Mauerpark and Sunday Flea Market

Mauerpark, literally Wall Park, is where Berlin goes on a Sunday, and spending an afternoon here is one of the most enjoyable free things to do in the city. The park lies on the border between Prenzlauer Berg, once in the East, and Wedding, once in the West, on land that was part of the Berlin Wall's border strip and closed to the public from 1961 to 1989. After reunification it was turned into a park, designed by the landscape architect Gustav Lange and opened on 9 November 1994, the fifth anniversary of the fall of the Wall. The former Wall route runs straight through it, and on the eastern slope a surviving section of the hinterland wall is now covered in ever-changing graffiti, with street artists at work most weekends. Most days it is a simple, slightly scruffy park with a long grassy hill and views over the rooftops towards the TV Tower. On Sundays it transforms. The flea market next to the park fills with stalls selling vintage clothes, records, furniture, East German memorabilia, bicycles and the kind of random objects that only Berlin attics produce, much of it from private sellers rather than professional dealers, along with food stalls and beer. On the hillside, buskers and bands play to whoever gathers, and in the stone amphitheatre an open-air karaoke show, run every Sunday in good weather since 2009 by Joe Hatchiban with a battery-powered sound system, draws hundreds of spectators to cheer on brave volunteers singing everything from opera to punk. The atmosphere is relaxed, multilingual and very Berlin. Entry to the park is free, and the market is free to browse.

How to plan your visit: come on a Sunday, ideally from late morning, when the flea market is in full swing; the karaoke usually starts around 3pm in good weather, and the amphitheatre fills quickly, so arrive a little early for a seat on the stone steps. In bad weather the karaoke is cancelled and the market is quieter. The park is at Bernauer Strasse and Eberswalder Strasse, a short walk from Eberswalder Strasse U-Bahn station and from the Berlin Wall Memorial. Bring cash for the market stalls, and be prepared for crowds on sunny weekends. Residents have asked visitors to keep the noise down, so respect the neighbours as the evening goes on.

Getting the most from it: walk through the market first, before the best finds are gone, then pick up something to eat and drink from the stalls and find a spot on the hill. Watch the graffiti artists at work on the wall, and then settle into the amphitheatre for the karaoke, which is genuinely one of the best free shows in Europe. Afterwards, wander into Prenzlauer Berg for dinner around Kastanienallee or Oderberger Strasse. If you are not in town on a Sunday, the park is still a pleasant stop on a walk along the Wall route from the Berlin Wall Memorial.

Who it suits and what to pair it with: couples and friends looking for a lively, free Sunday; young travellers and nightlife lovers who want to see Berlin at its most sociable; and families, who will enjoy the music and the space, though the crowds can be heavy. Pair it with the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse a few minutes away, which tells the story of the border strip the park was built on, and with an evening in Prenzlauer Berg, where the Hotel Oderberger, set in a historic public bath, is a short walk away.