The official directory lists vertical and horizontal strips as well as RAW 3, which produces genuine analogue colour photographs with a distinctly 1970s appearance. Most are available 24 hours a day.
This is one of the most atmospheric places to take a strip. The surrounding former railway buildings, street art, bars and clubs provide a suitably Berlin backdrop.
Nearest station: Warschauer Strasse, served by the S-Bahn and U1/U3.
Kottbusser Tor
The Kotti machine stands at Skalitzer Strasse 134 and is listed as open 24 hours a day.
Its busy Kreuzberg setting makes it a good choice during an evening exploring the neighbourhood’s restaurants and bars.
Nearest station: Kottbusser Tor, served by the U1, U3 and U8.
Zossener Strasse
The Photoautomat at Zossener Strasse 29 is another classic outdoor booth. It is available around the clock and is convenient for exploring Bergmannkiez, Mehringdamm and the surrounding area of Kreuzberg.
Nearest stations: Gneisenaustrasse or Mehringdamm.
Markthalle Neun
Markthalle Neun has an indoor Photoautomat at Eisenbahnstrasse 42.
It is an excellent option when combining your photographs with a wander around the historic market hall and its independent food businesses. Unlike the outdoor machines, access is limited to the market’s opening hours.
Nearest station: Görlitzer Bahnhof, served by the U1 and U3.
Trabi World
The booth at Zimmerstrasse 97 is close to Trabi World and within walking distance of Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror. It is listed as open 24 hours a day.
This is one of the easiest central locations to add to a sightseeing itinerary.
Nearest station: Kochstrasse/Checkpoint Charlie, served by the U6.
Hamburger Bahnhof
An indoor Photoautomat can be found at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin’s museum of contemporary art.
The booth is accessible without buying an exhibition ticket, although it follows the museum’s opening hours.
Nearest station: Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
This is a useful option during wet or cold weather, when standing beside an outdoor machine loses some of its charm.
For a map of all the Photoautomat locations, click here
Tips for getting a good Photoautomat strip
Decide on four poses before inserting the money. The flashes arrive quickly, and spending the first three photographs discussing what to do usually results in four pictures of everyone looking confused.
Look towards the camera rather than at your reflection. The lens can be easy to miss inside the dark booth.
Move closer together than feels natural when taking group photographs. The frame is small, and anyone sitting at the edge risks becoming a floating ear or half a hairstyle.
Do not expect studio-quality lighting. The harsh flash, deep shadows and occasional blur are part of the Photoautomat look.
Avoid touching the printed surface immediately. The strip may still be damp when it leaves the machine.
Finally, do not take it too seriously. The best Photoautomat strips are rarely the ones in which everyone looks composed.
Are Photoautomat pictures suitable for passports?
These machines should be treated as entertainment rather than a reliable source of passport photographs.
Are Berlin’s Photoautomat machines open all night?
Many outdoor booths are officially listed as open 24 hours a day, including those at Mauerpark, RAW-Gelände, Kottbusser Tor, Zossener Strasse and Trabi World.
Machines inside markets, museums and clubs follow the opening hours of the venue. Individual booths can also be temporarily unavailable for maintenance, so it is worth checking the official location directory before making a special journey.
Are the booths accessible?
Traditional Photoautomat cabins are small and often have a raised entrance, narrow doorway or fixed seat. Accessibility varies considerably between locations.
Anyone requiring step-free access or additional space should check the individual site before visiting. Indoor machines at museums and public venues may be easier to reach, although the cabin itself will still be compact.
Why a Photoautomat strip is the perfect Berlin souvenir
Berlin’s Photoautomat machines offer something that phone photographs cannot: a physical object connected to a particular time and place.
Each strip is unique. There is no digital gallery containing fifty alternative versions and no opportunity to correct an awkward expression. Once the photographs appear, that is the moment you have captured.
They are inexpensive, easy to carry and far more personal than another souvenir magnet. Pin the strip to the fridge, use it as a bookmark or keep it inside your passport as a reminder of your trip.
