Berlin will be colourful in autumn – and it stays that way. On sunny days, the leaves in the city’s avenues, parks and forests glow in radiant shades. But even when it rains, Berlin is anything but grey. Snuggle up on the bright cushions of the Tajik Tea Room, take a dip in the pools at the Vabali Spa, or visit the bats in Spandau Citadel.
Tip: Every October, Berlin comes alive with the Festival of Lights. Admire the city’s most stunning light installations from the comfort of a bus or boat - or join a guided photo tour to capture the colorful works of art up close. Let’s shine together!
Tip 1: Discover the Tegeler Fliess
The Tegeler Fließtal is a wonderful natural landscape in the middle of Berlin and a good tip for an active autumn holiday. Start at Lake Tegel or walk from the village of Lübars back to the city centre. No question: it will be beautiful. On a nature trail, you will experience a marshy landscape typical of Eastern Europe. With a bit of luck, you might spot otters or beavers in their natural habitat on your autumn excursion. Water buffalo are also at home here. The city has introduced them to the Tegeler Fließ to maintain the meadows.
Where: Alt-Tegel underground station, Tegel S-Bahn station or bus 222 to Alt-Lübars
Tip 2: Enjoy the autumn colours in Britzer Garten
Before nature retreats into hibernation, it puts on another magnificent display of colour in autumn. The whole palette of reds, yellows, oranges, browns and greens can be admired in the Britzer Garten in Berlin in autumn. The extensive park in the south of Berlin also offers numerous events and activities for the whole family in and around the autumn holidays, including guided tours, the atmospheric candle labyrinth or the spooky Halloween in the park with lots of hands-on activities.
Where: Sangerhauser Weg 1, Neukölln
When: Daily 7 a.m. until dusk
Tip 3: Bathing in the Balinese village
On chilly days, a visit to the spa with sauna and massage is a great way to relax. The perfect place for such a wellness experience is the vabali Spa Berlin near the main railway station. It is open from early morning until late in the evening. The spa with its many pools and saunas resembles a small Balinese village and transports you to a warm, beautiful Far Eastern world on a cold autumn day.
Where: Seydlitzstraße 6, Mitte
When: daily from 8 a.m. to midnight
Erlebt echtes Wiesn-Feeling mitten in Berlin: zünftige Musik, frisch gezapftes Bier, bayerische Schmankerl & beste Stimmung im Festzelt. Das Oktoberfest Spandau – feiern wie in München! Jetzt Tickets sichern!
Tip 4: Browse through the bookshop
There are rainy autumn days that you would prefer to spend with a warm cup of tea and a good book under a cosy duvet. To prepare yourself and have reading material to hand, we recommend a visit to Marga Schöller's cosy bookshop. The bookshop near Kurfürstendamm specialises in English literature. So you can combine the pleasant with the useful on long autumn evenings and brush up on your language skills for your next summer holiday.
Where: Knesebeckstraße 33, Charlottenburg
When: Monday - Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m
Tip 5: Stroll through the flea market
Shopping at a slower pace: a visit to a flea market is about much more than just buying more or less useful accessories. The journey is the goal here. You browse, compare, haggle and chat. This is especially fun on a sunny autumn day in Berlin. The large antique market at Ostbahnhof is a great place for a nice autumn outing . You can find almost anything here: art, books, stamps, furniture and records. Take some money with you: With over one hundred dealers, you certainly won't go home empty-handed.
Where: Erich-Steinfurth-Straße, Friedrichshain
When: Sunday 8 am to 4 pm
Tip 6: Go for a walk in Grunewald forest
The autumnal forest in Berlin is beautiful: with lots of colourful, rustling leaves. Just go out and enjoy it. Berlin is a green metropolis. The city offers numerous opportunities for a lovely walk in the woods. One of the most extensive forest areas in Berlin is the 3000-hectare Grunewald forest in the west of the city. It is also one of the most beautiful places in autumn. We recommend the Havelhöhenweg for an autumn excursion. It takes you ten kilometres to the Grunewald Tower, among other places. Here you have a magnificent view of the autumn-coloured forest. Afterwards, you can fortify yourself at the Grunewaldturm restaurant, where you can enjoy hearty cuisine or coffee and cake, depending on the time of day.
Where: Havelchaussee 61, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
When: Monday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (subject to change depending on the weather)
Tip 7: Drink tea the Tajik way
The Tajik Tea Room is one of those hidden places in Berlin's Mitte district that immediately transports you to another world. While the autumn leaves fall to the ground outside, you can make yourself comfortable on colourful cushions inside and forget all about time for a few hours. A special highlight are the fairytale evenings in the restaurant with tea and Russian and Central Asian cuisine. Very important: book a table at least two days in advance. That way you can be sure that the Tajik tea room has a place for you.
Where: Oranienburger Str. 27, Mitte
When: Monday 4pm to 9pm, Tuesday - Friday 4pm to 10pm, Saturday 12pm to 10pm, Sunday 12pm to 9pm
Tip 8: Fly a kite
Autumn tips for Berlin would be incomplete without Tempelhofer Feld. The former airport site in Tempelhof is of course no longer an insider tip. It is one of Berlin's most popular destinations in winter, spring, summer and autumn. But you can rediscover it especially in autumn. How about flying a kite in the huge park? Because it's so much fun and the wind on the field is so good, the annual kite festival in September attracts up to 100,000 visitors to Tempelhof. But the park is also beautiful in October and November: for people, kites and many other birds and animals. It is always open until sunset.
Tip: In our Berlin Unboxed video podcast episode on Tempelhof Field, we visit shepherd Frank Wasem and learn more about the flora and fauna that has settled on the former airport site.
Where: U-Bahn stations Platz der Luftbrücke, Paradestraße, Tempelhof-Schöneberg or Leinestraße, Neukölln
When: October 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., November 7 a.m. to 6 p.m
Tip 9: Discover the bat cellar in the Spandau Citadel
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of bats! An exciting permanent exhibition about native bat species awaits you in the historic vaults of Spandau Citadel - with real animal inhabitants such as Nile flying foxes and spectacled leaf-nosed bats. Particularly impressive: the showrooms simulate a reverse daytime so that you can experience the nocturnal animals in action. Guided tours are a highlight for groups, where you can also take a look at the animals' natural winter quarters and feed them by hand. Perfect for an autumn excursion with an aha effect!
When: Open all year round, guided tours on request
Where: Am Juliusturm 64, Spandau
Tip 10: Indoor tips for grey rainy days
Even if it's cold and rainy outside, you don't have to stay at home. In addition to the obligatory museum visit, Berlin offers a whole range of exciting experiences for anyone who likes to be active. From indoor wave surfing and skydiving to trampoline and bouldering halls, laser tag, black light minigolf, bowling, selfie museums and escape rooms. Discover your favourite activity here.
Tip 11: Meet Berlin's wild animals
Covering an impressive 113 hectares, the game reserve in Spandauer Forst is the largest in the whole of Berlin. Around 30 animals from five species, including roe deer, fallow deer, mouflon and wild boar, live here in spacious enclosures that blend in beautifully with the forest . Between the enclosures, an idyllic path leads you across the Kuhlake lake directly to a viewing tower - from here you have a sweeping view of the forest and animals. Incidentally, you won't only encounter wild animals in Berlin in the forest areas on the outskirts: Charlottenburg Palace Park and the Tiergarten are also exciting destinations for animal encounters. Find out more in our podcast with Berlin's wildlife expert Derk Ehlert.
Tip: For a family outing with children, we recommend Berlin's petting zoos & wildlife enclosures.
When: Open daily, all day
Where: Schönwalder Allee 50, Spandau
