A runway where people fly kites
The city's biggest open space was an airport. Flights at Tempelhof ended in 2008, and the field is now a free park the operators say could hold 420 football pitches. I drive past it on the way in and it still looks like it is waiting for an aircraft — two runways, a taxiway, and people on bicycles where the planes landed during the airlift of 1948–49.
That is Berlin for a driver: wide streets, a lot of space, and history where you least expect it.
Zone 29 does not take Sunday off
Almost everywhere in Berlin, paid street parking stops on Sundays and public holidays. Mitte's zone 29 is the exception: it charges every day from 09:00 to midnight, 365 days a year. Zones 1, 2, 15 and 35 run to 22:00 from Monday to Saturday, and zone 3 stops at 20:00 on weekdays and 18:00 on Saturday. The sign at the machine is the only rule that counts.
The second trap is the garage by the Brandenburg Gate. The Adlon garage charges €3 per half hour and up to €66 a day, with a 1.80 m roof. I park further out and walk.
Thursday night in a market hall
Every Thursday from 17:00 to 22:00, Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg fills with food stalls — Street Food Thursday, running since 2013. It is where I take friends on the first evening, because it tells you more about how Berlin eats now than any restaurant list.
Moved, not stolen — and the sticker that EVs may not need
If the car has gone, ring the police Auskunfts- und Fahndungsstelle on 030 4664-709800. The call is free, and they tell you the street it was moved to. The service line 115 answers questions Monday to Friday 08:00–18:00.
The Umweltzone covers everything inside the S-Bahn Ring, and every car needs the green Feinstaubplakette. Berlin is softer on electric cars than Cologne or Düsseldorf: German E-plates are exempt, and a foreign electric car may show the blue E-Plakette instead. Petrol and diesel from abroad need the green one, like everywhere.
A free dome, a closed altar, and 155 kilometres of wall
Reichstag dome — free, but only with registration in advance; everyone 16 and over shows a passport or ID card. Closed 28 September – 2 October and 19–30 October 2026 for maintenance.
Museum Island — a day ticket for all the museums is €24. The Pergamonmuseum is closed and reopens on 4 June 2027, with the Pergamon Altar.
Berlin Wall Memorial — free. The outdoor area is open 08:00–22:00, the documentation centre Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–18:00.
Fernsehturm — from €20, open 09:00–23:00; closed on 23 November 2026.
Tempelhofer Feld — free; gates open 07:00–19:00 in October and 07:00–18:00 in November.
Currywurst under the U-Bahn viaduct
Konnopke's Imbiss has sold sausages under the U-Bahn viaduct since 4 October 1930, and says it served the first currywurst in East Berlin in 1960. Open Tuesday to Friday 11:00–18:00, Saturday 12:00–19:00; closed Sunday and Monday. I eat standing up, as you should.
For the opposite end of the price scale, the Fernsehturm restaurant sells a currywurst and a drink as its "Highest Lunch" for €42. And on Thursday evening, Markthalle Neun has everything in between.
Lights in October, a €2 Christmas market
The Festival of Lights runs 9–18 October 2026, 19:00–23:00, lighting up the Brandenburg Gate, the Fernsehturm, the cathedral and the Oberbaum bridge. The crowds are on foot, so park outside the centre.
The WeihnachtsZauber on the Gendarmenmarkt runs 23 November – 31 December 2026 and charges €2 to enter, free on weekdays 11:00–14:00. The market at Charlottenburg Palace is free, 23 November – 27 December.
What's on
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 28 September – 2 October and 19–30 October 2026 | Reichstag dome closed for maintenance |
| 9–18 October 2026 | Festival of Lights, 19:00–23:00 — Brandenburg Gate, Fernsehturm, cathedral, Oberbaum bridge |
| 23 November – 31 December 2026 | WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt — €2 entry, free weekdays 11:00–14:00 |
| 23 November – 27 December 2026 | Christmas market at Charlottenburg Palace, free entry |
| 4 June 2027 | Pergamonmuseum reopens, with the Pergamon Altar |