The sun is (mostly) shining brightly and the whole of Berlin is enjoying itself on the streets, in cafés and restaurants. Are you bursting with energy and wondering how you can make your summer programme more environmentally friendly? We have 11 tips to help you get off to a sustainable start this summer. Your adventure will take you to inspiring places, lively markets, nature and cool urban settings. Whether you want to learn something, have fun or get active - our tips have something for everyone.
Tip 1: Enjoy consciously at the Slow Food Eco Market in Schöneweide
Once a month, a green meadow in the historic AEG industrial park on the Spree becomes a lively meeting place for the neighbourhood and anyone who fancies sustainable alternatives. You can expect regional products directly from fair small farmers and manufacturers, handmade goods and design objects, workshops on climate and nutrition, inspiring talks, live music and a lovingly designed children's programme.
When: Every 2nd Saturday of the month, 14 June, 12 July, 9 August, 13 September and 11 October.
Where: Meadow in AEG-Industriepark, Treptow-Köpenick
Tip 2: Take an electric boat trip on the Spree
You want to experience Berlin in a completely different way - from the water, sustainably and in style? Then set sail with GOBOAT Berlin! Or rather: take off silently with an electric raft boat. With space for up to eight people and no need for a driving licence, you can drift past urban landmarks such as the Oberbaumbrücke, the legendary shipwreck and the iconic Molecule Man. The best thing is that the boats are powered by a quiet electric motor and are ideal for travelling in a climate-friendly way while enjoying nature to the left and right of the Spree.
When: Daily during the season
Where: Stralauer Allee 3, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Tip 3: Enjoy flea markets and weekly markets in summer
Weekly markets give you the best opportunity to buy food from regional production. If you also look out for organic or organic markets, you are sure to find products from local and organic production. For example, vegetables, fruit and flowers, whose colourful splendour simply puts you in a good mood. The organic market at Hansaviertel also offers textiles, care products and handicrafts. The organic market on Kollwitzplatz is also always worth a visit. When is it more fun than in summer and when the weather is nice?
Berlin's countless flea markets are a festival atmosphere every weekend, especially in the warmer months of the year. You can find all the tips - including for quieter flea markets - in our blog article Top 11 flea markets in Berlin.
Tip 4: Visit the green neighbourhood of Lollapalooza Berlin
The Lollapalooza music festival is known as a mega event with international appeal. But did you know that it received sustainability certification according to DIN ISO 20121 in 2023? One measure to implement the sustainable standards is, for example, the comprehensive use of LEDs at the festival, whether stage spotlights or fairy lights. In the area of waste management, Lollapalooza pursues a circular approach. No single-use plastic is served at food and drink stands and visitors are allowed to bring their own reusable 0.5-litre bottles to the festival.
Every year, Lollapalooza has a green neighbourhood, where you will find an exclusively vegan food offer since 2022. Sustainability and climate protection topics are also at the forefront here. NGOs, start-ups, projects and associations can present themselves
When: 12 to 13 July
Where: Olympiastadion Berlin, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
To Lollapalooza Berlin
Tip 5: Eat delicious street food on warm summer nights
In summer, one street food market follows the next. There are food trucks and stalls at every street festival. Berlin is also the city of street food, where you can find something tasty at almost any time of day or night. Whether it's hearty classics like kebabs and currywurst or exotic snacks, most snack bars and street vendors also have a vegan or vegetarian option up their sleeves.
Tip 6: Get on your bike and explore the city
The best way to explore summery Berlin in a sustainable and sporty way is by bike. You can either bring your own bike or hire bikes from rental shops or with the help of an app at bike sharing stations. We have put together a large selection of different bike tours for you to really enjoy Berlin in summer. Bathing lakes, nature, industrial architecture or the most famous sights of Berlin, everything is included.
By the way: Even if we like to do without it in photos for aesthetic reasons - be safe on the road, wear a helmet.
Tip 7: Go to the auction of the second-hand department stores' NochMall
The NochMall run by BSR (Berliner Stadtreinigung) is a second-hand department stores' where you can find everything from furniture and toys to old records and household goods. But did you also know that the NochMall regularly hosts auctions with the greatest treasures? On the first Saturday of every month, valuable individual items, rarities and collector's items go under the hammer. It's worth it just to experience the atmosphere at the auction and take a tour of the second-hand store afterwards. You can see some of the items up for auction in advance on the NochMall website.
Tip 8: Take a coolcation in Berlin - climate-friendly and refreshing
Berlin combines all the advantages in summer: Instead of sweltering heat, you can expect a mix of parks, water, culture and neighbourhood life. Enjoy shady walks through the Tiergarten or Volkspark Friedrichshain, paddle across the Spree in an electric boat, take a dip in Plötzensee or Krumme Lanke, or visit cool exhibitions such as the Berlinische Galerie, the Naturkundemuseum or Domäne Dahlem. And with the many vegan ice cream parlours, organic street food spots and sustainable markets, your coolcation is sure to be a pleasure.
Tip 9: Breathe deeply on Tempelhofer Feld
Sometimes sustainability is also simple: pause, feel yourself, take a deep breath. And that's exactly what the "Breathe deeply in the greenery" workshop at Tempelhofer Feld is all about. On Berlin's largest open space in the city centre, you will learn how beneficial urban nature can be for body and soul.
For two hours, everything revolves around mindful movement, breathing techniques and meditation to help you find inner peace and balance. The Workshop by Campus Stadt Natur not only provides you with the necessary knowledge about the health effects of urban greenery, but also directly applicable exercises for more balance in life.
When: 29 June
Where: Tempelhofer Feld
To the workshop
Tip 10: Join World Clean Up Day
The annual World Cleanup Day is a day when we all come together to clean up our environment. Whether private groups, companies, associations or public organisations - anyone and everyone can take part. If you are planning a campaign, you can register it on the World Cleanup Day website so that it is listed on the official map. You can also have the result of the action recorded there. In this way, many tonnes of collected waste are added to the statistics every year.
World Cleanup Day should by no means remain a symbolic day, but should motivate people to keep the environment clean all year round. Maybe you'll pick up a bag of crisps in the park on your next jog or take the initiative to clean up the grass verge in your street.
When: 20 September
Where: Worldwide
Tip 11: Dive into agricultural history
Want to understand how our current discussions about food, consumption and agriculture are linked to the past? In the current exhibition "SAMMLUNG DOMÄNE DAHLEM. Stories and Objects", you can take a comprehensive look at the in-house collection for the first time. Findings, tools, everyday objects and art bring you closer to agriculture and food culture through the ages.
A trip to Domäne Dahlem is doubly worthwhile: after visiting the museum, you can stroll around the extensive grounds, shop in the organic shop or stop off at the farm café. Children will love the animals and hands-on activities.
When: Until 17 August
Where: Domäne Dahlem, Königin-Luise-Str. 49, Steglitz-Zehlendorf
To the exhibition
Find more event tips on the topic of sustainability in our Events calendar.
