When the leaves slowly begin to change colour and the temperatures no longer feel like summer, autumn gradually sets in in Berlin. But when it turns grey outside, that’s when it really starts to feel cosy indoors.
The Festival of Lights, concerts, the Pumpkin Festival – autumn in Berlin is full of lovely festivals and exciting events.
Here are our 11 tips to bring some colour to your autumn days:
Tip 1: Festival of Lights
Berlin is aglow once again! In October, the Festival of Lights transforms the capital into a dazzling stage for creativity. This year, too, there is a deeper meaning behind the installations: under the theme ‘Colours of Love’ , the spectacular light artworks tell stories of the most beautiful of all emotions – love – and bathe Berlin’s most iconic buildings in a colourful sea of light.
The aim is for light to build bridges and connect people, cultures and generations. Youcan alsoget tickets for popular sightseeing tours and special offers from us.
When: 9 to 18 October
Where: all over Berlin
Tickets for tours & special offers
Tip 2: Take to the skies at the Berlin Autumn Festival
Let the chain carousel carry you up into the autumn sky, wander through the mirror maze and enjoy the view from the 35-metre-high High Sky Ferris wheel. As well as plenty of fun rides , the traditional Berlin Autumn Fair also features fairground performers and games stalls. Treat yourself to currywurst, churros and candyfloss. Over two days, a fireworks display will light up the sky above Berlin. Perfect for a family day out.
When:
Where: Central Fairground, Kurt-Schumacher-Damm 207, Tegel
Tip 3: Kick off the Berlin theatre season
The start of the theatre season also brings a splash of colour to grey autumn days. Theatres, opera houses and concert halls have opened their doors and are delighting audiences with fresh takes on classics and premieres of new plays. The German Symphony Orchestra welcomes its new principal conductor, Kazuki Yamada, who makes his debut on 4 October. A breath of fresh air is also blowing through the Volksbühne with its new artistic director, Matthias Lilienthal. So, make yourselves comfortable in your theatre seats and enjoy the show.
When: from September
Where: All over Berlin
Tip 4: Go for an autumn stroll
When the light filters gently through the leaves, a walk in the woods is particularly lovely. The classic spot in Berlin is the Grunewald, the large woodland area on the banks of the River Havel. Or you could climb the Teufelsberg. Here , you can discover Berlin’s largest street art gallery on a guided tour or learn more about the history of the former spy stations. You’ll also be rewarded with a magnificent view.
Tip 5: Fly a kite
When the autumn winds blow, it’s time to fly a kite. There’s always a fresh breeze on Drachenberg, very close to Teufelsberg, and the magnificent view makes the climb well worth it. The plateau in Volkspark Prenzlauer Berg is also a perfect spot for kite flyers. The vast Tempelhofer Feld, with its seemingly endless open spaces, is a popular choice.
Top 11 places for kite-flying in Berlin
Tip 6: Snug up together at cosy living-room concerts
The open-air season is slowly drawing to a close. But that doesn’t mean you can’t catch any more concerts in Berlin. Bands of all sizes play here all year round. From electronic, pop and rock to classical, jazz and world music, there’s something for everyone. An insider’s tip is the Piano Salon Christophori in Wedding. Concerts are held regularly in the workshop, which specialises in repairing historical keyboard instruments.
In many of Berlin’s jazz bars, there are jam sessions almost every day. You can find more great concerts in our events calendar.
Tip 7: Go to a food festival together
Warm up with a delicious bowl of ramen, discover the wide world of cheeses or celebrate the potato: autumn is harvest time and therefore also the season for food festivals. A highlight is, of course, Berlin Food Week in October, when the whole of Berlin becomes a playground for foodies from all over the world. You can sample Bavarian cuisine at the numerous Oktoberfest celebrations, but fans of Italian or Asian cuisine will also find particularly delicious offerings this autumn.
Tip 8: Treat yourselves to a spa day
When the drizzle is pattering against the windows outside, it gets particularly cosy indoors. Through the large window of the panoramic sauna, overlooking the garden of the vabali Spa, you can watch as autumn slowly takes hold of the natural world. Or you can float across Lake Müggelsee in the warm Finnfloat sauna. Wellness and sauna options in Berlin are as varied as the city itself. Here you’ll discover the best saunas in Berlin:
Berlin’s best saunas
Tip 9: Browse in bookshops
When the leaves are falling outside, it’s time to cosy up indoors and flick through a book. Lots of new books are being published at this time of year, inviting you to have a browse in bookshops. A selection of novels set in Berlin will transport you into exciting stories from the city’s past and present. To go with this, we’ve put together some tips for lovely, well-stocked bookshops across Berlin.
Tip 10: Find the perfect pumpkin at the Schöneberg Pumpkin Festival
Delicious pumpkins are available in autumn, from soup to casseroles. In Berlin, we don’t just carve pumpkins for Halloween – we celebrate them with a festival of their own. The Schöneberg Pumpkin Festival is scheduled for 3 and 4 October on Akazienstraße. There’ll be pumpkins of all kinds and varieties. Autumn doesn’t get any tastier than this! You can also harvest and enjoy the autumn at Domäne Dahlem, for example.
When: 3 and 4 October
Where: Akazienstraße, Schöneberg
Tip 11: Get spooked this Halloween
Things get spookily lovely in Berlin this autumn around 31 October. Whilst the little ones set off in fancy dress in the afternoon to collect sweets, for the grown-up Halloween fans the spooky party begins as night falls. Traditionally, Filmpark Babelsberg also welcomes witches , monsters and ghosts. We’ll reveal where to find the spookiest spots in Berlin on our blog.
When: 31 October
Where: All over Berlin
Spooky places in Berlin
You’ll find even more tips for autumn in our events calendar
