The Berlin Philharmonie's lovely lunchtime concert series has started again: every Tuesday at 13:00, they present a chamber concert, absolutely free of charge.

Wine and art: a natural pairing. While the free plastic cups of cheap red omnipresent at every gallery opening are always welcome, this weekend the VDP Prädikatsweingüter (German winemakers association) will offer up some classier vintages.

Berlin's beloved minimal techno is great and all, but it can be a bit, well, soulless. If you're feeling the urge to move your hips and really get down and dance, to actual songs, Soul Explosion is the answer: raw, hard funk from obscure original singles, accompanied by video projections with a psychedelic mix of dance scenes and Blaxploitation films.

While many Berlin clubs and galleries are shuttered this month for their well-earned summer breaks, the superb international dance festival Tanz im August fills the cultural void with a two-week program of diverse contemporary dance.

In lazy summer, a trip out to one of Berlin's many lovely lakes is the perfect day trip. The lake Schlachtensee is smaller and more intimate than the nearby Wannsee, with wooded banks, grassy knolls, and clean waters; it's easily accessible by public transport.

Take advantage of Berlin's beautiful "Weiße Nächte" (short northern summer nights - literally white nights) in the lovely Monbijoupark, perched on the banks of the Spree River across from the handsome Bode Museum.

The eight edition of the international design festival DMY Berlin takes place in the entrance hall and hangars of the former Tempelhof airport. It's a honey-pot of glorious contemporary design from up-an-comers and established luminaries. Thousands of cutting-edge designers buzz together, competing for the honor of 'best contemporary design'. A stroll through the large open exhibition is an inspiring feast for the eyes. It's just a short hop away from your Miniloft apartment on public transport (head south on the U6 from Naturkundemuseum).

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden will soon close its doors for three years of renovations - help send it off in style, with a free outdoor concert on the famous Bebelpatz!

Microbes! Mench Mikrobe, a new interactive science exhibition all about bacteria and viruses, fungi and parasites, has a brief run next door to the Miniloft apartments in the gorgeous theatre hall of Berlin's Humboldt University.

40 galleries, 40 openings, three days. A succinct description for the sprawling Gallery Weekend, a marathon weekend of contemporary art celebrating Berlin's most prestigious collectors and galleries.