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, the whole city lights up for the Festival of Lights. Experience the unique light installations in comfort on a two-and-a-half-hour bus tour with the Lightliner or the Lightseeing Tour. Both tours are guided in German and English and include photo stops.
Tip 1: Discover the Tegeler Fließ
The Tegeler Fließ valley is a stunning natural landscape right in the heart of Berlin and a great tip for an active autumn break. Start at Lake Tegel or take a stroll from the village of Lübars back into the city centre. There’s no doubt about it: you’re in for a treat. On a nature trail, you’ll experience a marshland landscape typical of Eastern Europe.
With a bit of luck, you might spot otters or beavers in their natural habitat during your autumn outing. Water buffalo are also at home here. The city has introduced them to the Tegeler Fließ to help maintain the meadows.
Where: Alt-Tegel Underground station, Tegel S-Bahn station or bus 222 to Alt-Lübars
When: Open round the clock
Tip 2: Enjoy the vibrant autumn colours in the Britzer Garten
Before nature retreats into hibernation, it treats us to one last magnificent display of colours in autumn. The full spectrum of reds, yellows, oranges, browns and greens can be marvelled at in Berlin’s Britzer Garten this autumn.
This extensive park in the south of Berlin offers numerous events and activities for the whole family during and around the autumn half-term holidays, including guided tours, the atmospheric candlelit maze and the spookily wonderful Halloween in the park with plenty of hands-on activities.
Where: Sangerhauser Weg 1, Neukölln
When: Daily from 7 am until dusk
Tip 3: Swimming in the Balinese village
On chilly days, a visit to a spa with a 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’s 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’s day.
Where: Seydlitzstraße 6, Mitte
When: Daily from 8 am to midnight
From 18 September to 24 October 2026, Berlin celebrates Oktoberfest in the Festzelt der Hauptstadt at Spandau Citadel. Fridays and Saturdays from 5 pm with DJ Hauffi and from 6 pm live band Gaudi Buam. Seats include a meal and a drink.
Tip 4: Browse in the bookshop
There are those rainy autumn days when you’d rather spend your time under a cosy duvet with just a warm cup of tea and a good book. To make sure you’ve got plenty of reading material to hand, we recommend a visit to Marga Schöller’s cosy bookshop.
The bookshop, near Kurfürstendamm, specialises in English literature. So on long autumn evenings, you can combine pleasure with practicality and brush up on your language skills in time for your next summer holiday.
Where: Knesebeckstraße 27, Charlottenburg
When: Monday to Friday 10 am to 6.30 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm
Tip 5: Stroll through the flea market
Shopping at a leisurely pace: a visit to a flea market is about much more than just buying more or less useful bits and bobs. Here, the journey is the destination. You browse, compare, haggle and have a natter. It’s particularly enjoyable on a sunny autumn’s day in Berlin.
The large antiques market at Ostbahnhof, for example, is ideal for a lovely autumn outing. You’ll find almost everything here: art, books, stamps, furniture and records. Make sure to take a bit of cash with you: with over a hundred stallholders, you certainly won’t be going home empty-handed.
Where: Erich-Steinfurth-Straße 1, Friedrichshain
When: Sunday 9 am – 5 pm
A perfect Halloween event: Stefan Jürgens not only reads the most famous vampire novel, but also combines language, music and drama to create an intense, emotional experience that appeals to all the senses.
Tip 6: Go for a walk in the Grunewald
The autumnal forest in Berlin is beautiful, with plenty of colourful, rustling leaves. Just head out and enjoy it. Berlin is a green metropolis. The city offers plenty of opportunities for a lovely walk in the woods. One of Berlin’s most extensive woodland areas is the 3,000-hectare Grunewald in the west of the city. It’s also one of the most beautiful places in autumn.
For an autumn outing, we recommend the Havelhöhenweg. This ten-kilometre trail takes you, amongst other places, to the Grunewald Tower. Here you’ll have a magnificent view of the forest in its autumnal colours. Afterwards, you can refuel at the Grunewaldturm restaurant, which serves hearty meals or coffee and cake, depending on the time of day.
Where: Havelchaussee 61, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
When: Monday to Sunday, 10 am to 8 pm (subject to change depending on the weather)
Tip 7: Enjoy tea the Tajik way
The Tajik Tea Room is one of those hidden gems in Berlin’s Mitte district that instantly transports you to another world. Whilst autumn leaves fall to the ground outside, you can make yourself comfortable indoors on colourful cushions and lose track of time for a few hours.
A particular highlight is the restaurant’s fairy-tale evenings, where you can enjoy tea alongside Russian and Central Asian cuisine. Very important: book a table at least two days in advance. That way, you can be sure the Tajik Tea Room has a place for you.
Where: Oranienburger Straße 27, Mitte
When: Monday 4 pm to 9 pm, Tuesday to Friday 4 pm to 10 pm, Saturday 12 noon to 10 pm, Sunday 12 noon to 9 pm
Tip 8: Flying kites
Any list of autumn tips for Berlin would be incomplete without Tempelhofer Feld. The former airport site in Tempelhof is, of course, no longer an insider’s tip. It’s one of Berlin’s most popular destinations in winter, spring, summer and autumn. But in autumn in particular, you can rediscover it all over again.
How about flying a kite in this huge park? Because it’s such great fun and the wind is so good on the field, the annual kite festival in September attracts as many as 100,000 visitors to Tempelhof. The park is also lovely in October and November: for people, kites and many other birds and animals. It’s always open until sunset.
Tip: In our Berlin Unboxed video podcast episode on Tempelhofer Feld, we visit shepherd Frank Wasem and learn more about the flora and fauna that have made their home on the former airport site.
Where: Underground stations Platz der Luftbrücke, Paradestraße, Tempelhof-Schöneberg or Leinestraße, Neukölln
When: October 7 am to 7 pm, November 7 am to 6 pm
Tip 9: Discover the bat cellar in Spandau Citadel
Immerse yourselves in the fascinating world of bats! In the historic vaults of Spandau Citadel, an exciting permanent exhibition on native bat species awaits you – featuring real animal inhabitants such as Egyptian fruit bats and spectacled leaf-nosed bats. Particularly impressive: the exhibition rooms simulate an inverted day-night cycle, so you can see these nocturnal animals in action.
A highlight for groups are the guided tours, during which you can also take a peek inside the animals’ natural winter roost and feed them by hand. Perfect for an autumnal outing with plenty of ‘aha’ moments!
Where: Am Juliusturm 64, Spandau
When: Friday to Wednesday 10 am – 5 pm, Thursday 1 pm – 8 pm, guided tours on request
Tip 10: Indoor ideas for grey, rainy days
Even when it’s cold and rainy outside , you don’t have to stay at home. As well as the obligatory museum visit, Berlin offers a whole host of exciting experiences for anyone who likes to keep active. From indoor wave surfing and skydiving to trampoline and bouldering centres, as well as laser tag, blacklight mini-golf, bowling, selfie museums and escape rooms. Discover your favourite activity here.
Tip 11: Encounter Berlin’s wildlife
Covering an impressive 113 hectares, the wildlife reserve in Spandauer Forst is the largest in the whole of Berlin. Around 30 animals of five different species, including roe deer, fallow deer, mouflons and wild boars, live here in spacious enclosures that blend beautifully into the forest. Between the enclosures, an idyllic path leads you across Lake Kuhlake straight to a viewing tower – from here you’ll have a sweeping view of the forest and the animals.
Incidentally, you won’t just come across wild animals in Berlin’s outlying woodland areas: Charlottenburg Palace Park and the Tiergarten are also exciting destinations for encounters with wildlife. Find out more in our podcast with Berlin’s wildlife expert Derk Ehlert.
Tip: For a family day out with children, we recommend Berlin’s petting zoos and wildlife enclosures.
Where: Schönwalder Allee 50, Spandau
When: Open daily, all day
