Things to do in Charlottenburg, Western Berlin: Expert expat Victoria Cavanagh's tips

Head to the flea markets on the weekend.Credit: iStock

Victoria Cavanagh grew up in Melbourne's South Yarra before moving to Zambia at 22 and spent the next six years working for the UN in Africa and Italy. She moved to Berlin in 2016 for a job in an agricultural company, and recently relocated to Berlin's Charlottenburg district. "It has such a special and old-world feel, but people don't talk about it enough – or know enough about it." she says.

SEE Huesken Antiques is my favourite store on Mommsen Strasse and I've never found another quite like it. There was a German designer whose career spanned the 1950s-1980s, and his entire collection of 40,000 pieces was bought by the owner, Norbert Huesken. Visiting is like stepping into a treasure trove - you can really see the different decades through the designs. If it's raining, I visit a museum like the Helmut Newton Foundation, and if it's sunny I'll go for a bike ride to one of the many lakes only 20 minutes away. See huesken.com; helmut-newton-foundation.org

DO On Wednesdays between September and June, there is a free lunchtime concert at the Philmarmonie, which is an amazing way for working people to relax during their lunchbreak or for tourists to experience world-class concerts in a small and intimate setting. It usually features members of the Berlin Philharmonic as well as instrumentalists from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester and the Staatskapelle Berlin. See berliner-philharmoniker.de

Victoria Cavanagh moved to Berlin in 2016.

EAT Rogacki is an institution. The delicatessen has been around for almost 100 years and was originally a fish smokehouse, but has expanded to a medium-size market hall with meats, poultry, cheeses, baked goods and salads. On Saturdays, I enjoy going to the canteen inside and having some wine and fish at the counter. I also love all the Asian food on Kant Strasse, which is not as common in Europe as in Australia. My favourite is Lon Men's – a traditional Taiwanese noodle house that's been there since the 1990s. It took me about four years for the owner to finally put my photo on the wall! See rogacki.de; lon-mens-noodle-house.business.site

DRINK I love old-fashioned cocktail bars like Victoria Bar on Potsdamer Strasse. The area was traditionally the red-light district and has now become the gallery district, with a distinct old-world and very lively feel to it. I usually order a pisco sour. Closer to my flat I also go to Paris Bar, where every night of the week feels like a Saturday night. Don't expect friendly staff, but there's always an interesting mixed crowd and the walls are full of paintings donated by artists over the years. See victoriabar.de; parisbar.net

AVOID High heels – it's a big city and you'll be walking lots. Comfort is king in Berlin.

THRIVE I spend my weekends wandering around different flea markets - Potsdamer Strasse des 17. Juni in Tiergarten, Fehrbelliner Platz in Wilmersdorf and Rathaus Schoneberg. Dress for the season, bring cash, sharpen your negotiating skills.