Long Night of Museums, late August

Berlin requires every holiday rental listing to show a registration number, and booking portals are not allowed to publish offers without one. Before you pay, look for the number in the listing and ask the host for it if you cannot find it. A listing without one may be unauthorized, which can put your stay at risk if…

The Hüttenpalast in northern Neukölln is a small family hotel in a former factory courtyard where you can sleep in restored vintage caravans, wooden cabins or loft rooms. Caravans and cabins are booked individually, and the caravan halls use shared bathrooms, so choose a loft room with an en-suite bathroom if you…

Each October the Festival of Lights turns Berlin landmarks, squares and historic buildings into light art, with displays running after dark from about 7 pm to 11 pm. Admission to the installations is free, though some shows and concerts need tickets. Be in front of a landmark at 7 pm to see the illuminations switch…

A-Trane is a small jazz club in Charlottenburg that has run since 1992, close to Savignyplatz. Most concerts start in the evening and popular nights can sell out, so look at the programme online and reserve a seat ahead, since phone reservations are not offered. Afterwards, Savignyplatz has long-established bars and…

Berlin shops are generally closed on Sundays and public holidays, so a Sunday without groceries or souvenirs is easy to fall into. Supermarkets inside big train stations, such as Hauptbahnhof, Friedrichstraße and Ostbahnhof, are the usual exception, along with petrol stations and pharmacies. Buy what you need on…

From September to June the Berlin Philharmonie foyer hosts free lunch concerts on Wednesdays at 13:00, lasting about 40 to 50 minutes. Programmes are chamber music by Philharmonic or Karajan Academy musicians and guests. Entry is first come, first served, with no reservations and a capacity limit, so arrive early to…

The Maybachufer market runs on Tuesdays and Fridays on the Neukölln bank of the Landwehr Canal, with fruit and vegetables, cheese, spices, Turkish sweets, fabrics and food stalls. Come in the last hour before closing, when prices are often lowered, and buy several items from one vendor to open a friendly negotiation…

For the classic photo of the Oberbaum Bridge, stand on the Friedrichshain side between the bridge and The Wall Museum so the sun sets behind its brick towers. Arrive in late afternoon for warm light on the brick, and stay about 30 minutes after sunset for blue hour, when the bridge lights come on. A wide lens helps…