Kollwitzplatz — Open-air market in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

Kollwitzplatz is a neighbourhood open-air market on Wörther Straße in Prenzlauer Berg, and the first thing you notice is how far the stalls stretch: it is a big spread of tables rather than a handful of vegetable stands, with a mix of food and non-food vendors side by side.

The food is what you come for. Cheese is sold at several stalls and you can take some home with you; fresh hand-made pasta is another of the foods on offer, the kind you buy by weight and cook that evening. Beyond the food the range widens to necklaces, crystals, clothing and purses, so a browse takes longer than a grocery run would.

The atmosphere is the other draw. It has a warm, almost familial feel, and you can strike up a friendly chat at almost every stall. Families come out, friends arrive in groups, people walk their dogs, and individuals drift through the same space on a pleasant day.

Watch the timing. Listings online say the market opens at 11 am, but it actually starts at noon, so an early arrival means waiting. The Thursday slot is the only day it runs, so plan the rest of the week around that.

One friction worth knowing before you go: a fur trader has a stall at this organic market, which sits oddly against the rest of what is sold here. If that matters to you, it is the reason to decide before you make the trip.